[HYPE] Announcing No-Artpunk III

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Let us herald in the 3rd installment of the endeavor to revitalize the hobby by considering a statement by the well-known Bryce Lynch of Tenfootpole, the Hunter S. Thompson-like champion of the OSR orthodoxy, the most charitable, most artpunk friendly review blog imaginable, dedicated to usability, layout and short, evocative description.

One of the many terrible consequences of Artpunk D&D, and this is besides the unwelcome introduction of factional infighting based on political as opposed to gaming preference and the dilution of the meaning of the term ‘OSR’ to the point where it has become meaningless has been the near extinction of whole swathes of gaming from public perception. Everything is now adventures for levels 1-3, 1-8 if we are generous. Anything that requires genuine engagement with the game, which requires study, contemplation, long-term investment and experimentation instead of wild flourishes of creative but ultimately ephemereal creativity is either dead, exiled or on the endangered species list.

Who gives a SHIT? you ask.

Well I do and so should you. Why?

Because it is fun. Because it is far more rewarding to immerse yourself into a rich, multi-layered, absorbing game, refined through more then a decade of play, then to fiddle around with yet another rules lite for a session or ten before casting it aside in favor of yet another rules lite. Because we would like to have more then 2 hit points and trundle around in yet another level 1 dungeon for a change.

A while ago, I participated in an adventure called Dreamhouse of the Nether Prince by the inimitable Anthony Huso. I don’t have a review yet, but here is a pretty good one. For the last half year, I have been running and reading high level adventures. It is an absolute joy, an engaging challenge to player and GM alike, and no session is ever the same. High level adventuring existed for a short while during AD&D’s original run, with the ideal level range somewhere between 8-12, and some good adventures rising even above that. There was a short stretch at the tail end of second edition when the topic received a second renaissance under Bruce Cordell & Monte Cook. With the exception of Anthony Huso, there are virtually no published adventures in the OSR that succesfully tackle it.

With this NAP, we are going to change that.

But Prince I don’t know how to play High level D&D!

That’s the challenge. You are going to have to learn on the fly. You are going to have to scramble for something, experiment, get a feel for what High level play actually looks like. Unlike a level 1 dungeon, you cannot ‘fake’ high level D&D. You will need to gain first- or secondhand experience of what that type of gaming actually looks like.

To all you Newcomers and Zoomers on Itch.io: Let the raw strength of youth empower you. You have quick, agile minds, time and energy aplenty, the power of search engines and fresh eyes.

To all you Artpunkmen, who are not content to seethe on the sidelines this time: Prove that my words are empty. The last two contests saw only a single one of your kind elevated to the Anointed, a man, nay, a legend made manifest, who successfully wedded the power of Artpunk to the power of core D&D and became the stronger for it. You call yourselves the masters of design? Then Design. Personally I expect every last one of you to collapse from despair before you put even a single word in writing.

As always, there are rules:
– You may use only systems and supplements from this list. Do not deviate from them. We had a great entry last competition, but it was for the wrong system so it was disqualified.
– Your challenge is an adventure for level 7 minimum. The spirit of the competition is high level D&D, you are encouraged to go the extra-mile and go for at least level 9 or higher. Whether you make this a hex-crawl, dungeon or something different altogether is up to you. The minimum size is 20 keyed entries, unless your adventure format is so different that this does not apply (good luck).
– Because of the greater challenge, previous year’s restrictions have been loosened. You can add up to 10 items, spells & monsters of your own creation. That is a combined total (so 9 monsters and 1 spell would be the max). Will this aid, or hinder you? We shall see.
– Your adventure must be intended for actual play. No matter how good your ideas, you will be judged on your ability to turn those ideas into gameable content and integrate it into the extant framework of D&D.
– The format MUST be in PDF. It is not difficult to convert a worddoc to a PDF. It is vastly preferred that you use portrait and not landscape.
– Although it is in the spirit of the competition that you write a new adventure, I will generously allow people to submit existing work that has already been published, provided that it A) abides by the contest stipulations and B) is no older then 1 year. This shall include modifications of previously published works. This is a privilege, not a right, and may be revoked at any time for no reason but my whim.
– Submissions may be sent to princeofnothingblogs@yahoo.com. If a received submission is not confirmed within a week I have likely missed it or it got eaten by my spam folder. If this happens, leave a message in the comments and I will get back to you within a day or so.
– Submission deadline is November 30th 2023.
– For the love of Gygax include premade characters with your adventure. Ideally the ones you playtest with.

The top 8 (or more, depending on how many entries I receive) will be collected in a volume entitled No Artpunk Vol. 3, and published on itch.io for PWYW, with the proceeds going to the dutch Stop Aids Now non-profit organization, which has since merged with another charity to become Het Aidsfonds, with similar goals. As in previous cases, you retain ownership of the work, only giving me leave to publish it by participating. We ask that you wait

So what can I win this time Prince?

YOU WOULD HAVE SPOILS? THE DREGS AND SLIME OF THE EARTH? THE TRINKETS OF YAL-DABOATH? WHAT OF GLORY? WHAT OF ENLIGHTENMENT?

Ahem…

Doctor, nay, Professor D.M. Ritzlin, of the grand DMR Books, has graciously donated two of his exceptional volumes of S&S literature as prizes for the Victor and Runner up.

The Winner shall have his pick of this:

And THIS. The remaining volume goes to the runner-up.

*Please note that this is a book cover, I do not own a lion-man, nor a bare-chested redheaded woman clutching a giant two-handed sword, but if I did I would certainly award them to a worthy competitor*

Am I not generous?

Oh…

One more thing.

You will not only be competing against your fellow men.

Over the course of my last holiday, I was bereft of books on my sojourn to canada.

I did have an empty notebook.

I have over a hundred keyed entries in my adventure Slyth Hive for AD&D 1e, which, barring playtesting, will end up somewhere between levels 12 & 15.

Can you defeat not just all of Artpunk, but the Creator of NAP himself?

We shall see.

So begins NO ARTPUNK III.

Additional information:

1. THERE ARE MORE (UNOFFICIAL) SPOILS. John Roberts, a benefactor, a philanthropist, an ardent FAN of NAP has vowed to donate his SIGNED COPY OF POUL ANDERSON’S THE BROKEN SWORD FROM 1954 to the Highest Ranking AD&D 1e/OSRIC module in the competition, vowing he will even pay for shipping to ‘any civilized country, plus continental europe.’

2. YET MORE SPOILS. The brilliant YEOLDEJEFFE, long time NAP supporter, author of the fine Swords & Sewercery series, Co-President of Buddyscott Entertainment Group and overall great guy, has offered up an ultra rare copy, only 1 of 25 to the Runner Up of NAP III!!!