Tons

Another huge haul of free fiction including a few awesome eZines. Beneath Ceaseless Skies has four new stories as well as audio fiction, four more stories are up at Four Star Quarterly, there's a new issue of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly up, and a new issue of The Chiaroscuro is now online. There other great fiction and audio fiction including StarShipSofa, PodCastle, Dunesteef, and other greats. And though I'm still not ready to return to regular gaming links, there are four! free gaming eZines linked today, at least a couple of which have fiction.

Illustration from chapter two of the serial "The Box" by Bill Ward.








@AEG: "The Life of the Warrior" by Brian Yoon. Fantasy.

"The last few moments slowed to a crawl. His grip on the tetsubo tightened as the weapon sped faster and faster toward its target. Its target was an ugly face of grey and brown, peppered with ivory bone protrusions that erupted out from random spots. The jade studs of his tetsubo sizzled into the skin on contact and the monster screamed in indignant pain. The weapon splintered and shattered into a thousand pieces even as it crushed its target."

@Daily Science Fiction: "Her Majesty's Guardian" by Donald S. Crankshaw.

"The Council's vote was unanimous," Duke Richard said. He looked ridiculous in a bright yellow doublet. The color would make anyone look foolish, as the other old men seated around the table proved, but its gaiety was especially jarring against Richard's habitual dark expression. "You know your duty, Guardian."

Now Posted: Beneath Ceaseless Skies #79
"The Tiger’s Turn" by Richard Parks. Fantasy.

On the face of the matter I had to agree. While the estate would technically belong to the Imperial Family, I had been assigned the position of steward—quite a handsome income. “Security is the greatest illusion of all, Kenji-san. As for my poverty, it was more of a problem when I was drinking. Don’t mistake me—I am not ungrateful. I am merely puzzled.”

"The Calendar of Saints" by Kat Howard. Fantasy.

“She wasn’t my opponent when I executed her.” I accept mortal commissions; I’ve killed before. Those deaths were honest. Magdalena’s was a waste, and my hands are filthy with it. With a casual nod, from a cleric who knew nothing about the sword-edge of truth, I have been made to feel like a heretic.

"A Spoonful of Salt" by Nicole M. Taylor. Fantasy.

Dr. Benjamin, he was running, running through the rain from one tent to another, trying to save his Story Eater and those pasty wax circles he’s spent so long collecting and, once, he looked up. Mala was sitting there on the top of the sea wall. She wasn’t wearing a rain slicker or even shoes and she was just looking at him like he was a rat, like he was a bug. Like he was something with too many eyes and too many legs and all she wanted to know was what ridiculous thing he was going to do next.

"The Judge's Right Hand" by J.S. Bangs. Fantasy.

A Seraph approaches me with two brands, red‑hot from the coals. The first is Adultery, and it blackens my right cheek. I bite my tongue to swallow the scream. The second is Death, and it sears my forehead. This time I do scream.

Now Posted: The Chiaroscuro - Volume 49 (October–December, 2011).
"In the House of Houses" by Claude Lalumière.

"In the Persian Gulf, there's an island so small and nondescript it appears on no map. Perhaps island is too generous a term for what appears to most eyes as no more than a lifeless bunch of rocks barely rising above sea level."

"La Divina Commedia" by Katherine Mankiller.

"Last time this happened, I was Orpheus."

"Snicker-Snack" by A. D. Bloom.

"He's a meter-tall, dancing fur-belly with mono-molecular edged claws, an embroidered nose, and telomerase chains longer than your arm. He's an unnatural – a custom-coded gene-job, a chromo-tweaked talker gestated in a pickling jar and born full-grown in a pet store. "

"Stars Fell On Alabama" by Jesse Bullington.

"P.J.’s called Peej, an me an he wuz blood brothas from the first time I took Pop’s buck knife out scoutin for Talabands in them hills tween our road an the base. "

@Four Star Quarterly: "Re-Opening Night" by Lou Antonelli.

"This signal wasn't shot through the wormhole. It's spiraling like water down a drain."

@Four Star Quarterly: "Windows" by Gloria Oliver.

"Pressure suit seals--check." Claudia rolled her head in a full circle within her helmet, trying to work out the kinks in her neck muscles. There was always a bit of anticipation and fear whenever she suited up. A cut or leak or malfunction not caught during prep could mean her life.

@Four Star Quarterly: "Closet Enlightenment" by Selina Rosen.

Let me get this straight," she’d replied, making a valiant attempt to keep from reaching for his long neck and strangling him. "You want to go and sit cross-legged with a bunch of other people and listen to some guy with a beard tell you what life’s all about?"

@Four Star Quarterly: "Operation Hell" by Cathy Spangler.

"My supervisor’s voice grated across my psyche like nails on a chalkboard, churning up nausea in my stomach. I resisted banging my head on my monitor. Oh, joy, another wonderful encounter with Hell Supervisor, as I’d dubbed Mr. Turlow."

Now Posted: Heroic Fantasy Quarterly #10


"Queen of the Desert" by Alex Marshall.

"Throughout the endless afternoon he walked the trackless waste. With his coat held above to shield him from the sun’s brutal rays, Derwent toiled — his shadow and his hopes stretching to the empty distance."

"The Workshop of the Lord of the Estuary and the Wages of Heroism" by James Frederick William Rowe.

"It came from the sea, a thing of cold, slime, and teeth. Declaring its presence through murder, it took the lives of three men fishing on the open water before it claimed as its home the estuary at the orifice of the Mor Oirthearach River in Cacke. Ever since it has held this body of water, permitting none to pass but those who pay it in blood."

"Death at the Pass" by Michael R. Fletcher.

"Brushing a thousand years of dirt and rot from his robes, Khraen marvelled at how well preserved he was. Skin, sunken, cracked and grey, adhered to the bones of his long limbs. He’d never been muscular, but now he was downright skeletal."

Serial Fiction
@Paizo: "The Box - Chapter Two: Where the Heart Is" by Bill Ward. Fantasy.

"Noticing the scrutiny, the guard shifted, hooking his thumb into his broad sash, resting his hand close to the curved knife he wore naked and gleaming at his side like the chip-edged cutlass of some Shackles pirate. You had to admire the Sczarni, Kostin thought; they really played the whole Varisian thug act to the hilt."

Audio
@Beneath Ceaseless Skies: "Butterfly" by Garth Upshaw. Fantasy.

"Aidan pulled away from my hand. I could feel his finger bones slip and shift out of place."

@Dunesteef: "The Troop" by Harris Tobias. Science Fiction.

"a tale about a sole human survivor on an alien planet, and his attempts to co-exist wit the native creatures there."

@Journey Into: "The Trial of Thomas Jefferson" by David Barr Kirtley. Science Fiction.

"Time travel allows the UN to go back, capture Hitler, and execute him. But why stop there?"

@PodCastle: "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe, read by Eric Luke. Dark.

DURING the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country ; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher.

@StarShipSofa: "Blood Dauber" by Ted Kosmatka and Michael Poore. Science Fiction.

"Bell trudged up the path, pushing the wheelbarrow before him, already sweating under his brown khaki uniform. He squinted in the bright sunlight, eyeing the exhibits as he ascended the hill: the goats and their pandering; the silly, horny monkeys; the slothful binturongs—all moving to the front of their enclosures as he approached. "

Gaming
Now Posted: Fighting Fantazine #7.

Includes "a new 230 reference adventure Queen of Shades by Paul Struth, a "Fact of Fiction" article devoted to Seas of Blood, and the winning entry of the Advanced Fighting Fantasy competition: Stuart Lloyd's The Curse of Meraki (illustrated by Michael Wolmarans)" and more.

Free membership required on next three.
@DriveThruRPG: Hollenthon - Issue 1

Hollenthon is GROMM's premire magazine, containing new units, painting tutorials, new rules and much more.This first issue covers playing mass battles in the world of GROMM, a new faction of barbarians from the Koldaath Mountains, a painting tutorial and much more!

@DriveThruRPG: Savage Insider Issue 2

includes the following: 3 fleshed out adversaries, 9 new weapons, A Savage Insider exclusive add-on for Beasts & Barbarians, Part 2 of the Crypt of the Crystal Lich fiction series, The first in the Echoes of Rome fiction series, Part 2 of the Deadlands comics series The Kid, A sci-fi adventure, And much more!

@DriveThruRPG: Pathways #8.

"How can you say 'No' to a FREE collection of Pathfinder templates, encounters, feats and domains, and all of it bundled together with a new fiction piece by author David Bain? You'd have to be crazy to turn it down. "

Three eZines - Zero Dollars

A couple of cool fiction eZines, which are both always worth reading and a gaming eZine for the Pathfinder RPG. All free.






Now Posted: Lovecraft eZine #6 September 2011.

• "Ushered On the Wind" by Jeffrey J. Taylor & W.H. Pugmire.
• "The Wagon’s Trail" by Joseph S. Pulver.
• "The Audient Void" by Mark Lowell.
• "In Phantom Isolation" by W.H. Pugmire.
• "The Weird Studies of Harley Warren" by Berin Kinsman

and Now Posted: Crossed Genres #33 - Villains.

• "The Fire in Your Sky" by Ibi Zoboi.
• "Baba Yaga Knows All, Sees All" by Sarah A. Drew.
• "Just Lucky, I Guess" by Tom Dillon.
• "Sing For Me" by Ben O'Neill.
• "Just Passing Through" by Stoney M. Setzer.

Gaming
@DriveThruRPG: Now Posted Pathways #7
"Rite Publishing continues its free e-zine with a template, haunts, new monster, and reviews all bundled together with an interview with Lou Argesta and a wonderful cover image by Kurt A. Taylor!"

Tuesday Free Audio Fiction and Gaming

Some very cool stuff, including a Gene Wolf audio story.










@PodCastle: "The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories" by Gene Wolfe, read by Ben Phillips. Fantasy.

"Winter comes to water as well as land, though there are no leaves to fall. The waves that were a bright, hard blue yesterday under a fading sky today are green, opaque, and cold. If you are a boy not wanted in the house you walk the beach for hours, feeling the winter that has come in the night; sand blowing across your shoes, spray wetting the legs of your corduroys"

@Lightningbolt Theater: "Sky People" by Philip S Jones, performed by full cast. Science Fiction.
@StarShipSofa: "The Jaguar House, in Shadow" by Aliette de Bodard, read by Morag Edward.


Serial Audio
@Author's Site: "The Starter Episode #28" by Scott Sigler. Science Fiction. Football.
@Beam Me Up: "The Stars Fell (part two)" by Keith Latch and "Serial Killer" by Duncan Shields.
@Pendant Productions: "Episode 2x05 of The Line" by Chris Brittain, performed by full cast.








@Ancient Vaults: [Magic Item] "Sheath of Six" and "Marble Frog of Tifur"
@Ancient Vaults: [Spell] "Find Mentor" and "Unknown Destination"
@and the Sky Full of Dust: [Monster] "Void Goblins"
@Daddy Grognard: "An Adventure for Every Monster - Bulette"
@A Field Guide to Doomsday: [Monsters] "Nunda "Plates" Borgiss" and "Scribbon" Mutant Future.
@The Land of NOD: "Fantasy Cuisine - Get It While It's Haute"
@The Land of NOD: [New Class] "The Gourmand"
@Netherwerks: [Spell] "Oneiric Bubble," "Protection From Aethyrial Intrusion," and "Auric Sheath"
@Roving Band of Misfits: [Mini Adventure] "The Crypt of Titch" 4E [via A Character for Every Game]
@RPG Creatures: [Monster] "Darwandir"
@Savage AfterWorld: [Monster] "Crumble Mold"

Thursday Fiction and Gaming

Some quite good free fiction and gaming items today, including new fiction from Yoon Ha Lee, who was recently published in Clarkesworld, a new issue of Beneath Ceaseless Skies, one of the best 'zines published, with fiction and audio fiction, and complete RPG games. And more!

Today's illustration is for the latest issue of Aphelion.










@Tor.com: "A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel" by Yoon Ha Lee. [Science Fiction]

"Among the universe’s civilizations, some conceive of the journey between stars as the sailing of bright ships, and others as tunneling through the crevices of night. Some look upon their far-voyaging as a migratory imperative, and name their vessels after birds or butterflies."

@Beneath Ceaseless Skies: "Bone Diamond" by Michael John Grist. [Fantasy]

"I do not know then that it will be the end of everything I know."

@Beneath Ceaseless Skies: "My Father’s Wounds" by Ferrett Steinmetz. Fantasy]

"It’s hard to believe he knows I’ll stab him with that knife. Even harder to believe he’s eager for me to do it. But that’s my father; he thinks the world of his precious daughter."

@Cosmos Magazine: "Love in Balance" by Liz Coley. [Science Fiction]
@Daily Science Fiction: "The Girl in the Wooden Dress" by Angela Rydell.
Now Posted: Aphelion Webzine #154. [Science Fiction and Fantasy]
@Free eBooks Daily:

"The Abandoned Edge of Avalon" by Eden Tyler.
"Storm World: Rise Of The Stormbearer" by Jonathan DeCoteau.
"Storm World: The Wave Dancer" by Jonathan DeCoteau.
"Storm World: Speaker Of The Gods" by Jonathan DeCoteau.

@Beneath Ceaseless Skies: "Ink and Blood" by Marko Kloos. [Fantasy]
@LibriVox: "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" by Jules Verne, read by many readers [Adventure]


Fan Audio
@Pendant Productions: Episode 59 of Star Trek: Defiant.








@DriveThruRPG: "X-plorers RPG (FREE No Art Version)"

"Put on your space suit, charge your ray rifle, and flip ignition on an outer-space adventure! Imagine if the first RPG had been one of interplanetary adventure-rules-light, fast-paced, and inspired by a passion for science fiction. In X-plorers, you're part of a group of galactic troubleshooters on the look out for the next job-whether it be salvage, search, or rescue on an alien world."

@DriveThruRPG: "Dragon Brigade: Opening Salvo" from Margaret Weis Productions.

"Enter the swashbuckling fantasy world of Aeronne, where dragons and airships clash over floating continents, and where a quick wit or a swift blade can end a career or start a war. In the Opening Salvo of the Dragon Brigade RPG, you take on the roles of the Cadre of the Lost, the heroes of the new novel SHADOW RAIDERS by Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes, as they engage in a search and rescue operation in the dragon lands of Rosia. Take up arms and ready your magical sigils! The Opening Salvo has been launched!"

@RPG Creatures: [Monster] "Darratha"

"With senses always alert to the smell of evil, seeking eagerly for a trace of their cradle, some Darratha mysteriously manage to find a master to guide them. Several adept mages of demonology and necromancy have found a Darratha waiting on their doorstep, anxious to be led"

@Ancient Vaults & Eldrich Secrets: [Magic Item] "Diadem of Man"
@Ancient Vaults & Eldrich Secrets: [Spell] "Unnerving Stare" and "Radiate Alignment"
@Ancient Vaults & Eldrich Secrets: [Monstera] "Yokitai" and "Nubizo"
@and the sky full of dust: [Monster] "Granite and Sandstone Giants"
@DriveThruRPG: "GROMM: Cogs of the Covenant, Faction Pack"
@A Field Guide to Doomsday: [Monsters] "Rocketjaw" and "Blacktop" Mutant Future.
@The Land of Nod: "Mu-Pan Eastern Encounter XII"
@The Land of Nod: [Monster Races] "Eaoro and Ustte"
@Netherwerks: "Five More Scenario-Seeds or Plot-Hooks for the Obelisk Terrain Tiles"
@Sea of Stars: [Magic Item] "Poet’s Book"

Friday Freebies

Some great free fiction and audio to start the weekend. But, since everything is subjective, you'll have to decide for yourselves which stories are great and which are only very good.









@Tor.com: "Journey Into The Kingdom" by M. Rickert. Fantasy.

"The first ghost to come to my mother was my own father who had set out the day previous in the small boat heading to the mainland for supplies such as string and rice, and also bags of soil"

@Daily Science Fiction: "The Large People" by Karen Heuler.
@Kasma Science Fiction: "Beached" by J. Bell.
@The Internet Archive: "Mo-Shanshon!" by Bryce Walton. (1947). Science Fiction. [via Marooned - Science Fiction & Fantasy books on Mars]

@Free eBooks Daily [DRM]:

• "Copy Bird" by B.C. Young.
• "The Alpha Centauri Project" by Marco Santini, Science Fiction.

@Pixel of Ink [Amazon]:

• "The Empty Door" by E.R. Mason. Science Fiction.
• "The Rhine Maiden" by Erin Evans. "Chick Lit, Paranormal"
• "Legacy" by Jeanette Baker. Romance, Time Travel.
• "The Lens & The Looker" by Lory S. Kaufman.

@Smashwords:

• "The Chains" by Dalya Moon. Science Fiction.
• "Rekindle the Sun" by Mary E. Lowd. Science Fiction.
• "Tempting Yerva" by Chris Turner. Science Fiction.
• "The Beast of Bridgewater" by David Willoughby. Horror.
• "Creatures of Wonder: A Tale of the Unfound" by George Wilhite. Horror.

Serial Fiction
@Author's Site: "Paradigm Shift #3" by Misa Buckley.

Reviewed Free SF
@Variety SF: "Millennium" by Everett B Cole. Science Fiction (1955).






@AntipodeanSF: "AntiSF Radio Show 158 Alpha" Stories by Shelley Ontis, Ray O'Brien, and by Shaun Saunders.
@Dunesteef: "Catastrophe Baker And The Cold Equations" by Mike Resnick, many readers.
@Escape Pod: "Union Dues – Sidekicks in Stockholm" by Jeffrey R. DeRego, read by Stephen Eley.
@Flashpulp: "The Ragman" by J.R.D. Skinner, read by Opopanax. Horror.
@LibriVox: "The Great God Pan" by Arthur Machen, read by Ethan Rampton.
@Pseudopod: "In Bloom" by Caspian Gray, read by Julie Hoverson.

Serial Audio
@The Classic Tales Podcast: "The Mark of Zorro, Part 5 of 9" by Johnston McCulley, read by B. J. Harrison.

Fan Audio
@Giant Gnome Productions: "Star Trek: Outpost – Episode 27 – The Melnoran Solution – Part II" by Daniel McIntosh and Tony Raymond, performed by a full cast.

Non-Fiction Podcasts
@Comics Podcast Network: "Randumb Idiocy: A Kickstarter conversation with Dern & Obsidian"
@The Functional Nerds: "Episode #67" – Patrick D’Orazio
@Paizo: "Pathfinder Podcast 15" Kingmaker III – The Varnhold Vanishing with Greg Vaughan
@SF Signal: "Podcast Episode 071" - An Interview with Author William Gibson
@Undergopher Central: "UnderDiscussion 52" Megan Culver Interview. [via RPG Bloggers]







@Daily Science Fiction: "The Jester" by Maria Melissa Obedoza.
@Daily Science Fiction: "Blessed are the Sowers" by Robert Lowell Russell.
@Eschatology: "Consecrated Woman" by Deborah Walker. Horror.
@Eschatology: "Vocational Training" by Bruce L. Priddy. Horror.
@Every Day Fiction: "Hungry Water" by Jessica George. Horror.
@Every Day Fiction: "Candyeyes" by Michael Peralta. Science Fiction.
@Flashes in the Dark: "Listening to Skippy" by Hal Kempka. Horror.
@Flashes in the Dark: "Alliances" by Lori Titus. Horror.
@The New Flesh: "Even Colour-Out-of-Space Boys Got to Shout: Baby Got Back!" by Douglas Hackle.
@The New Flesh:"Battle at Beef Beach" by Joseph Bouthiette, Jr.
@365 tomorrows: "Prospecting" Andrew Bale. Science Fiction.
@365 tomorrows: "Aether ex Machina" by Michael Iverson. Science Fiction.
@Weirdyear: "The Secret Audit" by David Macpherson.
@Yesteryear Fiction: "Revelations 101" by Andrew J. Stone. Fantasy.

Saturday Night Gaming Freebies

A few gaming goodies today, including "the Ghord" which supplies today's illustration and highlighted freebie "Oubliette #6" plus some other cool items from great sites.

More stuff either tonight or tomorrow (likely tomorrow).










@DriveThruRPG: Oubliette Issue 6.

Free for a limited time. "47 jam-packed pages! Written for Labyrinth Lord, but also ideal for use with any Basic/Expert/Advanced original or clone, with little or no adjustment required."

@Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets: [Spells] "Arcane Attractor," "Alter Allegiance," and "Tied to the Grave."
@And the Sky Full of Dust: "Secret Crypts of Titch" Mini-Adventure [via A Character for Every Game]
@And the Sky Full of Dust: [rules] "Plague!"
@DriveThruRPG: GROMM: Western Wastes, Faction Book
@A Field Guide to Doomsday: [Monster] "Craniac" - Mutant Future.
@The Land of NOD: "Mu-Pan Eastern Encounter IX"
@Netherwerks: "Geomorphs: Set Zero (Bonus)"
@RPG Creatures: [Monster] "Ghord"
@Sea of Stars: [Magic Item] "Mage Killer Rod"

Android Free App Review.
DnD Dice Free: Rating B. This is a useful little app for those times when you don't want to carry a bunch of dice or wish to roll up characters quietly. It has all the standard dice sizes represented (4, 6, 8, 10, 12, & 20 sided dice) and will roll other sizes, but they are displayed as six sided dice. It sounds reasonably like dice rolling on a wood table, the results seem random, and it saves time by adding the total at the bottom.

The only weaknesses are no background choices, it probably should have a few odd dice sizes (30 and 100 sided come to mind), and the total shouldn't come up until the last die is displayed. Overall, it's a pretty nice program, but one that will likely be used only rarely.

Sunday Freebies

A few classic genre comics and cool gaming items, including a free wargame, and some new audio fiction to start things off today, and more cool, free reading material. Today's highlighted fiction "The Gods of Dream" looks interesting.

Today's illustration is by one of the all time great comic book artists, Al Williamson, and is from "Food for Thought" below.






@Free eBooks Daily: The Gods of Dream by Daniel Arenson. Fantasy. [DRM]

"Phobetor, the god of Nightmare, was outcast from Dream. Now he seeks to destroy it. He sends his monsters into Dream, and Cade and Tasha find their sanctuary threatened, dying. To save it, the twins must overcome their past, journey into the heart of Nightmare, and face Phobetor himself."

@Pixel of Ink: [Kindle] "Blindsight: A Mirus Short Story" by Kait Nolan. Paranormal Romance.
@Free eBooks Daily: All [DRM]

"The Midnight Fair" by John Atkinson. Horror.
"Ghoul" by Phaedra Weldon. Horror.
"DEAD(ish)" by Naomi Kramer. Horror.
"A Space Between" by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. Fantasy.
"Origins (Spinward Fringe)" by Randolph Lalonde. Science Fiction.

@Smashwords:

"From Above" by Jeremy Robinson. Science Fiction.
"Stories" by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. Fantasy.
"Storm World: Speaker Of The Gods" by Jonathan DeCoteau. Fantasy.
"Storm World: The Wave Dancer" by Jonathan DeCoteau. Fantasy.
"Storm World: Rise Of The Stormbearer" by Jonathan DeCoteau. Fantasy.

Serial Fiction
@L5R: "Goddesses (Part 3 of 4)" by Shawn Carman. Fantasy.
@White Wolf: "Silent Knife (part 14)" by David Nurenberg. Horror. Urban Fantasy.







@Beam Me Up: "First Flight" by Andrew Bale and "Paid (part 3)" by Deanna Knippling. Science Fiction.
@Drabblecast: "At the End of the Hall" by Nick Mamatas. and "Mommy Issues" by Rish Outfield.
@Journey Into: "In Spite of Himself" by Nathaniel Lee, read by Mat Weller. Superhero.
@PodCastle: Miniature #65 "Blood Willows" by Caroline M. Yoachim, read by Vashtriel Bloodfrost. Fantasy.

Non-Fiction Podcasts
@Comics Podcast Network: Where Monsters Dwell #158 with Nathan Edmondson and #159 with Todd Dezago. Comics.
@The Tome Show: Ep #179 "WorldBreakers and Play Styles" Gaming. [via RPG Bloggers]







@DriveThruRPG: GROMM: Fantasy Skirmish wargame and the Arcadian Empire, Faction Book for GROMM.

"GROMM is a fantasy skirmish game, set in a world torn apart by war and destruction. In GROMM, many factions are at war with one another, leaving room for a unique gaming experience."

@Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets: [Magic Item] "Candlestaff"
@Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets: [Spell] "Blood of Crows"
@Blog on the Borderlands: [Magic Item] "Dart of Wounding"
@Field Guide to Doomsday: [Monsters] "Apephibian," "Glotus," and "Razorex" Mutant Future.
@Kobold Quarterly: [Magic Items] "Gordian Knot," "Izellia’s Branch," "King’s Mirror," "Liberty," and "War Band of the Last Mead Hall" 4E.
@Land of NOD: [NPCs] "Friends in High Places" Golden-Age Superheroes for Mystery Men!.
@Netherwerks: [Monster] "Monoptrian"
@RPG Creatures: [Monster] "Emphaerian Goat" For most fantasy RPGs







@Atomic Kommie Comics: "Strong Bow Meets the Stone Men from Space"Space Western.
@Digital Comics Museum*: Jo-Jo #24 Adventure, Mysteries Of Unexplored Worlds #12 Sci-Fi, and Hand of Fate #8 Horror.
@Comic Book Catacombs: Samar in "Captured by the Amazons" Adventure. 1940.
@Golden Age Comic Book Stories: "Food for Thought" (1955) B&W. Science Fiction.
@Golden Age Comic Book Stories: "Time to Leave" (1955) B&W. Science Fiction.
@Grantbridge Street: "Which Witch is Which?" Horror. Sci-Fi. ["R" rated site but PG Story]
@Horrors of It All: "The Phantom Witch Doctor" (1953) Horror.
@Pencil Ink: Two Son of Sinbad stories. (1950) Adventure.

*Free membership required.

Star Wars, Peter David, and Gaming Freebies

A few more cool items. A Star Wars eBook, a Peter David short story, and several cool gaming items.


Illustration from tonight's featured item "Star Wars: The Lost Tribe of the Sith: Pantheon"




Fiction
@Suvudu: "Star Wars: The Lost Tribe of the Sith: Pantheon" by John Jackson Miller. Science Fiction. [Via SF Signal]

"It has been about forty years since Luke Skywalker flew his X-Wing starfighter down the trench of the first Death Star and fired the proton torpedoes that destroyed the Empire’s mighty weapon. Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker is now a father and has rebuilt the Jedi order. His heroics are legendary throughout the galaxy and he continues to resolve one crisis after the next."

@Suduvu: "Bronsky’s Dates With Death" by Peter David. Science Fiction.







@Daddy Grognard: "An Adventure for Every Monster - Buffalo"
@The Land of NOD: "Mu-Pan Eastern Encounter VII"
@Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets: [Magic Items] "Club of the Goblin Champion" and "Bag of Seven Winds"
@Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets: [Monster] "Sheeple"
@A Character for Every Game: [Map] "The Ruins of Corvel on the Mount"
@DriveThruRPG: "Fast Fantasy: NPCs 1"
@DriveThruRPG: "The Gambler" - Bard Archetype for Pathfinder.
@Sea of Stars: [Magic Item] "Serpent Tail Blade"
@Netherwerks: [Monster - Demon] "Grobbly-Bonk the Gluttonous"
@A Field Guide to Doomsday: [Monsters] "Mechano-Mummy" and "Urchillo" Mutant Future.
@Kobold Quarterly: [Magic Items] "Coffer of the Uninvited Guest" and "Crystalline Chrysalis"

Sunday Freebies

A few goodies for what's left of the weekend. First a 1935 feature film version of the serial "Phantom Empire" some good free fiction and several cool free gaming items.





Video
The Phantom Empire (1935)
"Cowboy singer Gene Autry stumbles upon a civilization buried beneath his own Radio Ranch. The Muranians have developed technology and weaponry such as television and ray guns. Their rich supply of radium draws unscrupulous speculators from the surface. The peaceful civilization of the Muranians is corrupted by the greed from above, and it becomes Autry's task to prevent all-out war, ideally without disrupting his regular radio show."

Or download it for free here.







@Baen: "Intelligent Design" by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Science Fiction. [via SF Signal*]
@Pixel of Ink: [Free Kindle Book] Demon Girl by Penelope Fletcher. Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult. [via SF Signal*] Other formats at Manybooks.
@Pixel of Ink: [Free Kindle Book] Shimmerspell by Kimberly Spencer. Fantasy, Young Adult. Other formats at Smashwords.

Serial Fiction
@Author's Site: "Paradigm Shift #1" by Misa Buckley. Science Fiction. [via SF Signal*]

Classic SF
@Internet Archive: "Exiles of Mars"by Frank K. Kelly. (From the Summer 1932 issue of Wonder Stories Quarterly). Science Fiction.
@Internet Archive: "The Forest of Knives" by A. Bertram Chandler. (From the October-November 1953 issue of Fantastic Universe). Science Fiction.
@Internet Archive: "A Visit to Suari" by A. Hyatt Verrill (From the July 1930 issue of Amazing Stories). Science Fiction.
@Internet Archive: "A Fishing Trip on the Planet Mars" by F. H. Sidney. (From the May 1919 issue of Overland Monthly). Science Fiction.
@Munseys and Gutenberg: "Thy Name Is Woman" by Bryce Walton. (From IF Worlds of Science Fiction March 1953). Science Fiction.
@Munseys and Gutenberg: "You Too Can Be A Millionaire" by Noel Miller Loomis. (From IF Worlds of Science Fiction November 1952). Science Fiction.








@DriveThruRPG: "Savage Worlds: The Wild Hunt"- Quickstart Adventure.
@DriveThruRPG: "Little Red Goblin Sampler" - includes two adventures and two monsters.
@DriveThruRPG: "Of Mice Men and Wizards" - Beer and Pretzels RPG.
@Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets: [Magic Items] "Hookah of Epic Tales," and "Bone Arrows of the Necromancer Lord,"
@Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets: [Spells] "Call to Allies," "Eye of the Storm," "Fog Dogs" and "Wisdom of the Folk"
@Character for Every Game: [Map Links] "An Awesome Array of RPG Cartography"
@Field Guide to Doomsday: [Monsters] "Belcher," "Headhunger," and "Tigerstar" - Mutant Future.
@Kobold Quarterly: [Monster] "Eaters of Tithes" - 4E.
@Land of NOD: [Encounter] "Mu-Pan Eastern Encounter VI."
@Land of NOD: [Encounter] "Mu-Pan Eastern Encounter V."
@Land of NOD: [Heroes] "Captains Courageous" - WW II Patriotic Heroes for Mystery Men!
@RPG Creatures: [Monster] "Ardhamma"
@Rule of the Dice: [Spells] "More Old Magic Spells"
@Sea of Stars: [Magic Item] "Blood Tracker Dagger"

Sunday Gaming Freebies

Some cool fantasy and science fiction gaming freebies today for a variety of game systems, both free and otherwise. But don't hesitate to check out free items if you don't own the system for which they are designed. Just remember Dave's old-school conversion rule "Your best guess is always 100% correct because all good RPGs encourage house rules."

Today's illustration is for the "Arachnidrake" below.








@DriveThruRPG: "Dragon Age RPG Quick Start Guide"

"you can now download the PDF version of the Dragon Age RPG Quickstart Guide, as featured on Free RPG Day, for free! This quickstart features rules, an adventure, and pre-generated characters so you can jump right into the action. The Dragon Age RPG is based on BioWare's popular Dragon Age RPG franchise, and brings the dark and gritty world of Thedas to your gaming table."

@The Free RPG Blog: Reviewed and linked to "The Droog Family Songbook" a mashup RPG of A Clockwork Orange and The Sound of Music.

"Your character is a member of the Von Droog family. A charming pod of ultraviolent Austrians living in a Nazi infested the mountain range."

@Exonauts!: [Monster] "Space Strigoi" for X-plorers or other sci-fi games.
@The Land of NOD: [Encounters] "Mu-Pan - Eastern Encounter IV" and "Mu-Pan Eastern Encounter V"
@The Land of NOD: [Monster Variant] "Chimera"
@Online Dungeon Master: [Adventure] "Tallinn's Tower" 4E
@Trollish Delver: [Monster] "Mongolian Death Worm" Tunnels and Trolls.
@Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets: [Magic Items] "Writ of Eviction," "Standard of the Forgotten King," "Wine of the Moon," "Horn of the Minotaur Lord," and "Steer Stones"
@Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets: [Monsters] "Azlir" and "Volquin"
@The Savage AfterWorld: [Monster] "Chronoweasel" Mutant Future.
@Blog on the Borderlands: [Magic Items] "Ring of Mastery Thievery" and "Mask of Disguise"
@Blog on the Borderlands: [Class] "The Woodsman"
@Sea of Stars: [Magic Item] "Box of Servants"
@A Field Guide To Doomsday: [Monsters] "Borer Blimp," "Overtoad," "Dredgehead" and "Stingeroo" Mutant Future.
@Kobold Quarterly: [Monsters] "Beatific Drake" and "Arachnidrake"
@DriveThruRPG: "Paper Modeling Guide"
@DriveThruRPG: [adventure] "Circles Disrupted" for Lost Roads of Lociam.

Gaming Freebies including two eZines, a wuxia RPG, and cool extras.

Some very cool gaming freebies today, including two free gaming eZines, a very nice looking, though not too printer friendly, wuxia RPG, and some great extras (a small adventure, encounters, tables, spells, magic items, and a monster).



Today's illustration is for the Enjirach below.











@DriveThruRPG: Pathways #5

"Rite Publishing continues its free e-zine with templates, new monsters, domains, feats, and reviews all bundled together with an Ecology of the Invisible Stalker by Matt Banach!"

@DriveThruRPG: Game Geek #19
The 19th issue of this cool free RPG magazine.







@DriveThruRPG: A Wanderer's Romance RPG 45 page pdf.

"A Wanderer's Romance is a game of martial art duels and tea-making contests set in a world of unnatural islands on an endless sea. It draws on its Wuxia influences but focuses on a character driven game with scope for incredible environments and a true sense of exploration."

At a glance, this one looks very good.

@RPG Creatures: [Monster] "Enjirach" Generic Fantasy
@Daddy Grognard: "An Adventure for Every Monster - Brownie"
@The Land of NOD: [Encounters] Mu-Pan - Eastern Encounters One and Two.
@The Land of NOD: [Magic Items] "Magic Belts - American-Style"
@Kobold Quarterly: [Table] "Your Whispering Homunculus: 50 Local Delicacies"
@Netherwerks" [Table] "More Damned Things"
@A Field Guide to Doomsday: [Monsters] "Sundoom" and "Neon King" Mutant Future.
@Sea of Stars: [Magic Item] "Sipahi’s Scimitar"
@Sea of Stars: [Table] "Random Demon Name Generator – Least and Lesser Demons"
@Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets: [Spells] "Frail Before the Elements" "Face of Stone" "Leaving a Reminder" and "Darkfire"