Good morning everyone I'm finally back after a rather hectic week and I must say after six days of sleeping on a couch its nice to be back in my own bed.

I apologise for the delay in the Chapter Master post (which will be up this evening or tomorrow) as those of you following me on Google + know I had a security scare just before I was about to post it, I found myself unable to log into Google + and Blogger with my password not been recognised so after changing my password I had to go through all my pages and drafts to see if anything had been changed in case it was malicious attack.
Thankfully nothing was alter and there was no keyloggers or trackers discovered on my computer after a deep scan however this and finishing off my costume pretty much took up all my time before I was required to leave for Steampunk At the Asylum VI.

The Asylum itself was a lot of fun and while I could only afford the weekend ticket this year it was well worth the visit, they definitely listened to last years feedback and there were far more talks and events spread over the three days rather than the previous year where most of Sunday petered out and there were mostly book launches. Having been to most of the outdoor events in the previous years I mostly attended the talks that were aimed towards the creative side of steampunk and making costume pieces. Anyone who is interested in a full review of the day should read this fun little article by a first time attendee.

After the festival due to some appointments in town on the Monday I remained at my friends house who lived closer so I could make sure I could reach them in time and then Tuesday I was covering the shop at the Battle Bunker. However all the hectic running about over the last few days and a hint of convention flu caught up with me and I've spent a few days been ill but I'm back up and running again.

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Hey all, I'm posting a little late this month so here is a run down of what's been happening this last week:

- This months post was initially was going to a collection of settings people have create but unfortunately one of the setting creators hasn't gotten back to me yet so instead I'll be doing a post about Chapter Master, a fan made game that has gone from concept conversations to a one man built game. It is also quite likely I will be doing a post on this years Steampunk at the Asylum too.

- Speaking of the Steampunk at the Asylum its happening soon from 12th to the 14th so get your tickets now if you wish to avoid the queues. I would be working more on my own costume at this time but with a rent increase of £40 I simply don't have the spare cash to throw about this month. However I may make a guide on how to make simple medals in the future.

- My D20 Adventure Rude Awakening is on hold for just a little while longer with the Asylum this month and after a few play-tests there are a few details in the design I just didn't like so I need to redesign the dungeon, which means I have to also redraw the maps which took forever to do in the first place. If anyone has any suggestions of a free dungeon map tool that includes items such as barrels and boxes please leave a comment.

Finally while I don't really have the cash to spare at the moment I also resist a good bargain especially if its for some collector items, I personally believe one of the rarest finds we ever had in my group was a mint condition copy of 2nd Edition AD&D First Quest with Audio CD hidden high up on a lonely shelf and while our local Oxfam once had Scourge of the Slave Lords for sale its £45 price tag (higher than Amazon) put it out of range of a casual purchase.

Now out of habit myself and one of the ladies of my gaming group regularly check charity shops together when we go for walks or when visiting new towns (since one of the appeals is that unlike most shops you never know what you will find) and we've picked up the occasional book or two at any one time over the years.  

Stepping into the shop on this occasion my companion darted off to search amongst the clothes for potential costume pieces for this years Steampunk at the Asylum while I wandered over to the book shelves expecting nothing and found the biggest haul I've ever had in one spot.  

Unlike our local Oxfam this charity didn't know the values of these books and wasn't particularly fussed when I tried to enlighten them about the value simply asking for £10 for the lot.

For those of you curious the value of each book (all used):


AD&D: Manual of the Planes: Amazon Price: £15.87
AD&D 2nd Edition: Dungeon Masters Guide: Amazon Price: £13.49
AD&D 2nd Edition: Forgotten Realms: Adventures:  Amazon Price: £7.90
D&D 3.5 Draconomicon: Amazon Price: £27.56
D20: Orcfest: Amazon Price: £9.03
Sword and Sorcery Creature Collection: Amazon Price: 1p
Sword and Sorcery EverQuest Players Handbook: Amazon Price: £10.54

Stormbringer 4th Edition: Amazon Price Ebay price: £30.31 + £15.90 import only
Ars Magica 4th Edition: Amazon Price: £14.33
The World of Darkness: Amazon Price: £35.87
Mage: The Ascension: Amazon Price:  £10

It should be noted these are all the lowest used prices not including postage so honestly I think I got a heck of a bargain here (except in the unusual case of the Creature Collection but Stormbringer been seemingly rare as a level 20 kobold makes up the difference) with a total saving of £180.81.

Still surprised how expensive the core World of Darkness book is pre-owed though.

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First of all I want to thank my recent visitors from Reddit for the feedback regarding my blog, I'm updating the appearance a little bit at a time and always welcome suggestions. A extra special thanks to those who caught a few typos too, while I do try to have my posts proof read by one of my gaming group they are not always available and as anyone who has written any essay knowns the hardest errors to spot are the ones that you've been looking at for the last hour.

In addition to the blog I am also working upon a small board game called Encumbrance which I hope to showcase in the coming months and may even have a PDF available for download however the blog will still be my priority between the two.

Just a reminder Steampunk at the Seaside 2014 is coming up next month so if your planning on going remember to book soon.

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Well another year is over for The Asylum and I must say it seems like it was a roaring success with my personal congratulations going out to Major Tinker and the rest of the volunteer staff involved.
This isn't to say it didn't have its share of problems such as the typical British bad weather (a surprising first for the event as all previous years had the fortune of bright sunshine), a bomb scare in early hours of the morning Lincoln castle and the staff at The Venue causing all kind of issues, its to their credit that practically all of these problems went unnoticed by those attending.

Of my own experience there is three items I wish to highlight:

First of all the sad departure of Kit Cox, stand-up comedian, leading exponent of Steampunk and counsellor for British soldiers returning from war zones. Mr Cox has previously taken part in hosting events at the Asylum under his alter ego Major Jack Union  and is particularly know for his lectures and book both known as "How to Bag a Jabberwock: A Practical Guide to Monster Hunting". This is not to say Mr Cox will not be attending the events at all in the future but it will be as a visitor rather than as a member of staff.
For those interested there is a well written review of the book written by Magda Knight and a copy can be purchased from Amazon here.

The second point which was actually my most enjoyable experience of the Asylum was meeting Mrs Lynne Hardy the creator of Cogs, Cakes & SwordSticks, it is rare I purchase a roleplay game (or indeed anything) purely on the personal impression of a writer upon me but Mrs Hardy has genuine love for Steampunk and roleplay which can't help but make a person smile. The game itself does not disappoint and I was fortunate enough to take part in a short game with Mrs Hardy and she really brought out the strengths of the extremely simple system, in the near future I intend to write and post a small series of adventures for the system which Mrs Hardy has offer to read herself so I hope you look forward to this.
A free preview of the system is available from RPG now and for those interested in Mrs Lynne Hardy beyond Modiphius her own blog is available here.

The final highlight of the event which I wish to share is the excellent 7 piece band The Mechanisms who performed the grim tale of  "Ulysses Dies at Dawn" at The Venue on the Sunday and put on an amazing show, I could tell you more but that would spoil the story but I highly recommend a listen here and to give them some support.

And lastly a bit of personal news I discovered today as I wrote this I am the fortunate winner of the Prize Promenade and will be shortly receiving a rather fine deerstalker hat, the free contest entries were provided with the event guides at sign in for the event and consisted of a mix of questions and a scavenger hunt based around the various venues of the event. Completing all the questions and finding all the stamps would allow your form to be entered into the prize draw, amusingly from the various stamp holders I spoke to during the weekend I may of been the only person to fully complete the event.

So if you attend next year and find a small competition form with your event guide, feel free to put it in your back pocket or purse and forget all about it, I would quite enjoy another hat.

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This is just a reminder for all you Cogboys and gals out there the fifth annual Asylum festival in Lincoln is coming up soon.

For you unfamiliar with the event The Asylum is the UK's (and possibly the worlds) largest Steampunk of the year, it is run by the VVS (Victorian Steampunk Society) who are a voluntary not-for-profit organisation and contains many events such as art exhibitions, talk panels ranging from the educational to the outright hilarious (I highly recommend Jack Unions monster hunting), competitions, parades and many stalls.

People are welcome to attend in costume or without as everyone is welcome, I've been every year and I've never had a problem walking around Lincoln's town centre while in costume apart from the occasional curious question.

If your still curious a video of some of last years events available on youtube here and this years Asylum festival website is here.

I hope to see you there.

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