This started in the NuTSR info thread, but I'm starting to dig into things enough that I decided to start a new thread rather than derail that one completely.
Vincent Florio, aka The Evil DM, has released a PDF version of his module "The Cult of Abaddon" on lulu.com. Details can be found here: The Cult of Abaddon Module, now for Sale as a PDF! This is a product that Vincent "donated" to NuTSR, who then had Ernie Gygax modify it enough to add him as a co-author. Vincent has stated on his Twitter that he was paid nothing for the module and gets no percentage of sales from NuTSR, but the link above says that he owns the rights to publish it as a PDF. Ostensibly, he's the one getting paid when you buy a copy from lulu.com.
This is notable for a couple of reasons. First, it's the first real gaming product from NuTSR that we've actually seen. NuTSR teased a hard copy release of this "by the end of Jan 2022" but that has yet to materialize (just like the rest of NuTSR's vaporware). Second, the adventure centers around the tiny, simple village of "Morrus", an obvious jab at ENWorld.
The first thing to note is that the adventure is in dire need of a professional editing job. It has misspellings. It has grammar mistakes. It has run on sentences. It freely switches between calling the person running the game a Game Master, a Dungeon Master, and a Referee. At one point, a stat block covers half of a paragraph of text. @David Flor started doing a rundown of these issues (and a lot more info) on his Twitter, which you can see here:
Another big issue that I'm finding is that the module seems to have a couple of issues with crediting artists. For reference, these are the credits from the book:
However, as I'm going through the adventure, I'm finding some images that aren't properly sourced. First, I found this image:
Which is the "Dwarf Innkeeper" from Alekzander Zagorulko: https://alekzanderzagorulko.artstation.com/projects/o2Aw6W It's unclear if they paid for this or not, but it's clearly uncredited.
I also found multiple images from Axebane Games, including (but not limited to) these:
Axebane provides these images for free at drivethrurpg.com, but has strict requirements about crediting them for the work. These guidelines were not followed here.
If anyone has more info, please feel free to post. The next image that I'm trying to source is a small picture of what could be an elven warrior (called a "rager) that has this in the corner:
If anyone recognizes this logo or signature, let us know. I'll do my best to answer any questions about the PDF.
Vincent Florio, aka The Evil DM, has released a PDF version of his module "The Cult of Abaddon" on lulu.com. Details can be found here: The Cult of Abaddon Module, now for Sale as a PDF! This is a product that Vincent "donated" to NuTSR, who then had Ernie Gygax modify it enough to add him as a co-author. Vincent has stated on his Twitter that he was paid nothing for the module and gets no percentage of sales from NuTSR, but the link above says that he owns the rights to publish it as a PDF. Ostensibly, he's the one getting paid when you buy a copy from lulu.com.
This is notable for a couple of reasons. First, it's the first real gaming product from NuTSR that we've actually seen. NuTSR teased a hard copy release of this "by the end of Jan 2022" but that has yet to materialize (just like the rest of NuTSR's vaporware). Second, the adventure centers around the tiny, simple village of "Morrus", an obvious jab at ENWorld.
The first thing to note is that the adventure is in dire need of a professional editing job. It has misspellings. It has grammar mistakes. It has run on sentences. It freely switches between calling the person running the game a Game Master, a Dungeon Master, and a Referee. At one point, a stat block covers half of a paragraph of text. @David Flor started doing a rundown of these issues (and a lot more info) on his Twitter, which you can see here:
Another big issue that I'm finding is that the module seems to have a couple of issues with crediting artists. For reference, these are the credits from the book:
The Cult of Abaddon
A OSR Module written and created by Vincent “The Evil DM” Florio
with Ernest G. Gygax Jr.
Maps by Vincent Florio
Interior Art By
Vincent Florio
Donald Semora
Forge Studios
Cover Image by Felipe Gaona
Courtesy of Publishers Choice - Fat Goblin Games
Published by TSR Hobbies
Game Module is printed in the United States of America
ISBN 978-1-7341961-2-2
This game module and its content is in no way endorsed by Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro Games
or any other entity. All content is original to the author.
All interior artwork is © Copyright their respective artist, and TSR-Hobbies
makes no claims as to their ownership.
However, as I'm going through the adventure, I'm finding some images that aren't properly sourced. First, I found this image:
Which is the "Dwarf Innkeeper" from Alekzander Zagorulko: https://alekzanderzagorulko.artstation.com/projects/o2Aw6W It's unclear if they paid for this or not, but it's clearly uncredited.
I also found multiple images from Axebane Games, including (but not limited to) these:
Axebane provides these images for free at drivethrurpg.com, but has strict requirements about crediting them for the work. These guidelines were not followed here.
If anyone has more info, please feel free to post. The next image that I'm trying to source is a small picture of what could be an elven warrior (called a "rager) that has this in the corner:
If anyone recognizes this logo or signature, let us know. I'll do my best to answer any questions about the PDF.
Last edited: