Building The End Of The World Brick-By Brick

While checking out the new Lord of the Rings LEGO sets now available, I half-seriously did a Google search for "post-apocalyptic LEGO." I was just curious as to whether some creative "brick-clicker" had built a blocky wasteland scene.

I had no idea what I'd stumbled across...

It's turns out there is a "genre" of LEGO landscaping called "ApocaLEGO" and it's kinda popular. And cool. Check out the Google link I just provided, and here's a neat article on Boing Boing about the end-of-the-world theme.

My Endless Quest Has Ended

Way back in 1982, as I perused the local Waldenbooks, I came across a section dedicated to those Choose Your Own Adventure books. However, one title caught my eye - Dungeon of Dread by Rose Estes, Book 1 of the Endless Quest series. What made this stand out was that it was published by TSR and based in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. I saw it as a great way to play D&D "solo" during those downtimes when my group couldn't get together. So I picked it up and brought it home, pouring over it over one summer. I read and re-read that book to the point  that I knew all of the paths and all of the outcomes. I even tried to draw a map of the dungeon as it corresponded to the text. However, for some reason, I never picked up another one that summer, and I packed this book away with a stack of other paperbacks.

About 3 years ago, the book resurfaced at my parent's house. I thumbed through it, recalling how much fun I had with it when I was (much) younger. I did a bit of research to see how many other TSR Endless Quest books has been released and, needing yet another "collection obsession," decided to collect the entire EQ library. I scoured used book stores, thrift stores, and library sales. I made trades and swaps with other collectors. I dipped into eBay and Amazon for some of the truly obscure ones. As of Friday, with the acquisition of Tarzan and the Tower of Diamonds, I have achieved my initial goal of collecting every Endless Quest Series 1 and 2 book, as well as the entire run of Super Endless Quest Adventure Gamebooks. Here's what all 65 books looks like:

First of all, Series 1 consisted of 36 books released between 1984 and 1987. A large number of them were written by Rose Estes, who wrote 9 of them. However some of the other books in this first series were written by such notable TSR folks such as Mike Carr, James Ward, Roger E. Moore, and Margaret Weis. Although most take place in the D&D fantasy genre, some of the other books take place in the worlds of Top Secret, Star Frontiers, and -- of course -- Gamma World. There were also two books each based on the adventures of Conan the Barbarian and Tarzan of the Apes.

Next up, Series 2 was a "relaunch" of the Endless Quest line in 1994. There were 11 books released in this series, although there were two others (The Test and Sands of Deception) that were written, but never published and released. Some other stalwarts who contributed titles to the EQ line in this series included Allen Varney, Nick Pollotta, and Jean Rabe.

Finally, there were 18 books released between 1985 and 1988 that fell into the Super Endless Quest line. (Later renamed Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Gamebooks.) This series had a deeper role-playing element as there was a simplified RPG system built into the book that depended on dice rolls, hit points, spell casting, and combat. A player character card was stitched into each book (which also doubled as a bookmark). One of my goals with this series was to secure the original PC card that accompanied each book -- easier said than done. But each book pictured here has that elusive PC card. (I had a heck of a time finding Prince of Thieves as there was a certain similarly-named Kevin Costner movie that made Internet searches very problematic.)

Even though there are several other TSR choose-a-path book series out there -- Crimson Crystal, Fantasy Forest, Heart Quest, and Marvel Super Heroes, to name a few -- I think I'm gonna hold up on the next round of search-and-find. After all, I have plenty to read now as it is.

And to keep this post applicable to this post-apocalyptic blog, I'll review the four or five Gamma World-related EQ books in this collection in the near future.

Our Third Birthday

Sunday marked the third anniversary of The Savage AfterWorld. Thanks for the support! Here, have some cake!

Notorious NPC: "Rotgut"

"Rotgut"
6th Level Mutant Human
STR: 10 --- INT: 18
DEX: 20 --- WIL: 12
CON: 11 --- CHA: 8
HPs: 49 --- AC: 5
Mutations: increased sense (sight); mental barrier; negative empathy

“Rotgut” is the nickname given to a well-known, yet disliked bartender who works at the local watering hole. Rotgut appears as an average-sized human wearing a tattered pair of overalls and a bartender’s apron. He never speaks, and his head is always covered with a welder’s mask, shielding his face from view. Many people are uneasy with his appearance to the point of hostility. This disquiet has spilled over into bar fights that break out on a weekly basis. The owner of the tavern keeps Rotgut around, because “He’s the best damn mixologist I’ve ever found.” It’s said that Rotgut’s skills are such that he can turn turpentine and spidergoat sweat into a delicious cocktail.

The unease that occurs in Rotgut’s presence is due to his negative empathy mutation. Those around him feel as if they can’t trust him or that he means to do them harm the moment their back is turned. Nothing could be further from the truth, but Rotgut has accepted his lot in life to be eternally disliked. This mutation caused a mob to turn on him at a young age; his face was horribly disfigured and his larynx was damaged as a result. He hides his face under the mask, as he feels his hideous appearance combined with his negative empathy mutation might get him killed. Rotgut’s increased sight mutation makes it difficult to sneak up on him, and his mental barrier protects him from most mental attacks. Ever since he was attacked, he remains ever on guard from future violence. Rotgut trains in combat in his downtime and has gotten good enough to merit two attacks per round. He is also fast enough to boost his AC as well as give him a +4 bonus when attacking via missile attacks. His +3 Initiative Modifier also ensures that he will get the first attack in nearly every instance.

Rotgut’s expertise in mixing things together goes far beyond simple drinks and cocktails. Rotgut is a gifted chemist with an innate understanding of the way liquids and fluids combine. He has developed his own versions of both nitroglycerine and “Greek fire.” He has created new kinds of fuel that burn more efficiently and longer in internal combustion engines. He has crafted poisons, detoxification mixtures, and a host of other chemical wonders. He has a sizable lab hidden on the outskirts of town where he tinkers with his experiments. Rotgut would love to share these wonders with someone, but his negative empathy mutation makes developing friendships an impossibility. If he ever decides he's had enough animosity, Rotgut has stockpiled enough explosive power to level a small city. This, combined with his combat swiftness and expertise, potentially makes him a very dangerous man.