Best Reads of the Week: November 16 - November 22

I'm utterly convinced that we're living in the golden age for the hobby and that the only way we can improve is by discovering the best ideas out there and using them for our own games. So with that in mind I've decided to start collecting the best articles from the blogs and websites I read each week and posting them here. Hopefully everyone who comes by and reads this page will find something new to inspire them.

Oh, and if you like one of the articles below leave the author a note thanking them and encouraging them to continue writing such cool stuff. These guys are all putting a lot of work into their blogs and it's always nice to hear that it's appreciated.

The Best Reads for November 16 - 22, 2013

Alphabetical by Article Title

[DIY] Wooden Runes by Matt Jackson from the blog Lapus Calumni: A fantastic article on creating your own wooden runes. I don't know what I would be using these runes for in my own games but I can tell you that after enjoying this article that I want them entirely too much.

Drunk Jerks with Swords by jasons from the blog The Dungeon Dozen: Great little d12 chart detailing all the drunken idiots your party might run into when out at the bar looking for an adventure to fall in their laps - as they're want to do.

In Search of Canon by Aaron E. Steele from the blog A Paladin in Citadel: Aaron reflects on some of the lesser known, third party supplements for the Original Dungeons and Dragons game. In this article he focuses on a product I'd never heard of from Little Solder Games: The Book of Sorcery.

Mass Battle, End Of An Era, Brain Eating Turns Out To Be A Good Idea by Zak S at the blog Playing D&D with Porn Stars: It was the end of an era over the weekend in Zak's long running game as the players beat back hordes of the undead and saved the city of Vornheim from destruction. Really a neat way to talk about the events in a campaign without making everything boring.  

My New Adventures in Dragonlance by the Prophet Konsumterra at the blog Elf Maids & Octopi: Reading the blog Elf Maids and Octopi is a guilty pleasure on every level and this article typifies why I love this blog. He goes directly at the heart of everything that is Dragonlance and it is a glorious site to behold.

Mythic Adventures for Pathfinder by Blacksteel at the blog Tower of Zenopus: An interesting accounting of the book Mythic Adventures for the Pathfinder game system. It didn't sell me on the product, but it definitely held my attention enough to get me looking into using it for my own games.

New Monster: Bone Imp by David from the blog Tower of the Archmage: I really enjoy the way that David writes up his monsters and the Bone Imp narrative at the beginning of this one is just fantastic. It tells you everything you need to know without even the first stat coming into play.

Peasant Deeds by ravencrowking from the blog Raven Crowking's Nest: A really cool house rule that looks like it could be used with most any non-player character you have in your game. It's really got me thinking about how to use it in my own games.

Punitive Dungeon Delving by Judd the Librarian at the blog The Githyanki Diaspora: Great little article that provides a series of really punitive reasons for a player character to be sent deep into the bowls of some dark and dank dungeon within a narrative context that just rocks.

[Resources] Apollonius of Tyana by Matt Borselli from the blog Asshat Paladins: Matt's producing a lot of great resource materials that can be used in your role-playing games and this one is pretty great.

Tayxis Art: Gustav Dore by James MacGeorge from the blog From the Ashes: James is always putting out something new that I've never encountered before and this time is no different as he's introduced me to a new artist that I'm digging like never before. Really a fun look through and it provides you with some amazing ideas for the role-playing game of your choice.

Underworld Lore #3 | Obscure facts pertaining to the lands of the Hyborian Age by Greg Gorgonmilk from the blog Gorgonmilk: Greg Gorgonmilk has a fantastic mind for creating some inspiring challenges for the hobby community, and this challenge is no different. If you'd like to be involved in his latests efforts this is a great place to jump in.

Yet Another Amazing Update - The List of Goodies for the "12 Days of OSR Christmas" is Looking Like a Lich's Treasure Room! by Erik Tenkar from over at the blog Tenkar's Tavern: Erik Tenkar is getting ready to run a 12 Days of OSR Christmas for this upcoming season and he's getting a tremendous amount of help over there. If you'd like to help him out drop him a line and donate for a fantastic holiday event. 

Best Article from Dyvers this Week

Using Guilds and Corporations in Dungeons and Dragons: The first in a series on choosing between Guilds and Corporations for use in your Dungeons and Dragons game. The big goal here was to establish some modern equivalents for Guilds so that they can more easily be used without some murky understanding clouding their use.