KENZER AND

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Knights of the Dinner Table®
ORIGINS SPECIAL EDITION 2004 Special Edition
June 24-27, 2004
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© Copyright 2004, 2012 Kenzer

THE KODT DEVELOPMENT TEAM IS
and Company, All Rights Reserved. J OLLY R. B LACKBURN • B RIAN J ELKE
Knights of the Dinner Table® S TEVE J OHANSSON • D AVID S. K ENZER
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NIGHTS OF THE DINNER T ABLE™ was accidentally created by Jolly R. Blackburn way back in
K 1990 as ‘filler’ for his small press magazine, S It was something of a ‘creative burp’ and
HADIS™.
Jolly really didn’t give it much thought. Perhaps that’s why he was just as surprised as anyone that
soon KODT was overshadowing everything else he’d ever done and that the created was now con-
trolling the creator. Fortunately, writing and drawing KODT strips isn’t the
lonely job it was in the past. Hundreds of fans have contributed to the beast
over the years and since joining the ranks of KENZER AND COMPANY and the for-
mation of the KODT D-TEAM, the Knights have gone far beyond anything Jolly • 1997 • • 1998 •
or fellow D-team members, Steve, Dave or Brian ever imagined. It’s been a wild
ride and the D-Team looks forward to seeing where the gang takes them next.
• 1999 •
CRIES FROM THE ATTIC
WELCOME TO THE ORIGINS C R E D ITS
2004 SPECIAL EDITION!! ™
PUBLISHER
Kenzer and Company
ast year’s,
oh man, there’s so many FRICKIN’
things to SEE and DO...!!!

\ can’t DECIDE...
L KODT ORI-
GINS 2003
Special Edition was
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jolly R. Blackburn
jolly@kenzerco.com
so well received we ASSISTANT EDITOR
decided to team up Barbara Blackburn
with GAMA and do
it again. PRODUCTION MANAGER
Steve Johansson
dude -- this is This special issue is
gonna be the BEST being given away to SALES & MARKETING
origins, EVER!!! EVERY person attending the show under Jennifer Kenzer
special arrangement with the nice folks at jennifer@kenzerco.com
GAMA. Just our way of saying thanks to all ADVERTISING CONTACT
the gamers who have made 2004 such a great Jonathan Albin
year with their support (Well, yeah --that and advertising@kenzerco.com
we secretly hope a few new readers will like (303) 588-8335
what they see and go looking for more).
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Not only will you find some useful info orders@kenzerco.com
about the four day show and the hosting city
in this issue but you’ll also find over twenty STRIP WRITING
pages all all new original Knights of the Jolly R. Blackburn
Dinner Table strips. Brian Jelke
If this is the first time you’ve seen the Steve Johansson
comic you should know that it’s been around David S. Kenzer
for almost ten years and has become a KODT STRIP ART
favorite among gamers!! (Hey, we even have a Jolly R. Blackburn
handful of awards that say so!).
COVER ART
Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine is Brendan Fraim
a monthly publication and will be celebrating
Brian Fraim
its 100th issue in January, 2005. Unlike this
FAST FACTS scaled down version of the magazine, the reg-
ular issues average 80 to 96 pages and are
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Jolly R. Blackburn
ere are some things about Origins you roughly divided between gamer comics and Peter Delgado, Jr.
H might not have known: traditional gaming magazine content. Brendan Fraim
Each issue features traps, maps, NPCs, Brian Fraim
• The first Origins was held in Baltimore in Monsters, as well as reviews on games and CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
1975 and was run by Avalon Hill. articles covering everything from improving Jolly R. Blackburn
• Several publishing companies have run your skills as a GameMaster to building a John R. Phythyon, Jr.
the show in the past. Avalon Hill ran the better character.
first two. It was also run by SPI, and TSR During the show, I encourage you to seek “CHARMED PERSONS”
ran the show twice. After purchasing Andon out the KenzerCo booth while you’re at the (INTERNS)
Unlimited, Wizards of the Coast also ran show (Booth# 600). Come check out our Jack Grayson
Origins for several years. product. Play a few games. Meet the staff. Kevin Vance
• Prior to settling in Columbus, Origins We’d love to meet you.
used to move around the country to differ- If you like what you see here, we’ll have Use It — Or LOSE It!
ent cities. Of these, Columbus has now back issues and our trade paperbacks avail- SUPPORT YOUR
hosted it the most times – nine, including able as well as our other product lines. LOCAL GAME SHOP
this year. Baltimore is second, having been Well, here’s hoping you enjoy the show
home to the show six times. and that we have the chance to meet. Stop
• In 1992, Origins was held in Milwaukee by the booth and say Hi.
as part of Gen Con. Until then — Game on!
• Since GAMA took over running the show
in 2002, attendance has increased 36%,
making Origins the fastest growing game
convention in the country. Jolly R. Blackburn

2 ————————————————————— KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE®

 by brian jelke
The 58th Level and jolly r. blackburn
based on a story suggested by kurt mcclung

okay folks, GIRD up your loins say what? a special treat...?

and PREPARE yourselves...
don’t tell me your MOM made
more of those little RICE CRISPY CAKES.

\’ve got a very

oh THANK GAWD for that...
SPECIAL TREAT for you tonight.

er..., no, bob. “GIRD” up your loins is right!

she hasn’t
she didn’t... made any for the LAST batch she made
us in AGeS. gave me STOMACH CRAMPS.
ah, man.
too bad.

you are
about to
ENTER the...

no guys, \’m talkin’ about the ADVENTURE \’m running ummm, what’s the big deal?
tonight. \ didn’t want to say anything until \ was SURE...
just another adventure -- RIGHT?
but after putting the LAST finishing touches on it,
\’m ready to unveil, “THE DUNGEON OF DEEP DESPAIR”! yeah, why
just ANOTHER
omigawd... the BIG
adventure...?
-sputter- the REACTION?
dungeon of deep....

q
and you didn’t y-you mean
TELL anybody? you don’t know?
y-y-you mean
you FINISHED it?? q

that’s right. \’ve been TOILING away on this BEAST for

HOLY MOLY -- b.a.’s been WORKING on
ages. it’s probably the single BIGGEST PROJECT \’ve
this particular adventure for YEARS!!
ever attempted. it’s always been VERY special to me.
\ wanted to take my time and do THIS one right.
ever since the SIXTH frickin’ GRADE.
\ actually SHELVED the idea congratulations, b.a.!
for several years but \
dusted off my notes a few months sounds like you put a
it’s all he used
ago and decided to finally LOT of effort into it.
to talk about.
KNUCKLE DOWN and finish it up.
wow! after
you really did it? ALL these
years
it’s FINISHED?? it’s done.

yep.

4 ————————————————————— KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE®

 AWESOME!!
well..., \ really
so how many shouldn’t tell you
LEVELS did it F-F-FIFTY EIGHT?!!! finally a dungeon worthy
but \ suppose
end up being, b.a.? of EL RAVAGER’S time.
there’s no harm.
are you SERIOUS??
FIFTY-EIGHT -- unbelievable.
not counting
the MEZZANINE. \’m drooling
down here.

sa-weet!

oh man -- did you hear THAT?

fifty eight levels!! it’s like geeze loueeze, let me think here....
a DISNEYLAND for PCS.
even if we RACED through this thing
at ONE LEVEL per eight hours of GAME TIME
\ can hardly wait to that’s... ummmm, er, that’s like TEN DAYS of game time.
WADE into this HACKFEST.
wow. \’d better
bring my actually, bob...
holy mackerel. do you somebody TIME shaving kit then.
have any idea how ME -- coz
LONG it’s gonna you’re about
take to clean out to find out.
FIFTY-EIGHT LEVELS?
fifty-eight
levels. -sigh-

at THAT rate it’d be

more like NINETEEN days. dungeon crawls are \ appreciate your
our BREAD AND BUTTER. attitude, guys but,
ummm, \ gotta tell ya.
when you throw us in
\’d say this dungeon
our natural ELEMENT
could well be the entire
we function like
focus of our CAMPAIGN
a well oiled machine. this is no
for a LONG TIME to come.
ORDINARY dungeon.
awwwh, \ don’t think not to brag but we THRIVE when
it’ll take any where put up against stuff like this.
NEAR that long...
they don’t call us
the UNTOUCHABLE
TRIO PLUS ONE
for nothing.

KODT®: THE ORIGINS 2004 SPECIAL EDITION ———————————————— 5

 \ consider this to \ drew on ALL my skills
as a GM on this one. whoah, whoah, WHOAH!
be my MASTERPIECE.
it’s painstakingly detailed down to you sending us into
every HINGE, BRICK and MORTISE JOINT. some sort of PC DEATH
my MAGNUM OPUS TRAP or something?
if you will. make no mistake -- it’s not going
to be a CAKE WALK by any means.
is that it?
it’s going to take you you’ll have to fall back on
MONTHS rather than your PROBLEM SOLVING
DAYS to completely explore. skills as WELL as your MIGHT. one WRONG choice and
it’s “GAME OVER”?
choose WISELY and you just
might make it through unscathed.
that’s not
choose poorly? what the hell
is THAT
what \ said bob...
supposed to
well... let’s just hope mean?
you choose WISELY.

\’m just saying that \ put oh great, \ hope it’s not another
everything \ HAD into this one. one of his “THINKING MAN”
dungeons. \ HATE those.
like ANY adventure the RISKS as
well as the REWARDS are great.
you mean like, MONFYR’s
GAUNTLET OF PUZZLE TRAPS? maybe
we
but if you play it SMART
havin’ to solve those should
it should be no MORE
frickin’ “RUBIC'S CUBES OF just get
deadly than any other good idea...
DISMEMBERMENT” was BRUTAL. started.
adventure \’ve thrown at you.

a wee bit later...

...after PRYING open the IRON GRATE leading from the MEZZANINE and
squeezing inside you FINALLY enter the DUNGEON OF DEEP DESPAIR!
\’m gonna take a
interesting. WILD guess and
by your FLICKERING torchlight you find that you are standing in a say that each
GRAND CIRCULAR CHAMBER. the walls around the entire perimeter that’s exactly door leads to a
are covered with doors that are numbered ONE through FIFTY-EIGHT. how many DIFFERENT level.
LEVELS
there are.
one through
fifty-eight?

6 ————————————————————— KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE®

 well what the HELL b.a., \ WALK up to the
you mean we can just pick ANY
are we waiting for? door marked number
level we CHOOSE
and just GO right to it? FIFTY-EIGHT and OPEN it.

just like that?

let’s just SKIP all the
boring LOW LEVEL stuff and go
STRAIGHT to the GOOD stuff. y-y-you
\ assume so.
what...?

\ was just
frickin’ A!! thinking the you heard me.
SAME thing, dude.
that totally
c’mon. feed me
ROCKS!! straight to some FLAVOR TEXT.
the GOOD
what an stuff?
what do \ see?
INGENIOUS
idea.

bob... WAIT!! let’s not be too HASTY about this. we’ve got to be
SMART about this.
remember what b.a. said about choosing WISELY...?

don’t forget that

perhaps there’s some sort of PATTERN or “MAGNUM OPUS”
SECRET CLUE we should be looking for here. stuff b.a. was
b.a., \ GRAB
babbling about.
knuckles by the
duh! fifty-eight levels. COLLAR and
he’s probably being
fifty-eight doors. hold him back.
SNEAKY here...

there’s your clue. sara’s right.

c’mon, guys. think about it... it’s something they teach in if they put all the GOOD
the PLAYER ADVANTAGE STUFF up front why would
you just KNOW all the BEST course at HACKMASTER CAMP. ANYONE bother going the
stuff is gonna be on the LAST LEVEL. DISTANCE. know what \ mean?

basically the rule

states that 80 percent basic GM PSyCHOLOGY, dude.
basic DUNGEONOLOGY.
80:20 of the TREASURE in a
rule? typical dungeon is it’s a BEHAVIOR PATTERN --
the simple rule of 80:20
going to be in the they don’t even REALIZE
dungeon exploration applies here.
what’s LAST twenty percent they’re doing it when
that? of the rooms. they design dungeons.

exactly. it’s their natural

interesting.
inclination.

KODT®: THE ORIGINS 2004 SPECIAL EDITION ———————————————— 7

 \ didn’t get to take that COURSE.
“SPELL TACTICS 801” was
scheduled at the SAME time.
sounds very scientific, though.
what was their dungeon
SAMPLE size and SIGMA value?
huh...? \ dunno. \ didn’t listen to
any of THAT crap. all \ know is
if GARY JACKSON preached it
it’s good enough for me.
so what are you saying?
we should just
WUSS out and not
take any CHANCES?
\’m just saying you
should THINK it
through and be
CAREFUL before...
yeah, yeah
whatever.
oh, HA HA! very funny.
you just MADE that up.
\ did not. it’s ALL written
down here in my notes.
\ TOLD you \ put my
ALL into this one. \’ve
anticipated your EVERY move.
8 ————————————————————— KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE®
bob you left out
a very IMPORTANT in fact, the LIFE EXPECTANCY
corollary to the rule. of a typical HIRELING
dramatically DECREASES
as you move toward that
the final 20 percent of FINAL twenty percent.
the dungeon is 95 percent
likely to carry 80
percent of the RISK when
it comes to PREMATURE
CHARACTER DEATH.
\ must’ve missed
that part.
before you can even manage to GRAB the
b.a., \’m opening handle of the door, a TRAP DOOR opens
that door and you FALL IN taking six points of damage.
marked number
FIFTY-EIGHT.
feed me the as you pick yourself up
FLAVOR TEXT. and shake the DUST from
your clothes, you notice
there is a DOOR on the
wall of the pit.
it’s clearly marked
with a NUMBER ONE.
oh no... uh uh -- NO WAY!
can’t you see what’s HAPPENING here?
we’re being RAIL ROADED!
ummm, maybe we \’ve been PLOT HAMMERED \ agree. he’s thrown
should go with before by a GM but never down the GAUNTLET.
DOOR number so BLATANTLY as this.
one, bob. we’ve GOT to go
through door
FIFTY-EIGHT now.
 okay, MISTER okay, that’s it. \’m HOPPIN’ mad. \ don’t care sorry, dave.
WEISENHEIMER... WHAT it takes, \’m gettin’ THROUGH DOOR FIFTY-EIGHT. you take FOUR
for some reason b.a. is trying to hold us back. points of damage...
\ SCRAMBLE up out
of the pit and join no problem. dave... WAIT!
will somebody
the REST of the party.
PLEASE open the
TRAP DOOR and \’ll walk over don’t you
and STEP on it. -sigh-
nope. sorry. you get me out? want a...
can’t do that.
...rope?

why the hell not?

\ got CLIMB WALLS.

because the TRAP

DOOR closes.

sonuva...

oh, GOOD going, oh, for CRYING then \ go over and

INDIANA JONES. OUT LOUD -- bunch STOMP one foot on
oh... and BOB, you
of amateurs... the pit being CAREFUL
take another THREE
not to FALL IN.
points of CRUSHING
damage as he
FALLS on you. b.a., \ tie a rope when the pit opens, \
around my WAIST jam a DAGGER in the
sorry, and hand the other HINGE to stop it
dude. end to SARA from SNAPPING shut.
for anchorage.

then \ TOSS the

BOBSEY TWINS here
the trap door SNAPS another rope so
shut once again. they can CLIMB out.
well, we’re
OFF to a
good start.

okay, that works. step aside, bob. okay, the door opens
revealing DARKNESS.
you’re back with \’ve got it.
the GROUP again. \ guess we need
\’ll simply cast a BASH DOOR to get across the pit.
on it. that otta do the trick.
how far is it?
fine. can \ check
the DOOR for
traps now? oh... it looks
good thinking, to be TEN no problem. \’ll
BIG GUY. FEET or so. JUMP across with
not with a ROPE. \’m
that PIT in a good JUMPER.
your way.

great!

KODT®: THE ORIGINS 2004 SPECIAL EDITION ———————————————— 9

 you know the old saying, “LOOK
BEFORE YOU LEAP....?” it’s you seem to TUMBLE for
what do \ SEE once NEVER been MORE true. an ETERNITY before
\ get through FINALLY reaching the bottom.
the DOOR, b.a.?
you’ve just jumped BLINDLY into
a STEEP dungeon staircase
however, you lost CONSCIOUSNESS
that descends straight down
somewhere around level 29
for FIFTY-EIGHT LEVELS...
so you end up lying SPRAWLED
in a motionless broken heap.
the RACKET from your
TUMBLING end over end
down into the INKY
go ahead and put
DARKNESS is startling...
yourself down
for 87 points
of damage.

don’t worry, look guys, let me take off

good gawd. don’t \ get some
dave. my GAMEMASTER’S CAP for
sort of SAVING THROW?
a moment and be straight with you.
we’ll be along
not unless you have SHORTLY to are you SURE you want to do this? \ mean
the TUMBLING SKILL. pick up the SKIP fifty-seven levels of DUNGEON?
pieces.
\ suppose you \’m tellin’ ya you’ll be missing out on
could ROLL to see some REALLY important clues if you do.
if you land on
damn, \ KNEW \ it could very well be a FATAL mistake.
your stomach -- should’ve taken
might save you TUMBLING instead thanks.
from CHOKING on of ART APPRAISAL. and with your fighter
your own blood. having just been reduced maybe, we
to a mass of broken should HEED
bones and bloody goo...? his advice.
he’s
rubbin’
SALT
in yer
wounds.

this ain’t OVER, b.a. we’ll very several turns later....

CAREFULLY
we’ll go down work our after what seems like HOURS you finally descend the
and RETRIEVE way across stairs and find yourselves in a HUGE circular room similar
the RAV’s body. that pit to the GRAND CIRCULAR ROOM at the entrance way above.

this room features a high DOMED CEILING

then we’ll with a huge central fluted column.
then we’ll go get very
HEALED up and come the circumference of the room is lined with STATUES.
CAREFULLY
back and try this again. walk down
those stairs. behind each statue is a DOOR. the craftsmanship
of the statues and doors is STUNNING.
obviously the work of MASTER CRAFTSMEN. kewl.
fine. whatever.
more doors?

10 ————————————————————— KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE®

 you’re even MORE impressed okay guys, let’s grab dave’s
with the beautiful FRESCO body and move out before
painted on the DOME. we encounter something. hey, b.a.

you mentioned
a CENTRAL
an awe inspiring work yeah, yeah, sure.
COLUMN....?
portraying the GAWDS OF
TWILIGHT LAST embraced in first let me just take bob, that’s a
the FINAL BATTLE OF TIME. a quick PEEK behind VERY bad idea.
one of these doors.

q
hey! what
about my BODY?

and there’s a HIGH DOMED ceiling....?

umm..., yes,
does the column appear to be
\ did.
ORNAMENTAL or is it LOAD BEARING??
why?
in other words is it
functioning as a
SUPPORTING COLUMN?

interesting...

it’s FUNCTIONAL and you mentioned this room was CIRCULAR --

of course. almost EXACTLY like the room on the FIRST LEVEL?

well, like the uh oh -- why

ENTRY ROOM -- yes. do \ sense a
BRIAN MOMENT \ see...
why do you ask? coming on?
interesting...

KODT®: THE ORIGINS 2004 SPECIAL EDITION ———————————————— 11

 it’s just a SIMPLE question, b.a.
this load
look, \ don’t see
bearing column... c’mon -- you MUST know. you said you had
why it MATTERS.
every HINGE, BRICK and MORTISE JOINT detailed....
is it all ONE PIECE
it’s just a
of stone or
STUPID column.
is it SEGMENTED??
okay, okay,
oh yeah...
it’s SEGMENTED -- that’s all
ALRIGHT??!!! he’s DEFINITELY
up to something. \ needed
to know.

guys, you may wanna grab

everyone knows the
DAVE’s body and start HAULIN’
PEAK of a DOMED CEILING this entire ROOM and
ASS back up those stairs.
is the WEAK SPOT. most likely EVERY
b.a., \ wait til they get a good level above it should
head start and then \ cast a the guys who BUILT this come CRASHING DOWN.
REDUCE SPELL on one of the place must have known that
SEGMENTS in that COLUMN. too because they RIGHTLY
placed a SUPPORT COLUMN.
\’ll use my RING OF TELEPORTATION
to pop back to the surface.
without that
COLUMN
w-what the hell supporting the

x
are you doing? weight anymore...?

BOOM!!!

MOMENTS LATER....

b.a.!!! did you HEAR me???

how many E.P.S did we get??

wow!! can you imagine

heh... \ guess
how many E.P.s this
when he said he
DUMP is going to yield?
had “ANTICIPATED”
brian, you’ve our every move
DESTROYED him. he was mistaken.

my -choke-
MAGNUM OPUS...
-sob- all those
YEARS of work...

-FINIS-

12 ————————————————————— KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE®

Can’t Miss by steve johansson

pete, your MAGIC MISSILES rip into the last of

the scorn giants. he crumples under the score one for the
FUSILLADE and falls DEAD. warlock.

\’m flyin’ over to check you totally bogarted my kill yea well BOO HOO.
out their LOOT STASH. there, pete. \ would have you’ve been hoggin’
dropped him this round. the glory all night.

\ got my eye on ya so don’t

go STEALIN’ nothin’.

gordo, you find a jumbled pile of dirty

dishes, soiled underwear, rancid food
and a HALF DOZEN CHAMBER POTS that
should have been emptied LONG ago.

despite the eye-watering stench, your

attention is drawn to a FINELY CRAFTED
SWORD seeming tossed at random into
the pile.
DIBS¡¡¡

actually, \ was
hold on there HEROES. you’re all dibbing for my
aware of the REVISED DIBS PROTOCOL protege, othello.
we agreed on to halt this nonsense. his HACK FACTOR that FAT LITTLE LEACH hasn’t been
everyone gets one - AND ONLY ONE - is really SUB-PAR in melee ONCE since we discovered
dib until you all get one and take said so getting a you’ve been sneakin’ him along into
items as your own. DECENT WEAPON the dungeon.
would really help
him out.
exactly! thanks
for strengthening
\ sure wish he’d my position, newt.
show himdelf once in
a while. \ always
forget he’s here*.

* Stevil has a Pixie-Fairy protégé who has yet to become visible.

KODT®: THE ORIGINS 2004 SPECIAL EDITION ———————————————— 13

 nice try stevil but dibs are for PCs according to my DIBS LIST,
only. and don’t pull that “\ wasn’t only NEWT hasn’t claimed
here that week stunt again”. \ have a dib yet.
your CONFIRMING EMAIL archived
attesting to your agreement.

it’s yours son.

PSYCH!!
tough luck, stevil. \
would have liked to see
othello take on a more
ACTIVE role in the party.

BOO-YAH!! mine all mine!

this is just the ticket to kick as you grab the sword, you receive an empathic
FOUL RAVEN’S hack factor message. the blade’s name is STEELWANE.
through the roof. it’s an intelligent HOMING SWORD.

\ KNEW \
should have let those
RUBY SLIPPERS OF
TELEPORTATION go.
homing?? what’s that mean -
y’know - GAMEWISE.

a sword of homing’s special

ability is that IT NEVER MISSES.

never misses??
oh man, THIS RAWKS!! kewl. now you
can take over as
so \ guess that makes
PACKBEARER
you our BACK UP
MANAGER.
figher.
newt
always
did a
cruddy
job of
that.

14 ————————————————————— KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE®

 later…

after HACKING DOWN half their number

without taking so much as a SCRATCH,
the bugbears withdraw - except for the
damn newt, YOU’RE ON FIRE!
GREATER BUGBEAR LEADER who curses
\ haven’t seen you roll anything \ drove 45 frickin’ miles to
them as they cower near the exit.
below a fifteen since you got that watch this moron play a
sword. knowing you can’t miss SOLO ADVENTURE?
so he wants a piece of seems to have given ol’ F.R. a real
RAVEN THE DESTROYER, eh? confidence boost.
BRING IT ON TOUGH GUY! it’s not a
total loss.
\ got those
HISTORY
CHANNEL
dvds you
ordered.

“\ ain’t afraid of a little PUNK like you”. oh... it still HITS.

he advances wielding an only not the bugbear.

ENORMOUS BATTLE AXE.

not the bugbear?

punk??
whadda mean?
hrrmph.. take this you
\ thought this stupid sword
OVERSIZED FURBAG.
ALWAYS hit my opponent.
uh oh...
um, \ got a three. that still
hits though, right?

no, not quite.

yer making quite an assumption there
LITTLE GUY.
\ only said that it “always hit”.
\ never said WHO it hits.
a sword of homing ALWAYS HITS.
however, if you fail to hit your opponent,
YOUR NEAREST ALLY takes the BLOW.

is that all??
hey you little
please gawd... don’t tell fink, |’M flying
you had me WORRIED
me \ chopped my OWN arm right behind
there for a moment.
off or somethin’. you.

KODT®: THE ORIGINS 2004 SPECIAL EDITION ———————————————— 15

 gordo, since you are newt’s nearest
ally, he hit you for FULL DAMAGE.
HOT DAMN! MAX DAMAGE!
go ahead and roll, newt.
my luck has TURNED.
you’d BETTER use those
crappy green dice in look out mister bad-ass bugbear.
your penalty box.

no way man. if \ so much as DON’T be pointing

TOUCH those stinkers, \’ll be at me boy.
cursed with BAD LUCK all night. hey you punk!! you
almost KILLED me!
sorry
sir...

all right kids. back to the game.

we’d better get in there.
seeing one of their opponents gordo’s our only thief and \ don’t
fall seems to have PUT SOME want to get hit by another 60 hit
FIGHT back into the bugbears. point JOYBUZZER!
if you can’t handle a little
collateral damage -
they come CHARGING BACK
into the battle!
STAY OUTTA MY WAY!
\ don’t know. it goes against
my BEST JUDGEMENT but you
collateral damage? DO have a point.
you knocked me out
COLD!

SHORTLY...

the bugbears are crud, another 2.

surrounding you newt.

gordo, you’re being

trampled under foot like \ beg to differ. newt and \ have
FRODO BAGGINS in a \ guess your a long history - one that hardly
MOSH PIT. nearest ally is qualifies us as ALLIES.
STEVIL. roll yer
damage. at BEST \’m a NON-BELLIGERENT.
\ say FAT MAN over here takes
that hit.
so they help??
wanna die?
FINE!

16 ————————————————————— KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE®

 FAT MAN!!?? look you
obnoxious little...
yer both attacking the bugbears
so whatever DIFFERENCES you
admittedly have, yer ALLIES just
er, um, \ meant that as a like the american and russians
COMPLIMENT. you know, er, were in ’45.
like your FIREBALLS are as
destructive as an A-BOMB*.
so mark off the
damage and quite
nice save. whining.

A FEW ROUNDS LATER... NEXT ROUND...

the way \ figure it,
those bugbears can’t
\’m making a CALLED SHOT to the POSSIBLY damage me as
WOO HOO!! \’m racking up the bugbears left eye. oh, and \’m using badly as you can with
damage here. \ make another my off hand so \ can attack with a that sword.
CALLED SHOT to the AORTA. dagger in my right hand. that gives
me a TOTAL ‘TO-HIT’ PENALTY of who knows, maybe we
NEGATIVE EIGHT. can deal once our
watch it with the FANCY STUFF,
COMMON ENEMY is
killer! those trick shots deal out my adjusted roll is four. do \ hit destroyed.
some HEFTY DAMAGE but they’re STEVIL again, er, \ mean - DO \ MISS?
inaccurate as hell. um nitro,
alright, \’m sick of this. if \’ve regained
who cares. \’m attacking NEWT. conciousness \’d
\’m goin’ for the HIGH SCORE! like to attack newt
as well.
MAX DAMAGE BABY! you traitor!

AFTER THE BATTLE...

the bugbears accept your TRUCE TERMS, stevil.

they gladly take the SWORD OF HOMING as a bribe

to let you pass through their territory plus they give me a CHAOTIC EVIL MONSTER any day.
agree to DESECRATE newt’s corpse for FREE. at least when they try to kill you, they’re
UP FRONT about it.

*Note: “Fat Man” was the code name of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945.

KODT®: THE ORIGINS 2004 SPECIAL EDITION ———————————————— 17

 Bad Rep
by jolly r. blackburn

sorry. the HALFLING refuses your offer of

EMPLOYMENT. he knows your PARTY by reputation
and he’d rather not ASSOCIATE with you.

besides, with his hey -- \ think

QUALIFICATIONS he what the
HELL?? he just
feels he can do INSULTED us.
much BETTER.

oh C’MON, b.a. -- what is this guy’s

problem? whatta ya MEAN he doesn’t
wannna ASSOCIATE with us?

yeah -- our COIN is just a

HARD as the NEXT guy’s.
well...

the TRUTH is he heard about you guys

BURNING DOWN the temple in FITCH
WILLOW and throwing the HIGH
PRIEST in the town GARBAGE HEAP.

oh..., and he heard how you hmrrmmpph...

ROPED and BRANDED \ KNEW that BAR
that BAR WENCH over WENCH would talk.
in TALLA-KAN’DEER...

...and the flock of sheep brian FIREBALLED over in

GRETCH when you were chasing that BLIND
BEGGAR? he heard about that too. and he caught
wind of the VILLAGE you leveled to the ground when
they refused to accompany you to the DUNGEON...

-sigh- \ think it’s time we yeah...

MOVED on, guys. this looks
area’s been PLAYED out. that way.

18 ————————————————————— KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE®

If the Shoe Fits... by jolly r. blackburn
based on an idea by barbara blackburn

what the...? LITTLE MIKE threw a SHOE?

BOB, your DWARVEN WARHORSE
that’s impossible -- \ JUST had him
has developed a PECULIAR limp.
RESHOD back in FARZEY -- not TWO DAYS ago.
upon closer inspection
you realize the poor
sorry. apparently it was
animal has THROWN a shoe.
SHODDY WORKMANSHIP. hey!! \ had CLOVER FAX
shoed by the SAME guy.
you notice ANOTHER shoe is
oh man --
about to come off as well. you guys
got SCREWED.
it seems to be
causing him a
GREAT DEAL of
discomfort.

oh for crying out loud... guys..., HULLO! you KICKED his poor dog, PIMP-
SLAPPED his wife, PEED in his well and threatened
see what happens when you’re NICE to to BURN DOWN his HOUSE if he didn’t “COUGH UP”
people? they take ADVANTAGE of ya EVERY time. some “good” STOUT ALE while you ATE his food...

nice....? the guy was

my “POINT” is you you guys should
yer right. we holding back DEFINITELY
the GOOD stuff. two acted like a
WERE nice yer JOKING. right? go BACK
couple of JERKS. and settle
to that guy.
\ bet he did it what’s yer point? the SCORE.
on PURPOSE.

brian’s right. PAYBACK will hafta wait a this really CHAPS my hide --
unfortunately
few days -- \’ll just add him to our ever \ spent good MONEY gettin’
we ain’t got TIME
growing LIST of asses we need to kick. little mike shod properly...
for that now...
\ dunno but put the DOG
down too -- \ OWE him one \ can’t stand an NPC
for GROIN CHOMPIN’ me. who doesn’t take
we gotta get what was PRIDE in his work.
to PAAVEEM so that guy’s
bob and \ can name, again? well you DID poke no one takes ADVANTAGE
start TRAINING the animal with a of KNUCKLES: KING OF
STICK and say, “you THE WALL CLIMBERS...
and LEVEL UP.
wanna PIECE of me??”
\’m UNDERLINING
his name!!

scribble
scribble

KODT®: THE ORIGINS 2004 SPECIAL EDITION ———————————————— 19

 alright, b.a. -- \’ll ease off on LITTLE MIKE and moments later...
ride ‘im real EASY like until we reach the next town.
as you ride up in front
then \’ll scout out the BEST blacksmith they have. of the BLACKSMITH’S SHOP
money’s no OBJECT when it comes to LITTLE MIKE. you notice a GIANT of a MAN
working a set of BELLOWS.
well..., the NEXT settlement you
reach is little more than a \’m coming with you.
DIRT TOWN -- a VILLAGE really. a crudely hand painted sign
maybe we can nailed to a POST nearby
get a GROUP rate. reads, “HORSES SHOED -- 10
guess he’ll COPPER PIECES per SHOE.”
you ask around have to do --
and all they have \ go look him up. good idea. oooo - that’s cheap.
is ONE blacksmith. a GOOD rate.

he notices your APPROACH and stops his work to watch you. “well..., lemme take a LOOK and
\’ll give ya a fair ESTIMATE.”
as you draw closer he flashes a mouthful
of yellow teeth as he makes a HALF-HEARTED
attempt at SMILING. he tips his tattered cap in greeting. an ESTIMATE?

yeah -- you can throw some but yer frickin’ rates are
SHOES on my WARHORSE POSTED -- ten C-PEES per shoe.
“good day, to here -- \ want QUALITY work.
you gents -- “oh..., that-- those
are the rates
can \ be of service?” me for my REGULAR
too! CUSTOMERS, sir.” do ya give
GROUP
“you know,” discounts?

“LOCAL RESIDENTS”.

“now, why would,
\ do THAT...?”
anvil-head -- \’m not paying EXTRA for it.
“the work don’t get no
EASIER just because \ have
to shoe TWO horses
rather than just the ONE.”
“it’d be NICE if the
WORLD worked that
way -- wouldn’t it?”
hey, what’s with the ATTITUDE...? the BLACKSMITH steps back
and looks you over from
you can just STOW the SASS, HEAD to TOE, bob. he
studies your expensive
DOE-SKIN BOOTS fitted with
“pardon my bad manners, its silver buckles..., your FINE
stranger. it’s just that \ get WOOLEN CAPE with silk
a lot of RICH FOLKS who come lining and GOLD embroidery...
ridin’ through here thinking
they can take ADVANTAGE of what the
“hmmmm,
me just because \’m POOR.” hell is he
let’s see...”
looking at
ME for?
“it gets very
TIRESOME.”
whatever -- give us a
stupid ESTIMATE then.

20 ————————————————————— KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE®

 he’s shoeing, LITTLE MIKE, not ME!! oh man -- you BLEW it.

“tell ya what -- \’ll SHOE that he’s not a MULE. he’s a how many times
MULE of yours for ONE GOLD dwarven war... -sputter- that’s highway
do \ have to tell ya?
PIECE per shoe, stranger.” robbery.
ONE GOLD??? NEVER broadcast
the BOOK RATE
yer WEALTH when yer
is only one silver.
are you nuts? conducting BUSINESS.
“and \’ll do yer FRIEND’S
horse for the SAME rate.”

you let a YAHOO like this it’ll be a COLD DAY in hell before \ pay FOUR
get a good WIFF of yer GOLD to get my horse shod when it should
gold and he’ll INFLATE only cost FOUR SILVER accordin’ to the BOOK!
his prices EVERY time.
who cares. \’m gonna go ahead and normally TAFFY
\ can tell you PAY. we’re in a hurry and BESIDES -- is FIVE coppers
that’s why \ always wear my
THAT right now. it’s only FOUR GOLD. \ got plenty. per pound but
CLOAK OF DIMINISHED PRESTIGE \ got TWO
when \ do my SHOPPING. POUNDS for...

it lowers my perceived
SOCIAL CLASS up
to three ranks.

how do you
think \ got that
GREAT deal on
that SALT
WATER TAFFY
back in ARZ?

HEY!!! you can’t pay those PRICES!! you MORON. before we knew
you forgettin’, what what had HIT us
happened during the GOING RATE for
coz’ it’s EXTORTION -- THAT’S why.
the BAG WARS?? HEALING had SHOT
why the forget about the hit on yer honor,
hell not? dude -- what about the NEXT guy UP world wide.
who comes along? huh? if you we let that priest
it’s MY money. pay this CLOWN he’ll just keep with a NERVOUS TIC in we’re STILL getting
taking ADVANTAGE of PC-TYPES. DARNELL talk us into GOUGED for that
paying DOUBLE the little mistake.
hell, it could set a PRECEDENT. word rate for HEALING to
gets out he’s able to charge a FULL keep him on RETAINER.
gold piece and the next thing you know...

EVERYONE
is chargin’ a
GOLD per shoe.

KODT®: THE ORIGINS 2004 SPECIAL EDITION ———————————————— 21

 look he’s the ONLY BLACKSMITH in
town. it’s not like \ have much choice. okay, umm..., looks like \ have a
25 percent in HAGGLING here...

it’s called HAGGLING, einstein!

b.a., \ COUNTER with an offer of, ummm, let’s see -- ONE SILVER
he’s inviting you to DANCE. per shoe -- that’s the book rate so he can’t KICK about that.

he starts HIGH you

counter with a LOWER PRICE. no, no, he did GOOD.
okay, go dude, \ there are no NEGATIVE
oh..., well, \ guess it’s worth ahead and would’ve gone MODIFIERS if you go
then, \
a try. \ got HAGGLING roll. MUCH lower. with the BOOK RATE.
suggest
on my skill list some place. you USE it.

ONE ROLL LATER....

\’m going to well... \ guess that rate is
MICROMANAGE good enough for me as well.
his ass!!
okay, dave. congratulations. hey, SOOT-FACE -- when yer finished
\ look over with HIS horse do mine. send someone over
the BLACKSMITH his SHOULDER to the TAVERN to fetch me when yer done.
shakes yer hand. the ENTIRE
time to make “oh...., then you’ll pay the
“it’s a DEAL -- one silver sure he does
piece per SHOE it is then.” one GOLD per shoe then...?”
a GOOD job.

you got SHORT TERM

“it’ll take memory loss or something?
me an HOUR
or so.”

\ want the
SAME deal
you gave my
friend here.

the HELL \ will!! \ ain’t takin’ this ABUSE.

“sorry, stranger. but you overheard a
PRIVATE CONVERSATION -- that was the he’s trying to take ADVANTAGE of me.
NEGOTIATED RATE between him and \.”
dammit, \ want the
SAME rate, dave’s payin’.
“my estimate for the too bad, bob. you should have
MULE is still ONE made it CLEAR that dave was well don’t WHINE about it.
GOLD per shoe.” negotiating for the TWO of you.
HAGGLE with the man.

go ahead and alright, alright.

you mean \ gotta that’s EXACTLY just be QUICK
PAY the man, bob.
pay FOUR GOLD...? what \’m gonna do. about it.
dave’s lower rate
HEY!!! little mike
should stave off
ISN’T a mule...!!
any INFLATION.

22 ————————————————————— KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE®

 \ counter his offer with a rate of ONE
okay, so he wants to play GAMES. is THAT it? COPPER piece -- for the ENTIRE JOB!!
one copper piece...?
FINE!! knuckles is LORD OF THE DANCE
you dont’ really expect
when it comes to the fine art of HAGGLING.
him to ACCEPT that offer.

this backwater hayseed yeah, well if \ make my ROLL he’s got no SAY in
won’t know what HIT ‘im. the matter -- now DOES he?? according to the
rules once you’ve entered into the HAGGLING
PROCESS the LOSER has to ABIDE by the results.

otherwise
it’s an
sho
o HONOR HIT.
sho ka!
oka!
!
ratt
l
ratt e!
le!

go ahead an make good point -- \’d better pull out she hasn’t seen the LIGHT OF DAY
yer roll then. one of my LUCK twenty-siders... since she let you down that night
you FELL from MOTLEY’S PEAK.

but at one-tenth let’s see...

the BOOK RATE aaahh..., wasn’t her
the negative which one
should it be...? FAULT. \ PUSHED her
MODIFIERS too hard that day.
are going to
aaah yes..., yer pullin’
be StAGGERING.
out JUANITA?
ONE-NITA BLUE PIPS.

sho
o
sho ka!
oka!
!

ONA FEW MOMENTS LATER...

besides, \’ve kept her SEGREGATED
since then in her own little MINI-POUCH.
sorry, bob. even with the modifiers from your FAST
TALK attempt it wasn’t enough for you SUCCEED.

she should be he REFUSES yer counter offer and

RECHARGED by now. comes back with one of his own...

for cryin’ out loud will

you ROLL already...? “my price is oh dear...
now TEN GOLD TEN!!
yer getting a HORSE shoed PIECES per shoe!”
not DENTAL SURGERY.

we got
PLACES
to GO!!

KODT®: THE ORIGINS 2004 SPECIAL EDITION ———————————————— 23

 what the HELL??!!! and your
shya’right -- you can kiss
OUTRAGEOUS
my ROSEY RED dwarven butt.
he’s supposed to counter offer
come DOWN not go UP. has greatly
OFFENDED him.
\’ll just WALK little mike
doesn’t this guy to the NEXT town and
“if you want have him SHOED there.
know how to your MULE reshod
HAGGLE? it’ll cost you
FORTY GOLD sorry, bob. \’m
PIECES for the afraid you’ll huh...? what are you
oh yes -- in jOB, stranger.”
have to PAY the talkin’ about. \ ain’t
fact he’s
man and let him payin’ FORTY GOLD.
a MASTER
do the work.
HAGGLER.

\’m afraid you’ll you said it yourself, the “LOSER” of the HAGGLING
HAVE to or take a process is OBLIGATED to accept the OUTCOME.
HIT on yer honor to
the tune of FIVE POINTS.
normally, \ don’t ENFORCE that
particular provision of the rule but
since you saw fit to INVOKE it, it only hey dude, do me a FAVOR.
seems FAIR that it goes BOTH ways. before you KILL this guy let
the BLACKSMITH
him finish MY horse first...
made his HAGGLING ROLL...
this is a JOKE -- right?
you tryin’ to be FUNNY? whoah --
that’s BRUTAL!!

well...?? what’s it gonna be, BOB??

FORTY GOLD or FIVE POINTS of honor??

wow -- you can actually

-firk- -ding- frickin BLAST!! force someone to pay MORE interesting...
than they bargained for?
alright, alright, \ PAY the \ never realized just how
bastard. firkin’ mumble mumble BROKEN that rule was.

but he’s going me neither.

on the LIST...

H!!
TC ! SC
RA H!
RIB
SC TC SC B
RIB LE!
CRA BL
S E!

24 ————————————————————— KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE®

The Hagglers by jolly r. blackburn

THE FOLLOWING WEEK...

okay, another NIGHT passes. according to MY calendar

BRIAN’S character should be finished LEVELING up by now. before we leave town, \’d
like to set up a BOOTH
and bob your REFRESHER that’s great. down at the BAZAAR.
COURSE at the THIEVES GUILD
should be wrapping up as well. we’re just
about ready to
MOVE on then.
kewl beans. \’ll move hey, b.a....
back to the INN then.

a BOOTH? at the stinkin’ BAZAAR? let’s see, \ have two bent TENT PEGS, a rusty
sword with a LOOSE hilt, four boots -- none
what the hell for?? of which match, a TARP with a hole in it, a
funny looking ROCK \ found on the beach at
TARRINGTON PLACE, three MUCK WALLER hides,
oh..., ummmm, \’ve been luggin’ a greasy spoon, an eye patch with the initials
a bunch of worthless CRAP B.G.D. on it, a CROW FEATHER, some DIARY \
around in my BAG OF HEFTY could never translate, the FEMUR of a
CARRYING CAPACITY -- RING-TAILED LEMUR, a HAMMER HEAD
\ thought \ might UNLOAD some of it. with no handle, seventy-five feet of
rope -- fity pound test, three bottles
of indelible ink, four knitting needles...
oh yeah? what oh..., just a
what’s he kind of crap? hey... \ might be interested
FEW things...
UP to?? in those TENT PEGS.

and \ wouldn’t mind havin’ well... they ARE bent. and \ only need ONE
that EYE PATCH. might come tent peg. let’s see... \ guess \ could give
in HANDY for my DISGUISE KIT. you a SILVER PIECE for the TWO of ‘em.

oh yeah? well make

\’ll give ya five COPPERS
me an OFFER for ‘em.
for the EYE PATCH. after
tempting
all it DOES have someone
offers...
else's INITIALS on it.
you want us sure -- what would
to BUY ‘em? you GIVE for ‘em?

KODT®: THE ORIGINS 2004 SPECIAL EDITION ———————————————— 25

 but let me PROPOSE a price that’s
CLOSER to their TRUE value...
what are
you...
sorry, guys.
twenty gold pieces for the TENT PEGS NUTS? \ guess \ don’t need those
and FIFTY for the EYE PATCH. tent pegs THAT badly. you’re LOCKED
in -- you made
an OFFER and
how’s THAT \ COUNTERED...
grab ya? that EYE PATCH ain’t

q
worth no FIFTY gold.

don’t look at me guys --- \ didn’t though not very LIKELY.

know ANYTHING about it.
-- \ took advantage of
ummmm, TECHNICALLY he’s right -- the the OPPORTUNITY while \
everyone make a
HAGGLING PROCESS has been entered into. was LEVELING UP and put
HAGGLING ROLL and
we’ll COMPARE. ALL my building points
toward MAXING out my
you mean we HAGGLING and POWER OF
HAVE to roll? PERSUASION skills...

don’t FRET,
well, either THAT
dude -- we’ve guys. you
or automatically
been SET UP!! could
accept his PRICE.
always WIN...

ONA FEW ROLLS LATER... hey, you wanna SELL

thank you for darn tootin’,
shopping at those tent pegs? \ WANT ‘EM!!
BLACK LOTUS
MART, gentlemen. you want ‘em?
\’m gonna
NAIL that
FAT FRICK
to the
CITY GATE!!

b.a., \’m gonna head down to the BAZAAR now and hey dude -- whatta ya doing?
set up my booth. \ figure \ can make a FORTUNE
selling all this crap. hell, \ might even set up SHOP. addin’ his name
to the LIST!!

H!!
TC !
RA H!
SC TC
RA
SC

-FINIS-

26 ————————————————————— KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE®

 Special
Programming
RIGINS is about playing games, but GAMA has added several program tracks that involve not just game-play-

O ing but also seminars and workshops on the subjects of different kinds of games. Here’s a rundown of some
of these programs you might find interesting while attending the convention.
• PLAY WITH THE CREATOR: Several legendary creators, including Jonathan Tweet, Tom Wham, Greg Stafford, and
more have agreed to run events for the games that made them famous. Check out the Special Events listings in the
program book to see who’s available and when.
• ORIGINS AUCTION: Here’s your chance to bid on classics, first editions, and those hard-to-find games to fill out
your library. Plus, a number of Hall-of-Famers are donating special items to commemorate Origins’ 30th Anniversary.
The auction runs throughout the show.
• ART SHOW: See what some of the best game illustrators have to offer and get an early look at some potential
rising stars. This year, the art show will be juried, so you’ll get to see what our panel of experts thinks is the really good
stuff!
• TRADITIONAL GAMES TRACK: Ever wanted to learn to play Bridge? How about facing off with some talented
Cribbage players to see how good you are? Or perhaps you’d like to sit in on a seminar with a Chess Master. This year,
Origins features events and seminars by the American Contract Bridge League, the American Cribbage Congress, and
the U.S. Chess Federation. Check out the program book for times and locations.
• ORIGINS OF A GAME: Veteran artists and game designers will struggle to complete a card game… in just two hours.
They’ll need help from the audience to come up with the best design. This event is held Friday from 4:00PM to
6:00PM. Check the program book for location.
• SUPERHERO CELEBRATION: There’s nothing quite like two guys in tights and capes beating the daylights out of
each other in four-color goodness. Origins celebrates
superheroes and the games that feature them with pre-
sentations and events by the biggest companies produc-
ing superhero games today. Check the Special Event list-
ings for a complete lineup.
• DAYS OF KNIGHTS: Fantasy literature has long been a
key source of inspiration for hobby games designers.
Now, there’s a track of programming that explores this
theme from its roots in Arthurian romance to its modern WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
day manifestations. Check the program book for a com- (WMD) ARE HERE!
plete list of seminars and events.
• TWIN FORCES – ANIME AND GAMING: Anime is on a The new expansion for the Nuclear War Card
fast track of popularity in the U.S., and it has both Game is available. Check out the website at
inspired game publishers and interested gamers long www.flyingbuffalo.com/nucwar.htm or stop by
before becoming a pop cultural sensation. This program the Flying Buffalo booth at Origins or Gencon.
explores the intersection of these two forces and how to
bring anime style action to your games. Check the pro- The Untouchable Trio plus One Go Diceless?
gram book for complete listings of events. Lost Worlds is a fantasy combat system that does
• ORIGINS WAR COLLEGE: War-gaming is where it all not use dice. Flying Buffalo has licensed KODT
began for Origins and for the hobby games industry. The characters for the game.
Origins War College is one of the oldest features of the Bob, Brian, Dave, and Sara are available. See
show and includes seminars, events, and other program- www.flyingbuffalo.com/lostw.htm for info, or
ming cover all aspects of the industry’s root-level games. write and ask for a free catalog.
Look in the program book for all the opportunities here.
Flying Buffalo
That’s only a fraction of the special events available. A
Box 1467
complete listing of all that is happening in this, the
biggest and best Origins ever, can be found in the pro-
Scottsdale AZ 85252
gram book.K

KODT®: ORIGINS 2004 SPECIAL EDITION —————————————————— 27

A Brief History of Origins By John R. Phythyon, Jr.

his is Origins’ 30th Anniversary. But where did it all Eventually, Wizards of the Coast bought Andon Unlimited

T begin?

The Origins Game Expo was born in 1975 in Baltimore

MD. The first show was held at Johns Hopkins University,
and it was run by Avalon Hill and a local gaming club,
Interest Group Baltimore. Don Greenwood, who was at
Avalon Hill at the time, was the man responsible for helping
make it happen.
Avalon Hill ran the show the next year as well, but in
1997, SPI took over and ran the show on Staten Island. In
1978, the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA),
which had been formed initially to protect the interests of
Origins, assumed management. GAMA would franchise the
show out for the next 24 years, taking bids from interested
parties to run the show for GAMA.
In 1994, Andon Unlimited was selected to take over run-
ning the show. Andon advised GAMA that to truly grow the
show, it had to select a permanent site for it. Prior to this
time, Origins had moved from city to city every year. Thus,
in 1996, Origins moved to its current home, Columbus
OH, where it has been growing steadily ever since.
and took over running the show for a brief time. But in late
2000, WotC informed GAMA that it would not run the
show past 2001. So, in 2002, GAMA began running Origins
itself and has been doing so ever since.
The name “Origins” was suggested by Don Greenwood
back when the show was first organized in 1975. Avalon Hill
is credited as the first company to produce a commercial
board war game. Since the show was held in Baltimore,
where Avalon Hill was based, the name of the convention –
originally focused on war-gaming – was meant to imply that
it occurred in the city that was the origins of the hobby.
The Origins Awards, named for the show, have also been
around for 30 years now. They were held at the very first
Origins in Baltimore, and there were only five categories:
Best Professional Game, Best Amateur Game, Best
Professional Magazine, Best Amateur Magazine, and Hall
of Fame. Today, the Origins Awards cover over 25 categories
awarding design excellence in board games, card games, role-
playing games, miniatures games, game accessories, and
game fiction. K

Kenzer and Company Events, Origins 2004

THURSDAY - 6/24/04 Start Length SATURDAY - 6/26/04 Start Length
Event Title Time (Hours) Event Title Time (Hours)
Learn to Hack, Love to Hack 9:00 AM 2 Living Kingdoms of Kalamar:
Aces & Eights: Shattered Frontiers 10:00 AM 2 A Wrestling Good Time 8:00 AM 2+
Living Kingdoms of Kalamar: Living Kingdoms of Kalamar:
A Wrestling Good Time 1:00 PM 2+ Black and White 8:00 AM 2+
Living Kingdoms of Kalamar: Aces & Eights: Shattered Frontiers 10:00 AM 2
Black and White 1:00 PM 2+ Aces & Eights: Shattered Frontiers 1:00 PM 2
Living Kingdoms of Kalamar: Living Kingdoms of Kalamar:
A Wrestling Good Time 6:00 PM 2+ A Wrestling Good Time 1:00 PM 2+
Living Kingdoms of Kalamar: Living Kingdoms of Kalamar:
Black and White 6:00 PM 2+ Black and White 1:00 PM 2+
Living Kingdoms of Kalamar:
FRIDAY - 6/25/04 Start Length A Wrestling Good Time 6:00 PM 2+
Event Title Time (Hours) Living Kingdoms of Kalamar:
Living Kingdoms of Kalamar: Black and White 6:00 PM 2+
A Wrestling Good Time 8:00 AM 2+ KODT LIVE READING! 7:00 PM 2
Living Kingdoms of Kalamar:
Black and White 8:00 AM 2+ SUNDAY - 6/27/04 Start Length
Learn to Hack, Love to Hack 9:00 AM 2 Event Title Time (Hours)
Aces & Eights: Shattered Frontiers 10:00 AM 2 Living Kingdoms of Kalamar:
Living Kingdoms of Kalamar: Interactive! 1:00 PM 2+ A Wrestling Good Time 8:00 AM 2
Living Kingdoms of Kalamar: Living Kingdoms of Kalamar:
A Wrestling Good Time 6:00 PM 2+ Black and White 8:00 AM 2+
Living Kingdoms of Kalamar: Aces & Eights: Shattered Frontiers 10:00 AM 2
Black and White 6:00 PM 2+ Aces & Eights: Shattered Frontiers 1:00 PM 2
Meet the Kenzer & Co. Crew 6:00 PM 2 Living Kingdoms of Kalamar:
A Wrestling Good Time 1:00 PM 2+
Living Kingdoms of Kalamar:
Black and White 1:00 PM 2+
 EXHIBITOR LIST
Booth# Booth# Booth#
9th Level Games 155 Dead Ant Games 114 Out of the Box Publishing, LLC 632
ACS Gamefest Series Reg area Decipher, Inc. 638 Paizo Publishing 100
Ad Astra Games 243 Decision Games Inc. 900 Palladium Books 932
Adiken 318 Destini Productions 514 Pandahead Productions 639
Adventure Games Inc. 706 Doppleganger USA 115 Pegasus Publishing 1011
Adventure Retail Ltd. 419 Dork Storm Press 419 Phalanx Games 90
Alderac Entertainment Group 718 Dream Green 106 Pictors Studio 1100
Amarillo Design Bureau 121 Dust Bunny Games 835 Pinnacle Entertainment Group 111
American Contract Bridge League 811 Dwarven Forge 232 Play Again Games 207
Anime Palace 706 Eagle Games Inc. 810 Player's Choice 411
Art of Ed Beard, Jr. 514 Eight Foot Llama 310 Playroom Entertainment 732
Art of Susan Van Camp 1048 Face2Face Games 1020 Plenary Games LLC 310
Atlas Games 419 Fantasy Flight Games, Inc. 410 Privateer Press 428
Austin Leather Works 1146 Faultline Studios 314 ProFantasy Software, LTD 927
Australian Design Group 1020 Filsinger Games 525 Purgatory Publishing, Inc. 234
Avalanche Press Ltd 422 Five of Us, Inc., The 941 Queen's Domain 204
Bandai America 146 Fluid Entertainment 634 Queen's Domain 807
Bead-Azzled 838 Flying Buffalo 424 R & R Games, Inc. 1012
Belle & Blade Studios 1260 Flying Tricycle 833 Raiding Party Games 925
Black Dragon Press 1048 GAMA-Game Manufacturers Assc 95 RAK Graphics, Artist 123
Blood and Cardstock Games 832 Gam Room 1250 Reaper Miniatures 218
Card Haus 411 Game Table Online Hall C Red Shirt Games 97
Cheapass Games 114 Gamescience Inc. 212 Rook Steel Storage 1038
Cheese Weasel Logistics 920 GenConLLC Reg area RPG Objects 155
Chessex 610 GMT Games 1010 Sabertooth Games 806
Chimera Hobby Shop, Inc. 918 Goblin Grottoe 145 Score Entertainment 210
Chimera Hobby Shop Inc. 1018 Gorilla Games 641 Second Rat Games 426
Clash of Arms Games 906 Great White Games 111 Shrapnel Games 1118
Cloud Kingdom Games 538 Green Ronin Publishing 200 Silver, Sword and Stone 1132
Collector's Cache 328 Griffin Works, the 840 Smirk and Dagger 834
Columbia Games, Inc. 1006 Guardians of Order 614 Social Games 822
Comic Images Inc. 103 Hammerdog Games 910 Soldiery, The 1105
Consim Press 90 Happy Nebula Games 546 Sovereign Press 615
CoolStuffInc.com 352 Heather V. Kreiter, Artist A-4 StarCityGames.com 99
Crazy Egor's 1122 Hero Games 815 Starwind Designs 241
Creative Force 527 Holistic Design 510 Steve Jackson Games 419
Crystal Caste 700 Interactivities Ink 832 Strike Zone 926
Dagoom Inc. 935 J & J Enterprises 1047 Stylin' 252
Dancing Eggplant Games 832 Jolly Roger Games 1244 Stylin' 1028
Dave and Adam's Card World 1026 Kenzer & Company 600 Swordmark Company 1021
Days of Wonder 814 Key 20 Publishing 1112 Tarnished Images / Ruth Thompson 140
KMI Studio, Artist A-2 Thoroughbred Figures and Models 904
JUMPIN’ BAJEEMERS!!! Knight Ware Inc. 94 Timeline Ltd. 243
lookit ALL the
Koplow Games 446 Titan Games Inc. 135
frickin’ COMPANIES? Lance & Laser 734 Tomas the Lapidary 946
Last Square 1114 Tony Steele, Artist A-5
more games than Little Wars Houston 1101 Toy Vault Inc. 710
\’m in
you can shake HEAVEN.
London War Room, The 1002 Triumph Games and Laminating 1005
a STICK at!! Looney Labs 300 Troll & Toad, Inc./ Toy Vault Inc. 710
Lotus Guardian 635 Troll Lord Games 1123
Magnificent Egos 1046 Twilight Creations Inc. 110
Mark Poole, Artist 842 Uberplay Entertainment 414
Matrix Games 1106 Ultra Pro 800
Mayfair Games 432 Upper Deck Co., The 940
Midnight Syndicate 643 Veronica Jones, Artist A-1
Miniature Building Authority, The 228 West End Games 234
Monkey God Enterprises 1020 Wingnut Games 1123
Multi-Man Publishing LLC 1107 Winsome Games 1000
NEPPA Games 412 Wizards of the Coast 518
Nigel Sade, Artist A-3 Wizard's Wagon, The 912
Nintendo of America Inc. 1032 Wizkids 400
Noble Knight Games 452 Zipwhaa Inc. 312
Off World Designs 532 Z-Man Games, Inc. 105
C OLUMBUS R ESTAURANTS 11. O’Shaughnessy’s Public House
401 N. Front St.
COSI Columbus
333 W. Broad St.
1. Barley’s Brewing Company Columbus, OH 43215 Columbus, OH 43215
467 N. High Street Phone: (614) 224-6767; Fax: (614) 224-9924 Phone: (614) 228-COSI; Fax: (614) 629-3150
Columbus, OH 43215 Located next to Nationwide Arena. Family-owned Explore science, discover fun at COSI! COSI fea-
Phone: (614) 228-ALES; Fax: (614) 224-2739 authentic Irish public house. tures eight exhibition areas, three theaters and
Located across from the Greater Columbus more. Located downtown on the west bank of the
Convention Center. Award-winning ales comple- 12. Strada World Cuisine
Scioto River. Open Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.;
ment full menu. Mon. - Thur., 11 a.m. - mid- 106 W. Vine Street
Sun., noon-6 p.m. Admission $12 (age 13-60);
night; Fri. and Sat., 11 a.m. - 2 a.m.; Sun., noon - Columbus, OH 43215
seniors (60+) $10; ch
midnight. Phone: (614) 228-8244; Fax: (614) 228-8271
Located 1 1/2 blocks from Greater Columbus Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical
2. BD’s Mongolian Barbeque Convention Center. Upscale bistro, fusion menu; Garden
295 Marconi Blvd. comfortable attire. Repeatedly ranked “Top 10” in 1777 E. Broad St.
Columbus, OH 43215 casual dining. Lunch Mon.-Fri. Dinner seven Columbus, OH 43203-2040
Phone: (614) 586-0077; Fax: (614) 586-0078 days. Phone: (614) 645-8733; Fax: (614) 645-5921
Asian cuisine, interactive dining. Create your own (800) 214-PARK
stir fry. 13. Ted’s Montana Grill
Located three miles east of downtown.
191 W. Nationwide Blvd.
3. Black & Blue Fine Dining Bistro Bar Horticultural landmark housing four climates;
Ste. 100
200 West Nationwide Blvd. bonsai and orchid collections; gift shop, cafe; sea-
Columbus, OH 43215
Columbus, OH 43215 sonal shows; Victorian palm house. Adults $5;
Phone: (614) 227-0013; Fax: (614) 224-3640
Phone: (614) 246-2800; Fax: (614) 246-2828 senior and students $3.50; children (2-12) $2;
Fresh-made beef or bison burgers 25 ways
Located on the southwest corner of Nationwide children under 2 free. Open
Arena in downtown Columbus. Three unique North Market
Not a restaurant, but a great place to get good,
GameWorks - Easton
concepts, one great location. American cuisine. 165 Easton Town Center
Open for lunch and dinner, Mon.-Sat. healthy food at reasonable prices
Columbus, OH 43219
59 Spruce Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215
4. Blues Station Phone: (614) 418-7149
one block north of Nationwide Arena
184 W. Vine Street Games, drinks, music and food.
one block west of Greater Columbus Convention
Columbus, OH 43215 Center German Village Society
Phone: (614) 884-BLUE 614-463-9664 588 S. Third St.
Full menu of blues-influenced cuisine. Eat. Drink. Tuesday-Friday: 9 am-7 pm Columbus, OH 43215
Enjoy good times, great music. Call for hours. Saturday: 8 am-5 pm Phone: (614) 221-8888; Fax: (614) 222-4747
5. Braddock’s Diner Sunday: Noon-5 pm Located six blocks south of the State Capitol and
59 Spruce St. south of I-70 (Third and Fourth street exits).
Columbus, OH 43215 C OLUMBUS ATTRACTIONS Restored 19th-century community containing
Phone: (614) 621-2233; Fax: (614) 621-0734 beautifully renovated homes, shops and restau-
Anthony-Thomas Candy Company
Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily rants. Center open year-round
1777 Arlingate Lane
6. Brickyard Columbus, OH 43228 Inniswood Metro Gardens
1152 Goodale Blvd. Phone: (614) 272-9221; Fax: (614) 274-0019 940 S. Hempstead Rd.
Columbus, OH 43212 Located at I-270 and Roberts Road. Visit one of Westerville, OH 43081
Phone: (614) 221-4600; Fax: (614) 737-0405 the largest family-owned candy making facilities in Phone: (614) 895-6216; Fax: (614) 895-6352
Entertainment, nightlife, live music, food. the U.S. and shop for delicious chocolates. 120-acre botanical garden and nature preserve.
Summer open house on Tues. & Thur., 9:30 a.m.- Rose, herb, rock, various perennial gardens and a
7. Buca di Beppo 2 p.m. Reservations required. Retail Shoppe, 2.8-acre children’s garden. Several miles of walking
343 N. Front St. Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5 trails. Gardens open seven days, 7 a.m.-dark. Free
Columbus, OH 43215 admission.
Phone: (614) 621-EATS; Fax: (614) 621-2439 Bruce Lee Legends of Martial Art Hall of
Immigrant southern Italian, family style. Fame Museum Longaberger Homestead
1349 Brice Rd. 5563 Raiders Rd. (St. Rte. 16)
8. Chipotle Renoldsburg, OH 43068 Frazeysburg, OH 43822
401 North Front Street Phone: (614) 864-4000; Fax: (614) 864-4146 Phone: (740) 322-5588; Fax: (740) 754-5710
Columbus, OH 43215 Over 5000 piece collection non-profit foundation Located 50 minutes east of Columbus on St. Rte.
Phone: (614) 228-5488; Fax: (614) 855-4846 16 near Dresden. Basketmaking manufacturing
Gourmet burritos and tacos Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe tour; shopping, dining, entertainment, kids activ-
1421 Olentangy River Rd.
9. Mitchell’s Steakhouse ities. Open Mon.-Sat., 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun., 11
Columbus, OH 43212
45 N. Third St a.m.-6 p.m. Free admission.
Phone: (614) 291-CAFE; Fax: (614) 291-9588
Columbus, OH 43215 Located at the corner of Olentangy River Road Topiary Garden
Phone: (614)621-BEEF and Fifth Avenue. More than $1 million in games, Old Deaf School Park
10. Martini Italian Bistro complete banquet facilities, OSU retail items, 480 E. Town St.
445 N. High St. Heisman Trophy. Open Mon.-Thur., 11 a.m. - Columbus, OH 43215
Columbus, OH 43215 midnight; Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.- 1 a.m.; Sun., 10 Phone: (614) 645-0197; Fax: (614) 645-0172
Phone: (614) 224-8259; Fax: (614) 224-8780 a.m.-10 p.m. Corner of East Town Street and Washington
Contemporary Italian cuisine. Open for lunch Boulevard. Open daily. Free admission. Seurat’s
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium “Sunday Afternoon” painting sculpted in topiary;
Mon.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Open for dinner 9990 Riverside Dr.
Mon.-Thur., 4-10 p.m.; Fri., 4-11 p.m.; Sat., 5-11 visitor center and gift shop.
P.O. Box 400
p.m.; Sun., 5-9 p.m. www.topiarygarden.org.
Powell, OH 43065-0400
Phone: (614) 645-3550; Fax: (614) 645-3465
(800) MON-KEYS
Located along the banks of the Scioto River in
northwest Columbus. Home to more than 700
species — manatees, gorillas, reptiles, fish and
more. Open 365 days a year, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Adults
(12-59) $8; seniors (60+) $7; children (2-11) $5;
parking $3.
PARTING
OVERHEARD AT
THE GAMING TABLE...™

“My character has

DIED so many times
he’s on a first name basis
with DEATH himself.”
SHOTS

GREEN EGGS AND LEMBAS

Excerpt from the long lost largely unknown screenplay for THE LORD OF THE RINGS by Dr. Seuss
Found on the usenet

(Scene: Bag End, after Bilbo’s party) FRODO: GANDALF:

GANDALF:
That Samwise-Sam! That Samwise-Sam!
I do not like that Samwise-Sam!
FRODO:
Would you like some bread and jam?
GANDALF:
I do not want your bread and jam.
I’m busy being mad at Sam.
He likes to sneak. He likes to spy.
I’ll grind him up for hobbit pie!
FRODO:
Oh, do not grind him up for pie!
He is a pretty handy guy.
He mows my grass. He paints my gate.
He is my friend. We both are straight.
GANDALF:
Well, then, I will not grind up Sam!
Bring me bread, and bring me jam!
We’ll talk about another thing.
Tell me, do you have the ring?
FRODO:
I have the ring. I have it here.
But, mercy me! Oh, dear! Oh, dear!
I fear the ring is very bad,
The golden ring that Bilbo had!
Tell me, will you take the ring?
GANDALF:
I will not take that evil thing!
Would you, could you, by the fire?
Would you, could you, in the Shire?
GANDALF:
I would not, could not, by the fire.
I would not, could not, in the Shire.
FRODO:
Would you, could you, in a tree?
Would you, on the road to Bree?
Would you, with an orc or troll?
Would you, in a hobbit-hole?
GANDALF:
I would not, could not, in a tree.
I would not, on the road to Bree.
I would not, with an orc or troll.
I would not, in a hobbit-hole.
I will not take it here or there,
I will not take it anywhere!
For it is bad. It’s as you say.
You’ll have to take that ring away
And throw it in the Cracks of Doom!
FRODO:
I’ll need a friend. But who, or whom?
(Gandalf produces Sam, who has been spying)
SAM:
Oh, Master! Master! Sam is here!
He’ll wash me down with beer, I fear!
I do not wish to be a pie!
I will not eat you, little spy!
But I will send you far away.
You both will go away today.
You’ll go to Bree. A man is there.
The man looks foul. The man feels fair.
He’ll lead you both, if all goes well,
To meet the elves in Rivendell.
SAM:
Oh, Master! We will meet the elves!
We’ll get to meet the elves ourselves
And hear them sing their elven songs!
We’ll hear them bong their elven-gongs
And strum their elven loola-lutes!
They’ll hoot their elven hooty-toots!
GANDALF:
I hope you’ll hear those loola-lutes
And hear the hoots of hooty-toots!
But go with care. To be a pie
Is better than to meet the Eye!
The Eye is mean. The Eye is red.
He rules nine Riders. They are dead.
They’ll try to make you dead, as well.
But will they catch you? Time will tell!
FRODO:
Oh, dear! Oh, dear! This is a mess!
We’ll have to fix this mess, I guess.
So we will go, just Sam and me.
And what will happen? We will see!

32 ————————————————————— KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE®