Gamer Friends Relief Fund

Some good friends of Mothshade Concepts (me) are in dire need. Fellow gamers. Mothshade Concepts wants to use gaming to help out.

Twenty new print copies of Avremier 0e will be made available for purchase, with 100% of the proceeds going to the relief fund. If you've wanted a copy, this is your chance - with the added bonus of helping others at the same time. In the hope of selling out quickly, we're offering some special one-time incentives.

First: Shipping is free. Yes - free. Anywhere in the world. For this event only.
Second: In honor of the cause, this will be an "alternate cover" printing, with the much-beloved Owl Wizard art. As you can see from the attached image, the art is progressing nicely.
Third: There will be a small 10-12-page bonus preview of the Dhavon book (Supplement I) included - for free. This is unedited, has no art, and will very likely change a little during the final draft.
Update: This third point failed to happen, due to time and resource constraints. Bad Moth.

Please respond here if interested. Arrangements will then be made via PM (facebook.com/david.a.hill.39) or email (mothshade@yahoo.com). Your purchase is greatly appreciated. When these twenty copies are gone - they are gone.



For those who don't know what this is, the product details are:

Avremier 0e is the first of a planned series of 0e-format booklets set within my personal campaign setting of more than 30 years. Inspired by the Greyhawk supplement, this volume is setup with a similar layout and design aesthetic, right down to the cover.
The booklet requires 0e-compatible rules to use and does not encompass the entire Avremier setting. Meaning, one cannot "run an Avremier game" with this one booklet. There simply isn't enough room for it all. There are at least four volumes to come.
Avremier 0e is an 82-page volume, written, illustrated, edited, bound, and published entirely by me. It was a personal vanity project that increased to meet unexpected demand. There were 30 signed and numbered copies printed - along with an undisclosed number of additional (unnumbered) volumes (these are nearly gone). Future printings (and a PDF offering) are in the works, but not in the immediate future.
Each book is printed on 24# high-quality paper, with a 110# card stock cover. Printing was done on a Xerox iGen4 press.

Please do feel free to spread the word. Thank you!

Against the darkness - after the end. Part One.

A great evil is rising, gaining power and support, poised to realize its great plan to take over/remake/destroy the world. What greater adventure is there for a hero than to thwart this terrible effort?

What, indeed?

Have you ever been reading a book, or watching a movie/show where the villain is just so compelling or cool, you just can't help rooting for him/her? Where you find yourself imagining what things would be like if the bad guys won?

How much more epic could it be for a new group of heroes to rise against the victorious darkness? While this isn't an entirely new idea, it is one with a lot of unrealized potential. The concept is used quite a bit, usually on a smaller scale. Ever start an adventure where you and your companions are prisoners that need to escape to get things started? Kind of the same idea. Often comes off as contrived and can be difficult to pull off.

Much like the classic plot of stopping the evil villain before all is lost. After a while, the idea of hacking through legions of harbingers, foot soldiers, scouts, spies, minions, lieutenants, pets, evil twins, and second-in-commands can start to feel contrived. How often do the heroes arrive just in time to stop the main villain just moments before the completion of whatever ritual, ceremony, sacrifice, opening, or button-push that will plunge the world into eternal darkness? Big climax. Big finish. Big heroes.

Ever been following a story where the hero has to keep the villain from assembling the scattered pieces of an ancient artifact to keep them from victory? You know when the hero gets one of the pieces, but the villain gets away? You ever find yourself yelling at the page or the screen? "Why do you need to chase after the villain? You won!" Because, that's why. Just, because. The artifact won't work without all the pieces, but neither will the story.

Next time, we'll discuss the ways in which the heroes can become involved in the adventure after evil has won and all is lost.