Updates and Zombies

Work proceeds on my Basic D&D Rules Bible (for lack of a better word).  It's nearing 200 pages now.  Beyond the rules here's what is has in it:

Races and Classes
Amazon Warrior (from OD&Dities)
Barbarian (from OD&Dities)
Bards (from OD&Dities)
Beastmen (from the Hollow World boxed set)
Brute-Men (from the Hollow World boxed set)
Bugbears (from GAZ10)
Clerics
Druids
Dwarfs
Elves (with options for Warrior-Elves from Hollow World, and Shadow Elves and Shadow Elf Shamans from GAZ13)
Fighters (with the usual options of Paladins, Knights, and Avengers and a new option for Druidic Knights from OD&Dities)
Gnolls (from GAZ10)
Goblins (from GAZ10)
Halflings
Hobgoblins (from GAZ10)
Hutaakans (from Hollow World)
Kobolds (from GAZ10)
Krugel Orcs (from Hollow World)
Lizard Men (these are the Malpheggi Lizard Men from Hollow World)
Magic-Users
Mystics
N'djatwa (from Dragon)
Necromancer (from OD&Dities, I believe)
Ogres (from GAZ10)
Orcs (from GAZ10)
Psionicists (from OD&Dities)
Rangers (from OD&Dities)
Shaman (from GAZ12? I can't remember right off hand)
Thieves
Trolls (GAZ10)
Warlocks (a class I pulled off the Vaults of Pandius site)
Finally an option for Non-human Clerics and Magic-Users

All classes are full 36 level classes.  I tossed out Prime Requisite experience bonuses, minimum stat requirements for classes, and for now I'm not going to add the skill system at all.  Thieves and a couple other classes will be the skill monkeys with a couple races like Dwarfs and Elves able to do the searching they've always been able to. 

With all these classes, the Spells section has expanded quite a bit.  There is Elf Magic, Necromancy, Shaman Magic, Song Magic, etc.  Plus, I plan on adding a lot from PC1, 2, and 4 (3 will likely get left out since we don't tend to play any aquatic-based games), that's on top of the races from later editions I plan to add to the mix (Dragonborn, Warforged, Goliaths, etc) so there's still a lot to go.  After the mammoth rules and player's book is done, I start in on the monsters which will house a combination of those found in the Rules Cyclopedia, Creature Collection, various adventures, as well as a few choice conversions.  Lots of work ahead, but I can honestly say that I should be done with the rules/player's guide within a week or two. 

Sadly, this project has put a momentary halt on my Mutant Future, Alternity, Star Wars, and Dragon Range projects.  I honestly haven't had this much fun going through old rulebooks in a long time. 

In other news, AMC is going forward with a TV series based on the Image Comic: The Walking Dead that (primarily) follows a sheriff who wakes up from a coma to a world where the dead have taken over.  It's an excellent series that once again shows that comics aren't just kids stuff.  It's well worth the read.  I have my doubts that AMC can capture the brutality and insanity of a world filled with undead since they do edit out violence in some movies (TWD can be VERY brutal at times, just a word of warning to the squeamish), but with Frank Darabont (director of The Mist and The Shawshank Redemption) at the helm it ought to be good even if it still misses the mark.  Johnny Miller (Hackers) is the front-runner to play sheriff Rick Grimes, which is an alright pick, but it's still early in the process so there's not much else to say.   I am looking forward to this series, even though I feel HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, or Starz would have been a better home for this series.