Orcs at Monster Manual Comix

The first is Rich Morris’s Yet Another Fantasy Game Comic. The story starts with the improbable love story a female goblin and a beholder then ranges all over the classic D&D world. The art in this has a rough draft feel to it, but it is a very pro rough draft most of the time. This one can get rude with mild nudity and lots of adult humor, but it never gets anything past a PG-13 or a 1970s R. The story is a long one, the link sends you to the first strip, read a couple a day until you catch up.

The second is Lore Sjöberg’s Monster Manual Comix, which is a pretty good look at the absurdity of the usual D&D monsters. Both comics are funny, but Lore’s is more like a traditional newspaper gag strip without a storyline. Lor’s site has lots of other good stuff spilling over from his gig as Wired’s funny guy.

First up is this Japanese cartoon from 1936. Note the warped Mickey Mouse who leads the villains and that Momotaro, the little peach boy helps the good guys as well as some very helpful kappa.

Next up is a great video for anyone that has ever done any computer support at any time in their life. It is from Norway and sub-titled but well worth a watch.

We also discussed the legendary Mall Ninja, but the Grumpy One’s story of ninja tiger riding training beat anything the Mall Ninja comes up with. Still I am sure that riding a tiger around beats riding a rascal.

No gathering of my friends would be complete without at least a brief mention of Dungeons and Dragons. I haven’t played it in many many years, but now my son is fascinated by it. The nerd circle of life I guess. Anyhow, my games were never as interesting as Jack Chick’s or these guys games.

Lastly no discussion of this site is complete with a mention of Top Gear. We miss you Robert.

In the early seventies he and Dave Arneson invented Dungeons and Dragons. What struck me today is how widely the news of Mr. Gygax’s passing is being posted and emailed. I have seen notices on rightwing sites and leftwing sites, on comic sites and on music sites, certainly on gaming sites but also on computer gaming sites and general computing sites. The game he and Mr. Arneson created has touched a huge range of people from all walks of life, sure there are haters, but I have never seen someone so obscure in the real world with so much whuffie. I know that the Dungeons and Dragons was a great joy to me and my friends, rest in peace Mr. Gygax.

If you want it you can get it here. I was alerted to this sanity drain via Kotaku. I have to go lie down now.

Via Broken Toys

I Am A: Neutral Good Human Fighter/Sorcerer (3rd/3rd Level)

Ability Scores:
Strength-13
Dexterity-11
Constitution-12
Intelligence-14
Wisdom-15
Charisma-14

Alignment:
Neutral Good A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment because because it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Primary Class:
Fighters can be many things, from soldiers to criminal enforcers. Some see adventure as a way to get rich, while others use their skills to protect the innocent. Fighters have the best all-around fighting capabilities of the PC classes, and they are trained to use all standard weapons and armor. A fighter’s rigorous martial training grants him many bonus feats as he progresses, and high-level fighters have access to special melee maneuvers and exotic weapons not available to any other character.

Secondary Class:
Sorcerers are arcane spellcasters who manipulate magic energy with imagination and talent rather than studious discipline. They have no books, no mentors, no theories just raw power that they direct at will. Sorcerers know fewer spells than wizards do and acquire them more slowly, but they can cast individual spells more often and have no need to prepare their incantations ahead of time. Also unlike wizards, sorcerers cannot specialize in a school of magic. Since sorcerers gain their powers without undergoing the years of rigorous study that wizards go through, they have more time to learn fighting skills and are proficient with simple weapons. Charisma is very important for sorcerers; the higher their value in this ability, the higher the spell level they can cast.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

Via FlirtaciousJ and the Flibbertigibbet