Gaming Clubs, Geeky Events, Local News
Central Coast Game Community
Welcome to the Central Coast Game Community Newsletter. If you’re looking for a local club to join scroll down to the Central Coast Gaming Clubs (Links) section, but come back because there’s some good stuff in this one. This issue covers some big news about a couple of local game designers, a new youth Warhammer club, updates for the Nine Realms Fantasy Faire, news of a January game convention in Ventura, local artists, a local gamer keeping a 200+ year gaming tradition alive, a guide for organizing game clubs, and a special dedication at the bottom. Enjoy.
Newsletter Contents
Newsletter Hiatus
Andromeda’s Edge Rises to the Top
San Luis Obispo Educator Starts Youth Warhammer Club
Polycon Painting Contest
Poll - “Has this newsletter helped…”
Crossword
Postponed - Nine Realms Fantasy Faire
Kriegsspiel, Great Grandfather of Dungeons Dragons
San Luis Obispo Friday Night Game Theory Resumes
Ventura County ConQuest Game Convention
Camarillo Playtesting Future D&D Content
World Record Attempt Bricks & Minifigs
Santa Maria Valley Adventurers League Epics
Local Artist - Jeremy J Brooks
Central Coast Gaming Clubs (Links)
How to Organize a Game Club
Local Game Stores & Schedules
Sponsored by Black Rose Designs LLC
Moss Cloak (FREE)
Game Masters For Hire
A Special Dedication
Edwin the Psionicist
Thank You For Your Support
Newsletter Hiatus
I have been away for the past few months and missed important updates, like ConQuest Ventura happening last July and Cards of Dreams last August (I’m sorry I wasn’t able to promote these fantastic local events). Unfortunately, my father recently passed away, and it involved a long illness and hospitalization through this past summer. Additionally, there were a lot of loose ends associated with his passing that I took on, and as a result, these newsletters haven’t been published, I’ve pulled away from multiple planning committees, and a couple of projects I was working on have been postponed to accommodate the unexpected circumstances.
I feel lucky to have the support of this community. When I shared the news a lot of you reached out to me in support and shared your advice and stories of loss, which was helpful and touching. So thank you if you were one of those who shared your experiences and sentiments with me. It helped a lot.
, in my absence, reached its second anniversary, as well as reaching more than 500 free subscribers, which is amazing - I never thought this would be so successful, and it wouldn’t have been possible without such a supportive community. I owe much gratitude to all of the local game stores, the gamer community, early subscribers who put the wind in my sails, and Cameron Cleveland, Courtney Miller, Crissie Danley, Austin Simmons, Justin Sigmund, and all of the event organizers and Game Masters who helped organize MimicCon in 2023, from which this newsletter got its momentum.Andromeda’s Edge Rises to the Top
Normally I don’t cover national events, however, two board game designers local to the Central Coast Luke Laurie (Dwellings of Eldervale) and Maximus Laurie are receiving exceptional reviews this month for their new game Andromeda’s Edge.
Andromeda’s Edge originally went to crowdfunding in January of 2023 which raised $1.6 million from over ten thousand backers (more than 2000% of its original goal) to be manufactured and ultimately shipped, which began early this month, and to an amazing reception. At the time of writing this, it sits at a whopping 8.7 on Board Game Geek, with many people calling it their new favorite board game, and praising its replayability. You can watch a review of Andromeda’s Edge from Youtuber Tim Chuon in his video My NEW Number 1 Board Game of All Time, or if you prefer a written review here is one player’s very comprehensive review and breakdown of Andromeda’s Edge.
I still haven’t played Andromeda’s Edge, though I saw a few opportunities for playtesting these last couple of years I missed them all. Maybe I’ll get lucky and convince one of the designers to roll it out for one of our game days in Santa Maria. Either way, a huge congratulations to Luke and Maximus on your grand slam success.
San Luis Obispo Educator Starts a Youth Warhammer Club
Kevin Coulombe, educator at Cal Poly SLO and local Warhammer 40k Organizer, is starting a Warhammer 40k club for young enthusiasts and new players alike.
I have an opportunity for anyone with kids or our younger members to get more involved with the Warhammer world. (40k and AOS). I'm an instructor at Poly, and I used to teach high school. Through these avenues, I was able to create some Warhammer gaming clubs with official GW sponsorship. This was done through the GW "Warhammer-Alliance" program for North America. My rep recently reached out to me and is giving me another alliance package to bring the program back to the Central Coast. If you are 20ish or younger, or have a kid/nephew/niece/young adult, and would be interested in taking part please let me know! Feel free to DM me or keep the conversation going here!
Kevin can be contacted by email at kcoulombe15@gmail.com or on Discord as @NapalmWraith and is active on the SLOGaming Discord server.
Polycon Painting Contest
In June
held its annual 3-day event, and this year, I was allowed to organize a painting contest that had a great turnout thanks to Tyson Koch, a local award-winning miniatures painter who was so supportive. Tyson judged the event, took the photos above, gave contestants feedback on their submissions, and helped me design a rubric that fit our event. The goal of the contest was to encourage novice painters and adept painters alike, to add to the ambiance of PolyCon’s community-first approach to their gaming convention. Hopefully, this will be a new tradition for a 41-year-old convention.The Santa Maria Valley Adventurers League traveled up to San Luis Obispo all weekend to run PolyCon’s first Adventures League events, where we held twenty 4-hour adventures from the Season 4 Adventures League where players ventured in hopes of escaping the Dreaded Demiplane of Ravenloft. Nerdvana kicked off the bloody-themed adventures with a very successful Blood Drive Friday afternoon which helped collect more than 15 units for the local blood bank, thanks to Insomnia Cookies (SLO) and Black Rose Designs who sponsored the drive. Remember to subscribe to this newsletter or PolyCon’s newsletter for updates about their events.
Crossword
Newsletters will have geeky crosswords from now on. I found a neat website that makes creating crosswords quick and easy, and I wrote to them asking to take advantage of their free membership for bloggers for this newsletter, and they obliged.
https://crosswords.brightsprout.com
You can solve it online and check your answers, or download the PDF below. Let me know if you enjoy it.
Postponed - Nine Realms Fantasy Faire
From Nerdvana
To all of our friends on the Central Coast,
We have an unfortunate announcement to make regarding the upcoming Fantasy Faire in Santa Maria, CA. Due to unexpected family illness, and death, multiple organizers for this year's Faire are pulling back to focus time and energy on important family matters. Our hearts and prayers go with them in their time of need.
The strain on staff was too much to continue with the November 2024 timeline, and as a result, we are rescheduling for 2025. We are taking this opportunity to reorganize and refocus our efforts for the extended timeline.
Nerdvana Presents to the Santa Maria Valley, The Nine Realms Fantasy Faire a fun, educational, and interactive experience that is unplugged from today’s high-stress. As you step through the gates and into the faire, the 21st Century life vanishes into a cool wooded landscape, and the transition to fantasy begins. You’ll enter a world of discovery and adventure, a place of pleasure, creativity, laughter, and enchantment to meet Historically recreated characters, along with Fairies, Privateers, Knights, and more.
Kriegsspiel, the Great Grandfather of D&D
Central Coast local Marshall Neal, lifelong gamer, founder of the International Kriegsspiel Society, and author of the Kriegsspiel 2023 wargaming ruleset, hosts a Kriegsspiel podcast in his effort to unify and grow a community of historical wargamers.
Kriegsspiel 2023 is a system for the American Civil War by Marshall Neal. With a rulebook over 75 pages long, the book also teaches how to run a Kriegsspiel. K23 is a refined, streamlined, comprehensive ruleset that will put your players to the test in one of America’s most dramatic conflicts.
Marshall Neal has been supporting local game conventions by running Kriegsspiel, a very historical wargame dating back to the 1800s as an officer training tool for the Prussian Army. Kriegsspiel is often referred to as the Great Grandfather of Dungeons & Dragons, as it led to more recent, and familiar, historical wargames like Napoleonic Wargames. The Napoleonic Wargames and other wargames of the 1960s and 1970s brought together the co-creators of Chainmail (Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren), which then inspired Dungeons & Dragons (Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax). Marshall has single-handedly kept the flame of Kriegsspiel alight on the Central Coast, as few still play locally. Though his international community on Discord thrives and often plays virtually, I wonder when the last in-person game will be played here on the coast.
My own ToDo list has included “Learn Kriegsspiel” near the bottom of the list since 2022, which keeps getting buried under ever more time-sensitive project deadlines. However, I’d like to organize a quarterly club for this game, if anyone out there would like to meet up sometime and study the ways of the grognards who came before us, reach out. I’m sure Marshall would be thrilled to show us the ropes, so we can carry on the legacy, especially if anyone wants to run tables at Strategicon or PolyCon.
Coffee, Kegs & Kriegsspiel is a weekly live podcast hosted on YouTube and available as Video on Demand, covering a wide range of topics concerning Kriegsspiel, the International Kriegsspiel Society, game analysis, and so forth. Tune in!
Thank you Marshall for keeping the tradition alive. Kriegsspiel 2023 by Marshall Neal, is available in the IKS Etsy shop and comes with access to the Living Rules.
San Luis Obispo Friday Night Game Theory Resumes
This game night is organized by a student club at Cal Poly every Friday Night. You don’t have to be a student or alumni to participate. Typically pizza, drinks, and snacks are available for purchase (cash only). Parking is free after 5:00 pm and is accessible from N. Perimeter Rd. They play Roleplaying games, Card games, Board games, and have room for Miniature games too.
Friday 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm Cal Poly BRAE (Building 8) Room 122
Ventura County ConQuest Game Convention
ConQuest Ventura is returning to Ventura County again this winter with tabletop roleplaying games, miniature wargames, board games, and trading card games. Organized by Gabby Mondo Vega (Pacificon), this quaint little convention in Ventura is worth a visit if you live nearby.
From the website:
For our third show, we will be returning to the Channel Islands Masonic Center located in downtown Ventura!
Channel Islands Masonic Lodge
482 E. Santa Clara St.Ventura, CA 93001
Santa Clara Entrance
Free Parking at Structure Catty-Corner from the venue
Lots and Lots of Terrific Local Eateries
Camarillo Playtesting Future D&D Content
In September I took a trip down to Zander’s Game House for a unique opportunity to playtest upcoming D&D content with the Conejo Valley Adventurers League and the content’s author, Jay Africa. It was a very memorable experience and afterward, I got to swap stories and tips with some fantastic Dungeon Masters in the area. Gabe, a fellow Santa Maria DM, came down to play with me, and together we collected some great tips for community organizing, running games at conventions, and organizing our local D&D club Santa Maria Valley Adventurers League.
If you live in the Conejo Valley and play D&D I couldn't possibly recommend Ed's club enough, Conejo Valley Adventurers League. He's been a big inspiration for how I organize in Santa Maria, and it was truly a pleasure playing D&D with him and his club finally.
Thank you Zander's Game House for hosting, you're the best Jeanne and your store looks amazing!
The Conejo Valley Adventurers League is a D&D Adventures League club in the Conejo Valley that meets weekly on Saturdays between 5pm and 9pm at either the Game Ogre in Westlake Village or Zanders Game House in Camarillo.
World Record Attempt Bricks & Minifigs
The local Bricks & Minifigs in San Luis Obispo is participating in a nationwide event to attempt a world record for most players in a D&D game using an adventure structure similar to D&D Epics, where players at each table (of many tables) contribute together to a much larger goal.
Join the Quest: Help us set a world record!
Bricks & Minifigs is setting out to make history with the largest connected tabletop role-playing game ever! On October 19th from 1-5:30 pm MDT, unleash your imagination in a world of fantasy and magic. Let's just say it involves mythical creatures, like… dragons and faraway places, like… dungeons.
If you’re ready to dive into an epic adventure, connect with fellow enthusiasts, and be a part of a world record, this event is made for you.
Ready to embark on an unforgettable journey? Spots are limited, so register now at https://bricksandminifigs.com/world-record-2024/ and become a part of the legend! Registration closes on October 12th.
I reached out to Bricks & Minifigs about participating in the event myself but am still working out the details. I’ll post updates on my social media if this changes.
Santa Maria Valley Adventurers League
Epic Adventures!
Beginning in January, the SMVAL is hoping to start planning regular Epic Adventures. Epic Adventures are D&D adventures that play out across multiple tables, where all players are typically working together to accomplish a single larger goal. Each table may have its own unique goals, but the actions of each table will affect each other's table, as all players (and DMs) are playing the same game concurrently.
Imagine a castle siege, where Table A assaults the front, Table B sneaks in the back, Table C is tasked with targeting artillery, and their respective successes affect the overall outcome.
This is very exciting for me personally, as one of my goals for this club was to eventually have enough players (15+ concurrent) to begin running Epic Adventures, something that is typically only seen at approved conventions.
When we begin running Epic Adventures we will need 3+ DMs to sign up. So, if this is something that excites the DM in you, or you would like to join us in organizing these events, reach out to me on Discord.
Battletech & Board Gaming
We now have a dedicated Battletech crew showing up at the library with us, who bring extra miniatures and materials for new players who want to stop by and learn the rules. As well as, open tables for casual board gaming.
The Santa Maria Valley Adventurers League is a club of D&D gamers and Tabletop Gamers who meet at the Santa Maria Library on Sundays, typically twice a month, to share and play games.
Upcoming Dates: Oct 6th, Oct 27th, Nov 24th, Dec 8th, Jan 12th, Jan 26th, Feb 9th, Feb 23rd
Local Artist - Jeremy J. Brooks
Thank you to Jeremy J. Brooks, Artist for adorning the Shepherds Hall in the Santa Maria Library with your beautiful work over the summer. Our local gaming club enjoyed them very much, and I found them quite inspiring. Many of his originals from his published books were on display through July and August, but if you missed them he was happy to share them with us below.
Brooks’s love for drawing began at the age of four, which became instrumental for communicating as he lives on the autism spectrum. Currently, he is designing a fossil exhibit and mural at the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum.
Jeremy J. Brooks, Artist
Jeremy is an Orcutt local who enjoys researching and exploring video games and game art for creative ideas and concepts. His passion for drawing began at the age of four which later led him to earning a bachelor’s degree in graphic design with a concentration in illustration and a minor in writing. He has quite a collection of video game art books for creative inspiration and completed a course in college on video game design. Jeremy’s specialized medium is pen and ink; subjects include prehistoric animals, monsters, and creative concepts for possible story universes. He has published two books of illustrations, some of which are original drawings displayed at the Santa Maria Public Library, and he has been the featured artist through August. He is also considered a movie buff in which he has published several articles on the topic of film and video games.
Central Coast Gaming Clubs (Links)
I have indexed all of the active and semi-active clubs around the Central Coast to make the painful task of finding a group of friends to share niche hobbies with a little easier for you. Most of these clubs are not affiliated with this newsletter, but we salute everyone on this list for building and maintaining their local gaming communities. If you know of a club on the Central Coast that isn't on this list, please let me know so I can add it. For a complete and up-to-date list including Discord Servers, Facebook Groups, and Meetup Groups visit the Nerdvana website here.
Central Coast Game Community Discord Server (Gaming Newsletter)
Monterey County Communities
Monterey D&D Discord
Monterey Area Gamers Discord (Board Games)
Heart of Arcana Discord (D&D)
Kern County Communities
Paladin's Game Castle Discord (Game Store)
RPG Bakersfield Facebook
San Luis Obispo County Communities
SLO-Gaming Discord (Everything Game Related)
PolyCon Discord (Everything Game Related)
Cal Poly Magic Players Discord
SLO Smash Discord
Prism CCG Discord (Game Store)
Central Coast Tabletop Gaming Discord (TTRPGs)
Cal Poly SLO Chess Club Discord
Santa Barbara County Communities
Santa Maria Valley Adventurer's League Discord (D&D)
Leisure Time Games Discord (Game Store)
Central Coast Collectibles Discord (Game Store)
UCSB Magic The Gathering Discord
Black Rose Designs LLC Discord (D&D, Maker)
Ventura County Communities
Conejo Valley Adventurers League Discord (D&D)
Zander's Game House Discord (Game Store)
Game Ogre Discord (Game Store)
Ventura County Star Wars Group Discord (Wargaming)
Dream Catcher Gaming Discord (Smash)
How to Organize a Game Club
I get asked a lot, “How do I start a gaming club if there isn’t one already local to me”, and, after a couple of years doing it myself, I think I have decent advice for doing just that. Unfortunately for most, it involves a lot of social media, research and posting. In fact, I didn’t really have the knack for it when I started and had to learn a lot of it as I went.
The first step is always first, and that is to define a goal; for me, that goal was “Playing more D&D.” Your goal might be “Building a club to learn more games”, or “Creating a club that can organize more youth programs.” But, whatever your goal is, you need to write it down and keep track of it so you can celebrate when you’ve reached it, as well as use it to realign and calibrate your efforts occasionally - it’s easy to be the victim of a creeping project scope.
Second, make an earnest attempt to find out if the club you want to organize already exists. You’ll be surprised what you can unearth by researching Facebook Groups in your area, asking clerks at your Local Game Store, looking on your local town’s Subreddit, Craigslist, Nextdoor, Instagram, X, Meetup, local Discord servers, or even on your local Library’s events calendar. Any groups, even if they don’t fit your desire quite right, catalog them somewhere, this will come in handy later.
After you’ve exhausted those avenues, or determined that a suitable club doesn’t exist, pick a platform to organize your club around. For me, that is usually Discord, but for you, it might be a Subreddit, a Meetup group, or a Facebook Group. If you can hack it, pursue at least two of these options, and adopt whichever one works best partway through the process. Start by creating the space where you want members to be able to communicate, there are a lot of guides online about how to customize your space for each of the options above. Make your space easy to join, don’t bog new members down with too many survey questions or make your space feel uninviting, and communicate the geographic location of your club - call it something like “Santa Barbara Battletech” or “Santa Ynez Valley Magic the Gathering”.
Once you’ve done all that, it’s time to share your club with the world. Create a QR code, the easiest way to do so is to locate your share/invite link, copy the URL of it, put it into Google Chrome, and then navigate to the Cast, save, and share option on Google Chrome, choose Create QR Code (Download the image). Make a simple flyer with your new QR, the simpler the better you’re not a graphic designer (maybe you are?), and ask your Local Game Store if you can put it on the counter. Explain that you’re trying to build a club; local game stores are typically very inviting places for things like this. After all, if you build a Magic the Gathering club chances are you’ll all be there every month stocking up on new releases.
Next, share your club’s share/invite URL in all of the spaces we cataloged earlier, future gamers are likely looking there for clubs too and you want to be visible enough for them to find you. Write an inviting message that can be easily copied/pasted (with light tweaking for each social platform). Post your message, make sure it includes your link, on your local town’s Subreddit (r/santabarbara, r/santaynez, etc), Facebook Groups that share community events or gossip, ask permission to share it in other gaming groups you might have uncovered before, make a Craigslist posting, post it on Instagram too. If your social platform indexes hashtags make sure to use your local town’s hashtags (#santabarbara, #santaynez), and use other relevant hashtags like #battletech or #mtg (or whatever your club is about). The hashtags help get your posts in front of relevant users. Reach out to this newsletter, I’m always happy to include clubs on my list, and will put your invite link on the Nerdvana website as well.
Be ready to organize; when members start joining your new club, engage with them, make your intentions clear, share your availability for meetups, and be willing to do things that might be a little out of your comfort zone like calling venues to ask permission to play in their establishment. If your Local Game Store doesn’t support your club or doesn’t have enough space or availability that fit your schedule, Pizza Parlors, Cafes, Community Centers, and Libraries might all be places where your new club can call home.
If you chose Discord as your home, I have server templates you can use, which will help the setup process. If you hit a speed bump and you’re not sure how to overcome it, reach out to me. I’m very passionate about organizing in-person gaming clubs, and I’m more than happy to help anyone anywhere pursuing that as a goal. My contact info is at the bottom of this newsletter.
Local Game Stores & Schedules
Our local game stores are the beating hearts of our communities. They are deeply ingrained in our neighborhoods and serve as places to gather, discover, seek advice, share hobbies, and often where we first played our favorite games. Check out your local game store and keep them in mind for the holidays.
Please check with the shop if you have questions about the schedule.
Prism CCG
Paso Robles, 631 Creston Rd, (805) 284-2086
Tuesday - Open Gaming
Wednesday - Open Gaming
Thursday - Open Gaming
Friday - Open Gaming
Saturday - Yu-Gi-Oh! 1 pm
Sunday - Pokémon League 1 pm
Gordon’s Good Games
Atascadero, 5830 Traffic Way, (805) 538-5007
Monday - Battletech
Tuesday - Open Gaming
Wednesday - Open Gaming
Thursday - D&D 6pm
Friday - Friday Night Magic
Saturday - Warhammer
Sunday - Infinity
Captain Nemo’s
San Luis Obispo, 563 Higuera St, (805) 544-6366
Monday - Magic Commander
Tuesday - Open Board Gaming
Wednesday - Open RPG Gaming
Thursday - Open Miniature Gaming
Friday - Friday Night Magic
Saturday - Open Gaming
Sunday - Open Gaming
Leisure Time Games
Santa Maria, 159 Town Center, (805) 614-4263
Monday - Pokémon League 5 pm - 8 pm
Tuesday - Magic Commander 5 pm - 8 pm
Wednesday - One Piece 5 pm - 8 pm
Thursday - Games Workshop 1 pm - 8 pm
Friday - Friday Night Magic 5:30 - 10 pm
Saturday - Special Events
Sunday - Yu-Gi-Oh 1:30 - 6 pm
On The Play Gaming
Santa Maria, 208 W Main Suite B, (805) 478-9574
Monday - Yu-Gi-Oh! 6:30 - end, One Piece 6:30 - end
Tuesday - Magic Commander 5:30 - close
Wednesday - Magic Draft 6:30 - end, Yu-Gi-Oh! 7 pm - end
Thursday - Open Gaming, Battletech 6 pm start
Friday - Friday Night Magic 7 pm - end, Pokémon League 6:30 - end
Saturday - Open Gaming
Central Coast Collectibles
Lompoc, 1321 N H Suite A, (805) 743-4211
Wednesday - Open Play
Monday - Yu-Gi-Oh! 6:30
Tuesday - Open Play
Thursday - One Piece / Shadowverse 5 pm
Friday - FREE Magic Draft 6 pm - end
Saturday - Pokémon 4 pm - 9p m
Sunday - Magic Commander 5 pm Lorcana League 4 pm
Metro Entertainment
Santa Barbara, 6 W Anapamu St, (805) 963-2168
Monday - Magic Commander 6 pm - 9 pm
Friday - Friday Night Magic (Commander) 6 pm - end
Saturday - Magic Lessons 12 pm - 12:30, Pokémon Lessons 12:30 - 1 pm
Saturday - Pokémon League 1 pm - end, Dungeons & Dragons 5 pm - end
Sunday - Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament 11:30 - end
Sunday - Magic Draft (3 pack) 3 pm - end
Zander’s Game House
Camarillo, 2270 Ventura Blvd, (805) 383-9983
Open Gaming Every Tuesday - Sunday
Monday -
Tuesday - MTG 6 pm
Wednesday - X-Wing 6 pm / Lorcana 6 pm / Go! 6:30
Thursday - Super Smash Bros 7 pm - 10 pm
Friday - Friday Night Magic 6 pm 6 pm - 9 pm
Saturday - Yu-Gi-Oh! 11 am / Open Board Gaming 2 pm - 6 pm / Pokémon (Adults) 3 pm
Sunday - Mini Painting 11 am / Infinity / Battletech / Lorcana 12p m & MTG 3 pm
Game Ogre
Westlake Village, 1145 Lindero Canyon Rd Unit D4, (818) 852-7270
Monday - Board Game Night 4 pm - 7 pm
Tuesday - Magic Commander 12 pm - 7 pm, Pokémon League 4 pm - 7 pm
Wednesday - Lorcana 3 pm
Thursday - Magic Commander 12 pm - 7 pm, Marvel Crisis Protocol 5 pm - 8 pm
Friday - Pathfinder/Starfinder 2 pm - 7 pm, Friday Night Magic 7:30 - 11:30
Saturday - Warhammer 40k All Day
Sunday - Warhammer Age of Sigmar All Day
A Word From Our Sponsor
Hello everyone. Black Rose Designs is a local dice and tabletop gaming accessory company born and operated in Santa Maria, CA (headquartered at Dargarrd Keep, Nightlund). The
cultcompany was born from a small community of players and is happy to support the growth of the community as a whole. Check out our Instagram and follow so you can keep up to date with everything Black Rose is unleashing! Also, mycaptive’semployers said that for every new follower, I would get an extra minute of outside time. Thanks and hope to see you soon. I am told interns find "new opportunities" fairly often around here!
Sincerely,
The Intern
note, the Intern is a paid employee of Black Rose Designs and a sworn vassal of Lord Soth, CEO. Don't concern yourself with his well-being.
Moss Cloak (One Player RPG)
Game developer Brandon Butler is offering his one-player TTRPG game, Moss Cloak, to the community for free. Brandon thanks his wife for her support while developing the game. And, I thank Brandon for his contribution to the gaming community by providing Moss Cloak to so many gamers for free.
Moss Cloak is a sandbox adventure RPG for solo or co-op GM-less play.
Take the role of a member of the Moss Cloaks, a guild of skilled individuals who dedicate themselves to maintaining order and safety along the dangerous highways that connect the kingdoms of Astra.
Professional Dungeon Masters
Dungeons Masters can sometimes be difficult to find, especially for special events like birthdays, reunions, or team-building exercises. Maybe your friends or family just want to learn how to play and desire a professional to walk you through it, or your forever DM needs a break. Whatever the case may be, these DMs are professionals, hireable, and I can personally recommend them.
Timothy Morgan a.k.a. The Whiskered Warlock
The Whiskered Warlock runs a D&D Supper Club called Fiends, Feasts, & Fables at the Clean Slate Wine Bar in Santa Ynez CA. An elegant event that mixes food drink and fantasy.
Are you ready to step into a world of imagination and excitement? Look no further!
I am thrilled to offer my expert Game Master (GM) services for a wide range of special events and gatherings. Whether you're planning a memorable birthday celebration, a unique family bonding experience, or a thrilling game night with friends, I'm here to bring your tabletop role-playing games to life!
Ready to embark on an adventure of a lifetime? Contact me via Facebook, Instagram, or email to inquire about rates and availability. Let's turn your next gathering into an unforgettable journey filled with excitement, laughter, and endless possibilities!
You can connect with The Whiskered Warlock through email, Facebook, or Instagram
Goof
Goof is one of the DMs at our local Adventurer’s League and is always a highly requested DM at our events.
I am Goof, a GM and artist! I've been playing and running D&D 5e games for 7 years now, and art-wise, I've been drawing for many many years.
I specialize in voices and role-playing. I create maps and artwork for my games, both homebrew and modules. I usually focus on doing one-shots, but I am willing to do campaigns if the time works out. For art, I am a pixel artist and a 2D artist with a more anime art style. If you're looking for a pixel art animation of your favorite character or a portrait of your TTRPG character, feel free to commission me! If you're interested in either of my services, please check out the links.
You can connect with Goof through Start Playing or contact them for art commissions through ko-fi
Gabe
Gabe is another of the DMs at our local Adventurers League, always well-prepared and adaptable to changing plans.
You can connect with Gabe through email
Chay Comas
This is me, hi! I organize several Dungeons & Dragons clubs, and events both small and large, and have extensive experience teaching D&D to all ages. My strengths aren’t character voices like Goof, or Homebrew Storytelling like The Whiskered Warlock, but lie with event planning, club organizing, and event promoting. If you’d like to organize a D&D event for your team or community or learn how to start a club in your community, I’d be happy to help, along with running a D&D at the event.
You can connect with me through email, Facebook, or Phone at (805) 286-6707
A Special Dedication
I was very young, maybe 10 or 11 years old when my father started sharing stories from his days of playing Dungeons & Dragons. We had just started playing Diablo (1) together, and I think it must have been the first time I showed interest in fantasy RPGs because the stories of his Psionic Sorcerer came out of him in rapid fire. First, it was the story of Leomund’s Tiny Hut, which he used to store his party’s wealth at the bottom of a lake. Then how he saved all of his friends from an army of orcs with a Psionic Blast and Fireball in a narrow corridor, I believe one of his friends died in this encounter however. He lamented story after story about encounters with ancient sphinxes, clever dragons, and the occasional 1980s paladin who got out of hand with their oath and had to be dealt with.
As a young boy, the picture he painted of Dungeons & Dragons ran through my mind like wildfire. I didn’t understand what Dungeons & Dragons was exactly, and he didn’t have any of his old rule books to teach me. We lived in Southern Mississippi at that time, circa 2001, and I’m not sure we could have found any if we had tried. So, naturally, I convinced my brother, and some of our closest friends and cousins to come sit with me in my room and play “Dungeons and Dragons”, a game I had invented, closely based on the stories my dad told me, which involved a chess board, a few select chess pieces, some toy soldiers, dinosaurs, and a pencil and paper (because that part sounded important). Every square on the chess board was a level, and you had to progress up the board to win — the rules of how to do so were all in my head, and by that I mean, it was made up on the spot, and was heavily influenced by the last movie we had all watched together. I don’t think we got more than halfway up the board before we were in the backyard with wooden branches collecting concussions.
It would be another 5 or 6 years before I would have a core rule book set, and finally understand what my dad’s stories meant. It wasn’t too long after that I was DMing a game for him and my family. These are some of my most fond memories. I remember setting up the kitchen table with a massive map of a castle siege including more than 100 NPCs and monsters, a drawbridge, ramparts, postern doors, an outer wall, inner wall, and multiple levels for each. This single castle siege lasted for weeks in the real world (4th Edition).
Come to find out, my dad actually hadn’t played much D&D. He had only played in a single campaign, though his experiences from that were burned into his memory like his retelling of them were burned into mine. I wish I had got to play more D&D with him, we both were very busy with life and work after those days - he passed away this August. So, I’d like to dedicate this newsletter, and each one after, to him. It all started with his Psionic Sorcerer after all.
Edwin the Psionicist
Cassidy and Melfir had gone ahead to scout for orcs. We knew we were getting closer to the right section of the cavern because we had come across a few of their scouts already today. The last one almost got away because Melfir was in the middle of stringing his bow when it stumbled onto our path. In fact, I had to waste one of my best spells to keep it from slipping away.
This sort of thing was a lot easier before Verox went and got a bounty on his head from an archmage. “Steal one magic lamp and everyone gets their pants in a twist” - those were his last words. An enchanted javelin came flying out of the clear blue sky and smote him into a crater. I had never seen someone use Magic Missile as an enchantment, but it was ingenious. Honestly, it was kind of impressive, if not for losing our rogue in the middle of an active heist that is. — “What’s taking Cassidy and Melfir so long?”
“What’s taking them so long?” said Kelephor.
“I swear I’m not the only telepath,” I muttered loud enough for him to hear me. “I was just wondering the same thing.”
“They probably got themselves into trouble again, we might have to go in and save them,” said Kelephor matter-of-factly, peering into the darkness with an obvious lack of eagerness.
“No, they’re still safe. Cassidy has a couple of tricks up her slee-” I stammered, as a low hum began to echo through the corridor towards us.
“Told you,” Kelephor hoarsely whispered.
A few moments passed, and the hum began to form into a clear message, “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah - OOORCS! LOTS OF OOOORCS,” Yup, it was Cassidy and Melfir, no doubt about it.
The corridor is narrow, but not too narrow, which is good, prime dimensions for a well-placed Fireball. “No, stop!” I shouted at Kelephor as he began sprinting towards our friends, “Go hold the gate open behind us, we’re not going to have much time considering how much the ground is trembling.” Horrified, Kelephor noticed the rhythmic dancing of stones on the slate floor of the dungeon. “This is so fucked,” Kelephor shouted back, as he hustled to pry open the spring-loaded iron gate behind us.
At a mile a minute, Melfir yelled as he came into view, “Cassidy’s-right-behind-me-these-ones-are-fast-move-move-move-move”, as he began angling himself to arch around to my right, one hand on his shortbow, the other reaching for an arrow. Cassidy came into view next, her face pale white as if she’d just seen a banshee, and for good reason too, those orcs were close, too close. “Damnit Cassidy this is a close one, two, three, NOW!”
Cassidy dove through the air throwing her arms outstretched in front of her in hopes that the additional inertia would slide her further across the dungeon floor as she belly-flopped on the slate ground. My psionic blast echoed down the corridor, stunning at least a dozen orcs who had been inches from Cassidy. Cassidy was stunned too, I was too close. “Damnit! Grab her!”, I shouted to Melfir. The orcs were quickly piling up as the ranks behind those stunned tripped on the bodies in front of them, and those behind them in turn. “Holy shit”, Melfir squeaked out before doubling back to reach for Cassidy’s stiff outstretched arms.
BOOM! - our ears were ringing, the air was acrid with burnt orc flesh. I reached down and pawed for an arm, any arm. “I got you,” I thought as a hand grasped mine. I tugged and pulled towards the gate, focusing my attention on Kelephor’s shiny metal greaves instead of my burning leg muscles. Kelephor was mouthing something at me, “Dunce never remembers I can’t hear him when I do it that close,” I think as he reaches for my arm and helps me through the gate. I hear the faint clang of a wrought iron gate behind me as it slams shut and I look down at Cassidy - but I see Melfir, burned and writhing.
The world collapsed in an instant and I stared through the wrought iron to see if I could see any movement through the smoke. Orc faces stumbled out of the haze towards us, and Kelephor dropped the deadlock, staring at me with tears rolling down his face. I didn’t notice Kelephor, I just stared for any sign that hope wasn’t lost, a surprise I wasn’t expecting, ready to aid her with any of the spells I had left, ready to lift the deadbolt and open the gate, ready for her to spring out of the darkness.
More and more orc faces condensed before us. She was back there behind those broken bows and shields they wielded, behind those spitting bloodied faces. The iron was beginning to shift behind their weight. “We have to go RIGHT NOW!!”, Melfir wailed into my face from behind his own panicked exasperation as the reality of the situation came rushing down on me. I turned and ran.
We only made it 30 feet before we heard the gate come crashing down behind us. Whipping around I let loose another Fireball imagining that I was delivering it straight into Cassidy’s chest, that somehow she had just been about to escape her fate and I was sealing it for her instead. I knew it wasn’t true, that she had died moments earlier, but the horror of that haunted me for the next decade and changed — everything.
Adventuring is a sorrowful business sometimes and unforgiving at other times, but it was my business for 50 years before I finally settled down in the City of Splendors.
-Edwin Thalmahra, Psionicist
I’ll keep writing about Edwin Thalmahra to finish all the stories you ever started Dad, and I’ll have them ready to share with you when we meet again. x
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