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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 19/03/2026

Karl Edward Wagner Music from Eternal Champion plus Pink Floyd's “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” open.substack.com/pub/critical...

Album cover for Friend of War by the band Eternal Champion. It features an oil painting by Burney depciting a warrior with bare chest, red beard and long red hair holding a large sword.

The cover of the Dark Crusade novel by Karl Edward Wagner as shown in the book "Frazetta Book Cover Art" by J. David Spurlock. It depicts a warrior with a winged helmet wielding an axe one handed. The warrior has a red beard and a red cape billows out behind him.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 06/02/2026

Tolkien Tour of Middle Earth Songs: "Ramble On," Gatekeeper, Glass Hammer, & "Song of Gondor" open.substack.com/pub/critical...

The album cover for From the Western Shores by Gatekeeper. It features and illustration by Duncan Storr. It depicts twin towers that look more organic than man made. Small figures swing from the top of the towers. A flying creatue that looks somewhat like a manta ray glides past the towers just over the ground. The tower is in front of a body of water. Stormy clouds are in the sky.

The album cover for The Middle Earth Album by Glass Hammer. The artwork by David Wyatt features an ornate white ship with three curved white sails on choppy water. White gulls fly over and around the ship.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 21/01/2026

RPGers Sure Play a Mean Pinball: The Pixies, The Who, & Pinball Crawl Classics open.substack.com/pub/critical... @goodmangames.bsky.social

A photo of the Gorgar pinball machine. The backglass artwork by Constantino Mitchell depicts a red-skinned muscular devil-looking figure behind a scantily clad female figure.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 14/01/2026

Michael Moorcock & Pink Fairies "Motorhead" Cover and Puscifer Comic Plus “Gaming is Rock n’ Roll” - The Spahn Doctrine open.substack.com/pub/critical...

Black and white artwork for the Pink Fairies cover of the song "Motorheard" featuring Michael Moorcock and Nik Turner. The artwork features a tusk-toothed, winged pig looking out of a bucket.

The cover of the first issue of the Tales from the Pusciverse comic series. The art depcits Bellendia Black holding a skull. Bellendia has spiked blond and black hair and wears black and crimson makeup that forms a super hero-like mask. Black makeup (or tatoos) look like black tears rolling down the cheeks.

The cover of the Wizard Zine by James Spahn. It features art by the amazing Diogo Nogueira depicting a van with the side painted showing a white bearded wizard and green flames. The background color is purple. At the bottom of the zine it says "Are You Ready to Rock?" in green letters.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 09/01/2026

Bardcore, Froglord, & Forgotten Metal of the 80s open.substack.com/pub/critical...

Album cover for Metamorphosis by Froglord. It features art from Dylan J. Davis picturing three menacing frogs peering out of a cauldron in front of a spirited female figure with outstretched arms. Primary colors are green and black.

The albums First Visit and Animal Man by Rogue Male. Between the records is a Kerrang magazine featuring Rogue Male's Jim Lyttle on the cover. The First Visit cover is an illustration of red haired, mulleted cyborg with skin peeling away to reveal a mechanical eye. The Animal Man cover has a photo of the band members dressed up like characters from the movie The Road Warrior.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 31/12/2025

KPop Demon Hunters for D&D & Spinal Tap's New Year's Eve plus Winter Wine from Caravan open.substack.com/pub/critical...

Artwork for the game Idols of the Neon Dark tabletop role playing game. At the bottom is the tagline "Pop idols fighting monsters in a neon city.) The illustration shows three female presenting adventures brandishing weapons and casting magic. They are in front of building with a neon "K-Pop" sign, behind which is a giant spider like creature and a one eyed, bat-winged creature.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 24/12/2025

D&D Inspired Metal: Slayer’s Kerry King, Venger, & Greyhawk @saxonofficial747.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

A still from the Dungeons & Dragons animated series from the 1980s. It shows a bat winged, one-horned sorceror riding a demonic black horse.

The album cover for "Warriors of Greyhawk" by Greyhawk featuring artwork by Daniel Porta. It features a dungeon party with their backs to a cliff drop brandishing their weapons as two large grean humanoids are about to attack. Floating in the sky is a hooded wizard with glowing hands and eyes along with two hawks flying.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 18/12/2025

Dungeons & Dragons Music from Tool and Stephen Wilson Jr. Plus Sunshine Blogger Q&A - Part 2 @stephenwilsonjr01.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

Album cover art for Ænima by Tool, featuring artist Cam de Leon's painting "Smoke Box", with animated smoke and encompassing eyes.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 17/12/2025

Connecting the D&D Threads of Dr. Demento, Community, & Rick and Morty plus The Dead Alewives, Dan Harmon, & Massconfusion open.substack.com/pub/critical...

A photo of a bearded Dr. Demento wearing a tux and holding a top hat against a yellow background.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 05/12/2025

MAD Magazine takes on D&D & music featuring The Beatles, KISS, Smashing Pumpkins, Jagger, Hendrix & more! open.substack.com/pub/critical...

A two-page spread from MAD Magazine showing the dopiest demons from Dungeons & Dragons, including Tchotchke, Demacorgan, Orcriss, and Heckfella. The Demacorgan is a 2-headed demon. One head is a blond haired female bassist. The other is a crying Billy Corgan. The Heckfella looks like Hellboy. The Orcriss is a bat winged demon with the face of KISS drummer Peter Criss. He can't come home right now.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 26/11/2025

Dream Warriors: D&D-Inspired Hip Hop plus Brute Fort game & soundtrack and "Sunshine Blogger" Q&A @alfredvalley.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

A picture of a page from Sounds magazine with a feature about Dream Warriors. The two members of the Canadian hip hop group appear in an accompanying photo. One holds a bamboo staff. The headline reads "who dares wins".

A picture of the Brute Fort card game. It is packaged as a double tape cassette case with a tuck box of cards on one side and a tape cassette soundtrack on the other side. The artwork depicts a ruined castle against a red sky with yellow skulls piled in front.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 21/11/2025

Kirk Hammett & Frank Frazetta auction plus Castle Rat: Conan & Frazetta references open.substack.com/pub/critical...

The album cover for Molly Hatchet's Beatin' the Odds. It features a Frank Frazetta painting of a horse-riding warrior wielding a sword and shield battling a horde of enemies. Two broad strangely flattened Critical Hit Parader guitar picks heave in the upper corners.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 07/11/2025

Clark Ashton Smith TTRPG & Music and Nine Inch Nails-Inspired Bite the Hand plus Plus Olga Kahn's "Echoes from the Barrow-Downs" @spellbookgaming.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

A still image from the Slayer video for "Seasons in the Abyss" showing silhouettes of two riders on camels in front of a setting red orange sun.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 29/10/2025

New releases from DnD fans Howling Giant & Tolkien-inspired Joy Shannon plus Hüsker Dü Halloween song rec open.substack.com/pub/critical...

Album cover for "Crucible & Ruin" by Howling Giant. It features a painting by Susan M. Davies depicting forest home of some sort with a door and two windows built into a tree. Stone steps lead up to the door. Through a clearing between trees, two wolves are silhouetted in front of a full moon. A white Critical Hit Parader guitar pick sits mysteriously on the bottom right corner of the album.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 22/10/2025

AVTT/PTTN & the Faith No More RPG by @accidentalcyclops.bsky.social plus Grailknights superhero music open.substack.com/pub/critical...

Album artwork for the AVTT/PTTN album. The artwork is by Martin Kvamme, who has lots of album cover credits, including works by The Avett Brothers and Mike Patton. The colors of the artworks are primarily black, and shades of orange. It shows a fiery ring in the sky with lots of clouds. A horizon appears in the ring.

Three paperback books that make up the Faith No More Role-Playing Game. They all have black backgrounds. "The Real Thing" has gold text and a gold fish and crown symbol. "Angel Dust" has blue lettering and a bull symbol. "King for a Day" has red lettering.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 15/10/2025

What Music Is Inspiring TTRPGs These Days? I collected the music references from the personal Appendix N blog bandwagon. @prismaticwasteland.com open.substack.com/pub/critical...

Four vinyl records: 1) Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath featuring smoking angels. 2) Fire of Unknown Origin by Blue Oyster Cult showing members of the Blue Oyster Cult (the Imaginos ones, not the band itself). 3) Tarkus by Emerson, Lake and Palmer depicting an armadillo tank creature. 4) Hall of the Mountain Grill by Hawkwind with an illustration of a derelict spaceship in the mists of an alien lagoon.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 08/10/2025

Leonard Cohen, OSR Guru - genius post from @thiccmomswag.bsky.social Plus Glitter Wizard and Castle Rat #ttrpg #dccrpg open.substack.com/pub/critical...

A photo of several old school roleplaying game books, two Leonard Cohen books, and a Leonard Cohen album. A white Critical Hit Parader guitar pick lays handsomely (depending on your politics) on top of a Songs of Leonard Cohen vinyl album.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 01/10/2025

D&D in the New Musical Express plus three "Vital Records" open.substack.com/pub/critical...

A picture of part of a page from New Musical Express 17th January, 1981. It shows an article with a headline of "In Every Fantasy Home A Gnome." It has a bolded excerpt that reads "It's the new thing! It's the game you can play between consenting adults without losing your pants! It's sweeping Middle America and Middle Earth too! It's Dungeon and Dragons!" There is also an illustration that shows two six sided dice and a couple of dragon/phoenix looking creatures and a bunch of floating eyes.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 25/09/2025

D&D-Inspired Music from Hannah Fae & Fairy Doom from Faetooth plus New Loot the Body TTRPG Soundtrack #dnd @lootthebody.bsky.social @sincerelyhannahfae.bsky.social @faetooth.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

The album cover to "You Feel Completely Peculiar" by Loot the Body. It features a colorful drawing of a mushroom in front of a rainbow and psychedelic lettering.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 18/09/2025

Latest newsletter: Led Zeppelin RPG? Plus Crypt from Trollish Delver Games @voxparlour.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

The contents of the totally real Led Zeppelin role playing game. The photo shows a white box with the 4 band member logos from the band's fourth album. It's totally real. The photo also shows the Austin Osmon Spare tarot deck and the Aleister Crowley Thoth tarot deck that came in this real box for this real game. Last, the soundtrack for the game is shown in a jewel case with the same black and white letters and runes as the white box that this real game really came in.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 10/09/2025

Obscure Frazetta Album Covers @bradkyle.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

The soundtrack album to the movie The Night They Raided Minsky's. It features a Frank Frazetta illustration showing a bunch of female burlesque dancers on top of a movie marquee and being dragged into a police wagon along with an assortment of other characters.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 03/09/2025

Ursula K. Le Guin & music plus Moorcock on Bowie, Bruce & Bob (Dylan) in this week's newsletter... open.substack.com/pub/critical...

Two album covers. The first album cover is for "Music and Poetry of the Kesh" by Ursula K. LeGuin and Todd Barton. It is a gray cover with a short quote and a set of symbols. The second album cover is the album "Reptilian" by Keep of Kalessin with artwork by Marco Vasco featuring a closeup of a dragon's face with gold colored eyes.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 30/07/2025

Robert Plant Shire Music & Ozzy TTRPG Connections plus New Amon Amarth Song @christianlindke.bsky.social @themountaingoats.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

A photo of Black Sabbath's Master of Reality album. It is black with a purple title filling the album cover. A small black and purple paperback of John Darnielle's 33 1/3 book about the same album lies on top of the bottom right corner of the record. A white Critical Hit Parader guitar pick sits like an Orchid on top of the album.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 17/07/2025

Latest newsletter: Music TTRPGs & Black Sabbath's Gollum plus Cassette Case Game Jam & Story Behind BÖC Song @lackingceremony.bsky.social @birbnerb.bsky.social @bullypulpithq.bsky.social @axiomdelver.bsky.social criticalhitparader.substack.com/p/music-ttrp...

Images from 5 TTRPG products. 1) Umlaut - showing an electric guitar. 2) Ribbon Drive showing a sepia toned empty road. 3) High Strung featuring someone playing a white electric guitar. 4) Rock Opera '79 featuring a cartoon of a rocker playing a flying V guitar. 5) Fiasco World Tour showing a green backstage pass with a picture of an 18 wheeler. 6) Musical Memories showing a thumbnail of the game book.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 15/03/2025

Latest free newsletter on the intersection of music and roleplaying games: Harpers Tolkien Music & Elric Action Figure Plus Festival of the Forgotten Soundtrack by V Is For Villains @sarahvillains.bsky.social @stforgestudios.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

Four images. The first depicts a D&D scene in a tavern with a dragonborn bard playing a stringed instrument and tavern patrons dancing and clapping. The second is the blue and white symbol of the Harpers made up of a crescent moon and harp instrument.
The third is a prototype of the Elric action figure from Harvinger Studios. It shows a black armored Elric with shoulder length white hair and a crimson cape.
The fourth is an advertisement for the Festival of the Forgotten 5E product shows a D&D party walking into a lit up carnival with dark red tents at night. The subtitle says "For the Party Who Never Fit In..."

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 05/03/2025

Dragon Guitars & Jeff Easley Plus Last Train to Bremen & Rockbeasts @jeffeasley.bsky.social @seaexcursion.itch.io @rockbeasts.bsky.social @newmadras.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

At the top are two Paul Reed Smith Dragon guitars. Both double humbuckers and double cutouts. The top one has a dragon on the fretboard. The other has a dragon on the body with the tail going up the fretboard. Below the guitars is a picture of the AD&D Night Below boxed set. It has a painting by Jeff Easley featuring sinister looking underdark monsters, including a fish like humanoid Kuo Toa and a tentacle-faced mindflayer. The last picture is a page excerpt from the Last Train to Bremem rulebook. It features the four animal musician icons of the game: a cockerel (Fiddle and PR. The face), a cat (Bass guitar and manager. The brains), a hound (Lead guitar and lyricist. The heart.), and a mule (Drums. Treasurer.)

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 26/02/2025

Latest free newsletter: Dungeon Synth Soundtrack for #DCCRPG, Mirrorshield, & Jethro Tull Plus King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Thief Fighter@wizardthieffighter.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

Three images: 1) A mockup of a cassette cover and insert for Dunjon Magik's Blights ov the Eastern Forest soundtrack featuring artwork by C.Aaron Kreader, Stefan Poag and Garrick Andrus. 2) Album cover artwork from Mirrorshield depicting a witch, a castle, and a dragon. 3) Album cover for Jethro Tull's Curious Ruminant depicting a horned masquerade style mask.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 19/02/2025

Latest Critical Hit Parader Newsletter: Music for Dungeons + Castle Grief Sword & Sorcery Zine w/ Cassette Plus Metal Tabletop RPGs - Glumdark @stuhorvath.com @johnmcguirerpg.bsky.social @diogooldskull.bsky.social @castlegrief.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

Three images. The first is labeled Gnoll - Music for Dungeons and has a black and white drawing of a warrior in a dungeon going down steps about to be attacked by a sword and shield wielding humanoid. The second is labled Kal-Arath Twin Sun Sutra and is a sepia toned painting on ink (I think) of a naked masculine warrior shown from behind next to kneeling naked feminine figure. The last shows a book titled Glumdark with a red and black cover with a skeletal-spider-like creature. It sits on top of parchments and is next to polyhedral dice.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 14/02/2025

Heavy Metal Monster Manual & Stories Behind Prog Rock Album Covers Plus Mystic Punks: Dead Hills Mall Adventure Zine & Cassette Synth Soundtrack @greedygorgonpress.bsky.social @smoggo.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

Three images: 1) A black and white picture of an axe wielding warrior battling a demon from the Heavy Metal Monster Manual 2) A dayglo red and blue album cover from Uriah Heep showing two magicians having a spell duel 3) Roger Dean artwork for the Relayer album by Yes showing a wintry scene with white horse mounted soldiers

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 11/02/2025

Look what I saw out in the wild of the Cary, NC Barnes & Noble! Rulebooks for #DCCRPG & MCC, plus Tome of Adventure Vols 1 & 2. Because @goodmangames.bsky.social generously offers their 3rd party publishers free ads in the back of the DCC rulebook, there was a Critical Hit Parader sighting as well!

Smiling middle aged guy in a black shirt pointing at a bookshelf and Barnes & Noble.

Closeup of two hands pointing at books published by Goodman games on a Barnes & Noble bookshelf. Includes DCC RPG, MCC RPG, Tome of Adventure Volumes 1 & 2. Batman graphic novels and D&D books visible on nearby shelves.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 08/02/2025

I have a free weekly newsletter on the intersection of music and tabletop roleplaying games. Check out the archive of over 100 issues and/or subscribe to have a new issue in your inbox every Wednesday. criticalhitparader.substack.com

"Critical Hit Parader" logotype in red and black

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 06/02/2025

Latest Critical Hit Parader newsletter on the intersection of music & TTRPGs: Joni Mitchell Music References to J.R.R. Tolkien Plus Plus A Templar’s Tale Concept Album from @amultitudeofone.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

Album cover featuring a painted portrait of Joni Mitchell holding a red flower, a Knights of Camelot board game box showing two knights jousting, and a Rick Wakeman album cover showing a sword stuck in an anvil.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 29/01/2025

Latest Critical Hit Parader newsletter: Favorite Fantasy/Sci-Fi Album Covers by Frazetta, Whelan, Dean, Gawlick, Riggs, Baizley, Away, & Matthews Plus Music Inspired by the Lord of the Rings @michaelwhelan.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

Four album covers: 1) Future architectural landscape by Gawlick for Blue Oyster Cult 2) Michael Whelan's sword wielding albino Elric for Cirith Ungol, 3) Frank Frazetta's three "snow giant" barbarians fighting on snow covered mountain for Dust 4) Bound angel figures by John Dyer Baizley for Baroness

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 15/01/2025

Clutch D&D Inspired Deep Cut & Post-Apocalyptic Music Recs from @christophor-rick.com @spellburn.bsky.social @joeyroyale.bsky.social @breakerpressgames.bsky.social - Plus BE/HOLD - New Synth Music for Sworn Swords and Sorcerers @beholdyourfate.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 02/01/2025

Albums Released in '24 to Inspire Your '25 TTRPG Playing: Dungeon Crawl, Fight Dice, Castle Rat, @iotunnofficial.bsky.social, Heavy Temple, Horseburner, ANCIIENTS, Wytch Pycknyck, Bardic Depths, @rivetskull.bsky.social, Battlesnake & more @jamesbousema.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 19/12/2024

Mail call of my Bandcamp Friday purchase from the amazing band Smoulder. Includes the second issue of the very cool Last Fanzine Before Doomsday from lead vocalist Sarah.

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 18/12/2024

Latest free newsletter: The Ace of Spades D&D Casino & RPG podcasts plus guitarist Tom Morello playing D&D in Lake Geneva @greedygorgonpress.bsky.social @diogooldskull.bsky.social @rpg-ramblings.bsky.social @johnmcguirerpg.bsky.social @stuhorvath.com open.substack.com/pub/critical...

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 14/12/2024

Next was Against the Cult of the Hippie Commune from my fellow rock ‘n’ roll player @lootthebody.bsky.social. I got to add to my LtB cassette collection as well!

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 14/12/2024

I received a couple of exciting #DCCRPG related mail calls this week. First is this fantasy city adventure from @rpg-ramblings.bsky.social

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 04/12/2024

Latest Critical Hit Parader newsletter: Toto RPG imagery & "Balrog" from King Buffalo plus more Saprophial & Hammers of Misfortune open.substack.com/pub/critical...

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 27/11/2024

Latest Critical Hit Parader Newsletter: Saprophial’s IOTUNN Artwork, Horrors of the Whispering Wood, & Celtic Frost Plus Review of D&D's Bardic Inspiration @breakerpressgames.bsky.social @iotunnofficial.bsky.social @tomgabrielwarrior.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 06/11/2024

Michael Whelan's Sepultura Album Covers Plus Metal Gods of the Apocalypse for 5E & DCC @michaelwhelan.bsky.social @stateofgrays.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 16/10/2024

Patrick Woodroffe Album Cover & The Black Ballad: Chronicles of the Crossing plus Game Design & Music from Nate Treme @stforgestudios.bsky.social @n8hps.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 09/10/2024

Rainbow: Dio & the Origins of Fantasy-Based Epic Heavy Metal plus The Art of Michael Whelan: Lovecraft, Pink Floyd, Obituary, and the Who @michaelwhelan.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

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Critical Hit Parader @criticalhitparader.com · 02/10/2024

Music Album for D&D 50th Anniversary plus ElfQuest and Jason Charles Miller - Music and TTRPGs @chaosium.bsky.social @jasoncharlesmiller.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...

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