[Now Available] Knights of the Dinner Table #174

Knights of the Dinner Table #174
Kenzer & Company

Knights of the Dinner Table is a multiple award-winning magazine featuring the gaming industry’s most popular comic strip, as well as being a full-fledged gaming magazine featuring D&D-compatible, HackMaster and other articles for gamers, from a gamer’s perspective.

Not only do thousands of gamers read KoDT and share it with their friends, they read it cover to cover and then re-read it again. Don't miss this hilarious and hysterical slice of (fantasy) life, and wonderful celebration of the gaming culture!

CONTENTS

About The Cover
Brendon and Brian Fraim's past credits include Knights of the Dinner Table, KoDT: Illustrated, the Kingdoms of Kalamar and many HackMaster products, as well as a variety of products from other companies.

The Strips
The Wheels of Justice

• A Games Pit strip: Nitro needs his GM credentials - but his counsel Weird Pete is a little pre-occupied.

The Last Great Hope

• Nitro tries a little family-friendly GMing at the gym.

Going Long

• A Games Pit strip: Johnny hears the 'recent' history of the "Great War."

Board Flak

• An Off the Grid Games strip: The HMA Review Board is in session.

All Quiet on the Western Front

• A Games Pit strip: Has the war really become the "Great Snore"?

To the Minors

• A Hawg Waller's strip: Nitro learns his fate.

One-Two Punches

Feature Articles
Adventure Contest Runner-Up: the Forest of Despair {a HackMaster adventure for 10th level characters} by Ed & Tom Nicholson

GameMaster's Workshop
Deadly Trappings: The Great Fakeout {systemless} by Barbara Blackburn
All Things Magic: Celdon's Spear and Quillizard {systemless} by Steve Willett
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Halibar Strope, Vashryn Thale, Bronk {systemless} by Chris Hall

Regular Columns
Tales from the Table: Actual tales from our readers
Geek Fu Action Grip: Saving Throws vs Etiquette gripped by Mur Lafferty
Web Scryer: RPG Chaos Generator surfed by Kenneth Newquist
Gaming the Movies: The Brothers Grimm by Jim Davenport

Reviews
Lost Game Safari: Bureau 13 scouted by Andy Miller
The “Indy” Game Scene: Hellcats and Hockeysticks explored by Ashok Desai
Off the Shelf: The Original Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks read by Paul Westermeyer
Brian's Picks: Paranoia: High Programmers, The Imperial Age Omnibus, A Song of Ice and Fire RPG Pocket Edition

Departments
Cries from the Attic: Editorial of a Madman
Table Talk: Our Readers Talk Back
Weird Pete's Bulletin Board
Back Room at the Games Pit
Parting Shots

Other Toons
Celebrity Hack by Caleb Wallace
Brutus the Barbarian by Fred Dailey
Unnamed cartoons by Scott Krol and Bill "Indy" Cavalier

80 pages, $5.99 MSRP, b&w

[Now Available] Knights of the Dinner Table #172

Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine #172

Knights of the Dinner Table is a multiple award-winning magazine featuring the gaming industry’s most popular comic strip, as well as being a full-fledged gaming magazine featuring D&D-compatible, HackMaster and other articles for gamers, from a gamer’s perspective.

Not only do thousands of gamers read KoDT and share it with their friends, they read it cover to cover and then re-read it again. Don't miss this hilarious and hysterical slice of (fantasy) life, and wonderful celebration of the gaming culture!

CONTENTS

About The Cover
David Reddick is an award-winning cartoonist whose projects include Legend of Bill, The Trek Life, Gene's Journal, and the Garfield comic strip. He and cover wrangler Mark Plemmons are both fans of gamer web series The Guild, thus spawning this cover parody with the Knights of the Dinner Table (along with Patty as Cyd/Codex and Sheila as Tinkerballa) as the Guild's “Knights of Good”.

The Strips
High Stakes Joker Part III: Has Johnny lost his mojo?
The Rub of It: Dice luck's being redistributed - and everybody wants in.
Epic Fail: It all hinges on one more roll.
Hello Darkness - My Old Friend: Who dares unwrap the tinfoil cocoon?

The Lost Strips
A Change of Venue {story by David Trotti, Assistant Director of the Chuck television show}
Can Pizza-A-Go-Go handle a night of role-playing?
A Quiet Evening
Bob and Shiela unwind in front of the tv - and Bob gets a shocking phone call.
The Patient
One of the Knights is in the hospital - but the game must go on.
One-Two Punches

Feature Articles
Weird Pete's Demerit System by Joseph Tolman
Close Encounters of the Random Kind: I Just Crit Myself by Brian Sammons
Ungrateful Munchkins: A Call for National GameMaster's Day by Michael Reitz
Beyond the Book: From the Journals of Haarpang the Mage {new debut skills, talents, spells and magic items for HackMaster} by Kenzer and Company

GameMaster's Workshop
Bait and Tackle: Generic Adventure Hooks and Encounters for the GM to run with
All Things Magic: Mirror of the Assassin {fantasy; systemless} by William Mindflayer
Casting Call: Prophet {systemless} by Charles Kiley III
Deadly Trappings: Heightened Stakes {fantasy; systemless} by William Mindflayer
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Estand Rancrin, Tran "Strong Boy" Rancren, Gromesh {HackMaster} by Barbara Blackburn
Rustlers of the Night: Man-Eating Sundew {HackMaster} by Kenzer and Company

Regular Columns
Tales from the Table: Actual tales from our readers
Web Scryer: Engage in an Old School Bloodbath with Dragon Age surfed by Kenneth Newquist
Geek Fu Action Grip: Geek Life Crisis gripped by Mur Lafferty
Gaming the Movies: Odyssey 5 by Jim Davenport

Reviews
Lost Game Safari: Battletech scouted by Andy Miller
Lookin' at Comics: Top Fantasy Webcomics (continued) scrutinized by Tony DiGerolamo
The “Indy” Game Scene: Squawk role-playing game explored by Ashok Desai
Disks of Wondrous Power: The Weakest Must-Play Game I've Ever Seen played by Rick Moscatello
Off the Shelf: Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover and Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker by George Lucas and Alan Dean Foster read by Paul Westermeyer
Board Squawk: Heroscape boarded by Anthony DuLac
Brian's Picks: The Kerberos Club, Battletech Hexpack: Lakes and Rivers, Pirate Fluxxx

Departments
Cries from the Attic: Editorial of a Madman
Table Talk: Our Readers Talk Back
Friendly Local Game Store: Great Hall Games
Editor's Pick of the Month: Outrider
Weird Pete's Bulletin Board
Back Room at the Games Pit
Parting Shots

Other Toons
KODT Cover Rejects by Caleb Wallace
Songs That Sunk by Brian and Stuart "the Brothers Grinn" Burke
Celebrity Hack by Caleb Wallace
Brutus the Barbarian by Fred Dailey
Unnamed cartoons by John Garnier and Bill "Indy" Cavalier

[Now Available] Alvin & Dexter, KoDT #171, Shadowrun WAR!

A Ticket to Ride
Alvin & Dexter Monster Expansion
Days of Wonder

Meet Alvin & Dexter - two detailed monster figures that bring their own special brand of chaos to cities across the Ticket to Ride landscape. Alvin (the Alien) and Dexter (the Dinosaur) are two wacky characters ready to help you stomp opponents and zap tickets in this fun expansion. But don't take them too lightly; they also introduce a devious new tactical layer to the game.

The last two players to start get to place the monsters in different cities on any Ticket to Ride map. It doesn't matter which map - Alvin and Dexter are just as adept at rampaging through London, Zurich or Stockholm as they are in New York or San Francisco. Once a monster moves in, it's now a City in Chaos - no one can build a new route into or out of that city until the monster moves on!

Players may move a single monster to a different city anytime during their turn by turning in 1 or 2 Locomotive wild cards and moving the monster up to 3 cities away for each card they discard. The player who moves Alvin (or Dexter) the most during the game will also earn a bonus. Any Destination Tickets that include cities that Alvin and Dexter occupy at the end of the game are worth only half their normal point value!

This is an expansion. An original copy of any complete board game from the Ticket to Ride series is required to play with the Alvin & Dexter Monster Expansion.

The Box Contains: 2 detailed monster figures; 40 Monster cards; 2 Bonus cards; and a multi-lingual rules booklet. $13.00 MSRP


Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine #171
Kenzer & Company

"Better Gate Than Lever"

The Strips
High Stakes Joker Part II: It's a game of chance when sturm giants are involved.
Raising the Stakes: Will Johnny's gamble with sturm giants pay off?
All In: Johnny faces a little more competition.

The Lost Strips
Lost Strip: untitled ("The Assassin Who Came in from the Cold")
The GM "Strikes" Back: It's not just the players who are facing a dice audit.
The Dice Audit: Weird Pete performs some dice tests.
The Gift Dice: The dice audit tests are in.
Channeling Gary Part II: Who's really on "the other side"?
One-Two Punches

Feature Articles
Vengeance is Mine, Sayeth the Dwarf {SoloQuest} by Brandon Neff
Beyond the Book: From the Journals of Haarpang the Mage {HackMaster Basic} by Kenzer and Company

GameMaster's Workshop
Bait and Tackle: Generic Adventure Hooks and Encounters for the GM to run with
All Things Magic: Esarin's Collar {fantasy; systemless} by Kurt Evans
Casting Call: Happy Humblefeet {HackMaster Basic} by Kurt Evans
Deadly Trappings: Thrice Deadly Hallway {fantasy; systemless} by Kurt Evans
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Brandebnor Drelguldril, Sulat Pateris, Vikmir Esarin {HackMaster Basic} by Kurt Evans
Dungeons Ready to Occupy: The Home of Sulat Pateris {fantasy; systemless} by Kurt Evans
Rustlers of the Night: Subterranean Whisp {HackMaster Basic} by James Butler

Regular Columns
Game Mechanic: Home-Brewed Rules and Tweaks Playing without Magic Shops {for D&D/Pathfinder} by Frank Trollman
Tales from the Table: Actual tales from our readers
Web Scryer: Podcasting Keeps Rolling surfed by Kenneth Newquist
Geek Fu Action Grip: Holiday Role-Playing gripped by Mur Lafferty
Gaming the Movies: Terriers by Jim Davenport

Reviews
Lost Game Safari: WarDogs! scouted by Andy Miller
Lookin' at Comics: Intervention Con scrutinized by Tony DiGerolamo
The “Indy” Game Scene: Maschine Zeit explored by Ashok Desai
Disks of Wondrous Power: Third Person Horror played by Rick Moscatello
Off the Shelf: Evermeet: Island of the Elves by Elaine Cunningham read by Paul Westermeyer
Board Squawk: Panzer General: Russian Assault, Chaos Isle, TactDecks boarded by Anthony DuLac
Brian's Picks: Please Stand By, Undead Avenue, Third World General

Departments
Cries from the Attic: Editorial of a Madman
Table Talk: Our Readers Talk Back
Friendly Local Game Store: The GuardTower
Weird Pete's Bulletin Board
Back Room at the Games Pit
Parting Shots

Other Toons
Dice Fiction by Caleb Wallace
Celebrity Hack by Caleb Wallace
Brutus the Barbarian by Caleb Wallace
Unnamed cartoon by Scott R. Krol

80 pages, $4.99, b&w

Shadowrun
WAR!
Catalyst Game Labs

The diplomats have failed. The tensions have only grown worse. Each side has pushed the other too far, so there’s nothing left to do but fight. At the border of Aztlan and Amazonia, war has broken out. The streets of Bogotá are being pummeled, mercenaries are being hired and killed in approximately equal numbers, and blood is being spilled in dark rooms to give strength to mages on the battlefield. Most importantly, runners are being hired by the score.

War! puts Shadowrun players into the world of open combat. From sabotage missions behind enemy lines to intelligence operations to small-squad mercenary tactics, War! provides the background information, gear, and rules players need to plunge into the chaos of battle. 184 pages, B&W, $29.99

[Now Available] Knights of the Dinner Table #169

Knights of the Dinner Table is a multiple award-winning magazine featuring the gaming industry’s most popular comic strip, as well as being a full-fledged gaming magazine featuring D&D-compatible, HackMaster and other articles for gamers, from a gamer’s perspective.

Not only do thousands of gamers read KoDT and share it with their friends, they re-read it cover to cover and then re-read it again. Don't miss this hilarious and hysterical slice of (fantasy) life, and wonderful celebration of the gaming culture!

Knights of the Dinner Table #169
November 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Strips
Ground Zero: Gary prepares for the new HackMaster release - but what about his worst nightmare?
Blood and Medals: Brian talks gamer medals - and convinces Johnny to ease his burden of command.
Shock Waves: A Games Pit strip: Gordo breaks some news.
Lost Strip: untitled ("Playing Make Believe")
Lost Strip: untitled ("Susie Gimbles")
Lost Strip: That Corked Up Feeling: Brian's "official" spell is the least of their worries
Lost Strip: A Higher Authority: Can the ghost of Gary Jackson fix a 'bad' rule call?
Lost Strip: Missing the Point: A Hard Eight Enterprises strip: What's up with those field mice EPs?
One-Two Punches

Feature Articles
The Terrifying Tomb of Ankhatton {DAWG the RPG} by John Kennedy
Most Irregular {systemless military campaigns} by Larry Granato
Does a Die By Any Other Name Roll as Sweet?/Die Name Generator {dice-naming} by Michael Reitz

GameMaster's Workshop
Bait and Tackle: Generic Adventure Hooks and Encounters for the GM to run with
All Things Magic: Staff of Speedy Escapes/Staff of Panic {fantasy; systemless} by Barbara Blackburn
Casting Call: "Happy" G'Lela {fantasy; systemless} by Patrick Bird
Deadly Trappings: Croaked {fantasy; systemless} by Christopher Stogdill
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Kynharra, B'kavrin, Starflower {HackMaster Basic} by Barbara Blackburn
Rustlers of the Night: Giant Poisonous Toad {HackMaster Basic} from Kenzer and Company

Regular Columns
Tales from the Table: Actual tales from our readers
Web Scryer: The iPad as an RPG Tool surfed by Kenneth Newquist
Geek Fu Action Grip: New in Farmville gripped by Mur Lafferty
Gaming the Movies: Planet of the Apes by Jim Davenport

Reviews
Lost Game Safari: MegaTraveller scouted by Andy Miller
Lookin' at Comics: DragonCon scrutinized by Tony DiGerolamo
The “Indy” Game Scene: Umlaut: Game of Metal explored by Ashok Desai
Disks of Wondrous Power: Not Too Bad Company 2 played by Rick Moscatello
Off the Shelf: Johannes Cabal: the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard read by Paul Westermeyer
Board Squawk: Subjectivity and Reviewer Bias boarded by Anthony DuLac
Brian's Picks: Delta Green, Colonial Goth, Those Pesky Humans

Departments
Cries from the Attic: Editorial of a Madman
Table Talk: Our Readers Talk Back
Friendly Local Game Store: Active Imagination
Weird Pete's Bulletin Board
Back Room at the Games Pit
Parting Shots

Other Toons
The Less Than Great Escape by the Brothers Grimm
The Legend of Bill by David Reddick
Unnamed cartoons by Jolly R. Blackburn, James Colletti and Fred Dailey

80 pages, $4.99, b&w