Bruce Heard

I had to recover a diagram from CAL1, which should be helpful in my present project. I didn't have the original file, so I recreated it with extra info.

#OSE #B/X #BECMI #DnD #RPG #Calidar #TTRPG #OSR

Oh, well. I just handed over the Iron Queen manuscript to my editor. Sigh... I feel under-employed. The poster maps are done, but I want to collect the book's maps and save a set labeled for the DM and another, unlabeled and edited for players.

#OSE #B/X #BECMI #DnD #RPG #Calidar #TTRPG #OSR

I added an extra adventure idea to the last chapter. It entails removing the aft turret and replacing its entire structure with accommodations for ambassadors to run a special mission. Shown here: the top lounge, with bar and glass canopy.

#OSE #B/X #BECMI #DnD #RPG #Calidar #TTRPG #OSR

I had a lot of fun setting up the main plot, involving the ship's officers (and their secret motivations) and the social castes of the dwarven crew.

Here's the booklet's back cover. Happy Trails!

#OSE #B/X #BECMI #DnD #RPG #Calidar #TTRPG #OSR

It is. I just got the "bug" to draft a large spacefaring ship. It started with a few casual doodles, and some ideas surfaced. I ended up with enough that I just had to pull all these pieces together for a bit of fun. Six months later... here we are.

Spacefaring dwarven ironclad's front view and starfield background with Planet Calidar and its two moons.

Here's a mockup of my present project's cover.
#OSE #B/X #BECMI #DnD #RPG #Calidar #TTRPG #OSR

Some changes were made, including some from the Royal Navy, which made the Corsair an excellent carrier-borne fighter/bomber from 1944 onward.

WWII US Aviation Industry This article has been more of a whopper after having had a look at French and British wartime industries (click here for France or Britain ...

Since I completed three earlier articles on French and British WWII aviation, here's the fourth installment. This one is about the prowess of American industrial might in military aerospace. Let me know if you're interested in more of that stuff. Thanks!

bruce-heard.blogspot.com/2025/08/USWW...

If you're interested in details re. Fairey Aviation's fate, check this out:

Actually, Fairey is also listed in my diagram, so I did NOT forget them. 😛

I missed out on Fairey. It was founded in 1915 and failed as a business in 1960. Boulton-Paul is listed at the bottom of the diagram.

Some of its WWII icons vanished, like Handley Page, others became part of foreign enterprises, while much of the remainder joined British Aerospace or Rolls-Royce.

WWII British Aviation Industry Since I recently completed research on France's aviation industry ( see here ), I couldn't just walk away without doing the same for the U.K...

I put together a summary of British aviation during WWII -- its challenge to meet production demands before and during the Battle of Britain, and eventually its mergers.

bruce-heard.blogspot.com/2025/07/Brit...

*NOT* D&D: WWII French Air Woes I've been toying with a what-if scenario about an alternative buildup strategy for the French air force in the 30s. One of the biggest probl...

As a follow-up to my previous article, I took a more in-depth look at the sources of issues that plagued French air power in WWII, with a few "what-ifs" added along the way.

bruce-heard.blogspot.com/2025/07/Fren...

Next step, statewide or nationwide?

#TTRPG #DnD #D&D #OSR #BECMI #Mystara

Clearly, that doesn't help. Social media is the worst. The complete ignorance of some people, their insensitive jokes, arrogant attitudes, and downright hostile responses are as hurtful as can be.

They clearly explain what happened. It wasn't for lack of courage or will to fight. It was a bloody, heartbreaking affair that left a long-term trauma in the minds of the French people. Some of it transpires in this article, and even more so in the next one. I'll post it this coming Monday.

Quite. I've been studying the history around the Battle of France for several years now. It's not what most people on this side of the pond believe. Many things happened during the previous six or seven years and during the battle itself.

Yep. Ran out of time. What a pity.

I'll be back with more and views on British and US WWII military aerospace. Cheers!

*NOT* D&D: WWII French Aviation French aviation of the 30s always puzzled me as regards its industrial basis and organization. I decided to look this up. Here's what I foun...

Here's a bit of research I've done on French aviation of WWII, especially its industries and mergers. There's a lot to be said that explains the troubles of France's pre-World War II military aviation.

#WWII #Aviation #Warbirds

bruce-heard.blogspot.com/2025/07/WWII...

LOL!

Full res image here. Text on blogspot (see link in first post).

Calidar: Dwarven Ironclad Main Turret Dwarves of Kragdûr fly large, armored, steampunk-style gunboats, mostly in Calidar’s outer space. My plan is to draft a whole ship in detail...

A bit of a rabbit hole, this one ran much longer than I anticipated. How lucky would you feel if one of those pointed directly at your skyship? Full-res image in the comments.

#TTRPG #DnD #D&D #BECMI #Calidar #Skyship #OSR #Dwarves #Spelljammer #Steampunk

bruce-heard.blogspot.com/2025/07/Iron...

Full res. image here. Text on blogspot (see link in the original post).

Calidar: Fetzgrim Engines A few words about the dwarven Fetzgrim engine. I posted a note in the Calidar chat group on Facebook on this matter. I’m picking up here wh...

Details of my current project: the floor plans of a dwarven ironclad, 1" per sq., 1 sq. = 5ft. This part focuses on the Iron Queen's powerplants. The full resolution image in the comments.

#TTRPG #D&D #DnD #Calidar #BECMI #OSR #Steampunk #Dwarves #Skyship

bruce-heard.blogspot.com/2025/07/Fetz...

D&D Castles: Operating Costs A Mighty Citadel by J. Humphries on Deviantart I say D&D, although I mean specifically BECMI/RC . The mechanics on building castles are pre...

Does anyone pay attention to the cost of running castles, palaces, and other structures?

#TTRPG #D&D #DnD #Mystara #OSR

bruce-heard.blogspot.com/2025/06/Cast...

World of Calidar -- Great Caldera Poster Map - Calidar Publishing | Poster Maps | CAL1 Series | DriveThruRPG The Great Caldera is the region of the World of Calidar representing its known world. The rest of the planet is a vast wilderness under the purview of powerful natural entities, spirits bent on repell...

For anyone who didn't get the digital map of the Great Caldera at its original resolution, here's something for you!

#D&D #DnD #Calidar #Poster #OSR #Calidar

www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...

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Support a nationwide strike to repeal this government. We need only sway a few GOP reps and senators to flip all of Congress. Paralyze the country's economy and watch billionaires defect PDQ. Take the money away, and Sauron's tower will collapse.