DnD Sneak Preview: "Dragons of the Steel Wind"

"...the Gods have returned, and so has Divine magic and the three Moons of High Sorcery, but it is not the same anymore. The last four decades have taught us a lot. An entire generation grew up never knowing the Gods. Mortals found out that trusting themselves might sometimes just turn out to be the safest option. "

The mood turned somber and the mage spoke again; this time in a deliberate tone, laced with caution.

"The two Dragon Overlords- Gellidus, or Frost; and Onysablet, known to all as Sable- still reign over Southern Ergoth and Central Ansalon respectively, biding their time to unleash devastation onto Krynn.

" The power-greedy Minotaurs, led by General Hortak and his High Priestess wife Nepher, have occupied the former lands of the Silvanesti elves, reinforcing their position on mainland Ansalon. They will not stop until total domination of Ansalon has been attained."

"The Ogres of Kern and Blode, reluctant allies of the sea-faring Minotaurs, are emerging as a force too, their leaders gaining territory as we speak."

" Elves now roam the land as homeless exiles. Kenders and Dwarves are slowly rebuilding their ravaged homelands after enduring the horrors of the last War. The Draconians have Teyr to call their own, escaping the scrutiny and prejudice of Krynn's populace."

"Many cities- Palanthas, Sanction, Khur, Nordmaar, and Solanthus, are all trying to regain the former glory they had once enjoyed before the War. Trade routes are being re-opened and communications re-established. But the Solamnic Knights and the Orders of High Sorcery are in shambles- save for the Dark Knights of Neraka- the different factions are still engaging in endless debate on how to settle their petty differences, never being able to see eye-to-eye in their lust for control in this new age."

"Krynn is perilously perched on a thin ledge. But for all that matters, we have hope. This time, I-"


The world is in desperate need of heroes. Can YOU make a difference?

I've finally found (The Love of a Lifetime)

The party mingling with Tracy and Laura.

Hey all (and nice humming the song btw for those in the know),

Najip alerted us to the presence of the Father of Dragonlance in Singapore this week, a year before DL's 30th Anniversary. He was to conduct a workshop and give a couple of talks at the Writer's Convention.

Yesterday, armed with tickets, we made our way down to SMU to catch him in action. And boy were we in for a treat!

Tracy Hickman (popular nickname of the Father of Dragonlance), wowed the audience while recalling his past, together with his wife Laura Hickman. He talked about the various challenges involving the birth of Dragonlance and also touched on how the world came about. His speech was peppered with interesting anecdotes; his job interview with TSR in the 70s, adapting to a game company's unique work environment etc.

Brilliant stuff. I even got myself an autographed copy of his latest book - Blood of the Emperor (Annals of Drakis: Book Three) when I shot him a question during the Fans' Q&A session.

Spoils of War! The DMs on the right.

The day went by too quickly. Isnis- Najip's friend, was with us and is a lifelong fan of Dragonlance. We sat around and he started recalling the days when Najip and him were involved in tabletop RPGing. I mentioned that I used to DM (took a long break after Shadowrun and F|ND) and that I had a brand new Dragonlance module that I wrote three years ago stashed in my computer somewhere.

All of us got really excited and started speaking quite loudly.

"Let's meet up once a month for some RP!", Najip said.

"Character advancement would be slow." Isnis replied.

"Once every three weeks then." I offered.

"Once every fortnight might be better." Shane countered.

Progressive chat for the win!

I brought them back down to earth when I said that it might be a problem porting Dragonlance and its classes/spells/unique skills to the modern 4th Edition rules, and that I have to look at suitable alternatives. Signs were good though. I have an intriguing story arc planned (at least to me), and most importantly, the group looks interested enough.

So, 9d20 has been revived yet again. This time for Dragonlance, the love of a lifetime.

Watch this space and "Upcoming Releases" for further updates.

Cyall on the flip side.