The Invincible Overlord

Just got an email that Bob Bledsaw, founder of Judges Guild, passed away this weekend.

For those of us far-too-old people in the RPG hobby, the Judges Guild is remembered for two things: some of the first 3rd party D&D modules (which, unlike TSR’s offerings were actually affordable by teenagers) and the frikkin’ huge City State of the Invincible Overlord. And by frikkin’ huge, I mean a wall-sized map of a city that you could throw a dart at, look up where your dart landed in one of several sourcebooks, and find out that you just defaced the home of a 6th level fighter/thief that is the bodyguard to the 45th in line to the Overlordship. ROLL FOR INITIATIVE.

It’s been reissued, if for some reason you weren’t playing D&D in the late ’70s, and I can’t think of a better testament. Sadly, I doubt it comes with a wall-sized map of a city straight from Conan’s grog-soaked nightmares, which does kind of miss the point.