Russell R Stewart

@SandyofCthulhu Can you tell us the part about how it came to be called "Call of Cthulhu?" The name is obvious in retrospect, but it must have seemed a bold choice at the time.

I found later how smart Chaosium was. You see, though they had the rights, they didn’t respect Lovecraft. In common with most folks in 1980, they believed Lovecraft was a terrible hack. But they knew that if THEY did the game, because they didn’t respect the man, they’d do a mocking, snarky version of the game which the genuine fans would hate. (Modern writers take note: don’t write for IP you dislike. It’s so common and so lame.) So Chaosium reasoned that: 1) Sandy loves Lovecraft and will do a sincere job. 2) Sandy is able to write (I’d done several smaller works). 3) Sandy has never missed a deadline. So they chose me and the rest is history. They didn’t tell me they thought Lovecraft was dumb for a year or more after. Eventually they actually read some Lovecraft and their position was moderated. They never became huge fans but that’s okay. I was a big enough fan for us all.

How did I come to design Call of Cthulhu (CoC)? Well I had done the Gateway Bestiary already and included a Lovecraft section. I think it was the first time stats for shoggoths & deep ones were published for a game. Anyway I proposed to Chaosium that Indo a RuneQuest expansion set in Lovecraft’s Dreamlands. They came back with, “We already have the rights and are doing a full game in the 20th century.” I was frantic - “Can I help? Can I edit? Can I see it?” They came back saying, “We decided to hand the whole project to you!” WOW!!!!!!!! 1/2

@GrampsToolshed It’s never too late to change it up! I remember when St . Cloud was a nice little town but now it seems more like an outer suburb of MSP.

@RStewart80363 Dang. That sounds so perfect. I grew up in the cities and left when I red pilled in the 90's. Decided between Duluth and St Cloud. I went with the cloudy town. I certainly like it better than the cities, but always kind of wonder what Duluth would have been like. 💔

I don't really have any regrets in life. The closest thing that comes to one is not living way up in Duluth. It's got It's own flavor of charm. Sort of a cross between the show Northern Exposure and The Dukes of Hazzard. 🤠❤💯👍

There are tons of hippies but also lots of hardcore commies. Still, it's nowhere near as bad as the Twin Cities. The current mayor is pretty level-headed. I lived in Duluth for decades, but for the last 10 years I've been living in the swamp 40 miles west of Duluth. I still go there every week for my gaming group.

@RStewart80363 Yea, I've heard it's full of granola nature hippies. Which is annoying but seems like the least worse version. Not sure what would mitigate it. Living in the suburbs of Duluth? Or out in the country?

@Blackmoor_Film Your idea is pure gold. Start here:

I am pondering making a terrifying RPG. The setting will be endless carpeted hotel hallways. The focus is immersive navigation. Do you think it would be a big seller? 😁

@SpaceCowboyVFX @DaveCon_MN @ArneconTFotT It was great to meet you and have a chance to join your game! Super fun!

Well I am glad to be home. I had an awesome time at @DaveCon_MN and am looking forward to coming back next year! I will also be at Central New York Con, and @ArneconTFotT this year, running my Dungeon of the Fel Lord, Dracula in Space, and maybe a little something new 😉.

@AnarchoXP 💯 Russell Crowe’s best performance, and that’s saying a lot.

I just watched Nuremberg on Netflix and just can’t say enough good things about. Fantastic performances, and exceptional pacing that puts you through a roller coaster of emotion and moral dilemma. If you slept on this, like I did, you should make some time to see it soon.

@DaveCon_MN AWESOME. I'll already looking forward to it!

Hotel, dates, guests secured and have decided on the next color for the convention ..... I am also going to announce now, the BAR will be open Friday and Saturday night till MIDNIGHT !

@AnarchoXP @HumansNoContext 💯

@HumansNoContext Looks like a good place for a Warhammer diorama.

What would you use this space for?

Luminaries at @DaveCon_MN

@KevinLamb74 @GrampsToolshed @DaveCon_MN Super fun and deadly like it should be!

Had a blast playing through Greg Gillespie's Beacon on the Barrowmoor adventure with @RStewart80363 and @GrampsToolshed at @DaveCon_MN last night! 🤘

@muchtoocommon @KevinLamb74 I still use my Brittanica set!

@RStewart80363 @KevinLamb74 Pre-internet, you'd just look up 'archery' in the encyclopedia.

Archers with the bowstring outside of their forearm is such a bizarre trend in current D&D art (all for the 2024 ruleset.) What is causing this? A staggering level of ignorance across multiple artists or an AI prompt that's stuck in a loop without anyone being the wiser?

Off to @DaveCon_MN!

@YoDanno @Grand_DM “The most enthralling game since Monopoly.” Literally NO ONE has ever been enthralled by Monopoly.

@Grand_DM Remember this gem from our own Philadelphia Inquirer? (1981)

For Throwback Thursday, a peek back to a 1985 article about D&D.

@Gingerblast The Illuminati CCG is great! I think I have a couple thousand cards around somewhere. It’s been a while since I played so now I have to go dig them out!

If you need me, I'll be down exploring this rabbit hole right here

@KevinLamb74 😂😂😂🤮

When you walk into the Inn of the Welcome Wench only to discover that it has been renamed the Paladin's Prince.

@KevinLamb74 Demonic player characters?✅ Sexual perversion? ✅ Gender confusion? ✅ Wenches? 🚫

Eric Menge, writer of the new Greyhawk adventure, weighs in on why he renamed the inn. x.com/Eric_Menge/sta…