Knights of the Dinner Table® Magazine (ISSN 1526-307X) Is Published Monthly by Kenzer and Company, 808 Endicott Rd., Highwood, IL 60040

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DON’T LET YOUR Sample file SUBSCRIPTION RUN OUT! RENEWAL IS ONE QUICK BROWSER CLICK AWAY WWW.KENZERCO.COM NOT A KODT SUBSCRIBER..? WE CAN FIX THAT — CLICK-CLICK, DUDE SUPPORT SMALL PUBLISHERS Sample file CONTENTS ISSUE 277: GARYCON OR BUST

REGULAR COLUMNS DEPARTMENTS 47 Tales from the Table Actual tales from the gaming table 4 Cries from the Attic Editorial of a madman 57 Web Scryer by Ken Newquist Junk Drawer 2020 5 Table Talk: Letters Page Our readers talk back GAMEMASTER’S WORKSHOP 60 Back Room at the Games Pit An opinion arena where 45 Denizens of Tellene readers can sound off Sarinor, Lavender by Barb Blackburn 62 Weird Pete’s Bulletin Board 49 All Things Magic Classified ads, personals Elixir of Honey Tongue by Barb Blackburn and other strangeness 50 Bait & Tackle Adventure hooks on the fly 52 Deadly Trappings Sleepy Time by Barb Blackburn SPECIAL FEATURES REVIEWS 35 Between the Covers Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit 31 RPG review by Noah Chinn Apocalypse How? 53 Lost Game Safari by Jim Davenport by Alan Hume Gary Gygax’s Dangerous Journeys 55 Indy Game Scene

by Egg Embry Kids on Bikes 38 58 Off the Shelf

Gaming the Movies: by Barbara Blackburn Crossing Lines Child of Chaos, Book 1 by Jim Davenport 61 Brian’s Picks Isle of Red,Harshaw Creek, Child of Sample fileChaos Book 1

LEGAL NOTICE: Knights of the Dinner Table, HackMaster and Kingdoms of Kalamar are registered trademarks of Kenzer and Company, Garycon or Bust™, All Things Magic, Back Room at the Games Pit, Bait and Tackle, Board Squawk, Brian’s Small Press Picks, Celebrity Hack, Cries from the Attic, Deadly Trappings, Disks of Wondrous Power, GameMasters’ Workshop, Game Mechanic, Gamer Pulpit, GameVine, Gaming the Movies, Gary Jackson Files, Hacklopedia of Beasts, Hard Eight Enterprises, kenzerco.com, KODT, Lookin’ at Comics, Off the Shelf, One-Two Punches, Parting Shots, Players’ Advantage, Radio Free KODT, Retro-KODT, RFKODT, Rustlers of the Night, SpellJacked, Summon Web Scryer, Table Talk, Tales from the Table, The Gamer’s Rant on the Movies/TV. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The “Indy” Game Scene, the Kenzer and Company Logo, The Quotable Gamer, Weird Pete’s Bulletin Board, W.W.A.G.D. and all promi- nent characters and likenesses thereof are trademarks of Kenzer and Company. If you are actually reading this you may take 250 experience points for being observant.

2 Knights of the Dinner Table® #277 ® COMIC STRIPS KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE PUBLISHER Kenzer and Company 8 Slipping the Hook EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jolly R. Blackburn • [email protected] 13 Setting the Town on Fire ASSISTANT EDITOR Barbara Blackburn • [email protected] 17 There’s an App for That KODT DEVELOPMENT TEAM Jolly R. Blackburn • David S. Kenzer 19 Where Wolf...?!! Brian Jelke • Barbara Blackburn (+1)

KODT STRIP ART Jolly R. Blackburn 22 There Wolf! COVER ART George Vrbanic 26 Hear Me Out CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS Brendon Fraim • Brian Fraim Bill “Indy” Cavalier • Jolly Blackburn 63 One-Two Punches • Carolyn Prange • Benjamin Pierce • Cosmo Joe CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kenneth Newquist • Noah Chinn • OTHER TOONS Kif Davis• Barbara Blackburn • Jolly R. Blackburn • Egg Embry

64 Additional Cartoons Alan Hume • James Davenport Bill “Indy” Cavalier, SALES/MARKETING/ADVERTISING Carolyn Prange, Barbara Blackburn • [email protected] Benjamin Pierce, Cosmo Joe 847 508-2317 SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES [email protected] CHARMED PERSONS Kevin Vance • Jack Grayson • Craig Zipse PRINTED IN U.S.A. Postmaster: Send address changes to: ABOUT Knights of the Dinner Table THE COVER 808 Endicott Rd., Highwood, IL 60040 This cover by George Vrbanic E-Mail: [email protected] • Phone: 847 508-2317 was by special request from World Wide Web: www.kenzerco.com Jolly — heralding back Submissions: We accept submissions for strip ideas, jokes, cartoons, to some very early KODT etc. We are interested in running anything that other gamers and fans covers featuring the would enjoy. Check out our website for writer’s guidelines. Knights attending GaryCon Subscriptions: A standard 12-issue monthly subscription is only $77.99 (or $65.99 for slower bulk mail shipping). [US $92.99 for Canada or US $117.99 for other foreign locations.] 6- and 24-issue subscriptions are also available. SampleTo subscribe, order by creditfile card at our online store at HTTP://WWW.KENZERCO.COM or send a check or money order (made NIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE™ was accidentally created by Jolly R. Blackburn payable to Kenzer and Company) to: Kway back in 1990 as ‘filler’ for his small press magazine, Shadis. It was Kenzer & Company KODT Subscriptions, something of a ‘creative burp’ and Jolly really didn’t give it much thought. 808 Endicott Rd., Highwood, IL 60040 Perhaps that’s why he was just as surprised as anyone that soon KODT was overshadowing everything else he’d ever done and that the created was now Back Issues: Older issues and other KODT merchandise are avail- controlling the creator. The Knights have gone far beyond anything Jolly or the D-Team (David able for direct purchase on our website at HTTP://WWW.KENZERCO.COM Kenzer, Brian Jelke, Steve Johansson and Barbara Blackburn) ever imagined. In 2006, Jolly was ATTENTION RETAILERS: If you are having difficulty getting our inducted into the Hall of Fame. Now, with over 277 issues and over 80 trade paper backs under product (including back issues and RPGs) please call or e-mail us. their belts, it’s been a wild ride and we look forward to seeing where the Knights take us next.

Knights of the Dinner Table® #277 3 B.A.S CAMPAIGN JOURNAL...?

ears ago (circa 2003) a KenzerCo product called, “B.A.’s Of course, we’ve done some of the things mentioned above here YCampaign Journal” was put on the release schedule. It and there over the years. But with no real plan behind it. was slated to come out after the World of Aldrazar We’ve simply offered it up — like the Sleeping Dogs Lie pebble (Garweeze Wurld) Gazetter. last issue. It was a busy time for us as well as me personally. We had the Of course, the material would hopefully be of interest to KODT Dungeons and Dragons license, an insane release schedule for fans — even those who don’t actively roleplay or even play HackMaster 4e as well numerous other product lines. Not to men- HackMaster. tion keeping up with the monthly schedule of KODT. So I’ll pose a question to readers. Would this material be some- Long story short — by the time, I limped to the finish line with thing, you’d like to see? And if so, what other things from B.A.’s the Aldrazar book and handed it over to production, I was shying Journal would you like to see...? away from taking on B.A.’s journal. Eventually asking that it be And while I’m on the subject, a reader sent in an interesting strip removed from the schedule. idea recently. Taking a classic AD&D adventure many readers would Now, seventeen years later, I’ve been going over some of the be familiar with — and writing a strip of B.A. running the players material I managed to pull together for that project and find myself through that adventure. I keep turning that one around in my head. wanting to dust if off and dabble with it again. Well, I hope everyone reading this is healthy, safe and not shy of So — I’m toying with the idea of presenting the material here in coin. Things are getting tough out there. the monthly issue as a semi-regular feature. A bit at a time. What I’m looking forward to the day when we can toss dice, attend might that material look like...? conventions and commune with friends face to face again. Some of B.A.’s hand-drawn dungeon and wilderness maps, Hope you enjoy this issue! spells, magic items and weapons used at the table — written up as HM5e items (albeit ‘unofficial’). Jolly R. Blackburn Some of the NPC’s and monsters that have appeared in the comic over the years statted out. And more. September 10, 2020 Sample file

Twenty Ago This Month: KODT #47 September, 2020— B.A. baits the players with a “sym- pathy” NPC and they fall for it. — Jolly

4 Knights of the Dinner Table® #277 ENTWINED the TWO FORMS tumble and thrash among the fallen limbs and forest floor! briefly you imagine the STAG is actually FIGHTING BACK — but you quickly realize it has gone LIMP — it’s ATTACKER merely THROWING the poor victim’s body TO and FRO in a SAVAGE display of BLOOD LUST — as though the BEAST is SAVORING the very ACT of killing!!

at long last the WEREWOLF stands on W-WEREWOLF...¿¡¡¡ his PREY, throws back his head and HOWLS at GOOD the MOON in TRIUMPH!! GAWD!

Really appreciated the insight into how like vampires and werewolves can cause reader story ideas are integrated into the even the most seasoned players to panic? EDITOR’S NOTE: The mail just comic. Great issue. It felt sort of like a bait-and- never seems to stop. While we As for the lycanthrope army idea, I had a switch when I opened my issues and realized make every effort to read each and group back in 1978 who attempted such a there was no continuation of the on-going every letter, it is not always possible thing. As I recall the rules were a little story but by the time I got to the last page I to give a personal reply. Even if your letter sketchy and I house ruled much of it, but the was more than satisfied. You are forgiven. doesn’t happen to be published or if you don’t campaign ended with it being dubbed, get a direct response, rest assured you are I am looking forward to more of the Crutch Planet of the Werewolves. being heard. stuff and I’m rooting for him. I’m looking forward to seeing how Brian’s Remember, KODT is an interactive Trish Payne 7 plan goes off the rails (or seeing B.A. bested). magazine. We want you, the reader, to be MYSTERIOUS HOODED involved. So keep your suggestions, thoughts And thanks for the reminder, “Last Issue” and opinions (constructive and otherwise) on my subscription wrapper. It really does STRANGER coming. Opinions expressed by readers are not help and I’d hate to miss an issue. Hey B.A., Dragon magazine used to pub- necessarily shared by the editor or Kenzer and Trent G. 7 lish roughly 4-5 articles a year -mocking- this Company. Please be aware that due to space Thanks, Trent. And let me take this opportu- sort of old school adventure hook. considerations, some letters have been edited nity to give readers a heads up. It’s been over I'm siding with the Trio on this one. and/or trimmed. — Jolly a decade since we’ve raised our subscription Reading the opening editorial, (regarding RE: 276 rates. Both production and postal rates have attitudes changing over the years), I have to climbed during that time. They will be going say, out of all the shocking, envelope push- As much as I was looking forward to the up by the end of the year. So still time to lock next installment in the Crutch arc it was so ing sitcoms that came out in the late 80s- in at the old rate@— Jolly much fun seeing the original Knights of mid 90s...stuff like South Park, Married With Children and Get A Life, the stuff the Dinner Table playing under B.A. “WEREWOLF...?!!” Felton. that gets invoked nowadays as "oh, so I got such a laugh out of the group’s reac- harsh" are things like Seinfeld and Friends, “This is the way!” tion when they learned they were facing a which in comparison were strikingly mild I love allSample the characters in KODT and I love werewolf. and mainstream.file the various groups, tables and locales but Why is it we can face dragons, t-rexes, It's like the Bundys celebrating that a mall there is just something about the core group. orcish hordes and worse but classic monsters Santa -died- on their front lawn just isn't

HOW TO CONTACT US ^: Via ONLINE FORUM — Just pop over to www.kenzerco.com and visit our discussion forums 7: via E-MAIL — Send your strip ideas, reader mail, back room fodder and questions to [email protected] . via SNAIL MAIL — Or write to us at KODT c/o KenzerCo 309 S Dilger Ave, Waukegan, IL 60085 z: via TWITTER — kenzerco or jollybgood FB: via Facebook — Kenzerco OR Jolly Blackburn

Knights of the Dinner Table® #277 5 anything compared to Chandler and Joey GREAT ISSUE good if he tosses players out when they are making a slightly racy quip. not in the wrong. Players at the table are Hoody Hoo! My first subscription issue of John Ellise ^ there because they want to be, because they Knights of the Dinner Table arrived (my want to have a good time. Sure, John. I’m a huge Seinfeld fan. The FLGS sadly closed it’s doors due to Covid). point of my editorial was to address the fact Brian especially, he has no life or pleasure The thrill of tearing open that polybag and other than the game. He's a monk outside of that I’ve changed personally over the last 30 smelling that fresh ink. Pure joy! years as have my readers. It’s okay to grow it. He'll stay through a lot, but as we've seen and adapt accordingly. Seinfeld isn’t ‘bad’ it’s There were a lot of laughs in 276. Classic he has his limits. He will walk away. Or just a product of its time and it sometimes Knights in full on murder hobo mode while worse, even with Crutch I think there might shows. Doesn’t diminish my enjoyment of the Brian and B.A. battled wits. come a time when Brian gets mad enough series however. — Jolly Bob using a silvered meat skewer to off that Crutch's obvious advantage in a physical the werewolf was brilliant. Was this inspired fight are ignored. I also think the fact that RE: ISSUE 276 by actual in-game events? Something tells Crutch plain doesn't like Brian is a part of this. I just finished #276 and I eagerly await me it was. Other than that he is running a good how Brian’s plan pans out! I look forward to reading the next 23 game, everyone is into it. He's put them into I was kinda bummed not getting more issues of my subscription. Please stay safe and Jolly, I hope that eye gets better. the instant action sequence and it's worked Crutch, but I so enjoyed the story you gave perfectly. He's got a game going that us, I so I can wait. Praying for you. appeals to every one of them. For a rookie David Autzen 7 Jim Sharp 7 that's a great bit of work and knowing when to call Eddie for help is a good sign too. OKAY BOOMER! CRUTCH IS WRONG But there is some tension I think. I'm not Still laughing. Please tell me you received Not out of malice, but just because he's sure everyone is ok with Dave bringing angry letters over this panel. Classic KODT using a line that I remember many of my Crutch in at the last minute, Patty still does- moment! teachers using in school. Not word for word, n't know that Sara didn't want her in the Frank Teets ^ but what it comes down to is "Because I say Knights, they'd all like BA to get back behind so.". A few, Frank. A few. But I’m a boomer. I’m the screen... Lot of things are starting to allowed access to boomer jokes. ;)— Jolly Three words or their equivalent that infu- build. riated me way back when. I can understand Fun to get three print issues at once. wanting to take back control of the table, Haven't been able to get to a proper comic BLACK GATE MAGAZINE: he's in a little over his head and his life expe- book store in years now and since I moved I KODT ARTICLE rience is defaulting back to who's the biggest guy in the yard. only have a few issue to read with the rest of Great article in Black Gate Magazine. It my stuff being in storage. I agree paper can really hits the nail on the head. While Brian may be a rules lawyer and beat the computer screen, you can't read the would probably argue about what shade of latter in a power failure. The recent stories have taken things to color a phaser blast from the USS Enterprise another level and the character develop- would be; that doesn't mean he doesn't have Looking forward to the next one. ments continue to impress. Hopefully my a point. Skytower4 ^ wife requests The Empty Chair when it is In this case he was right. my time to level up. SMACK DOWN! A 3 to 4 foot dwarf cannot fire a 6 foot www.blackgate.com/2020/08/22 long bow. Physically it isn't possible. I can’t tell you how great it felt to see someone put Brian in his place. And then to ^ Matesamo Crutch pulling out the club and telling watch him crumple like a paper bag. I’ll be honest, John O’Neill’s piece made me Brian to take the call or go is effective, but Crutch scored huge points with me. I love cry. For that, I must make him suffer. ;) dangerous. Knights of the Dinner Table, Jolly. Seriously, I was very touched. Of course, it After all this is his first HackMaster run hasn’t been Samplea solitary journey. — Jolly as GM. It won't do his reputation a lot of fileMark P. ^ q REMINDER: REVIEW MATERIAL, KODT ART/ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS, LETTERS TO THE EDITOR GO TO:

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6 Knights of the Dinner Table® #277