# [FREE STUFF] Three-quarters of a million served...



## The Sigil

Hi, all... as you may (or may not) know, ENWorld is rapidly approaching three-quarters of a million posts on the new boards.

"What does this mean for me? " you might ask.

Glad you did.

Just because I can, I am going to send a free copy of both of my PDF works, the Enchiridion of Mystic Music and the Enchiridion of Treasures and Objects d'Art, to whomever makes the 750,000th post here on ENWorld.

I expect it will happen within the next hour or two (EDIT: This is post 749,037) so better get your posts in soon... maybe on the Hivemind thread or something.  (There, see, I'm not totally antagonistic towards the Hivemind).

Consider it my little expression of joy in line with Mardi Gras.  Just don't throw me any beads. 

--The Sigil


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## Crothian

You get beads for any reasons.  

But that's a lot of posts and lots of ideas and help given.


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## Sixchan

According to the main page we aren't that far ahead!

Members: 10,193, Threads: 42,454, Posts: 683,986

I realise its different for Post IDs, though...


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## The Sigil

True.  I am going by post ID - I imagine the discrepency comes from deleted threads (e.g., some of the older and larger Hivemind threads).

That said, even if they're no longer around, I'll "count them" for purposes of the Free Stuff promotion. 

So yes, I'm basing this on post ID.

--The Sigil


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## Sixchan

Does it have to be a _useful_ post, or can I wait until I see post 749,999 and then post something like 'hi'?  Because I reckon I could stay up all night loading up the page with post 749,999 until it says it exists...


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## coyote6

Dumb question of the minute: Where is this post ID total shown?


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## Sixchan

It's there when you post.  It says 'postid=######' in the URL.


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## coyote6

Sixchan said:
			
		

> *It's there when you post.  It says 'postid=######' in the URL. *




Ah, gotcha. Looks like it's there when you post with a quote; if you just hit "Post Reply", it doesn't show up.

Thanks.


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## The Sigil

Sixchan said:
			
		

> *Does it have to be a useful post, or can I wait until I see post 749,999 and then post something like 'hi'?  Because I reckon I could stay up all night loading up the page with post 749,999 until it says it exists... *



Well, you run the risk that someone else hits "post" between the time you hit "refresh" and "post new message - hi - submit".

If you really want free stuff with an MSRP of just over $20 badly enough to do that, though, that's your business - and you're welcome to go for it.  I didn't say in my first post that it had to be USEFUL, no fair changing the rules mid-stream. 

--The Sigil


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## The Sigil

coyote6 said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Ah, gotcha. Looks like it's there when you post with a quote; if you just hit "Post Reply", it doesn't show up.
> 
> Thanks. *



Or "edit" your post.  Shows up there, too.

--The Sigil


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## Carnifex

Hmm. Wonder what post number this one is?

Edit: 749151!


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## The Sigil

Carnifex said:
			
		

> *Hmm. Wonder what post number this one is? *



749151

Put your mouse over the "edit" button to see.

--The Sigil


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## Crothian

Cool idea for a contest Sigil.  Is there a way to just type in the post number to bring up the correct post?  I know one can do it with threads, but I've never tried it with posts.


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## Sixchan

Ack.  I'll have to go to bed soon.  EVERYONE!  STOP POSTING!

Perhaps it's time to ask god for another server outage...

EDIT for Crothian:http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=750000#post750000


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## Crothian

Thanks sixchan


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## Buddha the DM

NO!! The server must stay up!!


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## alsih2o

all i get when i move my mouse to the right position is "edit/delete message"


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## Crothian

alsih2o said:
			
		

> *all i get when i move my mouse to the right position is "edit/delete message" *




Look down at the bottom of the browser where it lists the link you are going to.  I hope that made some sense.


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## alsih2o

Crothian said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Look down at the bottom of the browser where it lists the link you are going to.  I hope that made some sense. *




 much more sense, thanks crothian....while we are at it, mark em down for a piece too, maybe a die roller or a boat


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## The Sigil

*Checking out for the evening*

I anticipate my next login to take place in approximately 14 hours.  At that time, odds are EXCELLENT that we will know the winner of this silly little contest.  

Good luck to all, and to all a GOOD NIGHT NOW!

--The Sigil


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## Crothian

Ya, I'd say that 14 hours is more then enough tim,e for this contest to come to a conclusion


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## Knightfall

*Cool idea*

Nuff said!  

{EDIT}

Post # 749331

669 left to go.

nuts!  

Oh well, I don't have this kind of time or energy


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## Shadowsmith

Well, I never win anything. But, I might as well help someone else!


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## Tisvon

I don't quite get this...


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## Crothian

Tisvon said:
			
		

> *I don't quite get this... *




Whomever makes post number 750,000 gets a prize.  Or was there something else you aren't getting?


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## Guilt Puppy

He's not getting the prize. Har har!

Okay, I'm just posting in hopes. Sue me.


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## Crothian

Guilt Puppy said:
			
		

> *He's not getting the prize. Har har!
> 
> Okay, I'm just posting in hopes. Sue me. *




We're still a little while away since things slow down drastically in the night here.


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## MarauderX

Over 749,400... should we start counting down now?


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## Crothian

No, it's been 3 hours since the thread started and there has been less then 400 posts.  At this rate it will be about 4 or 5 more hours till we get close.


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## BV210

Well, here's my one shot at the Sigil's prizes.


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## Mercule

Mmmm....  Random message being posted.

Does it help me win?

No.  But I can do it.

What happens to the count if you close your browser while composing?


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## coyote6

Mercule said:
			
		

> *What happens to the count if you close your browser while composing? *




Nothing. Your post doesn't get a number until it's actually posted. 

(If it was otherwise, my post count would be higher, and I imagine the boards as a whole would be quite a ways past 750,000.)


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard

Might as well get this moving a bit faster....


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## Crothian

Still a while to go, but every post helps


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard

Yep...very slow night...heh.


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## Buddha the DM

Nothing to see here.. Move along.. Move along..


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## UnDfind

I like that idea!  You rock, Sigil!


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## UnDfind

Now if I just do that 395 more times....


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## Lady Mer

So, just how many silly fluff posts can fit in a single thread?


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## Eternalknight

Isn't this almost turning into a hivemind thread?


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## Skade

Lady Mer said:
			
		

> *So, just how many silly fluff posts can fit in a single thread? *




Well, if we Hiveminders are an indication, we can safely fit 400 into a thread, but we used to do 800.  More than enough to assist the contest.


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## Crothian

Ya, many many can fit especially late at night when most of the moderators are asleep.

Or maybe I shouldn't say that


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## UnDfind

*Where are we now?*

So I was thinking the other day...


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## Buddha the DM

*UnDfind:* Didn't you know that thinking is bad for you?


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## UnDfind

Yeah, they told me in the classroom that I might start getting these strange things called "ideas."  And a feeling known as "inspiration."  Apparently both aren't very pleasant.


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## UnDfind

Think...think...think...POP!!!!

Uh oh...what was that?


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## Buddha the DM

You lost an idea there.. My guess is that you were thinking to hard.


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## Buddha the DM

How many posts left to the target number?


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## UnDfind

I dunno, I think I sprained my brain.  Maybe if I stick my head in the microwave it'll feel better.  Yeah...that'll do it.  Extra dose of that radiation.  Then I'll have a head like the Hulk!

BRB...gotta find the microwave.  Think I left it in the bathroom.


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## 8XXX{0}====>

about 247


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## Buddha the DM

UnDfind said:
			
		

> *BRB...gotta find the microwave.  Think I left it in the bathroom. *




Man that's just not right..


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## UnDfind

Okay, I'm back...for some reason my face looks red in the mirror now.  Probably just one of those red-tinted mirrors.


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## Buddha the DM

How long did you nuke yourself?


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## Impeesa

Are we close yet?

--Impeesa--


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## UnDfind

I dunno, had to go work for a little while...let's see...


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## UnDfind

120 left to go...119 now

The microwave is talking to me from the bathroom...beckoning...


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## Buddha the DM

Talking to you huh... Did someone figure out how to cast the _Awaken_ spell on objects?


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## UnDfind

Maybe it has something to do with subconsious insecurities.

A part of me may NEED the microwave to talk to me, so it happens.

Or maybe I'm schizophrenic.  I mean,  a microwave in the BATHROOM?!  How much more crazy can you get?

Or maybe I just like warm soap...


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## Buddha the DM

UnDfind said:
			
		

> *Maybe it has something to do with subconsious insecurities.
> 
> A part of me may NEED the microwave to talk to me, so it happens.
> 
> Or maybe I'm schizophrenic.  I mean,  a microwave in the BATHROOM?!  How much more crazy can you get?
> 
> Or maybe I just like warm soap... *




Man have you ever thought of seeking professional help?


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## UnDfind

> _Originally posted by Buddha the DM:_
> Man have you ever thought of seeking professional help?





You have to SEEK it?  That sucks.  I thought if you got crazy enough, they found you.  Now I have to go on some sort of a mental disorder curing quest?

No thank you, sir!  I'm just fine right here with my microwave.  He's good people.


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## Speaker

Ugh.  More people post.  My mouth aches, and I need to sleep.

Now, trying to estimate when everyone will post at once...  5 posts away?  10?


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## UnDfind

Let's beat 'em to the punch and start posting non-stop at 20!  Oh wait...I'm already posting non-stop.

Is that bad?


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## Buddha the DM

I thought that I was posting non-stop?


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## Speaker

We're all posting non-stop.

Wait, this is an ENWorld addiction plot, right?


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## Buddha the DM

<font size="7"><b>EN WORLD FOREVER!!!</b></font>


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## Buddha the DM

Speaker said:
			
		

> *We're all posting non-stop.
> 
> Wait, this is an ENWorld addiction plot, right? *




Man you weren't supposed to tell anyone that. Now the men with the excessively long-sleeved white jackets are gonna come and take you away.


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## UnDfind

I think it's a plot contrived by the super-secret organization known as THE FACTION!  They are trying to control our minds with their death-ray eyes.  

Does that mean they've conquered EN-World?


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## Speaker

Hey, this is my 75th post!  I might even make it into triple digits tonight.  Whoa.


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## Buddha the DM

There's always the chance that your post could hit 100+ tonight, Speaker.


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## Speaker

Considering I've been on the boards for two years, I'm a little bit behind in the post count.  Getting to one hundred would really be an accomplishment for me.

And you know ENWorlds seduction properties...  After the first hundred, there's no telling how far you will go!


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## UnDfind

I don't know, Speaker.  100+ posts is a big commitment.  Maybe you should rethink your place in the world before you hit the mark too early.

Naw, go for it!!!


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## Buddha the DM

No kidding there.. Crothian is a prime example of that.


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## UnDfind

Are we down to 50 yet?


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## Speaker

I'm ready for it.  I understand the conseqeunses, that I'll spend hours shaping prestge classes just so, that I'll become a walking library of ENWorld trivia, that *gasp* I might even work up the nerve to try out Hivemind threads...

I'm ready.  Yah.  I'm ready...

*breaks out in nervous sweat*


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## Buddha the DM

_can't wait to see who the winner of this contest is_


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## Speaker

UnDfind said:
			
		

> *Are we down to 50 yet? *




Yup.

How many of us are going to see that 'One message in 60 seconds' window before the 3/4 million count is reached?


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## UnDfind

Yes we are...from here on out, it's every man (or woman, fish, ooze, reptillian sea-monster, etc...) for his/herself.

Hope I didn't offend anyone just now.


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## Buddha the DM

Speaker said:
			
		

> *I'm ready for it.  I understand the conseqeunses, that I'll spend hours shaping prestge classes just so, that I'll become a walking library of ENWorld trivia, that *gasp* I might even work up the nerve to try out Hivemind threads...
> 
> I'm ready.  Yah.  I'm ready...
> 
> *breaks out in nervous sweat* *




You sure that you're ready for EN World, and the insanity that Hivemind can degenerated into?


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## Eternalknight

Speaker said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Yup.
> 
> How many of us are going to see that 'One message in 60 seconds' window before the 3/4 million count is reached?   *




A lot, I am sure.


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## Impeesa

Almost there. Almost as if I actually had a reason to post that. 

--Impeesa--


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## Buddha the DM

May the best <font color="gold"><b>Dragon Master</b></font> win!


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## Guilt Puppy

Less than fifty posts left! _Watch out for balloons, people!_


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## Eternalknight

I was just commenting n the hive that there seems to be about 50 more people online than normal... I wonder why...


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## Guilt Puppy

Eternalknight said:
			
		

> *I was just commenting n the hive that there seems to be about 50 more people online than normal... I wonder why...  *




Because people want free things? I mean, that's why I'm posting one-liners... This isn't normal behavior for me at all, I promise. It is the promise of free stuff that drives me ever onward!

Anyway, should be within twenty by the time this post goes through.


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## Buddha the DM

not a clue.. <i>whistles innocently</i>


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## Guilt Puppy

Now 10 posts away!


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## Buddha the DM

Guilt Puppy said:
			
		

> *Because people want free things? I mean, that's why I'm posting one-liners.*




I thought that was pretty much a given whenever contests rolled around.


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## Impeesa

weeeee


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## Speaker

*Imagines all the chaos going on about now...*

Lovely...

HAPPY ENWORLD POSTING (In case this is number 750 000).


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## Buddha the DM

testing?? did i pass


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## Speaker

Lol.  hivemind thread got it.

I'm not too disappointed.

(Starts crying)


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## Impeesa

Arg! ONE SHY! Ah well.  Post 749999 has to be worth some bragging rights, right? 

--Impeesa--


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## Speaker

Sure does.  Last post of the 749 000 range 

Closer then me by 1


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## Eternalknight

Sorry folks, it was me, over in the hive


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## UnDfind

Yeah, you should have seen him.  It was great!  He was all "I will have the power of the 750K post!  The world will be MINE!!!!"  And then there was all of this dark and evil laughter, and then it was all over.  EK had won.


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## Speaker

And all falls to darkness, and darkness to ruin...

But hey, I'm many posts richer.  No complaining here.


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## Cedric

I just got home from work...we have a winner yet?


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## Mark CMG

Eternalknight said:
			
		

> *Sorry folks, it was me, over in the hive  *




 Congratulations!


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## Speaker

Yup.  EternalKnight, on the Hivemind Thread.

It was a very close match though.  The last minutes were filled with tension, name-calling, and finally, the sorrow of loss and the cries of victory.


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## The Sigil

**BALLOONS AND FIREWORKS!!!**

We have a winner!

Congratulations to Eternal Knight, who made the 750,000th post!

Eternal Knight receives a copy of the Enchiridion of Mystic Music and a copy of the Enchiridion of Treasures and Objects d'Art.

Also, our runners up...

Impeesa (749,999) as the first runner up (closest w/o going over), receives a handsome copy of the Enchiridion of Treasures and Objects d'Art.

Dragongirl (750,001) as the second runner up (closest with going over) receives a handsome copy of the Enchiridion of Mystic Music for her very own.

And everyone else who participated can collect a consolation prize, a copy of the Burning Sage's Demense (one of the winners of Eric Noah's Adventure Contest a couple years back) by visiting the following link:

The Burning Sage's Demense Product Page.  You might want to wait until after the weekend to pick it up, though - I'm currently waiting to get a professionally done version of the map and drop it into the PDF (the map is expected in the next day or two). 

Thanks, all for playing!  I logged on and it just happened to be the "right time, " so to speak!

Thanks, all, for participating, thank you for your sportsmanship, and good night!

BTW, the three winners (Eternal Knight, Impeesa, and Dragongirl) should check their e-mail. 

--The Sigil


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## Dragongirl

Thank you very much, it was very nice of you to do this.


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## Mark CMG

*Re: *BALLOONS AND FIREWORKS!!!**



			
				The Sigil said:
			
		

> *Thanks, all for playing!  I logged on and it just happened to be the "right time, " so to speak!
> 
> Thanks, all, for participating, thank you for your sportsmanship, and good night!
> 
> BTW, the three winners (Eternal Knight, Impeesa, and Dragongirl) should check their e-mail.
> 
> --The Sigil *




Great idea and a well run contest, TS!  Thank you!


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## Eternalknight

Thank you very much Sigil


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## The Sigil

Eternalknight said:
			
		

> *Thank you very much Sigil  *





> _Originally posted by Dragongirl_
> Thank you very much, it was very nice of you to do this.



Nice .sig, Eternal Knight. 

You're welcome.  Now, I have to figure out what to do for post #1,000,000... 

But for the love of mud, please don't start racing to that just yet! 

--The Sigil


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## Dragongirl

The Sigil said:
			
		

> *
> 
> quote:
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Originally posted by Eternalknight
> Thank you very much, it was very nice of you to do this.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *




Sniffle, EK gets credit for what I said.  No more articles for Emerald Press!!!!!!


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## The Sigil

Dragongirl said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Sniffle, EK gets credit for what I said.  No more articles for Emerald Press!!!!!!    *



Sorry... I caught and fixed it... that'll teach me to post after midnight... my typing fingers turn into gremlins when they get fed ENWorld after midnight.

Yeah... gremlins... that's it...

Seriously, though, I hope everyone had fun with this.   And it will be interesting to see the reaction of those who log on this morning.  I really thought the contest would be shorter than it was - as it was, it ran 8 hours-ish.  I must've picked the "dead time of the day" to run it.

After all, where there's Free Stuff, there's a line. 

--The Sigil


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## Sanackranib

The Sigil said:
			
		

> *True.  I am going by post ID - I imagine the discrepency comes from deleted threads (e.g., some of the older and larger Hivemind threads).
> 
> That said, even if they're no longer around, I'll "count them" for purposes of the Free Stuff promotion.
> 
> So yes, I'm basing this on post ID.
> 
> --The Sigil *




SO TELL US ABOUT THESE BOOKS, I FOR ONE AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH THEM. Fell free to pimp your stuff, everyone else does


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## Drawmack

look I'm increasing my post count and trying to get in on this one.


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## The Sigil

Sanackranib said:
			
		

> *
> 
> SO TELL US ABOUT THESE BOOKS, I FOR ONE AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH THEM. Fell free to pimp your stuff, everyone else does  *



Okeley dokeley...

Both of my products are PDFs, available from RPGNow.com -- I publish them under S.T. Cooley Publishing (imaginative, no? )  I try to make them as modular as humanly possible - by which I mean you should be able to incorporate as little as one paragraph - any paragraph - or as much as the whole book with NO need to "convert" existing material.  That makes it truly "plug-n-play." 

1.) The Enchiridion of Mystic Music...

This baby is almost a year old now (frightening!  It was first released Mar 13, 2002) and, as you probably guessed from the title, is all about bards, bards bards.  It's 76 pages of bardic goodness, ranging from a few prestige classes to a few rules clarifications (e.g., just how far IS "all allies that can hear him, anyway?") to the bulk of the book - new stuff to do with bardic music.  LOTS of new stuff to do with your bardic music ability.  Earlier renditions of this product were a little, well, ugly (I'll be honest) but about 2 months ago, I tried to revamp the look a little bit to make it a little easier on the eyes.  All existing customers got an e-mail with a link to a free update.  It is, as far as I know, the biggest single source for material for bards out there (other sources with bardic material are bigger, but mix in other classes' stuff as well - if you look at just the bard stuff, it's not as much).  Again, it's plug-n-play - no "re-statting" your bard, no "starting from scratch" - you can literally build it on top of your existing campaign (assuming of course you are using the core rules - I can't make something that's compatible with everyone's house rules LOL).

2.)  The Enchiridion of Treasures and Objects d'Art

This was released near the end of January and is intended mostly as a sourcebook for "making new and exciting mundane treasures."  It includes a massive overhaul of the Craft skill (why does it take 1000 times as much work to make a 1" platinum sphere as a 1" copper sphere?), an optional system for "city wealth" and Profession skill checks, and treats several old skills relating to making things and buying things.  The "crown jewel" of this one, however, is probably the "materials" section - a huge section devoted entirely to describing materials - including and most especially the largest detailed treatment of gems that I know of in RPG literature - that can be used as "raw materials" for items.  It gives rules or engraving items, crafting them with special features and/or abilities, and how much they cost (and how hard it is to do).  Haven't you always wanted your paladin to wield a silver greatsword engraved with runes that are inlaid with sapphire and into which has been worked the paladin's holy symbol - and with a hollow pommel to store one shot of a "cure serious wounds" potion?  That's in here (well, the rules for making it are, anyway).  Not only that, but it includes rules for "ensorcelled" items - items with minor magical powers that have been "unlocked" by mages, but which emanate from the item itself and are linked the material from which they are made.  These types of items make a great handout to low-level PCs who have masterwork weapons but maybe aren't ready for +1 longswords yet.  Oh, yeah... it's a 144-page title.  You can pick up a demo - the materials that start with the letter "A" - here.

Also, for those who care, 99.9% of the text in these works (everything but my name, email, the product name, and "S.T. Cooley Publishing") is Open Game Content - so the re-usability factor is extremely high. 

Here is the homepage of my PDF publishing empire if you want more information.  Hey, stop snickering!   I'm trying to conquer the d20 world here, throw me a frickin' bone... 

I intend to do some more revisions on both Enchiridia eventually (with the birth of my daughter in early February, I've been a bit pinched for time), but revisions are of course always free to paid customers (and contest winners  ).  In the very early planning stages are a product for rangers and the Enchiridion of Planar Powers (see "Upcoming Products" for more on the EoPP).

So there you have it... a brief overview of the stuff.  I don't like to overly pimp - I don't wanna be "Hal Lite", but since you asked... 

--The Sigil


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## Sixchan

Damn.  If I had gotten up in the morning and posted...

Oh well!  Congrats to EK, and the runners up!


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## Impeesa

Got my prize... I must say, it's really quite cool.  Thanks, Sigil!

--Impeesa--


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## Sanackranib

*FREE STUFF*

thanks for the synopsis it sounds cool. is any of it availabe other then .pdf?


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## The Sigil

*Re: FREE STUFF*



			
				Sanackranib said:
			
		

> *thanks for the synopsis it sounds cool. is any of it availabe other then .pdf? *



At the moment, no.  Was there another electronic format you particularly wanted to see it in?

Once I get one more big revision done (e.g., bumping the Enchiridion of Mystic Music to ~96 pages and the EoTaOdA to about 160 pages), I intend to do a limited print run with Print-On-Demand at RPGNow.com - if print is what you are looking for.

--The Sigil


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## Sanackranib

*.pdf*

As a former printer I live for hard copy!


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