Setting Update and Closing in on 100...

I've been hammering away at both the campaign setting and adding to/modifiying my hack of the S&W rules. Here's the latest:

I've come to the realization that I'm going to have to essentially re-draw the map of Mystara. The outside material I'm adding in is enough that I can't just squeeze in places here and there and still use the map as is. It sounds like a big task, and I guess it is to a point, but I've already got a rough sketch down of much of the main continent which really is the big part of the task.

As far as backstory goes, I'm going with a "world is darkening" vibe. The wilds are encroaching. While life in the Thyatian and Alphatian Empires is still civilized (well, as civilized as it ever is), the border nations are seeing more creatures, more raids by the savage tribes, and it's getting harder and harder to maintain the status quo. Some of the smaller baronies are falling, or rebelling against the Empires. All the while, the need for expansion is fueling the headlong rush into very possible destruction in many areas. I'm still working out many of the finer details, but it's coming along. Not much that I can really share just yet, but I hope to before long.

I've stated several times that one of the main things that I love about Swords & Wizardry is that I can utilize basically everything in my collection from Basic D&D through D&D 3.5/Pathfinder without a bunch of complex conversions and such. As I'm making notes of places and things I want to have in the setting, I'm converting spells, items, creatures from the materials. I've added a lot of spells from the various Gazeteers, the skill system from the Basic D&D Rules Cyclopedia, and the Shaman class from GAZ12. In my rulebook, I've got conversions from the Wizard's Spell Compendium from 2nd edition AD&D, races from 3E/Pathfinder, and monsters from all over the place. Most of these items didn't take much real conversion at all. Thanks to S&W (and a compulsion to write these days), I'm utilizing more of my collection now than I have at any other point in my gaming history!

One final note, I'm closing in on post #100. I almost feel like I should post something special, but I haven't figured out what yet. I hadn't really done much with this blog until last December, but it's exploded since then. Not sure why I've gotten into the blogging swing of things again, but I'm glad I have. By getting involved in the blogging community, my desire to write is back in full swing, and I've discovered a ton of great blogs. Now if I could just get a regular game going....