Events & Play Wednesday - Upcoming Events for May 2016

Locally, make plans to go to First Sunday which falls on May 1st at the Lake Geneva Games store.  They are located at 918 S Wells St, Lake Geneva, WI 53147 and their phone number is (262) 885-1515.  The event runs from Noon until 9 pm and is mostly about pickup boardgames though planning particular games is certainly encouraged.  Sign up for this event and discuss it further on Facebook here.  There will also be a Burlington Gameday scheduled for the Fourth Saturday, May 23rd, with details at the Burlington UCC Game Day group on Facebook here.  It will be held in Burlington, WI at the Plymouth UCC space, taking place from approximately 11 am to 5 pm.  All are welcome!  The Third Sunday , May 17th, features A Gathering of Gamers set up by the South Lakes Area Gamers here.  The event takes place at the Pizza Ranch in Elkhorn, WI, and requires a $12 fee for the all you can eat pizza and fried chicken buffet (salad bar, soft-serve ice cream machine, etc.) plus unlimited soft drinks and coffee from 11 am to 8 pm.  Great deals and great gaming for all!

Don't forget that at the end of this month and beginning of May is Little Wars, the Midwest HMGS event of the year.  It runs from April 29 – May 1 at the Westin Hotel in Yorktown Center, Lombard, IL.  This is one of the top, if not THE top, event for wargaming in the Midwest every year.  More information can be had on their Facebook event page here and the HMGS website here.

Toward the end of May over the Memorial Day weekend, May 27th thru 30th, that's Friday thru Monday, you can visit the Nexus Game Fair at the Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee.  Every kind of gaming will see great representation at this convention so check them out.  Details can be found here.

Events & Play Wednesday on CreativeMountainGames.com 

News of Conventions and Gamedays as well as pictures

from those I have attended and games I have played.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Events & Play Wednesday - Upcoming Events for April 2016

Of course the big news locally is that the Gaming Hoopla is this weekend.  It's got a new home at the Holiday Inn in Gurnee, IL, which will allow it to grow for a while without needing to look for new digs.  It's still all about the Fight Against Cancer, so make no mistake that this is the Gaming Hoopla we all love.  I've been told that they've come up with some ways to streamline online event registration, so that will be a plus.  Sadly, the old kitchen doins' won't be happening but locally, they've got a ton of eateries for all budgets, from Wendy's to Lonestar to Chipotle to -  Well, you name it because the proximity to Gurnee Mills means about as many dining choices as one could imagine.  The event kicks off on Friday at 10 am and runs until 3 am then has hours on Saturday from 8 am to 3 am and Sunday from 8 am to 5 pm.  Look for me on Friday or Saturday.  I'm waiting to find out what sort of work schedule I have before I can be sure whether I'll get down there to kick things off or not.  I hope so!  Get more info on the Hoopla here.

Locally, make plans to go to Second Sunday which falls on April 10th at the Lake Geneva Games store.  They are located at 918 S Wells St, Lake Geneva, WI 53147 and their phone number is (262) 885-1515.  The event runs from Noon until 9 pm and is mostly about pickup boardgames though planning particular games is certainly encouraged.  Sign up for this event and discuss it further on Facebook here.  There will also be a Burlington Gameday scheduled for April on the third Saturday, the 16th, with details at the Burlington UCC Game Day group on Facebook here.  It will be held in Burlington, WI at the Plymouth UCC space, taking place from approximately 11 am to 5 pm.  All are welcome!  The third Sunday in April features A Gathering of Gamers on the 17th, set up by the South Lakes Area Gamers here.  The event takes place at the Pizza Ranch in Elkhorn, WI, and requires a $12 fee for the all you can eat pizza and fried chicken buffet (salad bar, soft-serve ice cream machine, etc.) plus unlimited soft drinks and coffee from 11 am to 8 pm.  Great deals and great gaming for all!

Don't forget that at the end of the month is Little Wars, the Midwest HMGS event of the year.  It runs from April 29 – May 1 at the Westin Hotel in Yorktown Center, Lombard, IL.  More information can be had on their Facebook event page here and the HMGS website here.

Events & Play Wednesday on CreativeMountainGames.com 

News of Conventions and Gamedays as well as pictures

from those I have attended and games I have played.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

The Friday Grab Bag - Tolkien Reading Day

Half Price Books sent me a reminder by email that today, March 25th, is Tolkien Reading Day.  They also sent a link to a page with some of their newest acquisitions here.

According to Wikipedia, it's the thirteenth anniversary of the day of reading and remembrance and there's a bit more information on it here and Tolkien Gateway has a dedicated page for it here.

But over on tolkiensociety.org, The Tolkien Society has a regular page for it here and a page especially for 2016 here.

The Friday Grab Bag on CreativeMountainGames.com 

Essentially, a clearinghouse for topics not covered

elsewhere or needing a particular focus.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Events & Play Wednesday - Cold Wars, Gaming Hoopla, & Free RPG Day

Over on hmgs.site-ym.com, get the details on Cold Wars which takes place this weekend in Lancaster, PA.  See more here.

Also, on gaminghoopla.com, there's more information on the Gaming Hoopla coming up early next month at their new home in Gurnee, IL.  Find out more here.

Finally, on freerpgday.com, they are celebrating the tenth anniversary of their efforts to bring freebies to all of the RPGers throughout the land.  Check it out here.

Events & Play Wednesday on CreativeMountainGames.com 

News of Conventions and Gamedays as well as pictures

from those I have attended and games I have played.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

The Friday Grab Bag - GM's Day Sale

With the holiday fast approaching, CMG is offering up some great prices on offerings for your GM or yourself.  All but three of the items in the CMG catalog are marked down to $1 and the remaining three items are at 50% off the normal selling price.  Grab something for you GM *OR* for yourself while the prices are so low.  Snag a copy of "30 Things Can Happen" for just one dollar here.

Also, the excellent "Fighting Fire - Ernie Gygax Benefit Adventure" is available for half the normal price here.

Finally, the dangerous sourcebook "Superstitions" is only one dollar, as well, here.

The Friday Grab Bag on CreativeMountainGames.com 

Essentially, a clearinghouse for topics not covered

elsewhere or needing a particular focus.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

Throwback Thursday - Wayback Sale

As we roll into a new year with the CMG Wayback Sale, I look back on the decade and a half since I began Creative Mountain Games.  It's always been a sideline, and so it will remain, but I have been itching to be more productive as a game designer and publisher.  Since moving up to Lake Geneva almost three years ago, I've come to love the location and have been designing and writing a whole lot more, though little has yet to see publication.  Much in the works but not enough out to market.  I plan to get more out soon but the new location has not been without its successes.  One thing I am particularly proud of is "Fighting Fire - Ernie Gygax Benefit Adventure" which is half off for the sale here.

Also, since coming to Lake Geneva and with a bit of love for the Old School gaming that I grew up knowing, I produced "30 Things Can Happen" which I have marked down to just a dollar for this special anniversary sale.  Though designed with the d30 in mind, each table is divided into three sub-tables for a d10, so choose a sub-table and roll the d30's cousin or roll a d6 with the d10 to keep it random.  You get the idea and it's only one dollar here.

Finally, to harken back to when I published my biggest game changer, the "SRD 3.5 Revised (Full) Bundle" has been rolled back 75% off to it's original price before all of the expansions and add-ons were compiled into it.  3,500 pages in 16 PDFs with great navigational tables , hyperlinks, and bookmarks that allow you to go anywhere within the PDF in just a few clicks.  Check it out here.

Throwback Thursday on CreativeMountainGames.com 

A look back at early tabletop hobby gaming

 or gaming-adjacent topics of the past.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

The Friday Grab Bag - CMG Anniversary Sale

I'm very pleased to say that Creative Mountain Games is going into its

15th year and I'd like to thank everyone who has made that possible.

By way of thanks, all CMG offerings are on sale at

RPGNow here and DTRPG here at $1 and $5.

Also, all fixed price items in the CMG eBay store

are on sale for 15% off here.

Thanks, again, to everyone for making this all possible!

The Friday Grab Bag on CreativeMountainGames.com 

Essentially, a clearinghouse for topics not covered

elsewhere or needing a particular focus.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

The Friday Grab Bag - Gift Ideas

Over on medievalists.net, they share "10 Gift Ideas for the Medieval History Lover" here.

Also, on boardgamelinks.com, check out the "Board Game Deals and Sales" here.

Also, Finally, from Fat Dragon Games, they have a sale on many of their paper terrain titles here.

The Friday Grab Bag on CreativeMountainGames.com 

Essentially, a clearinghouse for topics not covered
elsewhere or needing a particular focus.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

The Friday Grab Bag - D&D Price Drop, Lulu Crowdfunding, & Cardboard Podcast

A recent peek at the WotC section on Amazon showed that the prices for 5E books has come down to below 50%.  See if that is still the case here.

Also, on Lulu.com, they announced that they have partnered with Pubslush, a crowdfunding platform dedicated to publishing.  Find out more here.

Finally, I had been unaware that Rich Sommer had started a gaming podcast on Wolfpop called "Cardboard."  Check it out here.

The Friday Grab Bag on CreativeMountainGames.com 

Essentially, a clearinghouse for topics not covered
elsewhere or needing a particular focus.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

The Friday Grab Bag - Free Comic Book Day, D&D App, & DM Prep

Right up front, it would be remiss not to mention that tomorrow (being the first Saturday in May) is Free Comic Book Day.  So many of us derive a great deal of inspiration from the artwork and stories in the delightful pages of comic books old and new.  Find a shop or participating location near you through their website here.

Also, today sees the release of a Dungeons & Dragons App.  According to the description, "Dragon+ is your official mobile source for all-things Dungeons & Dragons. This free app for iPhone or iPad has everything you want to know about D&D in one easy place."  Check it out here.

Finally, over on Total Fan Girl, enjoy the weekend knowing that GMs like the youngster in the article will prep all week to have your game ready to play.  Read more about "[Total Fan Girl's] Daughter Spent This Whole Week Prepping To DM Her First D&D Game" here.

The Friday Grab Bag on CreativeMountainGames.com 

Essentially, a clearinghouse for topics not covered
elsewhere or needing a particular focus.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!

The Friday Grab Bag - Boardgame Rage, Funagain Sale, & Spire Magazine

Over on lancasteronline.com, a recent article tells us that "Strategy board games are all the rage" here.

Also, it's time again for the annual Funagain Games Cleaning Sale here.

Finally, Darrin Drader has started a Patreon Page for his new effort, The Spire Magazine, which will be a quarterly PDF magazine serving both 5E D&D and Pathfinder here.

The Friday Grab Bag on CreativeMountainGames.com 

Essentially, a clearinghouse for topics not covered
elsewhere or needing a particular focus.

Please Like, Share, Plus, Tweet, Follow, and Comment!