wow. Looks like it was pretty quiet in here for 2-3 months until Spider of Leng showed up. ;)  Nice posts there, btw. A little background on Seven Kingdoms: they call me Papa Hoyt because I've hosted them here in Atlanta several times over the past 7-8 years. I was the first music promoter to invite them to step out of Florida. And now they're touring the world. \m/ *sniffle* Makes a Papa proud. :D

But yeah, I'm a bit behind in posting new inspiring music for you to check out. Here's just a couple of them I've found in recent weeks. These both hearken back to the very early seventies in the style of fuzzy guitars and Hammond organ; Black Sabbath meets Uriah Heep meets Hawkwind.  Check them out and let me know your thoughts...

https://thesignrecords.bandcamp.com/album/h-llas-excerpts-from-a-future-past

https://mausoleumgatemetal.bandcamp.com/
 

I've been meaning to make my way back in here for some time now to turn you New Wave of Traditional Metal supporters onto a band I've discovered in recent weeks: Children of the Reptile from Wilmington, NC.

I've been rocking out with these guys for a couple of months now. Here's a track from their first self titled full length album:



 

apologies for the extreme delay in updates. March ended up being a tumultuous month with absolutely NO gaming to speak of. *sigh* However in April, following a work-related two-week postponement, the Hyperborean crew gathered again this past Saturday with a new member in tow - a Keltic Bard - for a few hours to take on the Rats in the Walls. I'll update the original post soon with a far less detailed wrap-up, then follow it with a reader's digest condensed version of our RitW session. But to sum it up: everyone had a blast, no one died (though a couple of them almost bit it), and we meet again in TWO WEEKS!! 

Now I need to figure out how to tie in the Black Moss Hag scenario. I have a pretty good idea how to do it, which I will share once I follow up with the details of our RitW session.

HUZZAH!! 

After 8 long months of anticipation (since North Texas RPG Con 2017) including a few short months since receiving my hard copy of the AS&SH 2E rulebook, my local campaign has found it's legs.  

This past Saturday I met with four players from all walks of life ranging in age from 30-ish to 50-ish (myself) and we finalized characters for a 1st level game. We are from all across metro Atlanta, GA, spanning a nearly 60 mile radius. We gathered at a mostly central location in Marietta, Ga.
We can't meet more than once per month, so I started them at first level in the first game. I'll bump them to second level for the second session, then raise them to 3rd by the third game, continuing with XP awards from there on out. By that third game I expect to have anywhere from 1-2 more players joining our crew. Currently the party consists of a well-rounded bunch:

EVAUGH, the Hyperborean Warlock
KASIR, the Ixian Legerdemainist
ASHILDE, the (f) Viking Druid
and...
CORPSEGRINDER, the Ixian Necromancer*

*Yes, that particular player is a heavy metal fan and is fashioning his Necro's appearance after the lead singer of Cannibal Corpse, whose stage name is CorpseGrinder. I'll try to help him come up with a more suitable 'Ixian' name before long. 

~~~~~

'WILD IN THE STREETS'

I started the party out near the dock ward of Khromarium late one gloomy, cold evening in early Spring. They were each taking temporary shelter from the current dreary, rainy weather. They found themselves inside the Beer Golem Tavern (something I imported from Waterdeep just for this session) along with another score of locals and merchants. The Druid and the Legerdemainist had decided beforehand that they had been traveling together. The other two adventurers were each traveling solo. 
After a couple of hours of nibbling, drinking, and entertain

another band I have rediscovered since the holidays this year is HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE, heavy prog metal  from California. If you enjoy the atmosphere of Pink Floyd's earlier years, the tapestries of 70's Deep Purple, riding on the gallop of middle years Iron Maiden, this is your new favorite band. 




Check out their back catalog at the above linked bandcamp page as well. But start with their oldest and work your way to the present. Enjoy! \m/ 

 

Ghul wrote:

Count me among those blasphemers who prefers Dio Sabbath over Ozzy Sabbath... 

I, too, am a card-carrying member of the Dio/Sabbath cult. The first song I ever remember hearing (really listening to) of Sabbath's was Mob Rules on the HEAVY METAL Motion Picture Soundtrack. So as far as I was concerned, that was the Sabbath sound. This was around the time I was getting into heavy metal (82/83 time frame), so as I was learning about performers and bands, I had two Ozzy Osbourne solo albums before learning that he was the original lead singer of Sabbath. So when I went back and listened to more of the earlier Sabbath... "pass". hah hah hah. 

So besides Dio's time in Sabbath, the only albums I have ever owned by the band also included the Tony Martin era. That was close enough to Dio for me. \m/
 

Haven't heard from these guys in a minute...







Never followed SAMAEL much back in the day. But I'm really digging this material. I've pre-ordered my copy from Napalm Records. \m/ 

except for the Pink Floyd, I have owned every album listed in the first two posts. 

Born 1966. Spent the 70's growing up on Country, Top 40, and radio rock (ELO, Journey, 38 Special).
8th grade year I met a tenth-grader who turned me on to everything from Ted Nugent to Led Zeppelin to Pick Floyd. 

First album owned was QUEEN The Game, which I requested and received Christmas 8th grade year. 
From there it escalated quickly from hard rock into Heavy Metal:
AC/DC - Let There Be Rock & Back in Black
Def Leppard - Pyromania
AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
AC/DC - For Those About to Rock
AC/DC - Highway to Hell
Ozzy - Blizzard of Oz & Diary of a Madman
HEAVY METAL Motion Picture Soundtrack
Quiet Riot - Metal Health
Motley Crue - Shout at the Devil
KISS - Lick It Up
ACCEPT - Balls to the Wall
DIO - The Last in Line (then backtracked and got Holy Diver)
Dokken - Tooth & Nail
Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry
KISS - Animalize
ACCEPT - Restless & Wild
Iron Maiden - Powerslave
ACCEPT - Metal Heart
Judas Priest - Turbo
DIO - Sacred Heart
Metal Church - The Dark (then backtracked and got the debut)
RAVEN - All For One
Mercyful Fate - Melissa
Metallica - Ride the Lightning
SLAYER - Hell Awaits
Megadeth - Peace Sells
Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian

...and the rest is history.
 

While I have yet to buy my badge for the weekend, I do plan to attend MACE again this year along with the rest of the 'Atlanta Invasion'. And I look forward to seeing what you're available to do, Chainsaw. 

Who knows? I may be tempted to run a little somethin' somethin' myself by that time. 
 

here is some dark, brooding, atmospheric background music I have just discovered that should be just about perfect for setting the mood for many AS&SH games...

https://paleowolf.bandcamp.com/