Yawn! Oh, hmm, looks like I forgot to set my alarm. Holy sh*t! It's May already? I had my alarm set for December 31st, I swear, honest... you're not buying this, are you? I really cannot make any excuses for why this update is five months late. It was not my attention when I started the update early in December, but alas, sometimes time just gets away from you. (Ed: It never helps to suddenly develop a massive infection the day before scheduled publication, even when the publication is already five months late.)

So what has happened since the last update? It might be better to ask what has not happened. Paizo's Pathfinder RPG playtest has finished. Monte Cooke started a new subscription based website, Dungeon-A-Day. Dave Arneson, one of the co-creators of Dungeons & Dragons passed away. Wizards of the Coast declared war on PDF piracy, prompting a large number of PDF publishers to run sales on their products. Wizards of the Coast also announced a free downloadable 4th Edition Starter Pack. Plus numerous other announcements, product releases, and other tidbits. We will touch on some of these stories in more detail below.

Also as a small token of appreciation for the readers, we are giving away a copy of Scepter Tower of Spellgard. All you have to do to enter the contest is send an email to savingthrow@rpgamer.com detailing what you think is the appropriate RPG inspired punishment for this unparalleled level of tardiness.

Looking for a place to play? Check out the Roleplaying Forum. We are always looking for new players and Game Masters or people who just want to talk about their favorite pen and paper or tabletop games!

   A little over a year ago, gamers received the sad news that Gary Gygax, one of the co-creators of Dungeons & Dragons, died. Early in April of this year, the other co-creator, Dave Arneson, passed away after a two year battle with cancer.

Mr. Arneson also co-founded 4D Interactive Systems and Adventure Games, as well as teaching game design at Full Sail University.

   Early last month Wizards of the Coast halted all PDF sales of their products, both old and new, an effort, they said, to stem the tide of piracy. Whether or not they succeed in that endeavor is still to be decided, but the immediate side effects were staggering. In response many online retailers and other publishers of digital content discounted their PDF offerings from 25-35%.

Meanwhile, the response from gamers was nearly unanimous. Most agreed that Wizards of the Coast has the right to protect their copyrights, but many suspected that Wizards of the Coast had other reasons ranging from greed to "not understanding the digital market." Whatever the reasons, the backlash was not sufficient to force Wizards of the Coast to change its minds about PDFs, but perhaps it influenced the decision to release the 4E Test Drive.

The 4E Test Drive consists of the Keep on the Shadowfell adventure, pre-generated characters and Quick Start rules. The published version of the adventure, when released, contained several contradictions and errata was released before the product actually hit store shelves. This digital "test drive" release has been updated so gamers can transition from this Test Drive to the full 4E game with fewer issues.

And thus it came to pass that time really does fly when you are having fun. Or in some cases, even when you are not having fun. Next time we will feature some more reviews and hopefully some more news. And much less infection.

Martin "Rip Van Winkle/Bacteria Farm" Drury