(I got sick of making individual pages, so from now on it's all going to be here...)
Hello Thomas,
How are you? Just a couple of comments/suggestions for upcoming
Adventurers stories.
First, Rillen and Songa are coming up next. How about doing something
more with Rillen's staff. It's supposed to have some other magical
properties or abilities. This needs to be investigated and or
demonstrated sometime soon. Also, does he still have his Onyx dog? If
so, this would be a good time to use it somehow, even if only as a
guard dog since there are only 3 of them traveling. The stories mention
how Rillen and Songa want to move away from the rest of the tribe.
Maybe Rillen can use his ring of Djinni summoning to create them a nice
hidden home/castle/fortress. A interesting twist you could add would be
for Songa to enter the next fighting contest without Rillen knowing.
Her motivation could be to prove to Rillen that she can take care of
herself. His feeling she needs protection is her biggest complaint. You
can make it even more interesting if after a few preliminary rounds,
they meet in the ring! (She can even disguise herself before this to
add more mystery) This can either be the point when Rillen realizes she
can hold her own and he doesn't have to protect her and they continue
as a couple and their relationship gets even better (sorry Arnold). Or
Rillen can let Songa win, not wanting to hurt her and she can get mad
at him and they finally break up. An even bigger twist would be if she
went on to win the tournament, something he wasn't able to do. (I don't
know how feasible this is considering the past winners and Rillen's
skill) He could have his ego hurt adding to the problems in their
relationship. Now Arnold (if he's still around) has to choose whether
to help his friend Rillen overcome his ego and try to work things out
with Songa, or seize the opportunity for himself and go after Songa.
That's your call but having Arnold secretly love Songa sounds a little
like a soap opera so be careful with that issue.
As for Mongo, he need to use the lightning bolts in his hammer more
often. He could have prevented any of the bandits from getting away if
he used the lightning bolts. Does the regeneration power of his armor
work in conjunction with his ring of regeneration? If so, great, if
not, he should give the ring to his comrade in arms Gorin so he has a
little better protection to keep up with Mongo (no easy task). Mongo
should use the haste of his armor more often also. I think maybe his
character is just too much a creature of habit and preferring the old,
simple ways of just hack and slash. Maybe Lord Marcus can teach him to
take advantage of all that you have at your disposal (ie, haste,
lightning bolts, feather fall, regeneration, etc...) It'd be
interesting to see something happen with his ring of Fire Elemental
Control. Maybe they can be in a battle with say Fire Giants who have a
couple Fire Elementals around. None would attack Mongo which would make
Lord Marcus or one of his advisors/mages question this and discover the
true nature of his ring. Maybe do something similar with Gorin's
armbands of the airy ones.
An interesting scenario would be for Mongo to fight against a bunch of
giants with Thor. It could either be a glorious battle where they fight
side by side, kick some serious ass, even showing off with each other
and celebrate together and commend each other for their performance in
the battle. Or, it could be a humbling experience for Mongo to keep his
ego from getting to big and to make him realize that no matter how good
he is, he's not invincible. (ie. Mongo could be overwhelmed by giants
and Thor could come down and save his ass because he's been watching
Mongo, admires him and his hammer) The lesson teaching scenario could
lead into Lord Marcus teaching him to fight smarter and use everything
at his disposal. Lord Marcus' lessons could lead to investigating all
the abilities of all his possessions by Marcus' mages.
I know you have several stories written already, this is just some food
for thought.
Thanks for listening...
Look forward to the next story.
Bob Ericksen.
Adventurers 513
Beautiful episode! Cute names, too.
More seriously, the story was well crafted, with as much punch as
Mongo's hammer. It's going to be interesting to see what Lord Marcus has
in store for Mongo; training him as a captain or general is going to
cause friction with Noggin, I'll bet. And then there's the problem of a
legendary hero (he does tote *two* artifacts after all) doing
non-legendary things. I'll warrant you've a treat in store
But now no Mongo until next year :{
Adventureers 512
Another excellent oeuvre. Your description of the arrow-shot reminded me
of Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, and the bit about Mongo and Gorin in
the aftermath added just the right amount of humour.
Oh well, it's only 3 days til my next fix!
qts
Thomas:
In episode 223 Rillen was given a new staff. The monk said
wizened old man: You may find that the staff has...
other powers, ones which you might learn over time.
Have you developed this in any of your episodes. I do not remember
anything in that area (I have read everything twice already.
Helps the sanity at work).
John W. Fox
hey thomas,
this was fun. rob has always had potential. you did a good job of showing
his capabilities but you need to show it in a situation/place where those
that would normally make fun of him see his true worth. sort of one of those
"let's give rob the respect he deserves." thingies.
now that you named this dragon, you're going to have to update the rogue's
gallery file...
matt
I just wanted to tell you that I stumbled on your web-site a few days ago, and I'm really impressed. I've downloaded the stories from one of the other pages, all _5000_ pages, and I'm in the process of reading them. I've already gone through one printer cartridge, and I'm sure I'll go through plently more. I think the stories are great, and the characters are a good mix. I'm kind of waiting for Rob to go Postal, if you know what I mean.
I would like to be subscribed to your mailing list, if you have room for one more. I'm very much looking forward to reading all of the stories.
Thanks and keep up the good work!
William
First, I suppose I have to say the stories are great. I discovered them
earlier this year, and had the fortune(?) of being able to read them at
will. Now that I've caught up to you, I have to wait! A terrible
transistion to have to make.
Now, to the business at hand: how 'bout a Lost Tales for the terrasque
(loved #250)?
Chris
Great story on that one. I love all the Helgate stories, and hope
ya make that your main focus. Belphanior and Otto are by far my
two favorite characters, though Mongo is a close 3rd. I was
a bit sad to see Felicia have to lead Eduardo, but ah well, I hope
to see more of Helgate. Keep up the awesome work.
Wright
One word: EXCELLENT!
Reading about the Helgate marshals, to me, is reminiscent of reading
the early stories of the Adventurers -- getting to know cool characters
through some solid action. The political stuff and weddings are nice,
but it's nice to get some old fashioned adventure and (dare I hope) a
dungeon crawl sometimes, too.
As always, you're doing a great job! Keep it up!
Heli
I really like Helgate, too.
It makes Belphanior a much more interesting character,
and there are lots of possible plots for somewhere like Helgate.
Happy sixth birthday!
Adrian
I just read 519 and and had one thought, Ys and Mongo should arm
wrestle.
--
Zachary
I noticed in your sneak previews section that you were working on
modules or accessories that you used in your campaign. How are those
coming along? They sound really interesting, and a good Greyhawk DM can
use all the good material they can get!
Ken Stoltz
Glad your still writing!
I like when the adventurers get they asses kicked.
Its more fun to come out of a defeated situation.
Mark
I really liked this story line :) good action. I love Martial Arts stuff so
it went down my alley perfectly. I just wished the mage hadnt died, *sigh*
Im a mage lover. I hope to hear more stories of Rillen like this in the
future. He is really fleshing out.
Steven
Noticed that Ys has a "potion of intimidation." I think this wins the award
for the most superfluous magic item I've ever come across... :-)
Joe
Ahem.
Well maybe not, but close enough. Just wanted to write and say how
brilliant has been to be reading ur stories. I really hope u don't
mind, but I've printed out all ur stories (Three Blasted Folders Worth!)
but don't worry, I won't charge my friends to read them.
And, I love ur Alt.Future idea, sounds brilliant. Just annoyed I won't
be o/l to read them, so I'm going to have to coerce some internet able
friends to keep getting them for me :)
Keep up the good work, and I just hope that I stay o/l enough to at
least finish this Belphanior arc, sounds groovy.
Regards, and best wishes (esp. to Rillen, CONGRATS!)
Colin
Just thought I'd drop you a line to tell you how much I've been enjoying
your Adventurers series. A friend of mine recently gave me all the books he
had, and I've been slowly but surely slogging my way through them, and I've
been loving every minute of it! =) Several of my friends have also begun
reading the series now, and they love it, too... in fact, it's inspired us
all to start playing AD&D again (none of us had played since the early 80s
using 1st edition). Ahh, the joys of being a harrowed DM. =)
Being a professional cartoonist, I've even gone so far as to draw up the
first episode in comic book form (don't panic, it's only for my own
personal time-filling). =)
Finally, I'd just like to say thanks for letting us in on the characters
(and I mean in both the real life AND r.p.g. senses) you've encountered. It
makes for great reading. And though I understand you're on a break at the
moment (a well-deserved one, at that), let me assure you that both myself
and many others will be truly saddened if (when?) the series finishes for
good. But in the meantime, keep it up! =)
Murray
Hey Thomas, you did not hear from me in quite a while,
but rest assured that I am still reading & enjoying the
stories. There is not much for me to say about the
Adventurers, but I couldn't let a Rob story pass without
a cheer! There must be other Rob fans among your
readers, but not that many.. Anyway, Rob-on-his-own
turned out pretty much as I expected him to be. I
would not mind seeing him reappear more often ;-)
Cheers,
Casper
Thomas,
I have been reading the Adventurers since August and have just now caught
up with the current story. I still have Lost Tales 5-9 to go but I'll get
them out of the way sometime. My favorite Adventurer has been Alindyar
since almost the very beginning with Belphanior and Bosco coming in a
closely tied second. My favorite story line is probably the one about
Alindyar finding his extra-dimensional home. The spells that the two have
researched have also been very cool. I live in Greenville, SC. You
probably know where that is living in Atlanta as you do. I have a few
questions for you though some are a bit outdated.
1. Why don't the henchmen have their own henchmen? Peldor, Mongo, and
Alindyar got their henchpeople long before the levels that said
henchpeople have attained.
2. Why didn't Peldor use his Glass Dagger with the metalcutting ability to
kill the Iron Dwarf?
3. Why don't Ged's brother Aristophilus and Belphanior get together? They
seem to be very similar.
I think that the stories are great. I hope that you keep writing.
Bryan
Thomas
Just thought I'd drop you a line wishing you and yours all the best
for the Yuletide season. Have a great time etc. and a prosperous New
Year.
By the way I am really enjoying the Belphanior story. I have to admit
I find stories about Belphanior/Helgate/Peldor/Greyhawk far more
enjoyable than the others which may be because I have played thieves
more than fighters etc. I thought that Victoria's lost tale was
super. One question I thought I would ask you as a fellow DM, would
you rule raise dead 'lethal' on her the same as a Spectre/Wight or
other Negative plane type?
PPS I don't know if you have spotted it but TSR's web site says that
there will be more Greyhawk stuff in '98, plus Out of Print stuff is
becoming available.
All the best
Simon
Speaking of Lost Tales, where was the Wispy Thing between the time it
disappeared at the boundary of that anti-magic zone surrounding the last
tournament Rillen went to and the time it finally caught up with the party again?
--
Lucius
Thank you for a lovely story!
I see you've been flipping through the Artefacts section of the DMG
again! Isle of Woe indeed. I presume you're going to introduce the
Codex and Tzunk? It would be a wonderful way for Orcus to try and damn
Belphanior.
I still think his efforts against Orcus should merit some attention
from other Powers (Zagyg, Ygorl?), but I know that whatever you have
planned, it will be good.
QTS
Thomas,
I've been a fan for some two and more years, now, and I just wonder
how you do it! The Adventurers are greater than any book I have ever
read, and indeed ever will.
I am a DM, and I got most - in fact all - of my players to read The
Adventurers. They all love it, and are now greater role-players because
they have read it. So, I thank you for taking all that stress of my
shoulders (it is so much easier not having to say "keep to your
alignment" or "rangers don't do that kind of thing" or "no, rangers do
NOT wear plate mail!!" all the time). Thanks greatly. My party consists
of five characters and five players, which you may add to your list of
people who read the adventurers in Australia. One of which of my
players is Terence Ernstzen, the IRC guy, in case you don't remember.
So, thanks a lot.
I reckon that there's about five to ten people more per person who you
know read the Adventurers, because I must admit I know about ten to
fifteen. So, thanks a lot.
When does Lyra have children? Further, when does Tanya have children?
Hmm... Or even Nenya? Gee, you could say Ged is the father! Heh heh
heh.
Some of the parts in the Adventurers which stand out greatly to me
are: 1.) the tarrasque comes to Oerth. 2.) Peldor becomes a politician
(?) 3.) and every other goddamn episode!!!!!
I better not say more because that wouldn't be fair on every other
episode you've written!
I'm writing up my party's adventures, after being inspired by the
Adventurers. So, may the times roll on!
Thanks again.
Daryl Kell
P.S. Why did Ged die? Dammit, I want to know! It's my right...
Greetings,
First, I would like to congratulate you on the superb job you have done in
writing this series of stories... I have enjoyed them like no other. I just
recently discovered your wonderful writing, and I have been devouring your
stories at the average of about 30 per day for the last couple of weeks, and
I have just finished the latest. (Of course, Ultima Online, school and
girls have been taking up some time, otherwise I would have finished
earlier...) I especially like the references to movies, fiction, history,
etc., in many of the story lines, names, situations, etc. (It's made me
laugh out-loud more than a few times... something that doesn't happen very
often while reading... for me, at least.)
I also look forward to the events that you detail in your life... Mardi
Gras, your cruise, etc... they add a very nice personal touch to the
stories. Regardless, I can say with certainty that I will be reading, and
enjoying, your stories far, far into the future... you have created a
wonderous world indeed.
With all sincerity, (and looking forward to next Wednesday!)
M.K.S.
Greetings.
I recently ran across the Adventurers on the WWW. Now (perhaps a
week-and-a-half) later, I've cleaned out all the episodes in Murphy's
Archive. I've greatly enjoyed the stories so far, and would like to be
subscribed to your mailing list. I'm afraid that I do have to add my
protest to one of your other fan mails- how *is* it that Belphanior kept
up in mage levels with Ged, as Belphanior was split three ways to Ged's
two, and Ged was far more "mage-oriented" in his approach anyhow? I
have to say I miss Ged- he was my favorite Adventurer- but he died in a
heroic manner, and that is an eternal tribute to him. Also- shouldn't
Ged's Glorious Identification be in the Arcanum? Hope to soon see more.
Nathan
Dear Thomas,
Another brilliant, wonderful, fantastic story from you again as usual.
Specifically
- Nice touch with the vulnerability shown by Aja
> Of course I can walk! I healed my legs, and I also have a
> ring that- (she stops talking as she gets to her feet, then collapses
> against a wall) Ow.
- It is great to see the Mage/Priestess using their magical power to fly
(Hmmm. I didn't know that priests had a fly spell !?) and pepper the
hapless warriors below with their magical attacks.
- I really enjoy the use of Thunder Staff and the Terror Rod (nothing
pisses me off more than having a really nifty wide area weapon and not
being able to use it in a Dungeon crawl for fear of hurting my comrades).
- I really enjoy seeing Razor Charlie fearlessly taking on the bandits more
or less by himself. His previously unused whip skill is awesome !
Etc...
o Just a few questions that keep bothering me :
- I am sure that Alindyar and Elphanior have spells that would be useful to
each other. Why do they so rarely trade spells ? I find this extremely
distressing. Apart from the standard selfishness angle, surely, a friend
mage who has access to your useful spells would greatly aid the cause of
the party (and hence less chance of you being killed).
- I have never, ever seen Belphanior using the spell invulnerability :
Is it because
(a) He doesn't know it ?
(b) He is not high enough level
(c) Both
As a matter of fact, I would love to see Belphanior roasting a few monsters
with good high level spells (What good level 7, 8 offensive spells do
Belphanior have ? He never seems to seem to use them)
Thank you once again for a great story and I look forward to reading the
climax ending next week. I also take this opportunity to wish you a Well
Deserved and Relaxing Christmas and a Really Successful New Year.
May your writing ideas continue to flow unabated.
With Best Wishes.
Your devoted fan.
Philip
525
This was a fantastic story, and all done in a single episode (ignoring the
detailed lead-in episodes). Wow! I liked just about all of it, and really
enjoyed the entire story as a whole.
Really cool things: the return of the death knight, the sky ship (duh),
and the battle for the sky ship.
I remember back when Belphanior had his sky balloon and encountered a
black dragon, which they foolishly annoyed, and I thought it would be
fun to have Belphanior (or any other crew member) spot a very large
red dragon flying in the distance.
Leonard
Hey, a few comments:
Belphanior would definitely have cast a stoneskin on himself serveral
times over in the story, instead of only once (and right before the
climactic battle no less, using up a spell slot!)
Also I was wondering why Belphanior would actually vow not to break any
of Greyhawk's laws... promising that he wouldn't kill the dude was good
'nuff by my estimation. I liked the touch about the family, and the
friends, and the friends friends, etc :) also I liked how certain powers
discovered Orcus's heavyhanded machinations in the prime material...
keep up the good work!
Gabriel
Hi Thomas -
Just a quick feedback on #525 - it was great! Belphanior is quite the
optimist to think he can bargin with Orcus, but to my surprise he got
some pretty high powered help.
I would think he would follow the advice of the Death Knight and consult
with Victoria about his plans. She could get pissed if he ignores her
wishes!
Anyway, keep up the good work. Wednesday's are my favorite day of the
week!
Ted
Well Thomas, you have out-done yourself this time. I enjoyed this story arc
more than any other. It was incredibly complex. It involved many powerful
and notable figures. It tied up many loose ends. Man, incredible!!!
Kronos's ship is very cool. I expect to see Belph's crew use it on many
exciting adventures in the future.
I really enjoyed seeing Belphanoir speak with the Death Knight. Of all the
adventurers, only Belph would openly deal with such a creature. I liked the
thought of an evil, but noble creature defying the will of Orcus. If it
isn't too much to ask, which demon lord did Gorath cut a deal with?
Among other questions:
Was Xusia the lich released by the party from the lost Suel city in the
Suss forest?
I think it was very fitting for Boccob to check Orcus's actions. Maybe Ged
had his ear in the afterlife? :-)
How was Orcus planning to act against Belphanoir? Was he just going to
ignore the pact he made with Belph and attack him right there?
Will we see Xusia's castle detailed in a future Adventurers module or
supplement?
Speaking of that, how goes the efforts to sell the various modules,
supplement, etc to TSR? Any hope?
Well, I've tugged on your ear long enough. Let me end this letter by
telling you that you have passed up R.A. Salvatore as my favorite author. I
have been working on setting up a new campaign in the World of Greyhawk and
these stories you write are Canon in my Greyhawk.
Thanks for the great stories, and keep up the good work!
Have a great christmas and new year break!
Arcane
Thomas, I don't usually give much feedback, but this was incredible. I
love you, man!!! ;) A great, GREAT story!
--
Victor
Right. Thanks for replying. By the way, an excellent job of writing ep.
525! I personally never care for deus ex machina endings, but hey, it's
your story.
--
Chris
> It wasn't that bad of a deux ex machina...I don't care for them
> either, but with the power levels involved, there aren't many other
> ways to resolve these things...
>
That's true. It all depends on how active an interest you are willing
to give the Powers in events that they aren't focusing on specifically.
At any rate, well done. I'll be interested to see how you resolve
Victoria's feelings on this turn of events.
--
Chris
Hey Thomas,
I was re-reading #525 and I was again struck with a question. I've been
meaning to ask you this for a while, but how do you do spell memorization
for mages? Many of the adventurers, Belph, Ged, Lyra, Alindyar, etc seem to
be able to cast the exact spell they need on hand for any situation.
I mean, Belph actually had the forsight to have a Gust of Wind memorized to
blow away the crimson mist dude? Do you do spell memorization as it is in
the AD&D books, or some homebrew method?
If it's homebrew, would you mind giving me an overview?
Thanks,
Arcane
> I hate to admit it, but your suspicion is close...I tend to
>just give them whatever spells come in handy to further the
>story at the time...
I figured...:-)
> Now, I've long thought that spells SHOULD work as follows:
>spell points. Every spell a mage can memorize is worth a #
>of points (1 for 1st level, 2 for 2nd level, etc.) and this total
># of points can be drawn upon in any way the mage sees fit. Thus
>a 3rd level mage (who gets 2 1st level + 1 2nd level spell) would
>have (2*1)+(1*2)=4 spell points; he could cast 4 1st level spells
>from his list, or 2 1st and 1 2nd, or 2 2nd, as long as he still
>had enough points left.
>
> I guess this does kinda jive with what I've been doing...
>
> Whatcha think?
I actually used the above system for quite while. It worked fairly well, it
allows higher level casters to cast very large numbers of low level spells
(though, in my mind that fits nicely to what a mage should be able to do).
I used a few variants to the above,
One variant allowed manipulation of spells on the fly by high level magi
through the use of special spell mastery "magic proficencies". These
proficencies were not gained until 5th level, the they were gained at every
odd numbered level. They could be used, along with extra spell points to
alter aspects of spells, either doubling (1.5 times if for damage) or
halving the desired aspect. These proficencies could each either be used
once a day on any spell or they could be used repeatedly (only once per
casting though) on a spell if they were allocated to that specific spell at
the beginning of the day.
For example, Ged could cast fireball, using one proficiency and double the
spell points (6) to cast a fireball with
a 40 ft radius (instead of 20 ft) or
a 10 ft radius (instead of 20 ft) or
15d6 damage (instead of 10d6)
The aspects that could be altered, depending on the spell, were
Range - Duration - Casting Time (lowering of course) - Damage
(I also toyed with the idea of minuses to victim's saving throws?)
This variant allows magi to customize their spells to their needs and it
helped burn away their spell points quicker (a magi using 4 magic
proficiencies on a fireball would end up using 15 spell points - but have
an amazing effect [casting a bigger fireball, for more damage, farther
away, in half the time).
The second variant I used also had the spell point system, but the mage
could only cast spell from a selection he had memorized. For example, a 5th
level mage would memorize a selection of 4 different 1st level spells, 2
different 2nd level spells, & 1 3rd level spell. He could then cast magic
missile 4 times, invisibility twice and fireball once, or he could cast
fireball three times.
This variant allowed the mage to have a wider selection of spells to choose
from (he doesn't need to memorize magic missile twice to cast it twice,
just once) while it does limit his selection some.
As I am preparing to run a campaign sometime in the near future (to me that
means late spring/early summer :-), I have been reviewing which of my
various house rules to use. I like the way the spellcasters in your stories
are able to deal with diverse problems by using a wide selection of spells,
so I believe I am going to revive my old spell point system. I had gotten
away from it because I had a few old school, by the rules in the books,
players a while back.
This raises another question though. Since the "spell points" rules variant
makes spellcasters more powerful, does it leave fighters and thieves in the
dust? Does it make the magi and priests too powerful?
Since I allow spellcasters to master their spells somewhat, should I not
also allow fighters to master their sword somewhat? Maybe by allowing them
to practice certain called-shot manuevers, thereby lowering the to-hit
penalties. or maybe by allowing them to raise there to hit number by 2 to
raise the damage by 2hp? (You swing harder with less control over the
weapon?) Or vice versa, making it easier to hit the person, but doing less
damage? (you swing lighter, but you have more control over the weapon?)
What could I do for a thief or a bard, or even a monk?
Arcane
Somthing absolutely awesome!! =) I just finished reading the 525:th chapter
of the Adventurers, and I truly have to say that you still can write some
marvelous text! Was this some kind of a "special chapter" due to it's
lenght? This story is one of the best of them all, though Belphanior should
have beheaded Xusia. Well, maybe later. :)
- Antti
Well, you probably won't read this till next year now, but have a
heartfelt thanks for keeping on with the stories. Once again I'll extend
the (now seasonal) offer of hospitality to my home in the UK. You might
get here eventually! ;-)
I have enjoyed the many stories of the adventurers, now that they have
split up. Belphanior is still treading that fine line of destruction,
and I wonder if the yellow eye which appeared to repell Orcus was
actually the spirit of Ged? Who else uses "Yea!" in their vocabulary...
I look forwards to Peldor's upcoming thieves war too.
After the year's stories my favorite characters are definately Peldor,
Belphanior and Alindyar, with Otto, Razor Charlie and Ys as the best
henchmen.
Well, go forth and grab a wench for a Christmas one-nighter. Drink to
excess at new year, and have a great holiday.
Pete
Hello Thomas!
A name search on the Internet revealed me as an NPC dragon in your story.
I'm much honored, but wonder where you came up with the name. I'm named
after a vanquished Danish tribe of vikings by way of Shakespeare's Julius
Caesar. I work as a writer and crew coach in Silicon Valley and do play an
occasional game of D&D.
Cheers,
Cymber
I was idly stumbling about on the net when I encountered your page.
Excellent site. It caught my interest at first because of the reference
"Green Dragon Inn" though ... The first town in my AD&D campaign world
for which I drew a map had an inn known as the "Green Dragon Inn"; that
was way back in early 1980.
== Serian
Happy Holidays yourself, Thomas!
I finally went back a few months ago, and read all of the old Adventurers I
had missed (I started in around the time they were in New Orleans.) I have
seen your writing style improve markedly - and it was entertaining to begin
with! Thank you for turning out, on such a reliably regular basis, such
excellent stories.
I'm looking forward to seeing what Peldor is up to...
Michael
Hi Thomas,
>Otto: I guess we'd better head for home...
>wispy thing: Yrrrp!
Wow! I am... impressed.
I think it was particularly effective to remind our heroes that yes,
there are things a whole lot more powerful than they can ever hope to
be...
I had some misgivings regarding the possible cure of Victoria; if there
were a cure for vampirism, they'd lose a lot of their menace. I rather
suspect that Orcus would have said something along the lines of "right,
she's cured" and turned her to dust...
>notes: Thus concludes the first half-year's work following my
> break from writing. At this pace, we're looking at 50 episodes
> (plus whatever else) per year. Granted, this is slower than the
> pace I've maintained in the past, but then again, I don't make
> my living doing this. I have a lot of things going on, and I
> see no signs of this changing.
Hey. No problem. I like what you do.
> For those who think Victoria's going to take Belphanior's
> actions lightly...think again! This issue/argument will be
> addressed in future episodes.
Well, yes. Asking doesn't hurt... assumptions do.
> Some have asked what real-life ethnic groups certain of
> Helgate's adventurers correspond to, so here's a rough idea:
>
> Jutokai Hawaiian, Polynesian
> Kinichi American Indian
> Razor Charlie, Eduardo Hispanic
> Aja white girl
Ys? :) I confess, I'm interested in seeing more of this bunch. They're
still connected with the original crew via Belphanior, but they haven't
ramped up to the major power levels and politics that the originals are
now doing; it's good to have a change of pace now and again. (Though I'm
curious about Alindyar's relationship with the Greyhawk mages.)
> * Adventurers - will continue as before
Good!
> * Lost Tales - will continue as before, until #25 (the last one)
Also good!
> * NEW STUFF - rather than commit to any continuing series, I'll
> probably release pilots for each of the following and play it
> by ear after that:
> * Misadventurers - think "Dirty Dozen" meets fantasy
Heh.
> * ???????????????? - a new fantasy story, unbound by AD&D rules
"?????", he said mildly.
> * Rogue Squad - sci-fi military stories set in "Star Frontiers"
I've read the intro, and it sounds fun...
Cheers,
Roger
Happy Holidays.
I loved the recent 3-part episode. :)
Dave
hello there!
first off, congrats for a great job on 525. I don't mind the deux ex machina
ending. In fact, I was almost expecting it, seeing as how Bel was dealing with
much superior powers. (btw, an *EYE*? talking about restoring *BALANCE*? if it
had only been purple... as a certain elf used to say, Boccob!) (btw2, old
joke: Q: what does it take to beat a god? A: Another god!)
second, (criticism time) I think Peldor underuses his feathers. Since he's got
a wish every year, I'd expect certain *odd* things to be happening. (the Green
Dragon rebuilds itself, the return of Org, etc., a certain punk named Belgar
to find himself inside an active volcano...) (hmm... suggestion for Lost Tale:
whatever happened to that guy?)
third . (suggestions) Actually, I don't really have any. I'd like an insight
into Belphanior's psyche: does he ever get tired of the life he leads? does he
ever wanna just chuck Blackrazor, teleport himself and Victoria somewhere
quiet and peaceful? or would he get bored? Also, I think skipping ahead to the
Greyhawk Wars would be an interesting idea. You could show (as I recall you
once mentioned) major changes in the Adventurer's lives and hint at how they
happened.
Anyways, happy holidays to you and yours, and please keep pumping out good
stories. You've made Wednesdays my favorite day of the week.
Ben
As for Adventurers 525, what's the story behind the wispy thing? I
think if you're going to give him these incredible powers (magic jar,
possession of demons and ghosts??), then its time to start thinking
about a history for him. I mean, its cool to just keep him a mystery
when he is a semi-harmless companion, but now he's becoming a whole lot
more than that. All in all, 525 was a pretty awesome story.
Happy Holidays! Hope you take some time to relax and enjoy yourself!
Ken
526
I like it. This storyline could very well prove to be as interesting, or
more, than Helgate (which is pretty damned good).
Tom
hey thomas,
this is indeed a long time in coming. it's also as fun as i hoped it would
be. i can't wait to see how it concludes. but, i think i'm going to be a
bit disappointed that it'll only be two episodes long, and that's considering
that it'll be a grand Peldor adventure...
i know it will be a grand Peldor adventure because it has already started
out as such. the hat of disguise is made for just such a thing.
have fun,
matt h.
That was a GREAT story. I really enjoyed it!
Wright
Finally! Now that I've read everything up to episode #521, I can stop
(or at least slow down a little). To feed my addiction, I'd love to get
my weekly hit by joining the mailing list.
Did you ever find anyone to do portraits of the characters? I've started
doing some sketches, and eventually my scanner will get shipped to me
and I'll be able to scan them (of course, I can always use my dad's
scanner...)
In case you keep track of such things, I found The Adventurers through a
rather circuitous path: from the Spiderweb Software site, I went to
Andrew Hunter's homepage, and from there through the Emerald Hills to
the Green Dragon. The rest is history.
Ben
Not bad, Tom. The Wizard of Oz quote was nice, but this was undoubtedly my favorite...
>man #1: Busted...
>big, mustached city official: Smuggling untaxed silks, eh?
>man #2: And we would've gotten away with it, if it wasn't for that
> darn kid!
All the best. And if you haven't seen the new bond flick, it's definitely
worth it. I thought it was the best one in a long time, and Michelle Yeoh
deserves no small part of the credit.
----------------------------------------------------
Joe
e Thomas!
How are you? Well I hope.
I have just finished reading story: 372. It's turning out quite nicely so far. I think I've been one of the fortunate (relatively speaking) readers who actually started at story: 1. and have been able to progress through them in the 'preferred?' order, even if I was/is/am a late-comer to the stories (I only just stumbled across this particular treasure trove late in 1997.)
I have to admit, that being an extremely new addition to the Adventurer's following, anything I say might be 'old hat' to you, but, I think I'll say it anyway...
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
...for writing the best tale of epic proportion I've yet seen on the internet, and certainly better than a hell of a lot of the so-called fantasy novels out there at the moment. Your peserverance, imagination and continually entertaining stories have become a welcome addition to my daily grind at work (I usually read your stories during my lunch break).
Peldor and Belphanior (in that order) are my personal favourites out of the Adventurers, but I have to admit that I quite like all of the characters and their many and varied personalities which you bring to life so well. Anyway, once I finish the current batch, I look forward to the possibility of seeing something else written by you in the future.
Thanks for such a great read.
Regards,
Glen
Greetings Mr Miller
I am writing to let you know that I have really enjoyed reading your
Adventurers series. I have just finished reading episodes 1 to 521 (it
took quite a while :) and I am looking forward to reading the next
episode. I would be grateful if you could place me on your Adventurers
mailing list.
I have a few questions and suggestions concerning the Adventurers.
1. Blackrazor seem to give Belphanior a fairly good indication of the
direction a soul is in, yet in the few occasions he has been blinded (by
spell or otherwise) he seems to stumble about unaware of the location of
the enemy. Just how accurate is Blackrazor in locating a soul in
relation to Belphaniors position?
2. I know that you have stated that Ged will not be raised, resurrected
or reincarnated but I was wondering if he might make a cameo appearance
as an avatar of Boccob. After all he was a very powerful servant of the
god when he was killed and it would be a fitting reward for his faith.
How he might fit into a story I am not too sure though:).
3. Any chance that Cynder might have escaped? A contingency spell
perhaps or a magic item? I would really love to see a mad cynder turn
up looking for the adventurers now they have looted his horde for the
second time :).
Well I think that is enough for now :). Keep up the good work.
Thanks for your time
Dave
Greetings Thomas.
Well Done once again.
I have just finished reading episode 500. I must say, that although Ged
wasn't my favourite character, I was still more than a little sad to see
him expire. Anyway I think you conducted his death and subsequent events in
the best way possible. It would have been inconceivable for the 'Heros' to
have escaped 'The Abyss' unscathed.
Glen
This Peldor adventure has the makings to be one of my favorites. I
enoy the all out battles and the dungeon crawls. But the intrigue and
cunning for which only Peldor, of all the Adventurers, has a knack, is
interesting on a lot more levels.
I can't wait for the next few episodes.
Jim
More positively, I really enjoyed 525 - I wonder who Garath's patron
might be?
It wouldn't just happen to be a certain Devil, perchance?
I can just imagine an unholy war between them to see who can corrupt
Belphanior
All the best.
Q
I also would like to say that you have rekindled my interest in roleplaying after years of dormancy (and disgust with TSR, but that's another matter).
Phil
I haven't written for a while, but thats no reflection on the quality
of the last few Adventurers episodes. They've been great, though I
wonder if the Belphanior/Xusia quest palled after a while? The
ending seemd a tad Deus Ex Machina. On the other hand, any fiction I
ever wrote has been rather sad, so I can't criticise too loudly :)
Nicholas
Hi there!
I've just finished wading through books 1-22, and catching up on the
rest of the adventurer's tales, and I must say...WAHOOO!!!!! 8P I've
enjoyed them all! I did notice a few discontinuities, but nothing
major. (things like Ged griping about losing his harmonica of gravity,
and then having said item listed in the stats list some episodes later,
or the switch from Peldor-the-God turning invisible when he sheathed
Nightwing to when he DREW the sword.) Makes me want to find out if
there is anyone running a D&D campain that I can join in on, don'tcha
know.
At any rate, just wanted to let you know that I've enjoyed what I've
read so far, and look forward to the rest of their adventures.
Ely
hallo! was up? my name is Hugo, im from mexico, great series u have
done, im still reading episode 180, so i have a looong way to go. thanks
for all tha fun. it oughta keep me busy for quite a while :) alyndaar
and lyra are the best! well so are u.
What can I say but wow! The ending was the quintessential
cliff-hanger. I found myself holding my breath after reading Sharon's
last request.
I know people have commented about the improvement in your writing
from the early days, but I think the improvement that started with the
the Thunderdelve adventure is even more dramatic. The plot lines,
unanswered questions and the way you've been able to interrelate the
various plots is incredible.
Final point: Not that I don't enjoy Belphanoir and Otto, but the focus
on that sector and the new Marshall's has caused the others to suffer.
I'm glad to see Peldor getting the attention he deserves and I hope
that the Drow, Mongo, and Nenya/Deryck follow suit.
Thanks again,
Jim
Hey, this was a fun episode. Any chance of more Peyote and Daffodil (snigger)
stories? There's bound to be something Peyote will need to protect the forest
from.
Denby
That was great! I love this story arc, it was awesome.
Wright
hey thomas,
my curiosity is peaked. i don't know where you are going with this story and
that has got me on the edge of insanity. i can't wait to see what you're
going to do next!
that hidden area was a cool idea. i liked it alot.
Matt
Hi Thomas,
Brilliant, Fantastic, Captivating, ... story from you once again. I was
reading through the adventure while filled with tension and expectations. I
also reread it many times and discovered clues which I missed earlier. An
excellent plotline with plenty of twists and nuances. The details of the
running of the Thieve's guild was fascinating. Thank you for a really 1st
class job. Just a few minor comments on stories 528, 529
- In story 528 I would have loved to read how Corvis escaped the deadly
traps set up by the Merchant that he was sent to steal his documents from.
Perhaps you can incorporate this into a future lost tale.
- There was no information on how the previous River Quartermaster was
eliminated when Corvis took over. Surely, he can not be so incompetent as
to be eliminated that easily such that it is not worth documenting.
- I was surprised that Tanya was allowed to re-build the Dragon Inn without
any problem from the Thieves' Guild. Perhaps you will write about this in
story 530.
- It was extremely careless of Sharyn to forget about the death of Zsil. If
zsil was that loyal to her, she should have assumed that Zsil was killed by
Corvis and that Corvis was likely to take revenge on her.
- It also doesn't jive that in story 528 you mentioned Sharyn was able to
detect lie/truth from her spells, and yet
(a)Corvis was able to lie about his past and realistically got away with it
(b) The halfling was able to embezzle so much fund undetected and not get
found out over the weekly meetings
- It also doesn't make sense that Sharyn tried to embezzle fund herself.
She is already the most powerful thief to make such a risk not worth
taking. Also, there are usually plenty of side benefits (such as huge
bribes from merchants looking for favours, ...).
Your writing has improved vastly over the years especially those that
involved human interactions (e.g. LOVE stories such as the latest one
concerning Peyote. I understand that you were under time pressure to finish
so some of these points are probably moot. I look forward to reading more
exciting tales from you in the future.
Cheers.
Philip.
Hi Thomas,
Just finished reading episode 529. The Corvis tale is
one of the best Adventurers plotlines so far.
Best regards
Costas
>> Glad you enjoyed it! It had some minor plot holes, but only
>> for those who don't accept that greed-fueled ambition will
>> always be self-defeating.
>>
>>
>>
>> tm
>>
this was fantastic! you pulled it off with great finesse. i love it!
Matt
I for one liked this story line, and the way it concluded with Peldor not
taking any _obvious_ action (yeah, we know he poisoned Sharyn, but she
and Simpkin did the rest to themselves with just a few gentle nudges from
Peldor). Cool.
Leonard
Wow,
I've been reading over time to catch up with you. I've not succeeded.
I'm currently only on adventure CCXX. I've a long way to go before I
reach your current
posting. While I read, I wonder if I'm missing anything of great
import. I am, I think, reading
these stories in a manner that you would approve. It's fascinating to
read this epic in unbroken
format, ie. not waiting weeks as your notes sometimes indicate, between
postings.
This may sound greedy, but I don't want to miss anything. So I would be
very grateful if you would add me to your posting list. I have plans to
open any of them until I reach that point in the story, so if you
need to send me something I should read immedatly, please note so in the
subject.
I can not empahsize how much I enjoy these. As a DM and player for many
years, many of the monsters and items you describe I am familar. Even
more enjoyable are the mosters and Items that I've never had the
pleasure of encountering.
Please keep up the good work,
Loyal Reader
Rob
Hey there. =)
I've recently been reading through your Adventurers series thanks to a
friend who had copies of the entire series, and I have to say I've been
loving it! =) I've recently started playing AD&D again basically due to
being inspired by your stories (hadn't played since the early 80s and 1st
edition), and i've also got several of my friends reading the series, also.
=)
I'm not even up to Epic III as yet (reading through from episode 1 to the
current stories is a bit of a slog), but I'm loving every minute of it. =)
All I can say is that I hope you can manage to find the time and energy to
keep up YOUR writing for a long time to come.. I know a lot of people who
would be VERY dissappointed if (when?) the series finally finishes. =)
Another thing (and don't have a cardiac arrest about this statement, it's
not a "planning on using the characters for profit" thing here) is that
I'me a cartoonist by trade, and I've been scrawling various pictures of the
various Adventurers (based on the various descriptions and mental images
I've been getting, anyway), and have actually drawn up the first episode in
comic book form, basically just for my own amusement. If you'd be
interested in seeing it sometime, let me know. =)
Murray
Great story line for Peldor, I liked how you had him use his
intelligence and
cunningness to rid Sharon Messandier of guildmistress of Greyhawk. I'm
getting anxious to read about Mongo and Gorin it's been a while.
On another note, Belphanior wants to get rid of or even with Orcus
(everybody dose). What if someone (Belphanior) found Orcus's demon
amulet that would
enable him or the whole group to control the prince enough to make him
vulnerable to attack or something else. Was just thinking, might make a
good story or two.
Ronald
Hi Thomas,
I must say I've enjoyed the recent Peldor saga immensely. Its always a
treat to watch somebody show their true talents....
Sounds like the new Green Dragon will be the sight of many occasions... So
when do we get our first bar fight ?
Looking forward to the stories of Alindyar and Lyra.
Wayne
Hi Thomas -
Just a quick note about Peldor's latest adventure. I really liked how
you showed what a high level thief, with a lot of resources at his
disposal, can do. In a situation that calls for sneaky work, and
manipulating information, the thief can be more formidable than a high
level wizard.
It was a lot of fun to read!
Ted
It's nice with those neverending stories that
actually never ENDS.
The Peldor-business has been satisfactory reading
so far.. next up? Hmm... anything will do for me :-)
Actually, the reason why I bothered to mail (I'm one
of your silent readers...) was your comments after
episode 530. "I would like to lead an organisation
like that." It suddenly struck me - read through the
Dilbert comics for ideas? Dilberts author sure has
done what you want to: Point out "stupid things at work"...
-- H&L
Hi, first let me congratulate you, as many others before me have, for
having brought a new way of life to the roleplaying game.
Then I would like to ask you how Alindyar and Ged got their
incredibly high stats (20 in int for Alindyar and 20 in both int and
wis for Ged). I remember somewhere in the early episodes that the
players got hold of a Deck of Many Things and that Alindyar both lost
all his magical items and got +1 int. But how about the 20 stats ??
Also, in the Lost Tales nr 5 (i think), you said they were looking
for the Star Rune, but if I recall right, it was the Time Rune they
were after ?
GREAT WORK!
Anders
LOST TALES #15
hey, just a thought. Ged as presented in this ep. seems very akin to Charles
Winchester from M*A*S*H...
ben
Nice work. I just got back into playing AD&D with a few other theater friends,
and I was scouting around looking for, well, a refresher course. I've been
reading the back adventures on my lunch breaks, and would like to get 'em as
they come.
Thanks!
Janean
TM: I really enjoyed the Peldor story arc. Really showed what he is made
of and what he is capable of when he puts his mind to it.
Can't wait to hear about Mongo again. He and Peldor are still my favorite
characters.
Oh yeah. I looked at your rants section and read your thoughts on ending
the Adventurers. Bet you got a lot of mail on this. My vote: Don't end
it!
later, Joe
532 & lost 16
Enjoyed #532. Can't wait to really get into the Mongo/Gorin arc.
You brought up a good point on the dependence of characters and their magic
items. I sometimes wonder how long Belph really would have lasted if he
didn't have his "eye" or Blackrazor?
Oh yeah, that was a good ending to the Belgar situation.
later, Joe
Thomas:
Great, Absolutely Great. I loved the way Belgar ate it.
A thought. Surely, Belphanoir and Otto cleaned out the business of anything
valuable. You might want to have them getting rid of some of the spices or
product (or giving to certain constables) in upcomming episodes.
John
Spice Girls? I'm not sure whether to laugh or groan, but quite punny.
I noticed the tease for the next Lost Tales: Lyra and Zara and Tragidore. I
just finished reading that part of the series and was immensely amused --
Tragidore was my first look at what's available for DMs, so I have a slight
fondness for the skimpy little thing. Thanks again for the entertainment.
Happy writing!
Janean
Nice story with this one. I have been hoping you would get around
to tying up this loose end. Too bad Ged died or else he could have
polymorphed him into a slug or something. But knowing Ged, he
probably would have tried to forgive him or something.
Marc
For lack of a better start, hi, my name is Erik. I recently found out
about your Adventurers stories, got to reading em, really liked em.
Addictive, I suppose. Sat down last week, and just started reading
almost non-stop. Loved the entire thing. Especially stuff like the
trip to Earth, which was really funny, had me laughing really hard at
some points. Another funny one was the awards ceremony, it was
hilarious. The Orcus storyline through episode 500 was amazing. In my
opinion, probably about the coolest one you've done so far. Belphanior
and the Helgate crowd is pretty cool, too, probably my favorite of all
of em. Dunno why... Had a question to ask of you, too. You talk about
a mailing list you send the stories out in a number of spots. Any
chance of me getting put on it? Anyway, thanks for listening and
whatnot.
---Erik
From owner-adv@smash.gatech.edu Tue Feb 24 13:40 EST 1998
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 1998 13:33:37 -0500 (EST)
From: Thomas Miller
To: adv@smash.gatech.edu
Subject: (non-story) some Adventurers Q & A
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I get a lot of good questions and suggestions, but once in a
while, I get a bunch that are so good, I feel like copying my
answers to hundreds of readers.
This is one of those times. I've just been dealt some issues
that pertain to the near and very far future of the Adventurers,
and I hope you enjoy my answers.
> It seems you are going to do the City of the Gods for Belphanior and
> Company. Did you know that the city of the Gods was also in D.A.'s
> First Fantasy Campaign? Did you know that it was a spaceship? Just
> thought you might like to know.
My version of the City is definitely sci-fi/futuristic, perhaps
an ancient colony built by crashed spacemen. We will see soon, as
Belphanior and friends explore robots, computers, and other things
far beyond their level.
> Future of The Adventurers:
>
> I have been wondering what your plans are for the adventurers. There
> seems to be a lot to cover. The greyhawk war is a large task and with
> the adventures spread out all over the place, you can cover the war from
> many angles.
I intend to. Everyone will have to deal with the Wars - Mongo
will be fighting in them, Rillen will be hiding from them, Peldor
will have to ponder what happens if the fighting reaches Greyhawk,
as will Alindyar (but he will be tapped to help out with his magic!)
and Belphanior may or may not get involved, depending on whether
Helgate is in some army's path (hint hint)
> Also, do you think the characters will change over time as well as the
> dynamics of the relationships. Sometimes friends fall out with each
> other only to be rediscovered later or perhaps not. I think having
> internal conflict amongst the major players would add to the tension.
> Belphanior having a problem with say Alindyar would add interesting
> possibilities, a problem with Peldor would be stronger, but, harder to
> believe if you want to restore the friendship. Another point along
> similar lines, perhaps the splitting up of the group as a whole might
> lead to some selfish traits appearing. Perhaps the fall from grace for
> a character would be cool. Mongo might be the ideal for this due to the
> influence of the Armor he wears.
I have plans for some internal strife (recall that Mongo left
in a fury at Belphanior, over the death of Ged) and perhaps even
an affair by one of the "married" characters.............
> Another Point I would like to make, what lasting traits of the
> characters are going to survive? What effect will their existance have
> upon the world? Some believe we live through our children and that
> would be nice to see for some of the characters. Another way would be
> how they change the lives of other around them. For example, Belphanior
> could build a truly great city that survives for generations. The memory
> of Ged may inspire an order of Paladins much to Peldor's distain. Etc.
Children are on the way, and not just from one adventurer.
Summation: I have plans for the Wars, for internal strife, and for
children. I just need time to implement them properly.
> What I hope to see before the series ends or transitions:
These I can tackle one by one.
> 1) The true story of Peldor and his origins. I thought you had
> discussed having Peldor be a highlander style immortal or perhaps a god
> of some sort. It would be nice to see one of these ideas through to
> it's conclusion.
I know the answer, but no one else will until the very end of
the stories. Until then, speculation will just have to run wild.
Sorry!
> 2) Bring some large meaning to the death of Ged.
Perhaps. I am not a big fan of bringing the dead back to life
though - it's overused in comics these days. Clever readers may
have gotten a hint of Ged in recent times though.
> 3) The deaths of the original characters. How does each one meet
> his/her end.
This is a door I'm not sure I want to close anytime soon. I will
give a vague, non-canon rough idea of what I'm thinking for each of
them though:
- Belphanior: violent end of some sort, perhaps chosen as a demigod
of death by some dark power
- Mongo: virtually unkillable despite centuries of adventure, risk,
and combat, he lives to an old age, revered by generations of his
offspring and kinfolk
- Alindyar: achieves immortality through magic, has several kids,
eventually retreats with Lyra to a place far beyond the realm of
mortals
- Rillen: ends up running a large school for martial artists, his
and Songa's children carry on in his wake after he dies of old
age
- Peldor:
> BTW, did you see the Replacement Killers? Danny Trejo plays one of
> the Replacement Killers.
Yes. In fact, I decided that enough was enough and made a Danny
Trejo web page!
http://www.gatech.edu/oit/oe/design/thomas/trejo/
tm
Hello Thomas,
it was somewhere in 1994 or so when I first found the Adventurers.
Getting deeper into the stories, most episodes have become read many
times. I've also recommended the stories to a vast number of my friends,
and many are really hooked up on them nowadays.
More concrete even, me being the administrator of the world's largest
BBS, MBnet, I've been trying to keep our users up with your tales by
uploading the newest episodes to our RPG area. It's been a pleasure
to notice that your stories have steadily risen to be one of
our most downloaded RPG files. Quite an accomplishment, taking into
account that none of our users are native English speakers.
I know you're getting a lot of feedback, but I'll add mine to it; thanks
for the great stories! The development of the stories seems to have split my
friends' interest in two; others find this politically active and
large-scale style interesting, the others would prefer hack'n slash.
Personally I've had the best reading experiences with episodes such as
Peldor's plot against Sharyn, plans and details concerning the new inn of
his etc... Of course, the Belphanior storyline has also waken up my
interest. Power and organized leading is an interesting subject (in much
more than just fictional way, though this doesn't concern Adventurers) to
read about.
Some thoughts about the future:
The Mongo storyline with Greyspire is turning out to be more and more
interesting. It will be interesting to see Mongo encounter the chain of
command - and maybe fight his way up through it? Similar to the
Greyhawk's Thieves Guild, the organizations' internal conflicts provide a
juicy fruit that could be well used in forecoming stories. I was very
delighted to see you having taken that idea already in this recent Q-A
mail.
Social crises and marriage thingys sound like a hook where several other
new ideas for future plots could be attached. When I GM'd GURPS and ADD
years ago, I teased my players by inserting even confusing amounts of
loose ends to every human conflict, then picking up some old enemies and
friends when everybody had already forgotten the whole thing. Don't miss
the chance with them!
Greyhawk wars sound like a major arc, which could easily span a
completely different series of adventuring stories in a completely newbie
profile. However, bringing Adventurers with their high levels into the
war can certainly result in some damn good tales. I'm really looking
forward to reading the products of your imagination. Just don't forget to
add sufficient amounts of hints and descriptions about the world's
situation to the stories, as many of us readers have no clue about
Greyhawk geography, historical backgrounds and such. It's almost 5 years
since I've last even seen the boxed set... ;-)
A word about the length of the episodes:
I think that each episode should span a logical component of the
storyline. Although weekly schedule on the stories is good for the
readers, I wonder if the stories are sometimes just cut short because of
the lack of time? No problem to me, but personally I wouldn't be hurt by
irregular episodes either. Having read an episode, I've sometimes
wondered if the end was completely logical and proper. Well, maybe it's
just me.. And after all, it's your style of writing.
There's not much negative to say about the Adventurers nowadays. Right
from the earliest days the stories have remained to be excellent
entertainment, beating even the Bold and the Beautiful. ;-) Keep up the
good work!
Best regards,
Jouni
Greetings.
I'd just like to thank you for the Adventurers series... it's great!
I particularly liked Ged (arrogant bastard that he was), at least
before Orcus rendered him "out of service"... A couple of things
that come to mind... Shouldn't Ged's Glorious Identification be in
the Arcanum? The quote, "All this wheeling and dealing about, why it
isn't for money, it's for fun. Money is just the way we keep score."
which you list have as having an unknown source should be attributed to
the aristocrat/merchant/spy/thief Silk from David Eddings' Belgariad.
Other than that, I just want to say keep up the good work!
Nathan
Just a quick note from a regular reader -- Good Job.
No specific likes, no complaints, no suggestions. You do quite well. I
look forward to Wednesday morning every week.
James
> Greetings.
> I'm in the middle of rereading The Adventurers, and I have a few
> questions...
Good, I love answering questions! :)
> 1) In episode 193, Halbarad claims that his facial scar came from "a
> close encounter with an ogre king", but in Lost Tales 12, we see it
> came from a fight with a human mercenary hired by Baron Zeno. What
> gives?
I forgot about that while writing lost tales #12.
> 2) Was the Rune in the City of the Gods the Time Rune or the Star
> Rune? You were initially calling the Time Rune, but then started
> calling it the Star Rune...
No idea. It should be the Time Rune.
> 3) If Ged was "frozen" as a 14th level mage because of racial level
> limits, how is it that Alindyar progressed past this point?
I'm not sure, I will check the racial level limits. I think that
if you're single-classed you can go a little higher.
> 4) What *is* the wispy thing? The suspense is starting to kill me,
> curse it...
A future lost tale may or may not answer this question, but it will
star the wispy thing.
> 5) Did Ged ever enchant those beads he got at the Mardi Gras, or did
> he never get around to it :^)?
The latter.
> 6) How precisely did the mechanics for Blackrazor's "soul-sucking"
> work? It really isn't very well described in the Arcanum...
What's in the arcanum is verbatim copied from the module where the
sword appeared. What exactly do you want to know? If a being dies
from the sword, its soul gets sucked and that's the end.
> 7) Did the intimidation and persuasiveness effects from the
> permenant potions have any specific effects or guidelines, or were
> you just running them along the lines of "he is now more
> intimidating/persuasive"?
The latter.
> 8) Actually, along the lines of 5), did any of the Adventurers ever
> create a magical item, other than golems and "home defenses"?
Don't think so.
> 9) Is there anyplace where I can find the Aristobolus stories on the
> 'net that you know of?
Not that I know of. I just did a search via Yahoo and got nothing.
> 10) Was the yellow eye that stopped Orcus in episode 525 the spirit
> of Ged? The eye thing seems appropriate to Boccob, but I'd think
> that if it were Boccob himself, the eye would be purple... Add to
> that that the eye had some of Ged's speech mannerisms and that a
> certain loyal servant of Boccob had recently been killed by Orcus'
> excessive interference, and I get *very* suspicious...
You're on the right track. I won't say for sure what's what because
I prefer to let the readers make their own interpretations. However,
the things you noticed were not coincidental.
> Once again, I'd like to thank you for a *great* series of stories...
> I'm looking forward to seeing how the whole business with Mongo's
> army life turns out... Heck, I'm also looking forward to more
> research and magical strangeness from everybody's favorite
> supragenius drow...
Thanks, and I'm glad you're enjoying them!
> Nathan
Thomas,
I'm finally getting around to sending you a message. First, thanks for
the great work you've been doing on "The Adventurers". I first stumbled
across your works several years ago at school in Little Rock while roaming
the internet. I quickly became engrossed in the quests the party
undertook. Just as I was about to catch up to your more recent stories I
found myself without internet access and had to remain content in reading
earlier episodes again. Well, a few weeks ago I managed to secure me a new
computer and am back online. One of the first things I did was to find
your Adventurers site and then the episodes I had missed. They're only
getting better if that is possible. The reason I'm sending this is to ask
to be added to your subscription list. I have also enjoyed your other
stories I have run across, such as your Star Frontier's stories and Mardi
Gras stories so anything would be appreciated.
Thank you and keep up the great work,
Ronnie
Hullo,
Welp, I just wanted to be added to your mailing list...And I want to say
that you're writings have been very entertaining...Oh yeah, nice movie
reviews on your page.Though you were being a little too nice on some of
those reviews aka Spawn. Here are some movies I loved which I think you
should try watching: Resevoir Dogs (Tarantino), The Professional, and
Silverado. They're fairly old, but they're badass. Anyways, thanks and keep
up the good work...
Lewis
Dear Mr. Miller,
Just a quick note to you. No need to reply.
I'd just like to take the time out to say that I really enjoy your series. A
relative newcomer, I subscribed at issue #504 and I've been hooked ever
since.
Thanks and keep up the great work. I sometimes wonder how you find time to do
it; but I'm glad you do.
Yours,
--
Joe
Another good story. I'm constantly surprised at how much I look
forward to receiving the latest installment from the Adventurers.
Its interesting to see you lay the groundwork for Mongo to be knocked
down a peg or two. I assume that his hubris will be his near undoing,
teaching him a valuable lesson in the importance of his comrades in
arms in the mass combat scenario. Are you also laying the groundwork
for a split by Gorin? Because of their lifespans, I assume that
dwarves are more patient and willing to wait a couple of years before
making changes. Gorin, however, seems unhappy and I can't imagine him
staying at Greyspire for long.
One final thought: Mongo was very willing to defer to the authority
and expertise of Yod. Why is he being so upity now with Noggin?
Jim
Hi Thomas -
Just a quick note from one of your fans. This looks like a fairly
simply, enjoyable (for the readers) adventure for Mongo and Gorin. It's
good to see them learning how they fit in with an established company.
Also, Gorin's private thoughts are interesting to follow. I can identify
with him!
I always look forward to Wednesdays!
Ted
Greetings.
Another question comes to mind... How did Ged restore his selection
of mage spells after his spellbooks were destroyed in episode 299?
Obviously he did, but I don't think you ever mentioned it. Also,
what *is* Ged's full name (which I am *certain* that you never quite
got around to letting us know...)? I continue to eagerly anticipate
Wednesdays... heck, I'm waiting for the day the mad elf Belphanior's
luck runs out :^). I know in my bones it has to come someday...
although I must admit you had me fooled the first time I read the
first part of the Torin arc... I thought that his day *had* come...
Nathan
> other dwarven soldier: Nervous, eh?
> Mongo: Hell, no! I want to fight! I want to smash! I've been
> cooped up for too long.
Having just finished reading through a whole pile of Civil War histories
(Bruce Catton's, mostly--highly recommended), I laughed at this one.
Mongo as General Phil Sheridan...hey, it works for me. He's got the
height, he's got the "smash 'em up!" philosophy, he's got the ego (and
good reason to have it, too). He even has Sheridan's lust for glory and
for command. Maybe (since he won't or can't stop being insubordinate to
Noggin) you should have him end up in command of the shock troops; the
mobile, hard-hitting, wildly destructive soldiers.
After all, it worked for Sheridan.
Ryan
> Initially,
> this lost tale was supposed to detail Tanya's past, but I didn't
> want to get into that - I'm not a big fan of slavery, especially
> in the case of women, and I just didn't feel like doing that
> story. I probably never will.
IMHO, I think you should give it a shot. Tanya is an interesting
character that we've never really been able to see except for being
in the shadow of the principal characters. While slavery may be a
difficult topic for you to write about, it's a good opportunity to
stretch yourself as a writer. If worse comes to worse, it doesn't
*have* to be written with an emphasis on the dynamics of slavery. At
any rate, it would be an interesting piece to try, I would think.
- Brett
> This was an unusual format to use for a story - I came closest
> to it with the Ged lost tale - but it seemed right. Initially,
> this lost tale was supposed to detail Tanya's past, but I didn't
> want to get into that - I'm not a big fan of slavery, especially
> in the case of women, and I just didn't feel like doing that
> story. I probably never will.
Then perhaps the story needs to be told in a different format. You do not
have to be a fan of slavery for it to be told. Have Tanya tell it to Peldor (and/or
someone else that she trusts). How was the experience from her point of view?
Become her. Live the nightmare within yourself. Then tell the story.
--
Lucius
Thomas:
I remember you were asking for some new undead a while back. Sorry but I just
ran into this and thought you would like to take a look
Go to http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arena/9397/rpglibrary.html
There is an undead download you might find interesting.
I have not looked at it but it is a netbook so should be interesting.
John
Dear Thomas,
It's 0250 today (7/4/98) and I'm at work -- I work in Intensive Care as
a junior doctor at the moment. I'm in the process of re-reading the
whole series and have gotten to 408.
In re-reading these, especially the shapeshifters arc, I truly realised
what wonderful fiction this is. I know it's not at the philosophical
level that say Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis wrote the Dragonlance
series, but how old are you? 28-29? They're both in their forties or
so! I'm sure that you could well produce that kind of stuff given the
appropriate milleu (novel format and writing as a full-time job) but I
expect that that's not what you are trying for here anyway.
Peldor had always been my favourite character and to an extent I agree
with the comments that his maturing has blunted his old character. In
my opinion this is not a bad thing. The �ego that walks� kind of stuff
is now the r�le of Bosco (yeah Bosco -- you crack me up!) and Peldor
has, to an extent, moved on. The new Peldor is often much sadder and
grimmer; he shows anger and concern for others. He is no longer a
charactiture (?sp).
Peldor is more effective in his new form except for one thing -- he
keeps fighting frontal battles rather than use his truly mighty
backstab. I have found this tactic to dramatically reduce the life
expectancy of my thief characters. I 'spose this is to an extent
dictated by the nature of the battle however. I'm curious to see what
his new sword does aside from shattering non-artifact swords though.
(Admittedly weapon breaking is a pretty good power for a sword.)
The whole reason I'm writing this Email at work is that I have been
converting the books to a format I can read on my PalmPilot (1Mb memory
- 300K per book -> 2 books plus the other stuff I keep on the Pilot).
This is a great thing as it frees me from the computer screen and gives
me something to do in the slow parts of a night shift. Mind you, the
ASCII maps get pretty distorted.
Anyway, Thank You for the stories -- I really continue to enjoy them.
Regards,
Jarret
Hello TM,
Just came back to varsity after a long weekend and read the rest of
the stories up to 125. As you said, many more to go.
I must congratulate ( spelling?? ) you on a job well done indeed.
I'm looking forward to the rest of the stories.
Regards
L-C Marais
I have just recently started reading the adventures. I started with #1
3weeks ago and I am only on #43!!!! They are really great.... Cant wait to
read more!!!!
Griff
Hello there!
Though this is the first time you hear from me, I've been a big fan of
your work since '94 due to the Walnut Creek GigaGames CD-ROM.. ;-) From
that I got the first 107 episodes, and had read them over the years four
times through, until finally a month ago I got Internet access for the
first time.
I've just read through the whole Adventurer's Saga up to this day (took
me about 3,5 weeks, full-time reading) and I just have to applaud your
work! Superb, smashing, brilliant and captivating! I envied the readers
that got to give feedback and make small(albeit important) suggestions
that evolved the story further. Just wish I could have been there too...
But better late than never!
Now that I've catched up with the story line, I'm facing the problem
what I think several of your fans have... the suspension of having to
wait for the next episode to come out! Just having read over 530
episodes in a space of less than four weeks didn't prepare me for this
suspense, the stories were seemingly endless and there was always
another one to read. What happy four weeks they were... Now the suspense
is killing me! Argh! What will happen in Helgate?! :-)
Timo
19/04/98
A-W-E-S-O-M-E. Well. Actually, I don�t know what I can say. I�ve read
all the 539 episodes of the � Adventurers � in a row, together with the
19 � Lost stories �. And there is a single word I can think of :
M-A-R-V-E-L-O-U-S . I�ve never read any story relating to an ADD party
as good as the one you are actually writing. I discovered it on a
anonymous web site, an I downloaded 525 episodes Immediately. It took me
nearly a week to read them all, but finally, I�ve done it. And I liked
everything of it. It�s been 6 years and a half since you started writing
stories about the party, and all the characters have acquired a soul and
a history, either through flashback or Lost stories. At the end of the
19th number of the lost stories, you said that you did not know what
you�d do with the last two of them. I�ve got a suggestion : the life of
Ys, and the origins of Stormcrest. Another thing that I have noticed, is
that Mongo has never fallen prey to the curse of the invulnerable coat
of Arnd ( The one described in the � book of artefacts � , at least ) .
Anyway, I�m really looking forward to another 500 parts of the
adventurers. I�m especially looking forward to the day when Aliyndar
will advance to 18th level. This day, we�ll sure see some awesome magic
unleashed. I�ve actually so many thing to tell you, that I don�t recall
half of them ! Anyway, It�s not the last time I�m writing you with
congratulations. If you are going to make another survey with the
nationality of your readers, I�ll tell you that I�m Belgian ( See ? Even
In Europe your genius is known to all ! ) . I don�t know if the �
Adventurers � will continue to go on for much time, but even if they
don�t, they�d still gave me much joy while I was reading them. Anyway,
Even if they end, I hope you will start another tale with another group
of adventurers. Oh, yes. By the way, I�d really like to be added to your
mailing list. My email is : Mdujardi@club-internet.fr .
Long life to you, Oh Thomas Miller. May the force be with you !
Bye.
Max
>City of Gods
Heh. Heh. Heh. This is going to be interesting.
By the way, the most recent issue of Journal of Greyhawk
(#6, available at "http://www.empnet.com/cog/", I think) contained
a chronicling of Gygax & Rob wossname adventuring at that place. Might
be of interest; and I'm sorry if you already knew that and I'm wasting
your time.
Oh, and since I haven't done so in a long, long time, I would like
to point out how great these are - made even better by the strong
sense of continuity. Keep up the good work!
Since you have yet to reach the Wars, I suspect TSR's re-release of
GH might not affect you much, at least for some time to come; I'd
be surprised if they didn't continue the timeline.
---
Ronny
Thomas...
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Man am I ever excited about reading the next few postings from you....
Great work.....how did you ever get it done with all the Sports going on
this time of the year? Hockey, Basketball, Baseball, and the DRAFT! as
well...
GO Texas Rangers!! Hmm..And the Dallas Stars....What the hell..Houstan
Rockets as well
Regards,
Joe
Tomas,
First a few kudos. I've been following the adventurers since about
1992/3 (somewhere roundabout then at least) and I'm stilling reading them.
The story is good fun, and varies between fun/light hearted and serious -
nice mind candy. I enjoy them, and want to read the back story again - but
there seems to be something wrong with the book zip formats. I've tried
downloading several of the books, including the 000-500 tome but they don't
unzip correctly - not with winzip, not with gunzip for dos. Would it be
possible to somewhere store in standard zip format (pkzip/winzip) the books?
I really don't want to have to download 500 files :(
(note the 000_500 book of 3Mb size gunzip'd to a 128Kb file full of
garbage... I did download using binary)
One other thing: an idea for a possible story (As if you didn't have enough
already :) From the perspective of the "Villain" - perhaps from Xusia the
Lich's viewpoint. COuld be interesting.
Andrew
I sense the start of a grand adventure!
I was wondering why Belph didn't attempt to contact Halbarad, Peyote, or
Rob. Besides the obvious alignment issues. Especially given the fact the
Halbarad and Peyote are 2 that have actually been there before. On this
type of mission, hands-on experience could prove to be very useful. Oh
well, the group is multi-talented enough without them.
I was also hoping that you could have found a reason for Peldor to go also.
But I guess he now has too many reasons not to go on adventures like this.
later, Joe
Just a quick message to say that I really enjoy these adventures.
I started at the begining and I am now in the 120's.
Cant wait to find out why Belphanior's replaced his eye!!!!!
Also, are the lastest stories from recent adventures?
Thanks for your time, and keep up the good writing!!!
Griff.
Lost Tales #21
This was one of your best Lost Tales. I'm in the same boat as you (a
long time player) and I can honestly remember every single battle I
have ever fought with a dragon.
This was so interested because you actually role-played it. It is so
much more fun when you add in the element of chance. I doubt you roll
out the other scenario (such as Belphanoir's encounters with the lich
and his minions). But it really adds something to the story because I
can tell your party was doing everything in its power to keep from
getting whacked by one of the most powerful creatures in ad&d.
And if these were real people up against something like a dragon, they
would have to use unconventional ways to kill such a beast because
quite frankly a dragon has seen it all. I'm sure it would have seen
countless fools march right in through the front door. It the ones
that have their wizard create an illusion of the party walking in the
front door while they wait in the shadows that walk home with the
treasure hoarde.
Excellent tale.
...Eric
542
HAHAHAHAHA,
Very nice job ending that one!!! You know I think your stories are still
getting better.
Greg
Thomas,
This is the best news I've heard in a long time. I have been longing to see
these accessories ever since you initially mentioned them. Do you have any
idea when these might come out? Probably after 6/99 when you stop the
adventurers, right?
Anyway, good luck with softball. How long have you been taking creatine?
Have you had any side affects? I had thought about starting to take it, but
I heard that there were some side effects like diareah and headaches. Have
you had any problems with it?
A devoted reader,
Arcane
Thank you for continuing to write the Adventurers: every Wednesday is
welcome.
I was just rereading the Necros saga when I spotted this:
Peldor: Beats me. Given her reaction to Mongo's little speech, I
think it's safe to say that we didn't destroy her cult, or level
her city...
Given the recent Lost Tales, I couldn't help but chuckle.
The current saga: I'm surprised Belphanior didn't invite Halbarad or
Arnold. Further, it occurs to me that Bosco still has a Wish left, and
if in serious trouble, might say, "I wish Mongo were here." The
fall-out from that at Greyspire might be interesting.
Greyhawk Wars: I actually think that you should skip them and do a
series of scenes a la Lost Tales. This is because GW as in the source
is merely round one. You could use this as foreshadowing for The Big
One.
I'd like to see Peyote, Halbarad, and Rob back in action: it would
make a big change, perhaps lending itself to a more High Fantasy style
of adventure, especially if Sir Drexel were to be involved.
Keep up the good work.
qts
Hi Thomas,
Firstly I would be exceedingly grateful if you would add me to the mailing
list
for the adventurers series. With that out of the way i would like to confer
my
heartfelt gratitude to you for entertaining me for most of my reading time
over
the last 6~8 weeks, i have enjoyed your series tremendously. Often when
recommending friends to a 'canon' of work, where a large amount of text has
been written in which they can involve themselves i feel a twinge of
jealousy,
but for once upon discovering your stories i was the lucky recipient of such
a treasure trove. Alas, now like your other fans i must wait from week to
week
to hear of the continuing trials and tribulations of Peldor, Bosco, Mongo et
al.
I have often felt in AD&D people found higher level characters frustrating
as
the challenges of dungeon delving seemed trivial, your ideas and situations
have shown the way that a good campaign could blossom. I must admit my
favourite
character by far is Peldor and i can only wait with anticipation to see what
will happen to him in the coming years and was very pleased that he has
build
the Green Dragon Inn again, he unlike others has not the same amount of
powers
or magic items but surely has one of the best developed characters without
the
need to fall into classical stereotypes, by this i mean no criticism, but it
is surely easier to develop epic characters such as Belphanor and Mongo than
Peldor, *shrug*, but then again i haven't tried, so i don't really know.
Anyway to bring things to a close, i look forward to your mailing list mails
arriving in my account (gmccarroll@radius-retail.com) and if you are every
in Edinburgh feel free to contact me or even to stay with me and I will show
you my gratitude for such an entertaining series of stories. In the coming
weeks
I am sure my mind will come up with many ideas and what if scenarios that I
will send to you - but for now;
Thanks,
Greg
543
TM: WOW! What an episode! It's been too long (at least it seems that
way) since there's been a good battle like this one.
Can't wait until they get into the city.
later, Joe
Sweet. Very sweet. This was my first introduction to Cynder, so it took me
completely by surprise. What a great villan!
JJ
I've been considering your Adventurers survey and feel more detailed
feedback is in order.
First off, if you're bored with The Adventurers, then stop and move on
to something else. Secondly, I'll state that I continue to enjoy your
tales, and would be most disappointed to see you stop.
However, your comments indicate that you feel you're stuck in a rut
rather than bored. And Belphanior and co do seem to be the focal point
these days. I would suggest two options:
1 - Make things more mystical. Have Belphanior and Mongo get more
involved with Deities. Belphanior has already attracted the attention
of Orcus, but Iuz, Hadeus and (especially) Ygorl, who in a campaign
long ago I made the creator of Blackrazor, are other prime parties. He
might even attract a Good patron. Mongo is just about the most powerful
dwarven warrior on Oerth - he is toting TWO artifacts after all.
Perhaps Lord Marcus gets asked to clear out The Temple of Elemental
Evil, precipitating a meeting with St Cuthbert.
2 - Change focus. Concentrate on Rob, Peyote, Halbarad, and Mongo for
a little while. It would be interesting to see Peyote's rise to
Hierophant, and while you've portrayed Rob as *relatively* goofy, to
have risen as he has, he must be a major ass-kicker in his own right,
so a series with him in the spotlight would be interesting. I've
suggested this change before, as a High Fantasy alternative, but it
need not have a HF tone.
>From (2) depends an interesting plot. Let us suppose Rob is in
Helgate. Rob, Belphanior, Victoria, and others are fighting a horde of
undead. All are wounded; Rob then casts Sunray, which annihilates
Victoria. How would Belphanior react? Who would take advantage of it?
Suppose at that point Alindyar could cast Wish and Belphanior prevailed
upon him to cast one; would Victoria return as a mortal?
Oh yes, I would still like to see Mongo go toe-to-toe with the Iron
Dwarf on the seabed.
qts
Thomas,
Two brilliant stories. I was utterly spellbound and now really look forward to
the coming episodes. I hope they will be long and detailed and that the Hellgate
inhabitants put up a good fight (perhaps take out an enemy or two (or three,
four, ... !8^)
Thanks.
Philip
lost tales 23
This was the most entertaining thing I've read in a long time. The idea
of a being that exists solely to satisfy its own curiousity, having
(virtually) no way to interfere in the events it observes is a *very* good
one; it makes the wisp an understandable (yet very alien in its
motivations) creature.
I noticed, though, that the things you mentioned as being noteworthy for
the wisp were also noteworthy for the people actually engaged in the
events. I suppose that means the wisp's idea of an "interesting" event is
largely the same as a being of human-like intelligence... which could
simply be the result of having been created by an entity that thinks at
least vaguely like humans do.
--
Rob
Well that pretty well sums things up for the wispy thing,
pity, I was kind of hoping it was a guardian spirit for
one of the good god's keeping an eye on Belphanior.. because
of his use of the 'eye' and now because of enemy's he's made..
Kerry
Greetings Thomas!
You probably get lots of mail, so I'll make it short...
I've been reading The Adventurers almost since the 1st chapter up to
someplace in the 270s I think... I lost count. It was somewhere back in
1991, I think; I've read most of it straight from the newsgroup, and
awaited each chapter. Hey, I even got used to the baseball remarks at
the end, and I wouldn't have known what Mardi Gras is if it wasn't for
this series :) (I am, after, all, from Israel...)
Well, I said "short." Ahem. Anyway, I was exteremely happy to see you
have a website, and that now I can continue reading, and you go on
writing (right? right?) these stories I've grown to like so much. From
reading rec.games.frp on a TVI925 to a Netscape webpage, you're still
one of the best for me.
Cheers!
MarK.
Oh, and Peldor rocks!
Yo!
Heck, what can one say? You've been writing for over seven years, and
your stories and style are only getting better with time! Hell, I've
been reading 550 Adventurers episodes in one month ( after discovering
them on a website I forgot ) and they are all great! I especially enjoy
Helgate's storyline ( When will Aja get her temple built? ) . That's it.
You got your share of compliments for today! :-) The only thing I really
regret is the death of Ged. I still don't understand why he died....
But I heve to leave you!
Know thee, that your stories and wisdom even reached far-away France.
Bye Bye!!!!!!!
The Duke of the skies, aka Max
Hi !!!!!!
I have just finished reading your entire work - its astonishing!!!!!!!!!
Writing all this just for the people to read, not for money - this is really great, and I want to thank you for many joyful hours that I spent reading your tales. Before I have read your stories, I had known very little about AD&D in general, so it was very pleasent to learn something knew.
In my opinion, the best stories are the first 150, where the original adventures are shown, but some of the later stuff is very good too,
especially the Orcus storyline. When I read it, it felt like some real high-class fantasy book, and I am a hard-core fantasy fan.
By the way, if you are a fantasy fan as well, I would recommend you to try a russian writer - Nick Perumov. I think, some of his
book were already translated into English. He tried to continue the Lord of the Ring in his "Spear of darkness", and, by gods,
he succeeded. So try this book out, if you find it, I promise, you won't regret it.
Thank you again and keep it up!!!
Michael
548
Great to finally see some strong opponents!!!
I was a little disappointed that you didn't kill Razor Charlie
or Skektek.... or at least do a lot more harm than just breaking
Skektek's hands. It just seemed strange that Omak would change
his mind for no aparent reason... and to me losing a semi-major
character is just a lot more satisfying since it really shows the
dynamics of the real world and that just because a character is
somewhat major does not preclude that (s)he might die. Currently,
since we know they're not going to die, there's less tension since
we only have to think about how they'll get out of the current
situation, since it's a given that they will survive. All IMHO of
course :)
Otherwise, great story as always!
-Sofus
hey Thomas,
two small comments:
1) i liked the additions to the Razor Charlie fight, but he still
went down waaay too easily. :) and i think Skektek should have
used one more trick before Omak said "check for more magic
items..." but, oh well, it's too late now...
2) that list of geographics in the survey was truly amazing!
have fun,
matt
Hey there,
I thought I would finally write in, as I had been reading the Adventurers
for quite some time. (Just finished #539 from Shobaki's site) I truly love
it. Your stories are wonderful. :) I would have written earlier, but I
wasn't sure on whether the older ones would have an inaccurate e-mail or
not.
These stories helped inspire me in my own role-playing endevors. I've been
trying to get my own system and world for role playing (only a fraction of
which is done--it's hard work! :) and your stories have helped me get the
energy and creativity to write some. I did have an RPG on IRC, but that
sorta went down (a bad habit...I've done 4 IRC RPGs and none of them got
finished yet. Kinda like any of my story writing attempts. Grumble.)
I love the characters. I don't know if I have an absolute favorite...Peldor
and Alindyar strike high on my list (along with Bosco, Tanya, and Lyra. :)
And I really could feel for the characters. For example, and I'm sure you've
heard it pretty often, I was shedding tears while reading the story on Ged's
funeral.
I had often wanted to write in and give my opinions. But I wanted to read up
to present first. There are so many places I'd've commented on, that I've
forgotten most of them. :P Hmm, but now that I write, something pops into
my mind....
Let's see. When was that? Yes, here it is. 3-22-98. I had a dream, in which
were some of the Adventurers. I won't get into rediculous detail (I doubt
you're _that_ interested :) but I'll say it was very strange. I had just
started getting back into Adventurers (my reading was at a lull, as I was
hosting my most recent RPG, but it was going slow, so I started reading for
some inspiration). I wrote some stuff in a file here....let's see. Some of
the party (I could sense, in particular, Alindyar, Lyra, Ged, maybe Bosco,
and though I didn't 'see' them, I could feel Peldor and Belphanoir as well)
were there, trying to escape...apparently some people deemed them nuts and
wanted to toss them in a mental institution. I don't remember alot about
that, except I helped them get to a really small box, which seemed to be a
portal. Lyra was complaining because she couldn't take all of her paintings
along...it seemed like she painted them. I wanted to go with them, but the
portal's stability decreased as more people entered, so I couldn't.
That's a jumble, I guess. Don't ask me, I don't get it either. :) The odd
thing is, I already knew Ged died in the Abyss. There's a bit more, but I
babble as it is...
At any rate, keep up the great work. I'd write more, but I have to wander
off and fix a computer complaint. Naturally, it's a Packard Bell.
Maybe I'll end up writing again. Take care! :)
James
Hi Thomas,
Hey, you sounded a little bummed about the smaller numbers of responses to
your poll . Well, don't sweat it !! You're doing a great job, and honestly
its hard to get some people to participate in things like that
....especially people spread out all over the world etc... You deserve
credit for having established such a good and widely spread group of readers
!! Cudos !! As to the stories ....as I wrote before ....the writer crafts
the stories !! If you wrote on another group or with a different protagonist
etc ...the stories would still be good because you are still telling the
Tales !! I for one still enjoy The Adventurers ..but , heading into 600
episodes I bet you can get a craving for something "new" . Anyway, I enjoy
very much being on the mailing list and following your stories !! Please
keep the creative juices flowing and the stories a'rollin !!
Thanks !
-C
H i!!!!!
The last story is GREAT. I was already a little tired of continuing wins of the Adventurers. It was about time for them to loose some fight.
Hey, what about using the items from Earth in the next stories? I mean, a spell is a spell, but a man with a gun is a man with the gun.
Thanks for the story again
Michael
Hello Thomas! I discovered your stories a few months ago, and since
have been hooked. I've been caught up to where you are for quite some
time, though this is the first time I ever wrote you. Other than to
answer the survey, that is. This mail concerns mostly the stories in
general. I couldn't help commenting on a few issues. I'm sorry, this is
quite long, but I hope you find time to read the whole thing.
My one comment that has anything to do with episode 548 in particular:
What the hell are Victoria's stats? During the "battle" with the
attacking party, she attacks a couple times with her sword, energy
drains a few people, and then teleports off with one of them, all before
any of them can do a thing to her. Okay, some were occupised with Razor
Charlie, but come on! HOW?! How many attacks does that girl get per
turn? Or have you stopped using the AD&D rules altogether? Just
wondering. If Victoria can do that, then I hope Belph isn't the macho
type, and doesn't mind his girl friend being able to kick his ass. 8^)
Now, I was reading the "sneak previews" section, and happened to come
upon the words "...and for one, death is the only way out," for a couple
episodes from now. Damn! Why?! I'm not asking why is someone going to
die, I'm asking why did I have to read that huge spoiler!
I don't know what you intend the sneak priviews for, but I read them
because I can't get enough of the adventurers, and want to get a general
idea of what's coming up. Things like, "In this episode, the Adventurers
are going to fight the guardian from the city of Gods," are fine. It
gives a very general idea of what's to come, but doesn't spoil anything.
It's like, if you see your friend reading a book, and ask him what it's
about, you usually expect him to give you only certain information. Not
give away any key plot elements or anything, in case you want to read
it. A little prior information doesn't hurt. However, theres a fine line
between a little prior information and a spoiler.
First of all, I love the fact that you're willing to kill characters
off permanently. It adds some dynamism to the series, and it makes it
feel more real. The adventurers live extremely dangerous lives, and it's
a miricle that they aren't all dead by now. Not to mention, that a story
is supposed to provoke an emotional respose, and a death of a character
is a sure way to do that. We get to know these characters, and like
them, and when they die we get upset. It's like our own loved one died.
However, Part of that whole effect is diminished when we know it
beforehand. When a character dies, I should be thinking "Oh my God!
He/she is really dead! What a shock!" When I'm prepared for it, it's no
longer a shock, just sort of a dull sadness. Like the differance between
your aging granny passing away in her sleep one night, and your brother
suddenly dying in a car accident. You're still sad, but you've already
had a chance to deal with the inevitable loss, and somehow it's not
nearly as emotionally powerful. When I know beforehand that one of the
characters is going to die, and it's just a matter of who, a whole lot
of the effect is lost. As it is, I've already accepted the loss of one
of the characters, and when I read it I'll just think "Oh. So that's who
it is. Oh well,"
If you intend the sneak previews section to contain huge spoilers, I
guess I'll have to prevent myself from reading it. I also suggest you
put a warning saying "Do not read this section unless you want to spoil
future episodes for yourself!" However, when Ged died, I read about it
beforehand in the stories themselves. It would have had so much more
effect if we hadn't known. Instead of getting mail about "I think you
made the right choice picking Ged to die, blah blah blah..." you should
have gotten mail about "Oh my God! I can't beleive you killed Ged! Blah
blah blah..." The fact is, everyone knew it was going to happen to
someone beforehand, and so it wasn't nearly the major event it should
have been. Now I see that the same thing is going to happen again in a
couple episodes. I just wish I had been surprised this time.
Advertising the coming of a major event, such as the death of the
character, is usually done on TV shows to boost the ratings. People want
to see the "biggest show of the season", so they watch that episode.
However, this doesn't make sense with the adventurers. They're free, so
no one is going to stop reading unless they get so terrible it's not
even worth it to download them. And it's not like people can "miss"
them, like a TV show, so you don't have to warn us to "make sure to
catch the next episode of The Adventurers." And if they're reading it,
they've already been introduced to the series, so you can't possibly get
any new readers. Giving away spoilers seves no purpose here.
The point is, that if you really must put up big spoilers like that,
then at least give a warning for people who don't want to read them. I'm
sure your fans would be much happier if they could be surprised. Or,
preferrably, don't put them up at all. Phew, that was long.
By the way, there are big events you can do other than deaths. Other
major changes in a character's life. Like, for instance, an announcement
that one of the females is pregnant! *hint* *hint* *nudge* *nudge*
*wink* *wink *wink*
> General observations on the other questions: it seems that a lot
>of people would indeed mind if I stopped writing the Adventurers,
>no matter what I produced in its stead. A number of others said that
>they wouldn't mind as long as I was doing something equally readable.
>Some said that I should take a break (or stop for good) if I was
>burned out. I like the pause idea better - I could write something
>else for a while. Don't know, I need to get to 600 first.
Thomas, Thomas, Thomas. I don't think you knew what you were getting
into when you started writing these stories. For a series like the
Adventerers, there can never be any closure. It's not like they're a
novel. You see, when you write a novel, it's about some events that
happen. When the events are all over, the story is over, and you have
closure. However, the Adventurers are not a novel, they are an ongoing
universe. You say "Episode 600 would be a good time to stop." I'm afraid
that there may be no good time to stop. No matter how much closure you
try to put in, they will never be over. The Adventurers are not about
events. They are about characters. Things happen to the characters, and
then when those things are finished happening, more things happen. Life
goes on. You could continue writing the Adventurers forever.
The Adventurers are not novel-like. They are comic book like. Consider
a popular comic book. Say, the X-Men. Do you ever think they'll stop
writing X-Men comics? Hell no! Not unless it becomes so unpopular that
no one even notices when it goes. Even if Marvel went and summed up
every loose end having to do with the X-Men, and then killed all the
characters off, they could not stop the series. Millions of people would
write in asking to have the X-Men revived and the series brought back.
You can't pull the plug on a whole universe, no matter how well it's all
summed up. Of coarse, the X-Men are different than the Adventurers in a
couple ways. 1) The X-Men has been written by many different people over
the years. 2) Marvel makes $$MONEY$$ off the X-Men. The Adventurers are
written by one person, for free. Too bad for you. You created a
phemenon, and now you can never stop it. 8^)
Personally, I have no doubt that whatever you wrote would be as good
as the Adventurers. Maybe even better, since you wouldn't have the
limitations of the AD&D system. However, I would still be devastated to
see The Adventurers go. There are so many questions left unanswered. So
many tales left to tell. Obviously, you have to stop at some point.
Maybe they will gradually start to lose popularity, and then when it
becomes clear that it's time to put them to an end, you can have one
final climactic event, and end the series for good. However, if you keep
writing do damn well, they will never lose popularity. Hey, theres your
solution! Start getting people to hate the stories! 8^)
Seriously, though. It's up to your to decide how you are finally going
to end them. Hopefully not by just stopping in a random location, with
no sense of closure whatsoever. And hopefully, it will be a long time
from now when you stop. Of coarse, if you really must stop soon, I have
faith in you that you'll do it in a classy way. Like I said, I'll miss
them greatly, but I have no right to complain if you stop doing
something which you're doing for free.
As for taking a break and writing something else for a while, that
sounds much more bearable. BEWARE, though! You don't want to have to get
stuck writing two series! If you write something else, and people like
it, will they let you stop and go back to the Adventuers? Here's a tip:
if you write something else, and intend to stop, make it novel like. The
differances are this:
Comic book like stories are about the characters. They follow one
character or one set of characters throughout life. They have no end.
The events are just there so that things can happen to the characters.
These are set up from the beginning so that things can keep happening to
the character(s) after the first storyline is over. Authors of these
stories usually don't know how things are going to eventually turn out.
Novel like stories are about the events. They start at the beginning,
and end when the events they are about are complete. The characters are
just there so that someone can participate in the events. These are set
up from the beginning so that there will be a sense of closure when the
events in the story have reached completion. Authors of these stories
always know how things will eventually turn out.
For instance, those "rogue squad" stories you started are most
certainly comic book like. They are setting up a team of characters, who
can be sent on missions, thereby creating infinite storylines. If you
only wrote up their first mission, and the stopped, people would start
asking "What happens next?" On the other hand, if you set up the
situation for a series of events to happen, and then brought a team of
heroes together for the specific purpose of dealing with this one
situation, it would be novel like. Both of the above could be very
similar stories, but subtle differances in how they are written can make
all the differance. Which you choose depends on how long you want to
keep writing.
Note that it is much easier to continue a novel like story than it is
to stop a comic book like one.
Anyway, I look forward to reading whatever you decide to write. Even
if I would prefer The Adventurers over anything else.
Your new but devoted fan,
Jacob
Hmm. I like the adventure. I have only one thing to say though.... Razor
Charlie should have died for the situation that he was in. The leader had
already stated that they only needed one hostage. I like Razor Charlie
alot and all but were-beasts usually do not have a lot of control and
Razor had already pissed him off by stabbing him. Skektek i could
understand ... the hostage.. but they were already looking around for more
hostages.. why keep one as dangerous as Charlie already was shown to be.
Thats my say for that .... otherwise its going to be a colossal fight.
Steve
Hi Thomas,
Hey, you sounded a little bummed about the smaller numbers of responses to
your poll . Well, don't sweat it !! You're doing a great job, and honestly
its hard to get some people to participate in things like that
....especially people spread out all over the world etc... You deserve
credit for having established such a good and widely spread group of readers
!! Cudos !! As to the stories ....as I wrote before ....the writer crafts
the stories !! If you wrote on another group or with a different protagonist
etc ...the stories would still be good because you are still telling the
Tales !! I for one still enjoy The Adventurers ..but , heading into 600
episodes I bet you can get a craving for something "new" . Anyway, I enjoy
very much being on the mailing list and following your stories !! Please
keep the creative juices flowing and the stories a'rollin !!
Thanks !
-C Schroeder
Just perfect!
I hope you're going to have Mongo redeem the ID. Hmmm... you may
recall that very early on Mongo released the spirit of a dwarven
warrior. Just suppose it was one of Malgorth's failures...
qts
Hello Again!
I know I'm quite a bother, but I just can't help re-reading again and
again your marvelous stories.
I'm writing your for three things:
1. Ever thought about the invulnerable coat of Arnd Artifact possession?
You know, it turns the wearer into a 14th level human priest when he
sees poor or diseased people ( saving throw vs poison allowed ) . It
would be REALLY fun to see Mongo as a high priest... :-)
2. Perhaps I missed something, but I can't get to remember the slaying
of the lich that Oakly Greenleaf asked peyote and co. to take care
off... Am I right?
3.Last but not least, on the previews for the 550th episode of the
adventurers, you say that " death is the only way out " for one of the
adventurers... I just HOPE I haven't got it right, and that you aren't
planning to take out Ys. I really HOPE so.
Bye.
P.S. : The short imaginary ( I hope so ) story you wrote when your car's
radio got stolen was fantastic!!!! :-)
Max
549
Hi Thomas,
One possible reason for the departure of the city when it did: the repairs,
going on at a low level via automated systems, were finally sufficiently
complete to allow flight...
Cheers,
Roger
I finished my Ph.D. and to celebrate I read everything in the archive up to
#500. I came across your stories while randomly wandering the web. I played
D&D back in the 70's when it was first put out in pamplet style books. What
memories. I stopped in 83 but never stopped reading Fantasy and Sci-Fi. I
enjoyed your stories and am in the process of downloading 501-550? today.
james
Howdy,
Maybe the all-mighty Peldor reaches farther out than one would think. :) I
was fiddling around in Infoseek and found this on a Deep Space Nine page:
...In a sacred vision, or 'Pah Tem Farh,' Sisko was at the eve of the Peldor
Festival. He could hear 'them' ringing the temple chimes. He could smell the
burning Bat'ereth leaves, and taste the incense on the wind....
Too bad I don't know more about it than that. But sorta interesting if you
think about it.. :)
James
Hey,
I loved the episode I honestly believe it was one of the best
battles you have ever made, and I kept trying to find out who would die
:) then I saw the notes :). If I think of any loose ends that you
forgot I will give you a e-mail.
Sincerely,
MD
Glad to see your latest work, quite good and I understand ideas may come to be hard at times to come by. Why not take 1 year off from writing adventurers and write something else that you feel you wnat to do :) After all we're the fans, you're the writer, we'll read whatever you write and we would hate to see you stop :)
Keep up the good work
REgards
STefan
Congrats on hitting 550.
A monumental achievement. Pretty awesome I dare say. Best of luck on the next
50, Im looking forward to reading them.
If you feel yourself burning out again, then maybe its time for a 1 or 2 month
hiatus. You should continue to have fun with this stuff, not make it too much
of a responsibility.
Story idea.
The next (and perhaps Final?) 50, should be one long story. Again encompassing
all of the adventurers. But dont let them (the adventurers & audience know it.)
Continue as you have, making small saga's for everyone, but have them all begin
to tie together in some way.
Some evil source behind the scenes is trying to do the classic power grab, all
of oerth. Some in GreyHawk, some with Mongo's group, even have wierd things
going on in the north with Rillen & Sonya.
And now the evil force must be more than just your classic evil
god/devil/demon, but an unsteady alliance unknown of, between more than one
God/Demi-God.
Its not something you have really done before, and that is, create an
underlying layer of stories to the stories that you write. It may give you a
little extra umph or juice to your desire to write.
Furthermore you could have the appearance of appearance of Ged (not really him)
being used as a pawn spreading false information to the adventurers in their
dreams. (Just an idea.) Make it all culminate in #600. And don't let people
know it is going to happen. Just set it all up. Anyway, congrats again on 550.
I've thoroughly enjoyed your work over the years...
-Josh
Hi Thomas
I liked episode 550, even though I'm not normally a fan of slug fests! I
look forwards to the secret history of Ys to be revealed sometime in the
future. Maybe if you are running low on ideas you could have the
Hellgate Mob travel off to the world of the reptilians and help Ys sort
out his apparent feud. (Maybe he is one of a dozen crown princes whom
are all killing each other off, and being well educated Ys decided to
give up his heritage and avoid fratricide.) That should fill a couple of
stories!
Pete
Great episode! Right to the end I was afraid that you were going to
kill off someone (of course, Jukotai is dead, but methinks Aja might
succeed), or even end the Adventurers right there at 550.
Idea: The Adventurers are a _majorly_ powerful band; this attack was
really not all that intelligent of the Sea Princes (no matter how close
it came to succeeding, it failed): Belphanior is obviously going to be
upset, and the rest of them are not going to be too happy either. Bosco
the untouchable wounded? Helgate invaded? Alindyar & Lyra assaulted?
It seems to this reader that a campaign, the first in a long time, might
be in order. The party did some not inconsiderable havoc-wreaking last
time they visited the Sea Princes, but now they are mighty indeed. You
could probably spend another 12 episodes on the campaign. Of course,
other states might not be too pleased that the party is upsetting the
balance of power. Or they might see an opportunity...
I understand you being tired out from the series. It has gone a long
time. Perhaps write one or two great story-arcs, then end it on a 'they
all lived happily ever after' note; you could fast-forward in time:
Peldor & Tanya with grandchildren (will we ever know the mystery of
Peldor?); Belphanior & Victoria settled in Helgate, spawning a most
interesting dynasty (if that's possible); Alindyar & Lyra grown in
importance to legends the equal of Bgby et al.; Mongo a great
dwarf-soldier; &c. &c. &c. It would make a fine episode.
You probably want to avoid Sir Doyle's mistake; his later stories had
quite lost their magic. Indeed, and I mean no offense, the City of the
Gods was not all that invigourating, for me at least (YMMV, as always).
This last epsiode, though, was superb. Had me on the edge of my seat
the entire time.
Robert
That was *totally* great! I read what you said about getting tired. I
really understand. You've been doing this for a while. If you are
thinking of starting something new, I'd be willing to pay for a
subscription. Your writing is really that good. Perhaps it would
re-invigorate you to be paid for your work?
Jonathan
I liked that last episode.
I think Victoria had the best part. She stayed out of the main
battle but lurked around causing terror.
Mark
I like her like this. It seems more vampiric that human, which is what
she is afterall. Her vampiric forces overtake her logical thoughts.
It is not like a vampire to get directly into battle but to stay on the
outside picking off the victums one by one.
Mark
Say, did any of your ideas for future work include a sci-fi series?
That would be a pretty enjoyable thing to read, given your success with
fantasy (I am told that it can be a not-too-great leap from the one to
the other).
Eagerly awaiting Adventurers 551,
Bob
Hi Thomas -
Great fight - I thought it was going to be even closer, but really
things were pretty even. Those poor maids are going to have a huge task
cleaning up the castle after that fight!
I am interested in what magical goodies Belphanior and friends might
recover from the invading party. The black ring at least, and no doubt
some magical weapons... Will we get to see the list?
Thanks for all the time you put into this series. It's great fun to
read!
Ted
An exellent episode, as usual. I'm glad it wasn't one of the main
characters who died, like Alindyar for instance. Kinichi always seemed
like dead weight. His personality was never really developed much, even
compared to the other members of the guard. However, I thought someone
was supposed to die next episode, not this one. Did you change your
mind?
By the way, why did Belphanior even take Kinichi and the others along
with him? They're supposed to be his elite guard. Shouldn't they stay in
the city? You would think that especially with himself and Otto gone, he
would like to have more than "just" Razor Charlie and Skaktek in the
city. Are they supposed to be guards, or adventuring companions?
I look forward to seeing how the returning characters deal with the
invaders next episode.
Jacob
Good Story!
I have always enjoyed the major battles when the Adventurer's fight
other high powered groups. The bounty hunters with Zara, Necros and
clan, these... all turn out to be quite interesting.
I purchased the AD&D adventure "Rod of Seven Parts." It is designed in
such a way that that group isn't sure of what they have (the first
piece) but they are suddenly being attacked by other groups of creature
seeking the Rod. It might be something you consider writing up.
Keep writing, it is appreciated.
Marc
Great episode as always, Thomas. Reminded me of some of the earlier
Adventure stuff when our original group was going up against a group
of baddies. I'm looking forward to more Adventurers stories, or anything
else you have the time and inclination to write.
Take it easy...
Greg
Damn fine read. A nice twist to make Whisper's trial something which
happened as a child, rather than when he was a young man and loosing
wife and children.
I do like tortured/dark personalities.
Thanks again.
Pete
These two stories were great.
I read Lost Tales #25 first, eager to learn of the origins of the
"Whisper". Great story, great concept (the assassin school), great
character. This might be the best lost tale you wrote.
What can I say about Adventurers 550? I love it when the adventurers are
really tested by powerful NPC foes. I liked the priest of Tharizdun, I've
never seen one before. Aja really gives me some insight into what Wee Jas
is all about. I like that Ys isn't the only member of his race. Where is Ys
from, Hepmanland (sp?) maybe?
Don't forget to have Belph et. al, loot the bodies. These Npcs probably had
great stuff. Will the drow slay the hydra to get the ring, it's probably
lost I guess? What were the powers of the ring?
It was also fitting that Bosco, not a battle stud, helps turn the tide of
the fight by using his unique skills. Also, turning the gorgon vs the rust
monster was a great tactic. Did you pick the drow's tactic and then the
monsters, or the monsters then the tactic?
I was worried that you were going to kill off Razor Charlie. I like him, I
don't know why, but I do.
Anyway, I hope you keep writing these stories. I get great enjoyment from
reading them. They help broaden my greyhawk horizons. And they give me
campaign ideas. Thank you for writing these great stories. If you feel you
need to write less, go ahead, any stories, whether bi-weekly or monthly
even, would be better than non.
A loyal reader,
Arcane
Hi!!!!!
That was a MIGHTY battle. Three thumbs up. In general, a battle party against party is in my opinion more interesting, then the party against
some dumb monster.
About the lack of ideas - I can deliver some. There could be a continuation of Mongo and Gorin story line: they could go into a battle,
for example against Iuz, and lose it, and get captured. Then there could be a rescue operation by others, including Marcus and Yod.
Or else, think of riches, that some of the Adventurers have amassed. Ged and Belphaniors castles must be full of it, and who likes castles and
treasures? Right, dragons. A black dragon attacks Nenya and Derick, what do you think about it?
Then, there is this guy, who escaped from the destroyed city in Underdark, and a certain Duke of Hell, Hadeus, who must be seriously pissed.
Then again, if Greyhawk wars come closer, there must be agents of Scarlet Brotherhood in the Free City, and the Thiefs Guild under command
of Peldor
could be ordered by the Oligarchs to deal with them.
Arnold could run into some evil priest or wizard on his journeys. Bosco could lose all his money to some better card player,
maybe supported by Orcus or some other fiend, and so become dependent on him and be persuaded to make a trap for Peldor or Tanya.
Tanya or Nenya or Lyra could become engaged in an affair, or their husbands. I mean, a man is a man, and a woman is a woman, it's only human. Another turnament for Rillen could be
written. You could make little quests for Belphaniors supporting charakters, familiar to the quests adventurers have had.
Well, I hope all this will be for some use.
Please keep writing, many people enjoy it.
Yours
Michael
A really good stomper. Probably your best yet. In the way of clarity and
my ability to actually visualize the fighting that was taking place. I
give this one a 10+ on a scale of one to ten. Keep up the good work.
Steve
Hello Thomas,
Good stories,I mean real good stories.I hope you enjoy your
break from writing for while.
I have a few ideas that might be useful for plot lines,
but i figure by the time you get this you'll have been
sent more ideas than you'll know what to do with.
At any rate, have a good vacation.
Frank
P.S.: If you think that you're getting tired of The Adventurers, then by
all means take a break! Stop, till the time comes that you actually want to
get back at writing!
P.P.S.: BTW, Tharizdun's *high* priest? I thought that they couldn't get
more than 2nd-3rd level spells because he's imprisoned or something! Is
this a hint or what?
P.P.P.S.: I ain't telling you how good this story was - ALL your stories
are terrific - else i wouldn't read them! What i *will* tell you though, is
that your descriptions seem to be more brutal and bloody now, which is very
good - after all wounds inflicted by medivial weapons were indeed terrible
to behold. A sense of realism, albeit shocking, is always to my liking...
Marios
I thoroughly enjoy reading your stories and am trully sorry that TSR did
not take an interest in your work..Keep up the excellent work please.
Sincerely,
Chris
Hi Thomas,
Great long drawn out battles. I was really absorbed in the story from the
beginning to end. It was a nice touch from you the way you divided the enemy
force otherwise more of the Adventurers would have bitten the dust. I am also
glad (!) that only two minor characters died from the 'Good' side.
The story about Whisper was also extremely fascinating. I could actually feel
the cold, fear and hunger as I was reading the story. I KNOW because I was a
boat refugee fleeing from Vietnam in extremely harsh condition (60 feet leaking
boat for 185 people) with little food and drink for 5 days. A wonderful tale.
I really look forward to reading more of these marvellous tales and may your
ideas never run out. I find that I miss the good old dungeon crawl for
Adventurers at levels 5-9 or so (when they can start doing serious damage with a
fireball but is still really fearful for their life).
Many Thanks.
Philip
Thomas:
In the story 550 you said the following
That wasn't all, though; all of the other foes who still lived
vanished along with him! Omak, Canis, Ixlin, and Wampa blinked
out of existence as if they'd never been there.
Later you said
Belphanior: No, I mean that all of these foes just vanished, dead
and live ones alike.
I was wondering which it was. If all dissappeared the party would only get
the treasure from the two that were killed earlier.
If only the ones alive disappeared there would be the treasure from three or
four other (besides the two killed earlier). Also they could do a speak with
dead and find out what it was all about.
John
>> HE'S RIGHT - I MADE A MISTAKE HERE. ONLY THE LIVING FOES WERE
>> TELEPORTED AWAY. THIS WILL BE ADDRESSED NEXT TIME THE HELGATE
>> CREW APPEARS.
Hi there Thomas,
I have been an avid reader of "The Adventurers" for a little over two
months now, and have read almost all of the episodes on ther internet. As I
am now pretty much up to date, I wish to be included on the mailing list to
receive current articles. Ihope you can continue on with the "Adventureres"
story as it has provided me with many hours of excitement and adventure,
along with many other readers. One idea I can think of is to bring Orcus
back into the picture again. I know that he was forbidden from exherting
his power too much on the prime material plane, however there are many ways
in which he can influence thigs with the party.
I also enjoying reading the "Dark Questers". I reckon it's great to see the
workings of an "evil" party at play, and it is refreshing to break away
from the "good triumphing over evil" mold.
Long live "the Adventurers."
With thanks,
Mark
TM: Thanks for the recognition in 551. It was, as you said, a loose end
that had been nagging at me since Ged's death. It would be interesting if
he made some sort of appearance to let Deryck and Nenya know how pleased
(displeased?) he is with their work.
That museum idea was very good as well. Wasn't Mongo going to commission a
statue of Ged to be made? If the museum idea goes through, maybe the
statue could be placed somewhere in or around the museum?
I haven't had time to write about the last Belph story arc, but I wanted to
let you know that I thoroughly enjoyed them. I can see another story line
or two coming out of that one. Maybe Ys will finally tell us about his
past? While I am rambling about story lines, is there one about Belph and
making/retrieving his new eye?
later, Joe
Thomas,
Great story arc re: the Lost City! I've been reading for about 4 years
now, and I still continue to look forward to new Adventurers stories! I am
looking forward to the story line with Deryck and Nenya, as well - I enjoy
the "settled" adventurers (Peldor & Tanya, Alindyar and Lyra, etc) as much
as the others.
I was glad to read your comments on this one, that you will continue to
write until at least episode 600. I had visions dancing in my head of
losing both "Seinfeld" and The Adventurers in the same year!
Take care,
Michael
Just passed the 500 mark, great reading so far. It occurs to me that
while the party were wandering around in the abyss, they mentioned
Oerth-2. Had Orcus been listening, this would be a way to attack
something the party holds dear while still fulfilling his "contract"
with Belphanior...
--Thom
Is it any point in just writing "Hey, great work, I really enjoy the
reading!" once in a while?
On the odd chance that it is, I do.
:-)
Havard
Hahhahaha... damn.
Hilarious. The Adventurers kick ass! I stumbled across them about 3
years ago when I was in college, and re-found them again about 2 months
ago. They kick ASS! Great work.
Your Real-Life adventures are hilarious to read about as well.. only one
complaint -- write more of them!!
Keep doin' what you're doin'... it rocks!
-Matt
555
It's great to be back with Mongo again. I see you've really shaken
things up by removing both Gorin and Mongo's girdle of strength!
This episodes acts as a nice introduction to the action that's
bound to follow.
I noticed that Lord Marcus is pleased that Mongo is earnest,
intelligent, and a quick learner, but he obviously has reservations
about what drives Mongo. Mongo doesn't want to be a mercenary,
and it shows, although he'll be good at it. The exploratory
expedition he's on now is what he lives for! I suspect this will
eventually lead Marcus to dismiss Mongo, although on friendly
terms. Gorin on the other hand might not leave anytime soon.
Mongo needs to find his destiny as king of some great dwarven
realm, but he still has much to learn about leadership, which
he can learn from Marcus.
Leonard
556
It's great to see Mongo in action, and a treat to see him actually
in charge. By having Mongo command a squad of dwarves you've
elevated the tale from a simple dungeon crawl to a study in
leadership -- cool.
Leonard
557
More of Mongo in command, and he makes a tactical mistake (assuming
the unknown creatures are easy targets because they avoid the light).
This kicks ass.
>Mongo: Dammit. What use is being strong and invulnerable if your friends
> aren't?
This is great! Mongo is realizing that his actions have consequences
for those under his command, who aren't as able to deal with dangerous
situations as he. He can't be reckless with others' lives like he
can with his own (or his old adventuring buddies, who could also take
care of themselves). The tribulations of leadership.
Leonard
Hi my name is Doug and I live in a small town in Ohio called Wellsville. I played AD&D with my best friend, his brother, and a family from his church. The father of the family was named Dale and he was our DM. His wife and daughter played in our party. It was awesome! I enjoyed every minute we played as if it was coming to an end forever. Well, Dale's kids that lived in California moved home and his work shift changed so we never played anymore. It hurt me because I loved it so much. My best friend went out and bought everything needed to play AD&D and he got me and a few other friends together to play. It was ok but it wasn't the same as Dale being the DM.
Then today when I came across your page, I read some of your stories and they reminded me of Dale. You DM the same way and even better. I only wish I could join your group. It sounds like so much fun...... *Sigh* I wish someone like you lived around here so I could really and truly play AD&D.
Sincerely,
Doug
I just wanted to say that reading your stories have brought me
alot of joy.
I hope that you contiune writing for a long time and I think that you
should even do a
real book in that kind of setting I'm sure it would make a big hit.
Solo
bravo!
I'm not quite sure why I liked it: something about
the well-justified dungeon-delve, intelligent monsters,
good characterisation of mongo ...
It was just fun to read, anyway.
Gary
ARGH!
You bastard. Now I understand the fan mail complaints about missing time
at work. I never thought it would happen to me, but I spent critical time
this morning reading the latest Adventurer's while work waited. Consider
yourself complimented.
keep it up,
Ed
just read #557 and 558. Cliffhangers for both Mongo, and Rillen and
Songa. What next?! I'm almost salivating at the thought of the
'comeuppance' and the bottom of the 'bottomless shaft'! It's another
week until our next DND session here. How can I survive?!! Perhaps
I should surf the Web DND sites.
Cheers,
Geoff.
Awsome story!!! keep up the good work!!!
Andrew
Hi Thomas !
Ouf... I've finaly catch up with the rate you write your "adventurers"
stories (I've just read the #558). I just wrote to tell you that I really
enjoy your stories and that I would like to be added to your mailing list.
Your writing style (that I believe you call "narrative") is a refreshing
change from the style we see in the work of other fantasy writers. I also
think that, in some stories, you've been able to make the fear that the
caracters feel pass throught the screen. I'm talking here of the stories
about the fog thing (where Belph met Otto) and the second sewer adventure
(especially with the unusual duo of Peldor and Otto).
Oh, and by the way, my favorite caracter is Peldor (I also like Ys, Otto
and Bosco) and I wouldn't mind if you did stop to write the adventurers
stories as long as you continue to write something else and that the
adventurers saga come to some sort of an end.
Phil.
Howdy,
If all else fails, and you run out of things for the Adventurers to do, you
can always have their children (grown up of course) doing something. Wasn't
there some sort of war slated soonish in their time slot? (I can't
remember....) It might be interesting starting at the begininng. Just a
suggestion, and not a very good one, I guess, but there you go. :)
James
Hi Thomas
> notes: Two pregnancies revealed in five episodes, you ask?
I have just read 558, and suddenly thought of Bosco. Can you imagine about
year from now, story time, when one of the babies needs a baby sitter and
Bosco is only one around. It would be absolute havoc.
Well it put a smile on my face.
Keep up the good work
Andrew
Hello Thomas,
Pretty good so far.I really like it,this may be
perfect for Songa to show Rillen that she is
more than capable of protecting herself(and him!).
Meanwhile, take it easy and keep up the good
writing!
Frank
562
hey Thomas,
this was good. these character interact well together. you can't
help but laugh. just think of the fun if Felicia learns _too_ much
from Bosco!! it'll be three of them vs. Tanya!! oh, that would be
fun.
Matt
560
Thanks for sending this to me it is a good story,with interesting chracters
and agood plot
Don
Great story. I like the idea of a dragon as a neighbor for Rillen and
Songa.
is there going to be another meeting between the three anytime soon?
Keep up the great work!!!
Griff
561
Hi Thomas,
It's almost midnight down here, I'm just stuffing around with a web page
I'm doing for work, and what do you know, the next Adventurers turns up!
Pretty passive arc you've just finished, I guess tho, it serves as a good
break to find out what the "other" adventurers have been up to lately. What
the hell has Arnold been doing?? I completely forgot about him!!!
Anyway, looking forward to whatever is coming up next (A good Bosco story
always promises a hearty laugh!)
Ben Sartori
562
When it comes to story writing, you never know what the
reader will identify with, or find interesting or funny. I just
about pee'ed my pants when you said that they were trying to
get on a river boat, and then settled on a manor "OUTSIDE"
the city limits with the expressed purpose of avoiding the
taxes. I find that whole thought line incredibly funny, and
I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it has something do
with what is going on in Chicago now with "river boat"
gambling.
Greg
(long, interesting survey response)
What I'd like to know:
1) your age 33
2) country you live in USA - New Jersey specifically
3) favorite Adventurer (includes henchpeople; please just pick one)
Belphanior: He's versatile and commanding, fierce when he has to be
yet compassionate (somewhat), conquering and most importantly, he's
still adventuring. You can never underestimate him or count him
out, he always finds a way to overcome any situation, often at
great personal risk. (no one seems to remember any of those times!)
I look forward to episodes with him in them. I'm particularly
interested to see how he handles the current story line within the
City of the Gods and his welcome home.
I know you only asked for one but, I must mention I like Peldor a lot
also. He's extremely intelligent, shrewd & cunning, always
confident, and very good at getting the most out of items or
situations. Unfortunately, he doesn't really adventure as much. I
did enjoy his escapades with the guild but until he goes
adventuring again, he'll have to take a back seat to Belphanior.
Maybe the shape shifters could come back and get him into action
again! That might be what he needs to get the itch again. I still
think he should go get the adamantine golem from the underworld.
Talk about the ultimate guardian for his treasure or the guild! If
anyone could find a way to do it, Peldor can! (he does have a
wish)
4) favorite non-Adventurer character
Cynder: He's been great! A foe at first who played a bit of a trick on
the Adventurers. An ally after the Isle of the Ape and into Orcus'
lair. He been interesting, very intelligent and cunning, as a
great dragon should be, but also smart enough to realize when to
fight and when to ally.
Good Guy (on the Adventurer's side at least):
Whisper: He is the best at what he does, completely no nonsense and
extremely lethal. Would love to learn more about him (upcoming lost
tale). Maybe he and Peldor could become friends without Peldor
knowing who he really is at first, i.e. Wisper could be checking
out the new guildmaster to see what he thinks of him. He and
Peldor must work/adventure together!
Bad Guy (foe of the adventurers):
Zara: She was one tough bitch completely bent on destroying the
Adventurers, particularly Alindyar and Lara. She was cunning and
tricky and just wouldn't die for a while there. The group she put
together to attack the adventurers was great. What a battle, could
very easily have been the end of the adventurers!
5) have you been reading since the original release of #1 (in late
1991) or did you discover Adventurers after that? (either/or
answer please)
Discovered the Adventurers about December of '96, turned onto it by
Matt and Andy Hurd and have been completely hooked ever since. I
started with #1 from an ftp site and read them all until I caught up,
(early March I think). I then subscribed and look forward to them
every Wednesday (I'm a little spoiled, you've been releasing them
regularly since I've been a subscriber, Matt and Andy told me of the
old days).
6) would you mind seeing the Adventurers saga end (except for
special one-shots and such) if it meant I'd produce something new
and different? (yes/no answer please)
Probably, I really enjoy the Adventurers and want to see them progress
beyond where they are now, I think some of their levels should have
gone up some already, i.e. Belph, Tanya, Otto, etc. I think there is
still plenty to write about just based on the loose ends to the
previous stories. I know some loose ends will never be resolved but I
still think about their resolution. Some loose ends I'm patiently
waiting for resolution to: a return to the GreyHawke Ruins and a
discovery of what all the "components" were for, Ged to make an
appearance (as a demi god, not a return), to finish the Rune Quest
and find out just what each rune can do, Belphanior's
reconciliation/retribution with Greyhawke, Orcus' demise, The Drow
cities revenge from the Tarasc, someone claiming the Adamantine golem
(I think Peldor should, he's probably the only one who would even think
of doing such a thing), Peldor's origins.
If you developed another AD&D type adventure, or any kind of medieval
swords and sorcery, I'd probably enjoy that. BUT, I think one of the
most appealing aspects of the Adventurers is that each character was
developed by someone actually playing the character. You've done a
great job maintaining the personalities, traits, desires and responses
of the original characters. I think it would be difficult for one
person to come up with such a grouping of characters by them self.
You've stated yourself that some of the characters were harder to
write for than others. I suspect that's because you just don't grasp
or understand the character's personality and desires and you would
never think of saying/doing the things the character does. The
diversity of the characters and personalities really makes the
Adventurers enjoyable.
If you developed another type of series, I don't know if I'd enjoy it.
I've never really gotten into the other types of role playing games
like Gamma World, Space Rangers, etc. I guess I'm a little single
minded like that. I do enjoy science fiction so I might enjoy
something along those lines even if I don't think I would at this
time. Whatever you do, I will give it a chance. I'm sure I don't fully
grasp the scale of this undertaking and you may well be getting tired
of writing the Adventurers so I won't be too upset if you move on to
something new but I will miss the Adventurers. Maybe you can have
guest writers for some stories or at least have some people submit
scenarios for stories that you could fill in the details of.
7) would you join/participate in an Adventurers discussion list if I made
one? (yes/no answer)
YES absolutely!
8) what is your favorite type of storytelling (dungeoncrawl, battle,
intrigue) ?
All! You can't do just one and have a complete world. All are needed.
I do find some of the traveling a little boring and I am sometimes
disappointed when there isn't some kind of battle in each story.
9) do you use any of the web or ftp sites to get your episodes? if so,
which one?
I check in with the Adventurer's web site to find out what's going on,
but not often enough lately. I use the myths and shobaki web sites for
old issues. The myths site is good for reading several consecutive
issues
(i.e. a story line) and the shobaki site is good for searching the old
episodes. I download stories from the myths ftp site.
I read your correspondance with TSR about publishing books, and I am excited about the prospect of novels based on the greyhawk modules. I assume that "classic" means the out of print Gary Gygax written ones. I hove thought for a long time that this would be a good idea and I hope that my guess is correct. Have you heard anything else concerning these publications or had any more contact with TSR? By the way, I hape you eventually work out a deal with them. TSR seems in my opinion to make a mistake when they insist on prior publication before they will publish you themselves. They should realize there are many players of the game with talent out there, and they could be the first ones to discover such people (and even pay them less initially, which should please them as well!) They constantly complain that they have not time, but your time is what you make for yourself. Enough ranting for one day.
P.S. It has been a while since I was an active player, and perhaps you would know the answer to this question. What ever happened to E. Gary Gygax? I know they had a falling out, but has he been heard from recently?
Thanks for the great site.
John
564
> A beautiful description of the house of Lord Kilroy. Why all the effort?
> Is Bosco going to gamble Lord Kilroy for it..? ;-)
Good idea, but no. I just felt like building a house :0
Hi Thomas,
I'm a regular reader (off David Murphy's site). I first read an episode
or two of your stuff on a BBS years ago- it was just before the Great
Underdark Saga. After that, I found your stuff again on the Giga Games
CD, and happily read (and even re-read) them. I got a job this spring
with good internet access, and tracked down yor stories. It was pretty
neat to see that hundreds more episodes had been written after the ones
I had read. I gradually caught up and have been checking back weekly
for a couple of months now.
Your stories always reminded me of the charm and simple fun D&D could
be. Most of the games I've played have been lower-magic and much more
heavily intrigue and character-interection based. I kind of miss the
old-fashioned adventure sometimes.
I've happily watched as your talent has expanded and your
characterization and narrative focus have broadened. You're hardly a
great writer, but you certainly have talent. Your work is unique,
partially in kind but mostly in dedication and overall vision. I
greatly respect the investment of time and commitment here.
Ragnar
I just read the last few letters you received from TSR. While it's nice
to hear that they at least responded to you, I think you've got some
pretty legit concerns. You never know what TSR would do with your work
if you post it on their site. You got a great fan base going on your
own website. I say post it there where you have control over it.
Kenneth
answers to questions from Jeffrey:
Sorry for the delay - I've been busy and/or sick.
Case-by-case answers:
> * I remember that a question was raised about how many times Peldor
> had "hasted" himself. Well, after a lengthy count, the total is 30 times.
> Now, the spell adds a year to the person's life after each use, right?
> Well, how about if the next time Peldor hastes himself, he is hit by a
> buildup of the years and suddenly aged to the ripe old age of 60? This
> could set up some kind of quest to rejuvenate him to his former state.
Hmm...I kinda forgot about all those hastes...this idea could
happen, though before it does I need to figure out where I stand
on aging and de-aging.
> * Peldor must get sick of living in the inn; He and Tanya have made
> reference to building a house; let's see it.
It's too soon after the new inn being built. Eventually...
> * Just a point of interest for me, as you said you have no intention
> of resurrecting him, but Ged had a conversation with Nenya discussing the
> life expectancy of the party (Book 17, right before (or after) she marries
> Deryck). It was during this talk that Ged discussed the fact that he would
> be the last member to die. It sounded like he had asked for divine
> providence in this manner from Boccob. It sets up the potential for his
> return, though you sound dead set against it (no pun intended).
Sorry, Ged will not return.
> * The roaming hermit of Burneal. I believe there was a reference made
> about him at one point, and a few times after that, but I don't believe I've
> ever seen anything else with him in it. He sounds like an interesting
> character, or could be one at least.
If anyone's ever in that area again, he will definitely return.
> * This is something I think would be really neat to see. This hit me
> one day in kind of like a Marvel "What If...." Comic situation. What if,
> during a battle, the Iron Dwarf became the wielder of Mongo's hammer.
Don't know about this one.
> * Ok, for this one, some of my notes are kind of cryptic so bear with
> me: I wrote down Peyote's lich returns. Didn't he have a run in with a
> lich and it got away? I think Mongo, Halbarad, and that hafling fellow,
> Kup?, were involved in the story line.
That lich is working for another lich who Ged etc set free on their
second trip to a Suel lost city. more to come in the future.
> * In the story line with Peldor and Tanya when they were doing the
> "favor" for the Despotrix, one of the lady officers, Sarah blanched a bit
> when Peldor asked her, while she dined on mushrooms, if she knew Peyote.
> Perhaps a story line where that is his sister or something like that??
Someone else noted this a while ago and suggested an illegitemate
child...hmm...
> * Ged's brother, Aristobulus, decides to seek out the man for whom his
> brother gave his life, Belphanior!! With them being the same class and all
> (fighter, thief, mage), I thought perhaps that an interesting battle would
> ensue before they could come to an understanding. Aristobulus could merely
> be seeking to learn more about his brother or something to that effect.
The reference to Aristobulus was more of a homage than a push to
have the character appear in my stories. we've probably seen the
last of him.
> * This was a loose end I've been wondering about: When the squid
> attacks the boat that Mongo, Rillen, Sonja, Arnold, etc. are traveling on,
> the Silithis makes an appearance and says that they will soon get Peldor and
> Bosco. Just wondering when/where this was going to come to closure......
Within a couple of episodes.
> * Did you ever get the Greyspire information on your web page?
Nope. It's just not 100% complete yet.
> * Now, I may be in a minority here, but I have never cared much for
> the "Wispy" thing. My suggestion: have him move on. When he does so, have
> him actually have a conversation with Belphanior, not the standard "Phaa"
> and "Mrrf" statements. I see it kind of like when the Thing and the "dog"
> from the Inhumans spoke in Marvel Comics (Don't know how much of a Marvel
> addict you are; I was a collector for years and have quite a stash of old
> books). The closing sequence between the two from Marvel went something
> like Thing: "Why didn't you ever say anything before?" Dog: "I just don't
> have much to say....." and then they blink out. This would work great here
> as well..........
I own every Fantastic Four from #17 to 300-something.
We'll have to see about the wisp. I haven't decided his role in
the grand scheme of things.
> * Peldor's nemesis, Sharyn, escapes prison. Though I'm not sure if
> she is best described as Peldor's nemesis, maybe Sharyn could enlist the aid
> of the Despotrix to bring Peldor down. It was bound to happen.....
I have yet to decide if they let her live or not.
> * While we're on the subject of visits home, wouldn't a journey to Ys'
> homeland be interesting?
If I knew where he came from :)
> * Now, Alindyar and Lyra were ultimately responsible for loosing the
> tarrasque on the Drow, and in the immortal words of my old journalism
> professor, "Paybacks are a bitch." How about the Drow come a'calling in
> search of explanations and perhaps, revenge.......
Did you read the lost tale that dealt with this?
> * Doesn't Rillen have a wish??
Maybe...from where?
> * Omak returns with another crew of people after Belphanior (but we
> knew that was coming.....)
Have you checked the Sneak Previews lately?
> These are just some thoughts and loose ends that I compiled after reading
> through all your stuff the second time. If you like any of these, feel free
> to use them; I'd consider it an honor actually.
Some of them are dead on track, others are tougher because I
don't know what I want to do with certain characters/situations
yet, and a few won't happen. A mixed bag...
> change a bit, something about the "original" group you refer to like Yod,
> Kup, Marcus, Yarl, etc. Let's see another group start from their beginnings
> and rise to where they are today. Sounds like a lot of interesting
> characters and a lot of interesting stories to be told.
The change I need isn't from one fantasy group to another, but
rather from the fantasy genre to something else. Like sci-fi.
> Keep writing; I couldn't imagine it if you stopped....
I'll always be writing _something_, though not always Adventurers.
tm
565
I truly enjoyed this last adventure and even though it was confusing to
write.. it really was not confusing to read and was suspenseful to the
end.(Even though we knew that Bosco would prevail). Keep up the good work
:)
Steven
Hi there,
My name's Edward, and im just sending a quick (though maybe too late,
judging by the dates on these files) congratulatory note on your
chronicles. You guys must've had a hell of a good campaign, and i think
your chronicles do it justice. (tis such a pity i cant start up a decent
sized campaign myself *sigh*)
Anyway, i am also sending a short note requesting to be put on your
mailing services for any new and up and coming episodes! ;) So ummm
yeah, great work with the rpg, and hopefully you guys will have a
reunion sometime..
Edward
Aaahhh, I can't believe it, I started reading Adventurers in August
thinking I'd never get to the end, but here I am waiting with baited
breath for the next story.
Please put me on your mailing list, and just to keep you updated as per
your previous census
I am English, 23, female,
favorite character, tough one but I think it would have been Ged, I was
almost in tears at his funeral.
Favorite other Victoria, (if she counts)
Favorite story, the rescue of Victoria
I found your stories on the web
Can't remember what else you asked, but have to say I really like the
adventures, I feel as though I know the characters intimately.
Thank you
Sally
I"m wracking my brain, but I just can't remember the associated events with
this. What chapter(s) did the murders take place? I think I need to dig
into the archives again....
Thanks for the great job at weekly entertainment. Even after six years I
still look forward to the next one.
--
__
Miq
What a totally unexpected twist! Well done!
This is going to be fun!
qts
Wow, what an interesting plot twist in 566! I thought
things were getting a little stale, but you seem to have
it all set up for another blast from the past. Can you
say Loch-Nar? How I love it when things come back
to haunt the Adventurers...
Eagerly awaiting the next episode...
--
Major Vladdus Mpale
Mr. Miller,
I have been a long-time fan of your adventures and have read them
from their beginnings years ago! I want you to know that they have been
an inspiration to me both as a DM and as a player of the AD&D game.
Originally my favorite character was Alindyar and always considered him
the best role-player because of his calm reflections and his refusal to
become power-hungry. It also seems that he took a more difficult role.
I once borrowed one of your ideas for my own campaign. If you
will remember, several hundred episodes ago, (around 150 or so) the
characters when through a portal into an alternate reality and met up
with their opposites. I thought that was really cool and tried it with
my group. The players really enjoyed it because they learned much about
themselves as well as the others!
Belphanior was always my other favorite and is the inspiration
for a character that I am playing: a half-orc assassin. I loved the way
he would do disturbing, disgusting things as if there should be no
question. That type of character is fun.
I guess I want to thank you for all the time, effort, and work
you have put into the adventures over the years because they have
supplied me with pleasure, laughter, and some great campaign ideas.
Cisco
568
Bravo!
qts
I like it! How I do love when you get old enemies back into the story, even
having them pull the Adventurers' fat out of the fire, just to pound them.
I look forward to seeing Silthis' quest for them. I'm sure you will think
of something incredible. It's hard to think what the Elemental lord of
water is unable to do, and thereby would need the Adventurers to do. Might
I suggest something on one of the other elemental planes? Say earth or fire?
Thanks for continuing to write these wonderful Adventurers stories.
Arcane
P.S. Thanks for bringing us years of awesome Adventurers stories. I am an
aspiring writer myself and when I come to a writer's block or a lack of
enthusiasm I re-read some Adventurer's episodes and I am reminded of why I
want to write in the first place. Cheers to you!
Don
Hey Great job on the web page! Right now i'm at lunch I was just lookin' for
some AD&D info and i stumbled across your page you did a Kick Ass job on it
very orgnized and neat with awsome info about items and people hope you don't
mind me using some of your ideas the eye of elik would be perfict on my one
eyed Sural Witch Hunter (a class me and my friends maked) i'd like to be put
on your mailing list for your storys if that's possible and if any more items
are added to your list let me know
dav
Thomas,
Its been awhile, but this is great!!!
Plus you are laying the seeds for future problems. This valley now having
access to that cave area. Hmm, wonder what kind of problems this can bring
for our friends at Greyspire. And the Iron Dwarf coming back.. Masterful,
PLUS the Hammer seeding thoughts in Mongo's head. Ahhhh...the joy in seeing
our Oh So invincible Dwarf toyed with in the stories to come!!
Keep up the awesome!! Writing!!
You have a way of brightening ones week for sure!!
peace
Joe
Hi Thomas,
I just read adventurer #569 and it was great !!!
It's great to Mongo being in deep shit and kicking butts once more.
I don't dislike the Peldor, Tanya and co. city adventures but there is
nothing like seeing a lone character (or two or three) trying to
survive.
Keep up the good work,
Phil
As you tell the adventurers story, I often times very-eagerly look forward
to the next episode. Today I realized why: the characters of you stories
are so consistent that I actually am waiting for _your_ outcome of the
story as if it is the historical telling of events. As I consider what
might happen to Mongo on the Riftcanyon floor, and I can think of a numer
of adventures, I'm more interested in hearing your story than any
alternatives I can come up with.
In most fantasy works I've read I can see other directions I'd take the
story. Your work has always been of excellent quality and I rarely even
consider alternatives. Again, thanks for the good reading.
Jim
Hello Thomas,
A few comments about the Bosco story arc:
I'll give you the good stuff first. I liked how Bosco took charge. When they
were in the Green Dragon Inn and when they were confronted by Silthis. His
bargain to perform a task for Silthis was a great idea and could be
beneficial for all involved. He could have bargained a little more on the
magic items but so be it. I'd think the task to be performed would be so
much more important to Silthis. What does he need with their puny magic
items. Unless, he just wanted to make them suffer some but it seemed he was
just interested in money in the beginning. He said he'd let them go for 10
times the original amount then all of a sudden he wants magic too? And 10
items of worth! Seemed a little inconsistent to me but you don't know if 10
times the original amount would have really gotten them off. One point
though, where were Bosco's magic items? Did Peldor bring them? Bosco wasn't
carrying much and I got the impression he wasn't wearing some or any of his
stuff or he could have used his boots of flying to get off the raft. That
seemed irregular to me.
My biggest complaint though is I don't like how they got out of Bosco's
Trial. Once the people of Tusmit find out Bosco is still alive, they will be
back for him. Besides, if Bosco goes back to Greyhawke, Sir Anton will
definitely rat on him. This solution only bought them some time, it didn't
resolve the problem. Pompa-Peyvur seemed to not believe Silthis in the end
and I think will still pursue Bosco or at least have someone still pursue
him.
You surprised me with this outcome though. All along, it seemed like Peldor
and Alindyar were intent on proving Bosco's innocence. They decided it was
the only alternative. Fighting or fleeing wouldn't work and Bosco didn't
want to be on the run. There were several excerpts which support this:
...
When Bosco asked for the favor from Silthis, I thought for sure it would be
to testify on his behalf or something like that. This would have probably
cleared his name and they could have just offered to pay to cover the cost
of rebuilding plus something for the families of the dead. Then they could
have left as free men.
Now Bosco wasn't aware of the conversations Peldor and Alindyar had and he
and Peldor may not have heard Pompa-Peyvur's comments about Silthis so maybe
this was their most likely course of action. I just think they would have
been smart enough to know this wasn't a solution. All in all, this is still
a loose end that will have to be dealt with some day.
My only other comment is: In the story, most of the guards passed out from
raw fear when Silthis confronted them. But, earlier you refereed to them as
Elite Guards and Peldor and Alindyar commented on how skilled they were
during the Giant encounter. I don't really remember how the fear thing works
level wise but they seemed high enough level to not pass out. Dumb founded
and unable to act maybe, but not unconscious. Just my opinion...
It was great to see two stories from the past come back to haunt them. It
shows how easily they can get comfortable in their new lives and forget
about the things they did in the past. Others don't forget as easily! I
can't wait to see what task Silthis asks them to perform. You can make this
a great quest which would be exciting and beneficial for them too. Or, you
could make Silthis demand they do something they don't want to do. Maybe
something to oppose their friends or Greyhawke that would make them give up
their lives and break some ties. They would have to choose to hold up to
their bargain or face the consequences. I hope its the former idea. (this
could get them back into the Greyhawke Dungeon -hint hint).
Thanks for the stories...
Bob
Hello Thomas,
In preparation for the upcoming story line, I re-read stories 548 & 550. I
have a few comments.
Firstly, I was really impressed by how Skektek acted. He was always cocky
but usually whined a lot which always annoyed me. His move with the
lightning wand and the Dao was really cool. I liked how he was calm in the
cell waiting for the opportunity to help Charlie and how he did so in spite
of the immense pain he must have been feeling. I was probably most surprised
by how he reacted more than any of the others. I have a new found respect
for him and will give him a lot more patience with his whining.
I liked how Victoria used her hypnotism powers to calm the girls, don't
forget to go get them in the next story. When she was fighting Vybool, you
stated her speed and skill against his size and strength, I thought vampires
had 18.00 strength, as do ogres. I thought she should have slit his throat
before leaping to Grub. I think she bailed a little early but she was
severely out numbered. I was disappointed she didn't come back to help with
the big battle when Belphanior arrived home. It seems she's a little more
worried about herself than any of the others, including Belph. I guess you
get that way when you're immortal.
When Charlie was fighting Wampa in the castle, it seemed he was using a
normal throwing knife, he should have learned from the portcullis that the
normal weapons don't hurt were-beasts. He might have killed Wampa if he was
using one of his magical knives.
The big battle was great! Poor Belphanior didn't get to kill anyone! I bet
Blackrazor is disappointed. Maybe Aja can resurrect the dead opponents so
Blackrazor can have their souls. Probably not.
The group handled things well. It was good to see Alindyar and Lyra back
Belphanior, I know Lyra doesn't particularly like him. They could have just
teleported away and left him. But then again, I would think Belph would get
revenge on anyone who bailed on him.
Bosco's use of his marble of chaos was great. I liked how Bosco spotted
Angus and dug him up. Another good move for Bosco, he's great to have around
in a tough situation. Poor Angus, that's twice (Greyhawk early on) he was
buried in rock and had to wait for someone to dig him out.
Alindyar's illusion with the Gorgon and Rust Monster was a great idea. I
like his Bigby's hand. Can he use it to bash things also? If so, he should
bash one opponent while holding another. Kill two bad guys with one spell!
Lyra was resourceful using her earrings of power. And she used them very
well too.
I can't wait to see Belphanior's revenge on the Sea Princes. Are the Sea
Princes an evil group? I don't really remember them from my Greyhawk days. I
almost think Belphanior is going to take over their kingdoms and impose
himself as absolute ruler! Nah, that would be too much to take care of. But,
he will teach them to leave him alone or die! I don't think he can leave
them living because they have the numbers and resource to always come after
him with a bigger force. I think he has to kill them all to be safe.
I have a couple of questions:
How did Omak and company find Belphanior? Scrying? If so, Belphanior should
get some kind of protection against that but I don't think so or they would
have just teleported to the locale. They traveled long and hard to get
there. I think Belphanior should do a speak with dead on the bodies of the
bad guys to find out who they are and why they came after him and how they
found him. He could also find out about Ys, why Ug hated him so much and if
others of his kind will be coming after him. I wouldn't do this in front of
Ys but if Ys finds out, Belph can say it was for prevention of future
problems. He needs to know who might be coming for him and his employees so
he can take the appropriate precautions. Maybe Ys will leave now that
someone knows where he is. (Kind of like the Incredible Hulk...)
Is there a limit to the life span of a Marble of Chaos? If not and the
duplicate forever, the room should be pretty much covered with marbles by
now. What are they going to do with all of them? They could make pretty good
traps around the castle. Imagine a small box of these marbles set to fall
onto the floor when some trap sets them off, the intruders wouldn't be able
to walk through that part of the castle. You could have spikes come up from
the floor too so that when the people fell, they'd be impaled! Just an idea.
A couple of notes:
When Omak charged Charlie in the guard house with the table, Charlie should
have thrown knives at Omak's feet, not the table. (imagine if he had one of
Bosco's marbles there, that would have been funny)
When Charlie hit Kenso Adon in the chest with the rusty knife (after being
freed by Skektek), you said he was spared from harm thanks to a ring he
wears but, in the guard house, Charlie did hit Kenso twice with throwing
knifes.
When the hydra breathed fire on Angus, you said he was rejuvenated, I didn't
think he was ever damaged. He only sank into the stone.
Also, when Omak disappeared, you stated all the other foes who still lived
disappeared also but later when Belphanior is talking to Victoria, he says
that all the foes just vanished, dead and live ones alike. This is a
contradiction. If all the dead disappeared, there won't be much loot left.
Just Rykooda and Xylus's things plus things dropped during battle. Klark's
arm with the ring was torn from his body and should still be there. And Ug's
battle axe was dropped during battle. Some of Grub's stuff was left too.
Also, if the dead are gone too, Belphanior won't be able to do a speak with
dead to get information. Oh well.
When Victoria enters the hall after the battle, she licking blood from her
fingers and later states Xylus won't be coming back as one of her. I didn't
think Alindyar, Lyra and Bosco knew she was a vampire. Well they probably
do now. I wasn't sure if most of the marshals knew either. I know Charlie
did and thought the others did since they went after a bunch of other
vampires on their first mission with Belphanior. Alindyar, Lyra and Bosco
knowing now could cause a bit of trouble with the goodie goodies in the
group. On the other hand, if they all know, Belph doesn't have to make
excuses for her anymore like he did for Nenya's wedding. Maybe Alindyar
could teach Belphanior his continual darkness spells or create some kind of
coach for her shrouded in darkness so she could travel during the day.
On to the spoils, the most important part of any good battle:
Klark's ring of control, could Belphanior use that with his conjured beasts
from the Book of Beasts? Or does he have absolute control of them already?
I think Belphanior would be very interested in whatever allowed Kenso to
fight invisibly. He should also be interested in the ring that protected him
from Charlie's knife throw. He was envious of Ged's belt of protection from
normal missiles.
Are Javelins of Lightning reusable? Or is it a one time thing when you
invoke the lightning ability?
I think Belphanior should give Angus Ug's battle ax. He and Ys are the only
two big and strong enough to wield it. I don't get the impression Ys is a
trophy collector and I think he likes his sword better so I don't think he
would want it. Angus could do some serious damage with it making him that
much more affective...
I bet Xylus has some interesting items Belphanior would find very useful.
Rykooda should too.
Well, that's all (that's a lot actually). I have to go home now. I look
forward to the upcoming stories.
Thanks...
Bob
Hi Thomas,
I am one of your fans of the series "The Adventurers". I haven't finished
reading all of them yet, but I am sure I will continue to read every
single chapter whenever I have time. It's so funny, amazing, full of
action. Anyways, just want to drop a short note to say I enjoy it
very much. Thanks for your time.
Kevin
> Needless to say, this is not debatable. 1999 will perhaps
> see many things, but one thing it will NOT see is Adventurers.
I'm sorry to see this come to an end, but I respect your decision. If
you feel burnt out, you should not continue writing. I'm sure whatever
you do next will be just as good.
Speaking of what you're going to do next... :) A while ago I sent you
some mail, and in your reply you included a URL to a page that included
ideas for a series about the children of the adventurers. Is this what
your next project will be, or do you plan on doing something else now?
Also... is it possible that we will still see some of The Adventurers?
Perhaps for a "special" every once in a while?
Thank you for all these years of writing, for which you have asked no
payment.
Jacob
First, I'd like to thank you for the cuontless hours of entertainment
that The Adventurers has provided me with. And not only entertainment,
but also inspiration. I've gotten several fresh ideas for my campaign
and characters, and I've even modeled one of my characters almost
directly after Belphanior. secondly, the ispiration has not only been in
FRPs but also in art, in which I dabble. therefore I am sending you the
first picture the adventurers has inspired in me, in JPG-format. It is a
picture of Belphanior's castle in Helgate, one of my favorite locales in
the Adventurers. I would be honored if you posted it on the homepage of
the adventurers. If you would like to have the original, (ink on paper)
please contact me by email, and I will take care of the mailing. There
will be more pictures coming, the next one probably being of Alindyar
and Lyra.
gratefully, Samppa
How do you find the time and discipline to keep writing all the time. I'd
like to start writing some ideas I have, but can never stick to my
desires... Any advice for an admiring fan?
Patrick
> It's tough. It really is. there have been many times when
> I kept writing even though I didn't want to, simply because I
> felt obligated to keep going. This is why I've hatched the
> plan for 1999.
>
> Right now, I am fired up to write through 600 because I
> want it to be done. Weird, eh?
>
>
>
>
> tm
>
I suppose it helps because you know you've done it before...know what I
mean? These characters and your format are tested and comfortable to you.
For me, it's all knew and foreign, so it will take me a while to get into
some sort of groove or pattern. I imagine that might be what's preventing
you from moving on with your other writing projects? Hard to know where to
start, but the Adventurers have such a history for you now it's often easy
to whip one out. Like you said about Belphanior, they write themselves...
Patrick
Having fun is really the whole point to writing, in my opinion. :)
James
Thomas,
Thanks for producing all of this work on Belph and crew. I'm enjoying it
tremendously.
later,
Ed
Hi Thomas
This last week has been somewhat of a blast from the past. Recieving an
Adventurer a day reminds me of a time three or four years ago (hasn't
time flown by!) when you were churning out episodes at a fantastic rate.
I look forwards to your new literary creations, and hope that maybe in
another three or four years your enthusiasm will return to write a
climatic conclusion to the whole saga.
> killing it, so all was well.) And thanks to Kent Peterson for
> pointing out that Redjack should have left the sails up during
> the storm, to help his ship ride the storm out.
This is only true if you are trying to run before the storm, eg when
attempting to enter a safe harbour before the storm hits you. Once a
storm catches you, it is imperative that all the sails are furled, and
that you place your bow into the wind (so that you can crest the waves
head on, since once you start turning, the ship will wallow and
capsize). The strength of wind produced by a storm is actually strong
enough to propel a sailing ship just by blowing onto its bare mast and
spars! You would also throw a sea anchor off the stern (effectively an
underwater sail) to ensure the ship keeps its bow into the wind. In
lighter conditions, ie gales, it was sometimes the case to reef a small
foresail just to give the ship some steerage way. Any more than that and
the ship could (and would) easily capsise if the wind changed direction,
and would also be driven backwards.
So what you wrote was actually correct, if what was described was a full
blown storm.
Pete
Ok, I loved it. When will it be finished?
Although I'm disappointed that we won't get to read about the Adventurer's
involvements in the Greyhawk Wars next year, I can't say I'm surprised. The
pace you keep up has always amazed me. Time for a break.
Thanks!
--Sid
Holy Geezus! Thomas, Let me just say that I had started reading about
last spring, and was immediatly hooked. I mean, Good God! This
Peyote/Belphie team up is just like a comic book! I'm starting to read
the whole saga over again just because it was so good! I am sorry to see
the project go up on sky hooks, but from what I've seen, anything you
write deserves a look. Please add me to the list, and once again, thanks
for the great stories. Send me ANYTHING that you write. The ideas you've
given me are going to blow away my pcs. Thanks again for the epic, and
keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
Cole
_Really_ enjoying the new stories. Great work!
Bob
Hi Thomas,
this is just to tell you that I loved adventure 587. As non-action stories
go, it's one of the best I can remember.
With just the right touch of Bosco-, Peyote- and
ESPing-between-Lyra-and-Alindyar-humor.
Great story,
thanks,
Stef
Just wanted to drop you a line and let you know how much I'm enjoying reading "The Adventurers." I've read up to about chapter 66 and have found all the stories to be entertaining and good reading.
So far I pretty much like all the characters, with the minor exception of Peyote. The stoner/surfer lingo bugs me.
I like how Peldor is a braggart � and actually how he gets into the thick of fights. Pretty brave for a thief.
I like how Ged is always saying how "Boccob smites ... " or "The might of Boccob..." and I like the rivalry between those two characters.
I like Belphanor (the chaotic neutral) and Mongo, and I like how all the characters say "Bah."
I also like how Rob is always trying to use the wand of wonder when things are getting desperate.
I'm looking forward to reading the remaining 400+ chapters and the lost tales. It IS a high magic campaign, but that's OK too. You're keeping them challenged and making them use their items. I'll write in after another 100 chapters or so.
Robert
I first discovered your stories from another AD&D site that came up when I "yahooed" the topic. The other site � I forget whose it was � had some AD&D type fiction, including a journal of some of his necromancer's adventures. He had a links page and one of the places he recommended checking was yours. I clicked, did a little reading and decided I'd give it a try. I must say that I'm VERY glad I checked it out. You've done a great job of keeping me drawn into the story. I'll say that I like the "script" (a la a play or a movie) type storytelling better than the more standard "book" type story telling. It gives a better feel for the characters.
Robert
Anyway, I have to say I'm going to miss the Adventurers after story 600,
I've been reading them since late 1992. But it will be good to see you
expand into many other areas; you have a unique, no-bullshit style that gets
the point across with intimate descriptiveness and clarity. You of course
know how many terrible writers there are out there (fictional, non-fictional
and fantasy) who somehow get backing by publishers. I do hope to see you in
print at some stage in some form or another. But that's your perogative.
Thanks for all the laughs, see you in 1999.
Ben
Hi Thomas,
I have been really enjoying all these 1 story a day recently. It has brought
back fond memories of the great feelings existed during my D&D days; and when
you wrote more regularly. It has been extremely entertaining and I look forward
to the resolution of the battle.
However, I am sad that there will be no more story in 1999. It will be as if a
part of my life has gone away. I have been following these stories for more than
8 years on and off and have reread them many times. I hope you will restart them
again in the future.
Still, I fully support your decision. Your life should come first especially
living life to the full and planning for finding a wife (long term partner) and
children. You are not young forever.
Many thanks for your 600 entertaining stories and I wish you FUN in your future
ventures.
Have a Wonderful Christmas and a Fulfilling New Year.
Philip
I think that the new non-goofy Rob has been reformatted very well. High
priests are nothing to be trifled with, especially re undead. It is
also very interesting to see the interaction between many of the
previously supporting cast who now find themselves at the forefront of
the action. Super work, I won't add any suggestions or predictions,
since the story has all but certainly been finished by now.
Jason
Hi Thomas,
You'll excuse me for being on first name basis with you, but after
reading so much of your work, I feel kind of like I know you.
I discovered The Adventurers by luck last spring. I was looking for
modules and/or adventure ideas for a game I am starting with my girlfriend
and I stumbled on your website. Boy, was I impressed! Somebody who actually
took the time to write up an account of a RPG! So I started reading... and
never really stopped :)
Well, you have something to be proud of. Reading your stories
reminded me why I liked (and still like) to play RPGs. It was somewhat like
playing the game without any of the overhead.
I've just read #500 and I came back to your site to get the rest.
And I saw that you would "really" take a break from this series this time...
So I decided that congrats were in order at this point. You did well, very
well, maybe even better than many so-called professional writers. It has
been an interesting ride, with some downs but mostly ups, and I feel lucky
to have been on the receiving end of it.
As you will be moving to other things, I must say I feel curious to
see what you come up with. Which brings me to the second reason for writing
to you. Please add me to your mailing list. As far as I'm concerned,
anything you write is worth reading.
On a side note (that you might find interesting to know), I have
been reading these stories to my girlfriend. She was very bad with English
(I live in Montreal (Canada) and we speak French around here) so I was
reading them aloud to her in French. Let me tell you that this is no trivial
exercise. Translating swearwords and slang expressions can be hard and some
of the flavor is always lost at the same time. So I started showing her more
and more the exact words the characters used and trying to explain to her
how different the meaning was in English, etc... And now, she's "finally"
learning to read English better, thanks to you! After a while, she was
hooked on this and she started reading on her own since I could not keep up
with the demands she was putting on me.
Well, that's quite enough from me. Have a nice break from our mutual
friends, and have fun doing whatever you decide to do in the future.
Regards,
Dany
Next of the long-term villains? But there are only four more stories to
go. Does that mean... you plan on starting again...!? Or are you
referring to your next series of stories.
One other thing - I do hope you reveal to us who Peldor is. I remember a
few cryptic comments by him to the tune of "Did you ever feel like there
was something you were supposed to do, but you didn't?" I really want to
know what that's all about.
Jacob
> Note #2: I realize that this story is a bit anticlimactic, but
> Xusia is not a loose end to be finished neatly; he's the next of
> the long-term villains, one whose plans will surface again in the
> future. Imagine how mad Belphanior is that Xusia got away and is
> out there, somewhere, planning and plotting...
>+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TM,
And imagine the divinations Belphanior can work with Xusia's hand!
Great story arc. I like Belphanior's crew a great deal. The inter-group
conflicts and relationships rival those of the original party if you leave
out the Peldor-Ged sparring.
As you mention Xusia as a long-term villain and the future, I have to
wonder how long you can go without writing more stories. I have a sneaking
suspicion that we will see more stories from you after #600, maybe not next
year, but sometime.
Anyway, four more to go. To fill the void on Wednesday mornings, I think
I'll start reading the saga again from the beginning.
Anyway, good luck in the coming year, and I hope to see more Adventurers
stories in the future.
Kyle
Hi Thomas,
Just writing to say how impressed I was with this installment of
The Adventurers. I know as a GM just how tricky it can be to keep
track of a combat this large - to convey a clear impression of
it is even harder! Great work...
Cheers,
Roger
Hi there from a long time fan of the Adventurers. Like most of us I guess,
I am greatly enjoying the one a day "feast" but dreading the famine when
you have a rest from them next year. How will we survive??
I am curious about something. Having just read the latest Rillen & Songa
tale (episode 597) it reminded me about something I have been wanting to
ask you for a while, directly related to the events of episode 597 but not
specifically to Songa.
One thing about magic I have often thought about but haven't ever been able
to explore in my campaigns is the effect of pregnancy on a woman who is
also a mage. With a number of the female members of the Adventurers being
pregnant it seems that now is a good time to bring up the topic and ask
whether you have any ideas on this one way or the other. I find it quite
an intriguing subject but have never really had a chance to delve into it.
None of the female PCs in my campaigns (PBEM or otherwise) have ever become
pregnant.
With so many top female athletes in most sports now finding that they have
improved on their previous best performances after a pregnancy, I wonder
what the effect on a female mage would be? Would a pregnancy serve to
improve or hinder their mastery of magic? How much? And how? At what
point would any effects begin to occur -- how far into the pregnancy?
I seem to recall reading somewhere long ago that before birth a baby in
relation to it's mothers body is basically a parasite. While I am no
doctor, that in many ways rings true. How would this "relationship" and
all the associated physical, hormonal and emotional changes effect a
woman's ability to use and master magic? There are so many possibilities
to explore!
While I find this a fertile (sorry -- couldn't resist!) area for thought,
discussion and investigation, I won't be offended if you think it's a lot
of crap and simply ignore it. I am sure that I will get the chance to play
with these ideas in my own games eventually. It just might be later rather
than sooner.
BTW: I think you let the gang off a bit lightly in episode 596. I would
have thought that Xusia would be a little better prepared than he *seemed*
to be. Or did I miss something? Anyway, I long ago figured him for a
long-term foe (for Belphanior especially) and knew that he would certainly
escape. I will be very interested in seeing their next encounter.
Obviously Belphanior & co will be even better prepared for him by then too.
Cheers.
Joe
It's been over two, maybe three years since I've last written, as I'm
one of those Evil people who rarely, if ever, respond to email in a
timely fashion. Som, among other things, I missed responding to a
number of various polls and things, for which I'd have to apologize.
I'd been reading since Episode 205 or so, and am looking forward to
Episode 600, and it's been one hell of a ride. Nearly 600 episodes. I
wonder if any RPG fiction net-author even comes close...
Well...I've just finished reading #598,. and I guess I'd have to say
that the resolution you chose was just about best way it could be
resolved, for all parties involved. As soon as I read the paragraph
where Rillen made the wish, I had to stop, and step back, for if it
worked, it would be something Songa would have found very close to
unforgivable. While I didn't think it likely that Songa would have
left the baby, but could all-too-easily see her leaving Rillen over
such a thing. Thinking back over the last several years, I can't
remember a single thing I've read that made me stop, step back, and
worry so much about what was going to happen. This probably means
I've not been reading the right sorts of books over the past couple
years. Oh well,. I suppose I would have preferred that the child
have lived, though not at the expense of Rillen and Songa's
relationship...
I only stumbled across the Aliens story on the website about a week
ago. Another good story, More great stuff. If you don't mind, I'd
like to share an observation I made when Alien3 was in theatres. The
things are fast., strong, and riddled with defensive features, like
high-pressure acidic blood, heavily armored exoskeletons, and a
positively hideous birth and growth rate that takes them from egg to
adult in a mere matter of days. To me, these myriad defenses, and
most tellingly, the birth rates mean one thing...If the Aliens
evolved naturally, then wherever they came from, they are nowhere
near the top of the Food Chain. The marines should be glad that they
haven't run into these things yet...
The other keen thing about them is that they take on the
characteristics of whatever creature they gestate in. So far, the
most awesome metamorphosis I've seen was the enormous crocodile-Alien
in Batman/Aliens. While I suppose it might be a little late to set it
up now,, I personally think a Dragon-Alien would blow the croc out of
the water.. "Something about that Black Dragon doesn't look quite
right..."
I've started my annual re-reading of all the episodes again, and
managed to reach about Book Seven so far. chuckling about the
prophetic words that Belphanior "Will get the whole party in trouble
one day" from the first survey, and getting a much better feel for
what the characters look like. Perhaps i might make another attempt
at drawing the party, one that won't fail as disastrously as my
former tries. Maybe not...
Oddly, I've also started wondering about the people of Peldor's
keep., wondering if there's any resentment that he just foisted them
off into Ged's hands, and, near as I can tell, hasn't been back
recently to see them. I'm also wondering if any of them are working
at the Green Dragon Inn, feeling it their duty, and a great honor to
work at the feet of The Maste... \|=)
Well, I've got exams to go fail horribly, so I guess I'm going to cut
this short now. Thanks for years of excellent reading, and in '99,
Wednesdays just wont be the same. I suppose I'll just have to confine
myself to new issues of The Onion, Comic Shopping, and Star Trek
Voyager (Blechh.)
Wonder if there'll be an Episode 1000? \|=)
Nana-Yaw
This is the last martial-arts tournament that I will ever write.
> It's not that it was particularly tough to do, but it's just been
> done enough. For me, and for Rillen.
Nice fight with Rillen and Bruce...
> I have been getting a lot of questions about the jade ring and
> why it didn't work. Well, the answer is: Rillen doesn't know.
> And therefore, no one else will ever know, either. It really
> doesn't matter.
Hmm, Rillen's wish seemed interesting enough. The wording used was:
Rillen: (reaches in a pouch and retrieves the jade ring, staring at
it for what seems like an eternity) Forgive me, Songa.
(removing one of the other rings he usually wears, he puts the
jade ring on, clears his throat, then speaks without
hesitation, drawing upon his memories of all the times he's
witnessed such magic at work, striving for simplicity while
covering all possible contingencies)wish...that my and Songa's
newborn baby was alive and healthy.
Yes, by common sense this could be counted as covering all possible
contingencies, but knowing the nature of wishes (you've been using them
in a nice way) I'd say that this does not exclude the wish from
affecting their NEXT newborn baby. certainly it would explain something
to all nasty questioners...?
Well, I won't expect you to use this idea. If you just wanted the ring
not to work, then the ring didn't work. You are still the DM.
Samppa