The WEGS Fray

BOSS RPG | Basic Old Skool System

Are you ready for the BOSS? We are in full-throttle play test mode with our new Basic Old Skool System. For our WEGS Old Skool…

GameWick News

Big News! The New GameWick Games Shop is Live!

And here to celebrate with us is the talented Mr. H.P. Lovecraft who stars as The Night Clerk in Shuffling Horror: Innsmouth 32! (The Innsmouth…

Shuffling Horrors!

Big News! The New GameWick Games Shop is Live!

And here to celebrate with us is the talented Mr. H.P. Lovecraft who stars as The Night Clerk in Shuffling Horror: Innsmouth 32! (The Innsmouth…

Gary Con XII | Old Skool Fantasy Awaits!

January 25th, 2020
Conventions, GameWick News, Gary Con

Here’s a list of the events I am running at Gary Con XII (2020). It’s a mix of WEGS Old Skool Fantasy rpg adventures and a couple of special Shuffling Horror events. Blurbs for all events found below.

For dungeoncrawl fans, BOSS, the Basic Old Skool System, is akin to Basic D&D and designed for over-the-top fantasy adventure. All BOSS events are intro sessions and start with a quick character creation (link below to our character creation pdf guide). For horror gaming fans, there’s an Innsmouth 32 session (summer 2020 release) and a playtest of Cannibal Creeps (future expansion for Pittsburgh 68).

Wick’s Gary Con XII Events (2020)

Thursday
1 pm – 4 pm      The Caves of Utter Chaos (BOSS)  ID#794
8 pm – 10 pm    Shuffling Horror: Innsmouth 32 (Sneak Peek) ID#793
10 pm – Mid      Shuffling Horror: Cannibal Creeps (Sneak Peek)  ID#792

Friday
10 am – 12 pm     Elf. Dwarf. Magic-User. Thief (BOSS)  ID#790
1 pm –  4 pm       The Caves of Utter Chaos (BOSS)  ID#795
8 pm – 11 pm      Cast Blast: Beyond Thunderdoom (WOSF)  ID#789

Saturday
10 am – 12 pm     Elf. Dwarf. Magic-User. Thief (BOSS)  ID#791
1 pm – 4 pm        The Caves of Utter Chaos (BOSS)  ID#796

The BOSS Character Creation Guide pdf is found here.

BAN-WOSF-2019

WEGS Old Skool Event Blurbs

Elf. Dwarf. Magic-User. Thief. (BOSS)

Full-throttle dungeon fun with the BOSS (Basic Old Skool System). The BOSS pays homage to Holmes Edition style adventure. We start by rolling up characters and then heroically set forth to the dungeon! Honed for simple, fast-paced play, the BOSS rules are a bare bones version of WEGS Old Skool Fantasy RPG. Great system intro. No XP required. Pig-Faced Orcs Await! Pssst… give your character an edge, claim one of these trove items!

The Caves of Utter Chaos (BOSS)

You’ve heard of the Caves of Chaos, perhaps? Well, these are the caves below those caves that nobody dares enter. We start by rolling up characters and then enter a dungeon brimming with terrible foes, nasty traps, and treasure galore. Full-throttle dungeon fun awaits with the BOSS (Basic Old Skool System). Rules taught. No XP required. Don’t forget those iron spikes and stirge repellant! Pssst… give your character an edge, claim one of these trove items!

Cast & Blast: Beyond Thunderdoom (WOSF)

We don’t need another hee-ro, we just need another wee-zard… Eight wizards enter Thunderdoom, one wizard leaves. This is a moderated player-vs-player, anything-goes spellbrawl where one wizard will walk away and the rest won’t. In WEGS, spellcasting is as simple as cast and blast. Use whatever spell you like, as long as you like, as many times as you like, as long as you have the spoints to pay for it. All rules taught. Zany dungeon fun awaits! Want an edge? Email the Lair Bear for a spellbook.

Shuffling Horror Blurbs

Shuffling Horror: Pittsburgh 68-Cannibal Creeps!

The Time: 1968. The Place: Pittsburgh. The Problem: Zombies AND Cannibals!  What’s worse than a zombie apocalypse? A zombie apocalypse with cannibal creeps on the prowl. A new twist on Pittsburgh 68 play! This cinematic card-n-dice story-telling experience plunges you into the horror of a creepy old zombie flick. Trapped in a farmhouse, survivors face an ever-growing zombie problem (which they might end up being a part of). Like a GM, one player directs the movie and controls the zombies; all other players just try to survive a night of the living dead! Who will be standing when the film fades to black?

Shuffling Horror: Innsmouth 32 (Summer 2020 Release)

Lovecraftian horror awaits in this latest Shuffling Horror release. Based on H.P. Lovecraft’s “Shadow Over Innsmouth”, the game’s action is set a few years after that story ends. On the lam gangsters hijack a tour bus of Miskatonic University scholars and students. One wrong turn lands the group in the decrepit seaside town of Innsmouth. A night of terror ensues in this cinematic card-n-dice game.

BAN-HP-I32-TY-2020-961X277

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Gary Con XI Event: The Caves of Utter Chaos (WEGS)

January 22nd, 2019
Conventions, Gary Con, The WEGS Fray

GCIX-COUC-Lizards-SQR-600
Where: Gary Con Gaming Convention
When: Friday, March 8th and Saturday, March 9th
Time: 2 – 5 pm
System: WEGS Basic Old Skool System (WEGS BOSS)

A grizzled old Dwarf, his beard wet with ale, turns to your party. Long-ago adventure gleams in his eye as he lets you in on a little secret… “You’ve heard of the Caves of Chaos, perhaps? Well, there are  caves below those caves… the Caves of Utter Chaos. Everyone knows the upper caves have long since be picked over by every first-level adventurer and his five hit-point brother. The caves beyond… ah… that’s where the fun is now! But those who enter better be prepared for anything, my friends. It is a mess of chaotic tunnels and forgotten chambers, impossible to map, and rife with terrible foes, nasty traps, and, if Lady Luck allows, treasure galore… If you’re looking for adventure, that’s the place to be…”

As many can guess, the Caves of Utter Chaos is inspired by the famous dungeon that accompanied Gary Gygax’s adventure module, The Keep On The Borderlands (B2). For many D&D players, this was the first dungeon they ever explored; it was packaged in the Basic Dungeons and Dragons introductory box set back in the early 80s. I remember the thrill of cracking open that module and seeing the gorgeous, baby blue and white grid, double spread dungeon map. Just one look and I knew epic fun was ahead.

These sessions seek to give folks those same retro thrills, when we played D&D for the first time. Players will be introduced to our Basic Old Skool System (WEGS BOSS) and get to create their first character (a pretty quick process). Here’s a preview of how easy character creation is.

All rules are taught. No XP required. Once characters are ready, it’s off to the dungeon for fun and adventure. Just don’t forget those iron spikes and stirge repellant!

Here’s a link to our full menu of Gary Con events!

BAN-WOSF-2019

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Gary Con XI Event: A Plump Half-Dead Merchant (WEGS)

January 12th, 2019
Conventions, Gary Con, The WEGS Fray

GCIX-HalfDeadMerch-600
Where: Gary Con!
When: Thursday, March 7th
Time: 7 – 10pm
System: WEGS Basic Old Skool System (WEGS BOSS)

I kick off my Gary Con 2019 events with something near and dear to my old school heart, an adventure inspired by a block of descriptive text from Gary Gygax’s epic adventure module, The Keep on the Borderlands. Back in the 80s, this was THE module that introduced many to basic Dungeons & Dragons. Within the module was the Caves of Chaos, a maze of dark tunnels to lure inexperienced heroes to their doom. In my very first game, my Elf quickly fell under a swarm of rats just shortly after character creation (Cave A, Room 2). I was hooked.

In another nearby cave complex dwelt the fierce Hobgoblins – it is there we find the “plump half-dead merchant”, his wife, and four other prisoners chained to the wall. The merchant and his wife’s time is running out as both are slated to be eaten that night! It is here that our adventure begins. Each player selects one of the six prisoners to play: the half-dead merchant (who begins with half HP!), the merchant’s wife; one of the two men-at-arms who serve as guards for the merchant; an orc (who will fight goblins and hobgoblins gladly) or, perhaps, a crazy gnoll.

Players also begin by picking a class for their character (Fighter, Magic User, Cleric, Thief, Ranger) – and then the game is afoot! In a prior session of this adventure, the merchant’s wife was a magic-user and became the group’s leader. In same game, the crazy gnoll thief just ran off, deserting the others to fight on their own. Twists and turns await!

Can the group band together and find a way out – or are they just doomed to hang around for dinner?

Find out with WEGS, the Wickedly Errant Game System. Rules taught!

Here’s a link to our full menu of Gary Con events!

BAN-WOSF-2019

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Gary Con XI: GameWick’s Events and More!

January 12th, 2019
Conventions, GameWick News, Gary Con

A quick look at the events I am running at Gary Con XI (2019). It’s a good mix of WEGS Old Skool Fantasy rpg adventures and special Shuffling Horror events. For fantasy rpg fans, WEGS, the Wickedly Errant Game System, is a fun system for dungeon-y misadventure. There are two types of WEGS events: WOSF (our original recipe system) and BOSS (the new Basic Old Skool System we’re working on)-both are easy to play and intro rules are taught at all games. For horror fans, Gary Con attendees get the chance to play in sneak peek Shuffling Horror events (titles to be released later this year). More info on each event is coming in future blog posts (links below updated as these occur).

GameWick’s Gary Con Events (2019)

Thursday
10 am – 12 pm   Shuffling Horror: Roswell 51
12 pm – 2 pm     Shuffling Horror: Innsmouth 32 (Sneak Peek)
7 pm – 10 pm     A Plump Half-Dead Merchant And His Wife (BOSS)
10 pm – Mid       Shuffling Horror: Pittsburgh 68-The Cannibal Creeps (Sneak Peek)

Friday
11 am – 1 pm     Shuffling Horror: Innsmouth 32 (Sneak Peek)
2 pm –   5 pm    The Caves of Utter Chaos (BOSS)
8 pm – Mid         Tomb of Utter Horror (WOSF)

Saturday
11 am – 1 pm     Shuffling Horror: Innsmouth 32 (Sneak Peek)
2 pm – 5 pm      The Caves of Utter Chaos (BOSS)
8 pm – 10 pm     Cast & Blast: Beyond Thunderdoom (BOSS)

Sunday
11am – 1 pm       How Many Heroes Does It Take To Slay A… Beholder?!? (BOSS)

A Beholder?!? Yup… I plan on ending the con with a total party kill!

BAN-WOSF-2019

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Gary Con XI: Wick’s Old Skool Menu

January 5th, 2019
Conventions, Gary Con, The WEGS Fray

Now in its eleventh year, Gary Con XI is held in honor of Gary Gygax and celebrates his “life well-played”. The convention is set in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, the town where the Gygax family lived, the first Gen Con was held, and TSR (the original publisher of Dungeons & Dragons) was based. It is run by the Gygax family and attended by many who played alongside Gary in the early days of the tabletop roleplaying game hobby.

NO-ROLL-ARK-KARDFor D&D fans, Gary Con is a destination gaming experience that cannot be beat! Below is the full menu of the events I am running there this year. Description blurbs for all of these events will follow in another post.

Overall, this is a good mix of old and new WEGS Old Skool Fantasy events. Designed for full-throttle sword-n-sorcery adventure, WOSF is heavy on the dungeon fun sauce. At some sessions, I’m playtesting a new intro system call the BOSS (Basic Old Skool System) which evokes an early D&D vibe. New players are welcome at all events. All rules taught!

There’s a few Shuffling Horror games creeping about the schedule, too, including the next Shuffling Horror release, Innsmouth 32, and a Pittsburgh 68 expansion called Cannibal Creeps (a special Gary Con sneak peek).

Something old, something new, and always something completely offbeat for our Gary Con friends and fans!

Wick’s Old Skool Menu : Gary Con 2019

Thursday
10 am – 12 pm   Shuffling Horror: Roswell 51
12 pm – 2 pm     Shuffling Horror: Innsmouth 32
7 pm – 10 pm     A Plump Half Dead Merchant And His Wife
10 pm – Mid       Shuffling Horror: Pittsburgh 68-Cannibal Creeps

Friday
11 am – 1 pm     Shuffling Horror: Innsmouth 32
2 pm –   5 pm    The Caves of Utter Chaos (BOSS)
8 pm – Mid         Tomb of Utter Horror (WOSF)

Saturday
11 am – 1 pm     Shuffling Horror: Innsmouth 32
2 pm – 5 pm      The Caves of Utter Chaos (BOSS)
8 pm – 10 pm     Cast & Blast: Beyond Thunderdoom

Sunday
11am – 1 pm       How Many Heroes Does It Take To Slay A… Beholder?!?

A Beholder?!? Yup… I plan on ending the con with a total party kill!

BAN-WOSF-2019

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March 4th for Gygax!

March 4th, 2018
Conventions, Gary Con, The WEGS Fray

It’s March 4th, Old Skool-ers! I’m taking a moment today to acknowledge the “life well played” of Gary Gygax (July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008). He’s the reason I got hooked on roleplaying games back on Christmas ’79, when I unwrapped the Basic Dungeons & Dragons box set. Man, the adventures I’ve been on since then: from the Keep on the Borderlands straight through to our own GameWick Games​ booth at Gen Con Indy.

PIC-March-4TH-Gorgax-400X600

Yup – it’s all due to Gygax’s efforts to get D&D out into this world when he started his game company, TSR. My little game company and my wacky rpg system WEGS Old Skool​ is done in this same spirit. In fact, if you’re reading this, all credit goes right back to Mr. Gygax. Most of you reading this I’ve met at a gaming con – so, you know what I’m talking about. Some of you I will even see at this week’s Gary Con Gaming Convention​ (where the Gygax family holds a gaming weekend in his honor).

March 4th, friends!

L. Willy Wick

Thank you, Mr. Gygax!

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