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Thursday, September 18, 2008
30 Greatest D&D Adventures of All Time
Here are my thoughts on the list.
1. Queen of Spiders, 1986 (G1-3, D1-3, Q1)
This is a bit of a cop-out entry. Taken as a whole, I don't think there's much doubt that the Giants/Drow series of modules is probably the most iconic collection of D&D adventures ever published and firmly established a number of Gygaxian elements/motifs/idiosyncrasies as normative for the game as a whole. However, I think it's cheating to lump all the modules together, particularly in the rather hamfisted "supermodule" format, and declare it the greatest D&D adventure of all time. In my opinion, Q1 is very weak, both conceptually and in its presentation, and the G series consists primarily of workmanlike dungeon crawls, albeit with a solid theme and enough backstory to give them greater significance. The D series, on the other hand, are universally excellent and indeed groundbreaking on many levels. I'd have fewer quibbles about naming, say, Vault of the Drow the greatest adventure of all time, even if it's not necessarily what I'd have chosen.
2. Ravenloft, 1983 (I6)
Much as I love the Gothic horror/melodrama atmosphere of this module, I think it's fair to say that Ravenloft has probably exercised the most baleful influence over the development of D&D of any module other than the Dragonlance series, which isn't surprising since Tracy Hickman was involved in both. I loved David Sutherland's three-dimensional maps at the time, but they proved less than ideal to use in play. Likewise, the plot is heavy-handed and railroad-y. And don't get me started on the fetishization of Strahd von Zarovich.
3. Tomb of Horrors, 1978 (S1)
I wrote at length about this yesterday, so you already know my opinion of this module. It's definitely one of the top 5 adventure modules of all time and I'd be suspicious of any list that didn't include it as such.
4. The Temple of Elemental Evil, 1985 (T1-4)
Another cop-out, but a more justifiable one. I'm personally of the opinion that T1 The Village of Hommlet alone deserves to be in any top 10 list of greatest adventures of all time. Coupled with the rest of the material from this supermodule, you can see how much better it is than the material that followed, which represents a valiant effort by Frank Mentzer to put into print both an important part of the Greyhawk campaign's history and a module promised for many years beforehand. I think T1-4 is solid, but it's not top 10 material as its rank here would imply.
5. Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, 1980 (S3)
I don't have any quibbles about this module, which I both thoroughly enjoyed and think is indeed a classic on many levels, not least of which being its excellent illustration booklet.
6. The Desert of Desolation, 1987 (I3-5)
Another cop-out compilation but one I'm willing to let pass with less worry, since the modules play less as a series of independent but connected modules and more like a single module broken up into three pieces. It's been a long time since I looked at these and, while I am pretty sure they share the flaws of Tracy Hickman's other works (i.e. a heavy-handed plot), I recall there being a number of very clever old school traps and tricks throughout. Again, I'm not sure these modules are top 10 material, but I don't think them unworthy of some praise.
7. The Keep on the Borderlands, 1979 (B1)
Like The Village of Hommlet, B2 is nearly perfect. I'd rate it higher than 7, but that's a quibble.
8. Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, 2001
I could go on at some length about why this is a terrible, terrible module that misunderstands and butchers Greyhawk lore and demonstrates why the 3e Challenge Rating system is an abomination, but why bother? There's simply no justification for including this in a top 30 list, let alone ranking it at number 8.
9. White Plume Mountain, 1979 (S2)
I have great fondness for this module and no qualms about its inclusion in the top 30. I think it's too "game-y" an adventure to make the top 10, though. By that I mean that the whole set-up feels too artificial, as if it exists solely to provide an adventuring locale rather than as a location with its own internal logic independent of the adventurers having to go there.
10. Return to the Tomb of Horrors, 1998
I never owned or read this boxed set, so I can't really comment on its merits.
11. The Gates of Firestorm Peak, 1996
Written primarily to show off the new rules options from the 2.5e Player's Option books, I suspect this module made the list because of its introduction of the Far Realm, the Lovecraftian dimension that WotC era D&D seems so in love with. I'm not sure that alone justifies its inclusion here, as the rest of the module is pretty forgettable.
12. The Forge of Fury, 2000
I never owned this module either and, given that it's the second rather than the first release in WotC's 3e adventure path, I'm a bit baffled as to why it's here.
13. Dwellers of the Forbidden City, 1981 (I1)
As I've said before, this is definitely one of the greatest modules ever. I'd actually rate it higher than 13.
14. Dead Gods, 1997
I'm a fan of Planescape, but I can't say much good about most of the modules produced for the line, particularly the later ones, of which Dead Gods is part. They represent TSR's rather unfortunate flirtation with White Wolf-style metaplot, in the process wreaking havoc on an otherwise well-done, if off-kilter, take on fantasy.
15. Castle Amber, 1981 (X2)
Part of Tom Moldvay's "Pulp Fantasy Trilogy," Castle Amber is a favorite of mine.
16. Isle of Dread, 1980 (X1)
Ditto Isle of Dread.
17. Ruins of Undermountain, 1991
I never owned this, so I can't comment on its placement here.
18. The Hidden Shrine of Tamochan, 1980 (C1)
This is an excellent old school module that reminds me a bit of Tomb of Horrors in that it has very few monsters but plenty of tricks and traps. Likewise, the Mesoamerican ambience of the place -- given glorious life by many Erol Otus illustrations -- adds to its charm.
19. Against the Cult of the Reptile God, 1982 (N1)
An under-appreciated module that proves Douglas Niles once had serious design chops.
20. Scourge of the Slave Lords, 1986 (A1-4)
Yet another cop-out, but, again, an understandable one, given that modules A1-4 are a tighter series than the G/D/Q modules. I have a certain fondness for these adventures, but I don't worship them the way some old schoolers do. Part of my problem with them is that I don't find the central premise very compelling and the modules, being written by a variety of authors, are somewhat uneven in quality. In addition, there are moments of heavy-handedness, such as the necessity of the PCs to be captured, that I think militate against the series' real virtues. I don't object to their inclusion in a top 30 list and rank 20 seems about right for them.
21. Dark Tower, 1980 (from Judge's Guild)
The sole entry in this list that wasn't produced by TSR, I don't have any problem with its presence, since this is a classic module by Paul Jaquays and deserves to be recognized as such. However, I happen to think there are many other Judges Guild modules even more deserving of being here, such as Caverns of Thracia and Tegel Manor (among others). Were I to make my own top 30, you can be sure quite a few JG adventures would bump many of the entries in this somewhat myopic list.
22. The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, 1982 (S4)
I have a fondness for module S4, but that's mostly because of its extensive booklet of monsters, magic items, and spells, which made far more of an impact on my campaign than the adventure proper, which is is rather bland.
23. The Forgotten Temple of Tharzidun, 1982 (WG4)
The "sequel" to The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, though, is one for which I have a greater appreciation. The adventure has a creepy, "eldritch" ambience to it that I love and the eponymous locale is suitably bizarre and Lovecraftian.
24. City of the Spider Queen, 2002
No. This adventure exists solely to sell more R.A. Salvatore novels and its heavy-handed plot depends on events in the novels to make any sense.
25. Dragons of Despair, 1984 (DL1)
Though my dislike for Dragonlance is well-known, I do think the first module in the series is well-done and intriguing. Had the series as a whole not been so heavily tied into events in the novels and had there been more support for deviating from the "correct" storyline, I think the DL could have become true classics. As it is, DL1 represents a path not taken, as well as one of the key moments when D&D lost its soul.
26. City of Skulls, 1993 (WGR6)
I never owned any of the Carl Sargent era Greyhawk modules, so I can't comment on this one, which I believe is about the empire of Iuz.
27. The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, 1981 (U1)
Like most of the TSR UK modules, this one was excellent, being another great starting module that combines a fascinating little town with adventuring locales and adventure hooks. The rest of the U series is just as good in my opinion and quite possibly deserve a place on this list.
28. The Lost City, 1982 (B4)
The third module of Moldvay's "Pulp Fantasy Trilogy," this one is one is sometimes overshadowed by its bigger brothers, which is a shame, because it's a terrific evocation of "Red Nails" and other similar stories.
29. The Assassin's Knot, 1983 (L2)
Why this is here and not L1 The Secret of Bone Hill is a mystery to me. Oh wait, it's because L2 features a mystery that it got the nod while the often-overlooked L1 did not. I think L2 is a solid module -- practically a mini-campaign, just like L1 -- but I also think that it gets more kudos than it deserves simply because of its murder mystery plot.
30. The Ghost Tower of Inverness, 1980 (C2)
While I have fond memories of this module, like White Plume Mountain it has the feel of being a game module rather than an internally consistent and logical location in its own right.
42 comments:
Great comments James. Funny thing about modules though is that there are so many different criteria by which to judge them eh?
Take for instance the craftsmanship that went into Night's Dark Terror (B10)... Now while I wasn't over fond of the "plot" (if it could really be called that), I just absolutely LOVED the way they laid a wilderness down in front of the players and said "Have at it."
It seemed to take that type of adventuring just one step further. And the detail that went into it was superior. Again, a nod towards the British made modules.
I could go on at some length about why this is a terrible, terrible module...
You and I both. Honestly (And this is not a dig at Monte Cook...whom I actually quite respect in his own right.), this module was the one that made me start questioning the (then) current rule set. In a word, it made me crazy.
I'd love to see your list.FWIW, here's a list I made when this topic came up at the K&K Alehouse a few months back (modified slightly):
1. The Abduction of Good King Despot (Will & Schar Niebling and Russ Stambaugh, New Infinities, 1987)
2. Caverns of Thracia (Paul Jaquays, Judges Guild, 1980)
3. Necropolis (Gary Gygax, GDW, 1992) (cheat: not actually a D&D module, though it feels like one)
4. The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror (Gary Gygax, TSR, 1983)
5. Shrine of the Kuo-Toa (Gary Gygax, TSR, 1978)
6. The Lost Caverns of Tsojc[o/a]nth (Gary Gygax, Metro Detroit Gamers, 1976 / TSR, 1982)
7. Vault of the Drow (Gary Gygax, TSR, 1978)
8. The Original Bottle City (Rob Kuntz, Pied Piper Publishing, 2007)
9. Tegel Manor (Bob Bledsaw?, Judges Guild, 1977)
10. Dark Tower (Paul Jaquays, Judges Guild, 1979)
11. Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure (Rob Kuntz & Gary Gygax, TSR, 1984)
12. Steading of the Hill Giant Chief (Gary Gygax, TSR, 1978)
13. "The Temple of the Frog" (Dave Arneson, TSR, 1975)
14. Prisoners of the Maze (Rob Kuntz, Creations Unlimited, 1987)
15. In Search of the Unknown (Mike Carr, TSR, 1978)
16. Castle Amber (Tom Moldvay, TSR, 1981)
17. Expedition to the Barrier Peaks (Gary Gygax, TSR, 1980)
18. Tomb of Horrors (Gary Gygax, TSR, 1978)
19. Hall of the Fire Giant King (Gary Gygax, TSR, 1978)
20. Dwellers of the Forbidden City (David Cook, TSR, 1981)
21. In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords (Lawrence Schick, TSR, 1981)
22. The Ghost Tower of Inverness (Allen Hammack, TSR, 1980)
23. Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun (Gary Gygax, TSR, 1982)
24. White Plume Mountain (Lawrence Schick, TSR, 1979)
25. The Keep on the Borderlands (Gary Gygax, TSR, 1979)
26. The Lost City (Tom Moldvay, TSR, 1982)
27. Palace of the Silver Princess (orange version) (Jean Wells, TSR, 1981)
28. Isle of Dread (Tom Moldvay & David Cook, TSR, 1980)
29. Master of the Desert Nomads (David Cook, TSR, 1983)
30. Temple of Death (David Cook, TSR, 1983)Yeah, I've got the original version (for Gygax's ill-fated Dangerous Journeys game), not the remake, and don't know how the different stats may or may not have changed the feel of the adventure (from what I've heard, for instance, there are places where "no saving throw" situations in the original became "really hard saving throw" in the remake) so I'm only vouching for the one I know :)
ReplyDelete1. The Abduction of Good King Despot (Will & Schar Niebling and Russ Stambaugh, New Infinities, 1987)
This module comes up a lot in discussions like this and, never having seen it, I'm curious as to why it's so well regarded. The title alone strikes me as nonsensical, which only makes me more intrigued.I have to agree that picking the Assassin's Knot over Bone Hill is crazy talk.
As I said, my guess is that the guys polled for the list were mostly types who see L1 as having "no plot," whereas L2 is more in line with what people expect nowadays from an adventure and thus rated it more highly.
Interestingly, I've come to realize that there's a lot of hate for L1 among many people. It makes no sense to me, but there it is.This module comes up a lot in discussions like this and, never having seen it, I'm curious as to why it's so well regarded. The title alone strikes me as nonsensical, which only makes me more intrigued.
It was a tournament dungeon from the 70s designed by the Metro Detroit Gamers. It's a total funhouse dungeon, that makes the likes of White Plume Mountain and Ghost Tower of Inverness seem downright naturalistic.
The ostensible plot is that Good King Despot has been kidnapped by the evil wizard Ignax and hidden away in his dungeon-lair, which the PCs must infiltrate and attempt to rescue him. In fact the dungeon isn't Ignax's lair, it's a deliberately designed gauntlet to test and humiliate the PCs (part of an ongoing rivalry between Ignax and another wizard, Candelabra, with the PCs unwittingly caught in the middle).
The dungeon is a straight-line gauntlet (though the corridors are windy enough and there are enough red-herring rooms that it will probably take awhile for the players to realize it) through 13 encounter areas that start out as a simple straight-forward combat -- a group of berserkers wearing ram's horn helmets -- and gradually become more complex -- an evil sorceress and her 2 pet bulls, a pair of frost giant twins, a room with a sand-covered floor with a suspended orb that emits periodic blinding flashes and a giant crab lurking under the surface, etc. until in the last few areas combat drops away pretty much entirely and it's all player-level puzzle solving. There's a pattern to the encounters which is crucial to solving the final puzzle and rescusing Despot. There's another pattern that tells the party how to avoid the red-herring rooms (which are essentially a "best of" old-school dungeoneering tricks and traps) that I won't go into here.
Plus, as you've probably realized (the title itself gives it away) the module is completely whimsical and replete with puns and jokes (Ignax himself makes several cameo appearances to taunt and mock the PCs) but not in a "joke module" manner like Castle Greyhawk, more like, well, the actual Greyhawk Castle (or so I assume). You have to be smart and quick-thinking (and luck won't hurt) to get through, but you'll also have a laugh or two.
As a model for designing your own dungeons there are all kinds of problems here, starting with the straight-linear structure, though almost every single room could be lifted out and would fit perfectly into an old-school funhouse-dungeon, but as a "palate-cleanser," a reorientation towards a different approach to play (less serious, less naturalistic, more focused on challenging the player's mind than the character's stats) and just a really fun way to fill a few hours, there's no published module I enjoy more.
Bonus points are given because this module was published in 1987 and flew directly in the face of then-prominent adventure design philosophy. This was both a blatant nose-tweak at the rest of the rpg industry by Gary Gygax and also (AFAICT) the first product that was marketed with specifically "retro" appeal -- "think back to when the game was actually fun," etc.Interestingly, I've come to realize that there's a lot of hate for L1 among many people. It makes no sense to me, but there it is.
I'm a Bone Hill "hater" -- it's always been one of my least favorite modules because it seems so bland and by-the-numbers; too much focus on trivial and mundane detail and not nearly enough sense of wonder or unique elements I couldn't get by extrapolating what's in the rulebooks. Even the new monsters feel like blandly obvious variations on the existing monsters.
OTOH I have a soft spot for L2, mostly (entirely?) because it was the first module I ever played in with someone besides me or my best friend acting as DM (and usually also running a couple characters). So in some sense playing in this module was my first "real" D&D experience. So I'd definitely rank L2 above L1, though I realize that's more emotion-based than rational.Re: Good King Despot
I have variable tolerance for "funhouse" dungeons. I approve of them as what you call "palate cleansers," but I don't think I actually like them all that much in and of themselves. So, I might grab this module if I ever come across a copy someday, but I certainly won't seek it out, even if I do approve of Gygax's intention to tweak the nose of the late 80s RPG industry by publishing it.Yeah, given your preference for "Gygaxian naturalism" and your stated ambivalence to the likes of C2 and S2, Good King Despot probably isn't the adventure for you. That said, I will stress again that even though it's even less naturalistic it is (IMO) considerably better than either of those -- it has more and better internal logic and a wider variety of more unique and more interesting and difficult challenges.
ReplyDeleteI could be wrong here but I believe he's talking about 'Castle Amber', 'Isle of Dread', and my favorite, 'The Lost City'.
That's correct. I call them that, even though there's no connection between the three modules, because each one -- X1, X2, and B4 -- is heavily influenced by some aspects of pulp fantasy. X1 is a "Lost World" adventure, with bits of Tarzan thrown in. X2 is a weird fantasy that uses Clark Ashton Smith's Averoigne tales as an explicit tie-in. B4 is a Lost Race adventure that's almost certainly inspired by Howard's "Red Nails," among others.I'm a Bone Hill "hater" -- it's always been one of my least favorite modules because it seems so bland and by-the-numbers; too much focus on trivial and mundane detail and not nearly enough sense of wonder or unique elements I couldn't get by extrapolating what's in the rulebooks. Even the new monsters feel like blandly obvious variations on the existing monsters.
I agree that on the face of it Bone Hill is just another locale and dungeon. But sometimes that's all my players and I need to make magic. We made magic with Bone Hill.This is fascinating. I got into gaming in the early-to-mid 90's so all these early adventures passed me by. Also, we tended to play scenarios from White Dwarf or home-brewed settings; the only two official D&D adventures I've played to date have been one that came with I think the "Black Box" Basic Set, and the first bit of Night Below. So hearing about these classics is great for me. Keep it up!
ReplyDelete- AnonymousSeptember 20, 2008 at 2:38 AM
Great post.
I think I'm alone among old schoolers in that I can't stand S1. To me it reads like a primer in how *not* to design a dungeon--lots of capricious encounters, rewards that aren't commensurate with the risks, instant and unavoidable death around every corner, weak internal logic. It's Gary's worst.
The "Return to the Tomb of Horrors" boxset that WotC published just before the 3E era is actually pretty good, James; you might want to check it out. I think you'll appreciate its reverence for the original. The author (Bruce Cordell?) constructed a fairly interesting and meaty campaign around the original Tomb that drips with old school flavor. And when I say "original" I mean it literally--the box comes with an exact replica of the old S1 module for the DM to crack open if and when the players actually enter the Tomb. It's not a reinterpretation or a "reimagination." Okay, I've got to ask.
Ravenloft is probably my all-time favorite module. Granted, now you have challanged me to change the way that I DM, back when I was first cutting my teeth, I always believed that a good adventure HAD to be a railroad job. What can I say? Monkey see, monkey do.
Modern modules have a terrible requirement of consuming your entire campaign, and I can see how Ravenloft can do that, but some of your other comments leave me rather wanting.
Could you please elaborate on them a bit? How was Ravenloft's influence baleful to the development of modules? And I kind of do want to get you started on the fetishization of Strahd, not my favorite character, but he was the start of my favorite campaign setting.Ripper X,
First: I have a huge soft spot for Ravenloft, both the original module and the campaign setting it spawned.
That said, I am convinced that, like Dragonlance, Ravenloft (both the module and the setting) marks an important break point with the old school. One of the most important elements of this break is the shift not just toward heavy-handed plots -- they existed in some old school modules too -- but toward plots centered on NPCs rather than the PCs. Ravenloft and its successors are particularly guilty of this. I'm also less than fond of the wide variety of game "fiction" these modules spawned, by which I mean stuff like poetry, songs, diary entries, and the like that serve no purpose other than "setting the mood." That is, they're not meant to help the PCs overcome challenges in the adventure.
Ravenloft is by far a mild offender on these counts, but it set a precedent and, because of its popularity, it encouraged TSR to use it as a template for what came later, often going even further than the original ever dared. I don't hate the module by any means; I do, however, think it provided a very poor example for the future that laid the groundwork for much of 2e's failures.The "Return to the Tomb of Horrors" boxset that WotC published just before the 3E era is actually pretty good, James; you might want to check it out.
Go figure. Maybe I should check it out. I was generally unimpressed with most of the late 2e era "Return to the X" products that WotC produced (not unlike the late 3e "Expedition to X" series), but you have piqued my interest now.Thanks for your response, & clearing that stuff up for me.
I found the whole Ravenloft deal quite fun, but it does take a specific kind of breed of player to really get a kick out of it.
I liked it because it was smaller then Forgotten Realms, and that it had tons of adventure hook ideas that went nowhere so that the DM can just do what he wanted to do with them.
The books were a blessing and a curse, I think that in the long run they caused more problems then they were worth as they developed a set time-line, which in a campaign world that is always going to be unique to a given DM.
Granted, many of the books were thrilling reading and fun stories, but I know that a few of my stories were made pointless to me because TSR decided to put out a product that I had already created myself. Hey, I was young and dumb and always desired to run 100% Ravenloft games; That was always my biggest beef with it.
As far as important NPC's, well my players always got a kick out of trying to find them and interacting with them, and as a teaching point, it shows a DM exactly how much work that one can put into a villain. I found the NPC's to be a highlight of the game, not a hindrance, but I can definitely see your point on the matter.given that it's the second rather than the first release in WotC's 3e adventure path, I'm a bit baffled as to why it's here.
Because The Sunless Citadel was awful. It was a pretty silly situation. Wizards was already wary about putting out modules, but they did put out this series. (Which they played down as an "adventure path", but which sure looked like one to many customers.) Looking like a series meant that, if people didn't like the first one, there was a good chance they wouldn't buy the second one no matter how much better it might be. Since The Sunless Citadel wasn't very good, it didn't sell well, but since it was the first of the series, that meant it sold better than the rest of the series. This, of course, just reinforced Wizards' belief that modules were a bad idea.
Re: Necropolis: Foster, didn't you play in an AD&D version of this that Gygax ran at a con? That would make it originally an AD&D module, even if that version was never published.
Re: Despot: I picked this up on account of Gary always citing it as a favorite. I was pretty surprised when I read it, since it is not—IMHO—a good general example of how to make a good module. But then, I don't think it is intending to be. For a one-off or side-adventure, it might be good.I dunno how they could have left out Master of the Desert Nomads. That module was able to immerse you into an empires-at-war storyline like no other. It also had really well designed encounters..although the thing at the end in the monastery was a bit anti-climactic. Also the sequel Red Arrow, Black Shield was pretty awesome as well.
ReplyDeleteHello, I've played D&D since I was in 3rd grade and have loved it ever since. Having missed out on the classics, I've been wanting to at least find them online and download to play with friends. I was wondering if anybody had access to a site or link with these adventures - updated or not. Thank you
Unfortunately, none of the old TSR modules are available anymore in any electronic form, since the current rights holder, Wizards of the Coast, removed them all from sale some months ago. You can buy them second hand through eBay and other vendors but that's the only legal way to obtain them at the moment, alas.You can download 3.5 edition updates of Tomb of Horrors and White Plume Mountains. I can't personally speak to the quality of these updates or how they compare to the originals.
Three other classic modules—the original B3 and EX1 and 2—can also be downloaded in their original form. Although, these aren't ones that made "the list".
I've had a lot of luck finding classic modules on eBay and at second-hand book stores. They tend to be quite affordable. (The few that command high prices do so mainly on rarity rather than quality.)- AnonymousJune 20, 2010 at 9:17 AM
Years back I was on a kick to try and get every module (more of a challenge, since I haven't played in so long...) I have pretty much every "classic"/old module, and if anyone is interested I would be willing to sell them for the going rate. There is a great site that offers fair value prices for all D&D stuff:
Feel free to contact me at CurtFBPool@aol
P.S. A great module published in Dragon#41: The Halls of Beoll-Dur, is one of my all-time favorites. Very complete for a mini-module out of the mag. There have been so many great modules from TSR that it's hard to pick one as my favorite. Now that my 13 year old son plays, he'll often ask me which is my favorite... I've told him it's a tie between Keep on the Borderlands (because it was my first module ever), Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh (great way to start out 1st level chars), and G1-2-3 (probably, because I had a giant-slaying weapon). lol
ReplyDelete@Internal_Combustion: Another way to parse that would be to say he gave non-linear exploration-based games based on players working together to overcome actual challenges higher ratings than railroad 3E modules that hold the players' hands to make sure they keep up with the plot revolving around a bunch of NPCs. Each to his own, huh?
ReplyDeleteHi, folks.
First of all... Great blog! Great comments!
The first time I stepped into an RPG table was to play MERP, back in 1989. I'm pretty much sure you guys had already played everything out there, through and through. But I'm from Rio (Brazil) and RPG was not popular here back then, you see. Note: I knew nothing about neither Tolkien nor fantasy literature by that time.
It's funny to hear about how people behaved regarding RPG in the beginning, especially after reading the post about Tomb of Horrors. Because we never really cared much about the DUNGEONS themselves here. We were concerned about the storyline and about role playing. But I must admit that a good dungeon added a great amount of excitement to the experience. I'd never really stopped to think of that before. In addition, we hardly ever used modules, although I have many nice ones taking place in Middle-Earth.
I remember that, at least here in Brazil, there used to be this silly rivalry between TSR's and ICE's tribes. While one roared about AD&D's playability, the other grunted about Rolemaster's realism. Though I belonged to the latter tribe, I used to nourish a secret sympathy for AD&D and its campaign settings. It all seemed more alive, more mysterious, more FANTASY than good old Middle Earth. Besides, D&D cartoon had also made a good impression on people from my generation. Nowadays I look back and see how stupid that realism speech was. The important thing is having fun.
It turned out that I went to uni, started dating, working and bla bla bla... "Adios, RPG". Never again, except for a few sessions of 'Werewolf: The Apocalypse', conducted by a guy who worked with me some six years ago. It was fun, but didn't last long.
Well, I don't know exactly why, but a few months ago I decided it was time to gather the "old troupe" and start gaming again. But, since I'm now looking for greener pastures, I felt rather keen to play the real classics: all of these amazing adventure modules I hadn't had the opportunity to enjoy in the past.
Recently, I stumbled into Grognardia and have been eagerly reading your articles and our mates' comments. I'm really interested in hearing about old-schoolers' experience, about how things used to be, how the players mindset was etc. It is, indeed, an amazing body of knowledge.
This one here happens to be my favorite post, with comments about the list issued by Dragon Magazine. However, I still feel a little lost. Although I've read compliments and complaints about many of these modules, I don't know where to start yet. Can you "old-timers" (hehe, sorry for that) help me? All I need is a little guidance. What are the most recommendable modules for us beginners? I beg you to consider the following:
a) We plan to use around 10 to 12 of them;
b) Except for the DM, no one has REAL experience with D&D. Only by playing videogames (those old turn-based ones and the modern 'action RPGs') and by reading the novels (Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms, mainly);
d) Unfortunately, we are not kids anymore (I am 36). So, consider to put away a bit of the nostalgia if you believe a module will be too childish for us;
c) We want to have REAL FUN. Old times fun. That good old RPG 'look & feel', if you know what I mean.
Cheers, mates!
email@example.com- ZimrielOctober 10, 2012 at 11:35 AM
This top 30 list omits Sargent's "Night Below". Its argument is invalid. (But, I would say that . . .) "City of Skulls" is great though; and it plays just as well on the assumption of Gygax-Greyhawk. Give it a try, seriously.
The supermodule "Giants" supercedes G1-3, and should be separate from D1-3+Q1. - opa-opaOctober 10, 2012 at 9:44 PM
Which game system are you planning to use? I'll just assume you'll be playing AD&D since that system seems to have the biggest library of "classic" modules. Anyway here is my recommendation of essential modules to use for an old school AD&D campaign that would take your character from level 1 to 20 or so. Note that I tended to choose dungeon-crawl type adventures since these are more straightforward to play and run.
1. Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
2. The Assassin's Knot
3. Slave Pits of the Undercity
4. Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan
5. Ghost Tower of Inverness
6. Ravenloft
7. Dwellers of the Forbidden City
8. White Plume Mountain
9. Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
10. Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
11. Giants + Drow series (G1-3, D1-3)
12. Tomb of Horrors
13. Die, Vecna, Die
14. The Mines of Bloodstone
15. The Throne of Bloodstone
16. The Apocalypse Stone (to end your campaign) I realize this blog post is pretty old, but I've referred back to it several times over the years. As such, I wanted to share some thoughts on a few that James wasn't familiar with at the time:
1) Return to the Tomb of Horrors - personally, I don't particularly like this one as more than bathroom reading material. I'd never run it. It's basically the deadliness of Tomb of Horrors expanded into a mini-campaign. Realistically, unless the DM is quite lax the players shouldn't make it very far. That works for a short adventure like ToH, but for something of this size? Kind of silly.
2) The Forge of Fury - pretty darn good for a WotC 3e era entry. This is probably the adventure that set off the beginnings of another downward spiral - the challenge rating system. There are a couple of dangerous (but avoidable) encounters far above appropriate character level - as it should be for old school play, but apparently caused enough complaints to change WotC's whole school of thought. The other common criticism is lack of faction play, but this is an easy mod for a half-way decent DM. Top 30? Probably top 40.
3) City of Skulls - one of my favorites, and one of the few good 2e era adventures. Requires a few read throughs on the part of the DM and some definite prep work, but we had a blast with it. A stealth adventure with a great mechanic for managing notoriety. Definitely in my personal top 30.


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Loaded Turkey Santa Fe Baked Potato Skins
Loaded baked potatoes are so quick and easy to make. A few of my other favorites are Loaded Turkey Chili Baked Potato, Broccoli and Cheese Twice Baked Potato, and Loaded Philly Cheesesteak Baked Potatoes.
Seriously, I doubled the turkey filling and couldn't stop eating it. I had it with eggs for breakfast and on tortillas for lunch, even made some enchiladas with the extra… it is THAT good!
The serrano peppers give the filling a little extra kick that I just loved. I found them jarred in my Mexican aisle, the brand I used was Goya, a little goes a long way. You can make the potatoes and the filling the day before, then bake when you are ready to serve!
And did I mention they are gluten-free? To make them vegetarian, simply leave out the turkey and add a little more corn and beans to the filling.
Let the games begin!!
More Baked Potato Recipes:
Loaded Turkey Santa Fe Baked Potato Skins
- 7 medium, 32 oz russet potatoes, washed and dried*
For the filling:
- 1/2 lb 99% lean ground turkey
- 1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1 hot pickled serrano pepper, chopped (or jalepeño)
- 1 large diced tomato
- 1 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp chopped onion
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
- 1 tsp cumin
- kosher salt to taste
For the topping:
- 14 tbsp reduced fat shredded cheese, I used Sargento Mexican
- nonstick spray, Smart Balance
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions
- reduced fat sour cream or fat free Greek yogurt, optional
- Pierce potato with a fork a few times all around. Place in microwave and cook on high about 5 minutes per potato. When finished, allow to cool enough to handle.
- Cut potatoes in half horizontally. Scoop out potatoes (I save the extra potato to make skinny garlic mashed potatoes the next day) leaving about 1/4 inch thick wall, skins will weigh about 1 oz each.
- In a large skillet brown the turkey and season with salt.
- When the turkey is browned, add onion, garlic, black beans, cilantro, serrano pepper, diced tomatoes, and cumin.
- Mix well and simmer on low, covered for 20 minutes.
- Remove lid, add corn and simmer an additional 5-10 minutes or until all the liquid reduces.
- Heat oven to 450°. Lightly spray potato skins on both sides with oil and place a foil lined baking sheet.
- Season with salt and pepper and bake skins for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, add 1/4 cup meat filling into each potato skin, top with 1 tbsp shredded cheese and bake 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Top with sour cream and scallions. Enjoy!!

subset: commoncrawl


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Looking for something fast, casual, and delicious? Feel like expanding your palate horizons for lunch? Dine in or take out some delicious, mouth-watering, options in Mediterranean cuisine.
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text: Historic PlacesFrom the Civil War to the Great Depression to the country's space race, Alabama has been part of some of the most significant American historical changes. Here are just a few of the many historic sites in the state. Rickwood FieldOne of the oldest surviving ballparks, Rickwood Field is in strikingly good condition. Opened in 1910 to a delighted crowd of 10,000, many of the park's original features remain today such as the manual scoreboard, press box, and vintage outfield advertising signs. In its heyday, the field was graced by such legendary players as Stan Musial, "Satchell" Page and the most famous of all Alabama Sluggers, Willie Mays. The field now hosts an annual Rickwood Classic and remains a tribute to America's pastime. Fort Tyler (Lanett)On April 16, 1865, seven days after Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox, Union troops attacked this earthen fort atop the highest hill in West Point, Georgia (just across the river from Lanett, Alabama). The day-long battle ended with Fort Tyler in Union hands, the last Confederate fort to be captured. Each year on the anniversary of the battle, Civil War re-enactors at the reconstructed fort display life in the West Point era on the day of the battle. Tuskegee Institute National Historic SiteThe Tuskegee Institute served not only as a center for educating freed slaves and their children, but also became a beacon of hope for all African Americans in the decades after emancipation. Officially opened on July 4 1881 as the Tuskegee Normal School with Booker T. Washington as its first principal, the original buildings were built by the students themselves with bricks made in the Institute's brickyard. Today the original institute is a national historic site located on the campus of modern-day Tuskegee University, and includes the George Washington Carver Museum. Old Alabama TownOld Alabama Town is the South's premier historic village. The Town features over 40 restored 19th and 20th century structures, all of which stretch along six blocks in downtown Montgomery. Visitors can relive and experience the lives of those who settled and developed the area. Historic Fort GainesBegun in 1821, this five-sided fort on Dauphin Island took over 25 years to construct, with final work being completed by Confederate forces at the onset of the Civil War. The fort played an important role in the Battle of Mobile Bay, one of the war's most notable naval battles of the war. In 1898 the fort received additional armament as a result of the Spanish-American War. Following World War I, the Fort was sold to the City of Mobile and later deeded to the Dauphin Island Park and Beach Board. The Fort was used periodically for training by both the National Guard and the Coast Guard, but has served primarily as a tourist attraction since the 1930's. Pond SpringPond Spring was the plantation home of legendary Confederate Calvary Major General Joe Wheeler. After the war, Wheeler studied law before being elected to Congress in 1880. In 1898, he left Capitol Hill to serve as Major General of Volunteers in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. His national stature made "Fighting" Joe Wheeler a symbol for reunification and reconciliation. The Pond Spring Wheeler home has over 50 acres with 12 historic buildings and a family cemetery. |


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(AP) — It may not be a good thing for her, but Miley Cyrus had the most memorable moment at the MTV Video Music Awards.
The provocative pop singer was the hot topic at Sunday night's show: Cyrus eclipsed Lady Gaga's opening performance of her new single, Katy Perry's closing rendition of her latest hit and Kanye West's artsy set. The 20-year-old even grabbed more attention than Justin Timberlake's performance with his 'N Sync band mates.
Cyrus twerked and gyrated, stripped and swayed. She sang, too.
She had a helper at the VMAs: Robin Thicke. After performing her edgy hit, "We Can't Stop," she stripped off her outfit to reveal a nude bikini. She sang the first verse of Thicke's "Blurred Lines," then grinded on the R&B singer and made suggestive moves with a foam hand. The wild child also slapped a girl's butt onstage.
Robin Thicke, left, and Miley Cyrus perform at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013, at the Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (Photo by Scott Gries/Invision/AP)
It was an eye-popping performance, and a photo of actor Will Smith and his family reacting to it from the audience quickly went viral. Son Jaden had a furrowed brow and a pained look on his face, daughter Willow's eyes and mouth were wide open in amazement and dad Will looked like he was shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
Within hours, the Buzzfeed site was posting the "15 Weirdest and Craziest Moments" from Cyrus' performance, which was aired live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
"Amazing. I thought it was awe
some," fellow former child star Selena Gomez said backstage of Cyrus' performance. "I love Robin Thicke, too, so I like that they collabo'd."
Artist to watch winner Austin Mahone also seemed to enjoy the performance: "I thought it was pretty creative. I thought it was pretty cool."
Brooke Shields, who played Cyrus' mom in a few episodes of "Hannah Montana" on the Disney Channel, took note of that on the "Today" show Monday: "I was Hannah Montana's mom! Where did I go wrong?"
On MSNBC's "Morning Joe," co-host Mika Brzezinski said the performance was "disgusting and embarrassing," and that people involved should be ashamed.
Twitter said early Monday that Cyrus was mentioned 4.5 million times on the social network site, ahead of Timberlake's 2.9 million mentions. Cyrus and Thicke's performance led in tweets per minute peaks with 306,100.
Though they were attention grabbers and nominated for four moonmen each, Thicke and Cyrus walked away empty handed Sunday night.
Timberlake earned three awards, including video of the year and best male video for "Mirrors." Days ahead of the VMAs, his rumored reunion with 'N Sync dominated headlines, and he and his former band mates delivered at the awards show.
As Timberlake performed a medley of his solo hits, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick emerged from the bottom of the stage in suits to sing some lines from their hits "Girlfriend" and "Bye, Bye, Bye." Gomez, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and possibly the entire venue were giddy as the boy band danced like they did a decade ago. Even rappers Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J admitted on the red carpet they were excited to see 'N Sync hit the stage.
"Half of the moonmen I've ever won, I won with those four guys right there," Timberlake said of his band mates when he accepted the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award. "So above all else, I'm going to share this — we can keep it at my house — but I'm going to share this award with them."
Cyrus wasn't the only pop singer with edge at the VMAs: Swift also turned heads. The 23-year-old, who won best female video, appeared to utter an expletive to Gomez when Swift's rumored ex, One Direction member Harry Styles, was onstage. The boy band also earned boos when it won best song of the summer for "Best Song Ever," beating out Gomez, Thicke, Cyrus, Daft Punk and Calvin Harris.
Rapper A$AP Rocky also provided an awkward moment Sunday when standing next to NBA player Jason Collins, who were both announcing Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' performance. Collins, who recently said he was gay, spoke about coming out as A$AP Rocky looked uncomfortable.
"The next artist is a good friend of mine and he stands up for everything he believes in as far as everybody being equal, color, homosexuality," the rapper said as he pointed to Collins in another awkward moment.
But that was followed with touching performance of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' same-sex anthem "Same Love." It featured the song's original vocalist, Mary Lambert, as well as Jennifer Hudson. The video won best video with a social message, while their hit "Can't Hold Us" won best hip-hop video and best cinematography.
"I never dreamt I would be on a stage accepting an award, any of the awards, in particular for that song," Macklemore said of "Same Love" backstage. "It's much bigger than the music. It's equality, so that was the most special for me tonight, but all of them were incredible."
Bruno Mars, who won best male video and choreography for "Treasure," twirled with his two moonmen backstage, while Gomez admitted she thought Thicke's "Blurred Lines" should have won best pop video instead of her seductive "Come & Get It."
Lady Gaga kicked off the awards show in a less dramatic fashion compared to her past performances. She did change her clothes — and hair — various times onstage while dancing and singing her new hit "Applause." She finished in a thong, revealing her toned body.
Katy Perry closed the VMAs under the Brooklyn bridge in a boxing ring, singing her smash hit "Roar."
(Photo: This image released by MTV shows, from left, Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick, of 'N Sync, at the MTV Video Music Awards at Barclays Center on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. AP Photo/ MTV, John Shearer)


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Hospice is a type of palliative care that provides services to improve the quality of life for the family. The word "hospice" literally means "a place of shelter". Hospice settings and home-hospice care provide extensive services to the terminally ill. Care usually involves relieving symptoms and providing psychological and social support for the patient and family. To qualify for hospice care, a patient usually has a life expectancy of fewer than six months. The decision to pursue hospice care is a decision not to pursue aggressive treatment. In addition, hospice philosophy provides for the spiritual and cultural needs of the child and family. The goal of hospice care is to provide terminally ill patient peace, comfort, and dignity.
Research has shown that hospice care at home helps a family as a whole. In addition to being in the comfort of the home, family members can also take an active role in providing supplemental, supportive care to the patient. Hospice often includes an extensive multi-disciplinary team available for care, including physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, home care aides, trained volunteers, pharmacists, and bereavement counselors.
Settings for hospice care:
Although most patients receive hospice care at home, hospice care can also take place in other settings, including:
Hospital-based hospice
Most hospitals have a hospice program to give terminally ill patients access to support services and other healthcare professionals. Some hospitals even have a special hospice unit.
Long-term care hospice
Many long-term care homes have hospice units with specially trained staff for those patients who require medical services not suitable for a home setting.
Freestanding hospice
Independently owned hospices may sometimes include an inpatient care facility, in addition to their home care hospice services. The inpatient facilities offer patients hospice services if the patient requires medical services not suitable for a home setting.
What services does hospice care provide?
Hospice services are similar to home health care services, but may also include:
- spiritual services and religious needs
- 24-hour care or on-call care
- respite care
- bereavement support


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SNOW HILL — Ocean City got one step closer to returning to the silver screen Tuesday when the Worcester County Commission voted to contribute $100,000 toward funding the movie, "Ping Pong Summer", on the condition that Ocean City is willing to pay an equal amount.
County Tourism Director Lisa Challenger pitched the funding opportunity to the commissioners this week. She reminded them of the powerful and positive impact Hollywood has had on the area in the past.
"We're seen what films can do to the town of Berlin with 'Tuck Everlasting' and 'Runaway Bride'," she said.
While "Ping Pong Summer" is a smaller, independent movie, it will still feature big-name actors like Susan Sarandon, noted Challenger. Many other members of the cast and crew are also accomplished film veterans and have consistently put people in movie theatre seats, she added.
"I think the royalties coming out of this should be substantial," Challenger told the commissioners.
County Director of Economic Development Bill Badger agreed that a relatively safe opportunity has lined up for Worcester. He emphasized that, unlike with recent movies that featured Berlin, Ocean City will actually be referenced directly instead of given a fictional name.
"This movie is about Ocean City, Md.," he said.
If funding goals are met, filming on "Ping Pong Summer" is set to begin in mid-September and last four to five weeks. The producers are still searching for about $300,000 that would have been filled by a Maryland film rebate program grant, which was not funded by the Maryland General Assembly this year as expected.
If the county does contribute $100,000 of that, Badger recommended that it not be granted directly, but instead be given to a business entity that can actually invest the money, such as the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce. Ninety percent of the film's net revenues will be used to repay investors until they have made back 115 percent of their original contribution. After that, all investors will receive 50 percent of net revenues in perpetuity.
Because of restrictions inherent to the county, Badger explained that Worcester can't issue money like a private investor and take advantage of those promised return rates.
"We cannot invest ourselves, directly," confirmed County Attorney Sonny Bloxom.
However, the commission could grant the $100,000 to an entity such as the chamber, allowing them to make the actual investment and capitalize on returns.
But Worcester would still be benefiting from the investment indirectly, stressed Challenger.
"There's going to be a lot of mileage on this," she said.
Producers expect to spend $650,000 locally and are anticipating 2,535 total room nights needed in Ocean City for cast, crew and guests. The biggest benefit, though, will be reaching a large audience that might not yet be familiar with the resort, said Challenger.
The majority of commissioners were receptive to the idea of having Ocean City featured so prominently on the big screen, with focus on the resort promising to be even greater than the last time it showed up in film in the 1986 movie, "Violets Are Blue".
"I anticipate a lot of tax revenue and all kinds of interest from tourists," said Commissioner Judy Boggs.
Commission President Bud Church estimated that just the number of people attracted into town during the filming would balance out Worcester's $100,000 contribution. He told the commission that the movie should be treated like any other business opportunity for the county.
"In my business, you have to spend money to make money. In everyone's business, you have to spend money to make money," said Church.
While several were enthusiastic, the proposal did not draw unanimous backing from the commission.
"I can't support this," said Commissioner Madison Bunting.
His reluctance stemmed from the property tax increase enacted by the commission in the fiscal year 2013 budget, which was recently completed. Bunting, who voted against the budget because of the tax bump, asked the commissioners how it might look to the public if the county claimed to be in a tough financial position but is able to take $100,000 from contingency funds to help finance a movie.
"We have raised taxes 7 cents," he reminded the commission. "[And] we're looking at a money shortage next year."
Church reiterated his belief that, even not counting the potential return for the chamber, which the county wouldn't see directly, much more than $100,000 worth of business will flow into Worcester because of "Ping Pong Summer".
"We'll get our money back. That's for sure," he said.
Commissioner Virgil Shockley also voiced some reluctance but decided to support the $100,000 contribution because of the film's potential for bringing in new visitors to Ocean City, and by extension, Worcester County.
"There are two things that run Worcester County: agriculture and tourism," he said.
While Shockley, a farmer, anticipates a rough year for agriculture, he was optimistic about tourism, especially if "Ping Pong Summer" becomes a hit.
"We all take chances," he said. "Hopefully, the chamber will get the money back and then some."
The commission voted 4-2 with Bunting and Merrill Lockfaw opposed, to funnel $100,000 through the chamber and into "Ping Pong Summer" on the condition that the town of Ocean City will provide an equal amount of funding, which has already been recommended by the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB). Discussion of that recommendation is expected later this month at the Mayor and Council level.


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Export 6 results:
Author [ Title] Type Year Filters: Author is Wilfried Gappmair [Clear All Filters]
"Cramer-Rao Lower Bound and EM Algorithm for Envelope-Based SNR Estimation of Nonconstant Modulus Constellations", IEEE Transactions on Communications, vol. 57, pp. 1622 - 1627, 2009.
, "Digital Satellite Communications", Springer, 2007.
, "Hybrid Space-Ground Processing for High-Capacity Multi-beam Satellite Systems", in IEEE GLOBECOM, Houston, Texas, USA, 2011. arna1112hybrid.pdf (182.79 KB)
, "Iterative Envelope-Based SNR Estimation for Non-Constant Modulus Constellations", in IEEE Workshop on Signal Processing Advances in Wireless Communications (SPAWC), 2007.
, "Joint NDA Estimation of Carrier Frequency/Phase and SNR for Linearly Modulated Signals", IEEE Signal Processing Letters, vol. 17, pp. 517-520, 2010. double.pdf (97.54 KB)
, "ML and EM Algorithm for non-data-aided SNR Estimation of Linearly Modulated Signals", in International Symposium on Communication Systems, Networks and Signal Processing (CNSDSP), 2008, pp. 530-534.


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Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Here's another adjective Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin can call his ill-timed two-step onto the field last Thursday night against Baltimore.
The NFL fined Tomlin $100,000 on Wednesday for interfering with Baltimore's Jacoby Jones on a kickoff return in the third quarter of a 22-20 loss to the Ravens on Thanksgiving night.
The fine is the second-highest ever levied by the league on a head coach, behind only the $500,000 the NFL docked New England's Bill Belichick in 2007 for spying on an opponent's defensive signals.
There is also the chance the Steelers have a draft pick taken away "because the conduct affected a play on the field." Though he was not penalized, the league said the Steelers should have been flagged 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct.
All that from what Tomlin called an "embarrassing, inexcusable" case of being "mesmerized" while standing in a restricted area that separates the sideline from the playing field and staring at the video board during Jones' 73-yard return.
Jones had to swerve to avoid running into the coach and was tackled during a return that might have gone for a touchdown if not for the obstruction. Tomlin briefly stepped onto the field before he jumped back.
Tomlin insists the "blunder" was not intentional but has no plans to appeal the ruling.
"I apologize for causing negative attention to the Pittsburgh Steelers organization," Tomlin said in a statement Wednesday. "I accept the penalty that I received. I will no longer address this issue as I am preparing for an important game this Sunday against the Miami Dolphins."
Jones didn't blame Tomlin for his own inability to score on the return, but his teammates believe the move put the coach and the league in a difficult position.
"I'm not going to lie, it's tough," Baltimore wide receiver Torrey Smith said. "I can't say he did it on purpose because I don't know what he was thinking. It definitely sends a message across the league. He stepped across the line, which definitely threw it off."
Tomlin said he was following his normal routine on the play and said standing on the 6-foot wide strip is common practice.
New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin didn't disagree. Coughlin drew a 15-yard flag during the preseason for stepping onto the field during a field goal attempt.
"You find yourself sometimes running down the sideline on the white, but nevertheless, you're not even supposed to be even on the white because the officials have to have access there," Coughlin said. "That is a most difficult thing to absorb."
Tomlin's players leapt to his defense in the immediate aftermath, and safety Ryan Clark allowed he is "always on the field." The 12-year veteran, however, is hardly surprised the NFL is considering taking an extra step of stripping the Steelers of a draft pick.
"It's not supposed to be fair," Clark said. "It's Roger Goodell, so when has he been fair?"
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger doesn't believe Tomlin's near-trip will serve as a distraction for Pittsburgh (5-7), which remains in the playoff hunt as December begins despite an 0-4 start.
"If anything, guys joke about it more," Roethlisberger said. "They're the ones pulling up the pictures online and joking with coach about something. If anything maybe it's a light-hearted fun thing."
The league will not determine whether to take a pick away from Pittsburgh until after the draft order has been set. It would be an unprecedented move for a coach getting involved during a live play.
The NFL fined the New York Jets $100,000 in 2010 when cameras caught strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi tripping a Miami player on the sideline. Alosi was suspended by the Jets and eventually resigned after the season.
Tomlin is hardly in danger of losing his job, and said Tuesday he had not spoken to team owners Dan and Art Rooney II about the situation.
"I would imagine if the Rooneys thought that I was capable of that or they thought my intentions were that, I wouldn't be sitting at this table talking to you guys," he said.
Tomlin makes $5.25 million a season and the fine constitutes less than 2 percent of his annual salary. He can absorb the relatively small financial hit. He's far more concerned about the uncomfortable position he put the league and the Steelers in after failing to get out of the way with any sense of urgency.
"I will take this as an opportunity to strenuously defend the game of football and the NFL. I won't defend myself," Tomlin said. "The people that know me, I don't need to do that. The people that don't know me, they are going to make their judgments any way."
Tomlin's predecessor, Bill Cowher, raised eyebrows but not the ire of the commissioner's office in 1997 when he feigned tackling Jacksonville's Chris Hudson as Hudson ran back a Pittsburgh field goal attempt for a touchdown on the final play of a 30-21 Jaguars victory.
While Tomlin has no plans to change the way he goes about his business, he plans to do a better job of policing himself. The 41-year-old understands this will stick with him once the furor dies down. His goal is to make sure it doesn't stain the team as well.
"The only thing we can control is our preparation and ultimately our play this week," he said. "That's the now and what's immediately ahead of us. I try to relay that sentiment and attitude to our team, and I think it's something they embrace."
AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org
AP Sports Writers Rachel Cohen in New York, Steven Wine in Miami, Tom Canavan in East Rutherford, N.J. and Dave Ginsburg in Baltimore contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Don't blame Quentin Tarantino for Friday's tragic Newtown, Conn., shooting.
The Django Unchained director is tired of having to defend his use of violence in film.
"I just think, you know, there's violence in the world, tragedies happen, blame the playmakers," he said Saturday at a press junket, per the BBC. "It's a Western. Give me a break."
Django Unchained star Jamie Foxx, however, disagrees with Tarantino. "We cannot turn our back and say that violence in films or anything that we do doesn't have a sort of influence," the actor said. "It does."
Christoph Waltz, another actor in the flick, said that the "media's responsibility is greater than the storyteller is because... Django is violent, but it's not inspiring violence."
Kerry Washington added, "I do think that it's important when we have the opportunity to talk about violence and not just kind of have it as entertainment, but connect it to the wrongs, the injustices, the social ills."


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Sell your CDMA, TDMA, iDEN (Verizon, Telus, Sprint PCS, Bell Mobility, Alltell, Rogers TDMA, AT&T TDMA, Nextel, Mike, etc) phones here.
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Shop online and get $10 off any purchase of $99 or more* from April 25 to May 1. Use promo code APRIL24 at checkout. Learn more.
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By CHRIS BLANK
Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Government officials in Missouri could be required to give more notice before holding public meetings and face a greater likelihood of penalties for violations of the state's open meetings and records law under a bill pending in the state Senate.
Sen. Kurt Schaefer, the bill's sponsor, says the changes would update and strengthen the so-called Sunshine Law. The legislation, considered this week by a Senate committee, also would renew an expired open records exemption that has shielded security documents from disclosure.
The Sunshine Law currently allows fines of up to $1,000 against officials or governmental bodies who "knowingly" violate it. Someone raising a complaint about a violation must show the governmental body is required to comply with the law and that the meeting or record was closed. The government then must demonstrate it complied with the law.
The legislation would reduce the fines to $100 but no longer require that violations were "knowing." The government also would shoulder the burden of proving a meeting, record or vote could be closed to the public. When a complaint about a Sunshine Law violation is sustained, the courts would be required to order the government to pay the complainant's attorney fees. Judges currently have the option of ordering attorney fees.
Schaefer said many Sunshine Law cases are not pursued because it is difficult to prove a knowing violation. He said the legislation would strengthen and update the law.
"You have repeat offenders that never get those violations established," said Schaefer, R-Columbia. "If you shift that burden and basically make it like a ticket - it's a $100 fine - and every time there is a violation, there is an established violation on the record."
Most governmental bodies in Missouri also would need to give 48 hours notice before their meetings instead of the current 24 hours. The Legislature, however, would still provide 24 hours notice.
Organizations representing cities and counties have raised concerns.
Richard Sheets, the deputy director of the Missouri Municipal League, said additional notice before meetings could pose administrative challenges. He also questioned whether cities should be required to pay attorney fees for unintentional, minor violations.
The Missouri Association of Counties said it also objects to requiring a fine for an unwitting violation.
"If someone knowingly violates it, the judge can sit there and determine what the penalty is going to be," said Todd Smith, a former Republican lawmaker and county commissioner who lobbies for the organization. "This removes that, and this is someone unknowingly, inadvertently. I mean people are human; they make mistakes."
The Missouri Press Association and the Missouri Broadcasters Association each support the legislation.
Jean Maneke, an attorney for the Missouri Press Association, said there have been attempts for years to encourage attentiveness to the Sunshine Law by increasing the financial penalty.
"That theory doesn't seem to be working," she said. "I think there needs to be a smaller penalty that's a strict liability situation."
In addition, the legislation would encourage public record custodians to keep an index of the public records maintained by that agency. It would reduce agencies' ability to close discussions that are related to a "cause of action" by requiring that the governmental body to have evidence a lawsuit has been filed or will be filed.
Schaefer's proposal also would continue through 2017 two exemptions to the Sunshine Law that expired at the end of 2012. One covered operational guidelines and policies developed by law enforcement, public safety, first response or public health authorities for preventing and responding to terrorism incidents. The other dealt with security systems and structural plans for property owned or leased by a government agency. It included information submitted by private entities for governmental agencies to develop plans for protecting infrastructure.
Earlier this month, Gov. Jay Nixon called for renewing the exemptions during news conferences that included numerous law enforcement officials.
Sunshine Law is SB122
Legislature: http://www.moga.mo.gov


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I have been on an egg kick this Easter and with the success of the bacon guacamole deviled eggs I could not help but think of other flavours to use in deviled eggs and of course one of my first thoughts was of buffalo chicken deviled eggs! You really can't go wrong with buffalo chicken anything and I really liked the sound of combining chicken and egg in a tasty buffalo chicken deviled egg appetizer! The recipe for these deviled eggs could not be easier with a chicken and egg 'salad' with mayonnaise and finely diced carrots, celery, onions and a bit of blue cheese. Once everything is mixed up you just add some buffalo hot sauce, stuff the hard boiled eggs and you are all set to impress at your Easter, or other, get together!
Serve with carrot and celery sticks for additional snacking pleasure and garnish with extra hot sauce and crumbled blue cheese.
Buffalo Chicken Deviled Eggs
Truly devilish deviled eggs with all of the flavours of buffalo chicken wings!
- 6 eggs, boiled, cooled, peeled, and cut in half
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise or ranch dressing or Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons buffalo wing hot sauce
- 1/4 cup chicken, finely shredded or diced
- 2 tablespoons carrot, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons celery, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons blue cheese, finely crumbled
- Scoop the yolks out of the egg halves, mash them and mix with the mayonnaise, hot sauce, chicken, carrot, celery, onion and blue cheese.
- Place a tablespoon of the mixture back into the holes left by the yolks in the eggs and serve garnished with extra blue cheese, hot sauce and parsley.
Bacon Guacamole Deviled Eggs
Jalapeno Popper Deviled Eggs
More Buffalo Chicken Recipes:
Oyakodon (Japanese Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)
The perfect Ramen Eggs
Buffalo Chicken French Bread
One Pan 20 Minute Buffalo Chicken Tortellini


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I have a friend. Her name is Lorna. She writes The Cookbook Chronicles. She is drop dead gorgeous. Kindness and intelligence dance with every word she says. She is generous and humble. Humor and good disposition seem to like her. I have no idea if she is high or low maintenance but if she is the latter, I want to know how she does it. She's got taste and she's got gumption. And she wrote a book. A quirky, funky, well written, beautifully photographed cookbook, The Newlywed Kitchen. No wonder Henri asked her out and then asked for her hand in marriage. Smart man.
Lorna and Henri are newlyweds. They both love food. This is not a loose statement. They met on a food forum. In Lorna's words "Our relationship was founded on our mutual love of food and our desire to nourish one another's stomachs as well as our spirits." It could sound superficial and barely enough to hold a couple together but as she chronicled the making and writing of the book, you could tell that they were like the vast majority of couples. They love to share with others, spend time learning and give back what they know. Lorna did it with "The Newlywed Kitchen".
I am not a newlywed and yet I, we, thoroughly enjoyed the book. It does not pretend to be the "essential guide to cooking as a couple", instead it focuses on clean, simple recipes that can be at the foundation of any new couple repertoire. Narratives of other well known couples are dispersed throughout the book and add a charming and quaint little thing to it. I caught myself chuckling along as I was reading with that familiar feeling of "been there done that" of kitchen mishaps and victories. Pictures of newlyweds throughout the book are a little too quaint at times but they're here to illustrate a point: there is plenty in this book to bring people together in many different ways.
Some of the recipes are kicked up classics like the "Four Cheese Mac-and-Cheese", the "Chicken Pot Pie with Cheddar Thyme Crust". Some are best saved for your first dinner cooking for the in-laws, "Holiday Rib Roast Wtih Thyme Gravy", "Chicken Piccata with Mushrooms and Leeks". Others are made for lazy Sunday mornings in newlywed Bliss like the "Topsy Turvy Apple French Toast", the "Smoked Salmon Frittata". And who would not want to cozy up with their better half with some "Chocolate Mudslide Cookies", "Nutella Doughnuts" or some "Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake"?
I just made myself hungry…
My better half does not cook. He barely boils water. We have shared custody of the grill. I don't even know if he's any good at it, he's just not interested. And as he says "I married a chef, why would I even consider crossing the line? You don't come in the garage and bleed the break of the MG now do you?". Touche. So you might wonder how this cookbook fared with us…
It did exactly what it was intended to do for a couple like us regarding food: I'd hold the book in one hand, pencil in the other and ask him whether "Grandma's Italian Meatballs" sounded good for dinner or would he rather have the "Fall Apart Pot Roast"? Should I take the "Red Velvet Cake" or the "Strawberry Rhubarb Pie" to a dinner party with friends? My man may not cook or enjoy cooking but he loves to eat and knows his food, making it a pleasure and never a chore for me to cook everyday.
Finding a recipe to illustrate this review was a no brainer (I picked two actually and will write about the other one next week – with a little surprise you guys reading). The "Parmesan Roasted Asparagus, Tomatoes and Eggs" is exactly the kind of dish I like to fix us for lunch on Saturdays when we come back from the market or on Sundays when we set out to "not have a schedule". It's simple, it's fresh, it comes together fast and needs nothing but maybe a glass of wine and a piece of bread.
It's the kind of meal we enjoy as a couple. It fits us and it felt even more special when we sat down to ingredients we had just picked up at the market from people who loved food as much as we do.
Let's make lunch this week "French Word A Week" feature: "dejeuner". One of our favorite activity and time of the day. (click on the word to hear the pronunciation).
Check out Jen at Use Real Butter making Grandma's Italian Meatballs from Lorna's book. I also love this review of the book from Becky at Chef Reinvented (and don't forget to click on the video link – adorable).
Parmesan Roasted Asparagus, Tomatoes and Eggs, courtesy and copyright Lorna Yee for "The Newlywed Kitchen"
Serves 2
1 pound asparagus
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or pecorino (I used shredded)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grounded black pepper
2 large eggs
3 spoonfuls pesto (optional)
Preheat the oven to 425F.
Wash the asparagus. Break the bottom stems off and discard. Toss the asparagus spears and tomatoes in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, then place them on a parchment paper or Silpat lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables for 12=14 minutes, or until tender and cooked through..
Meanwhile, fry the two eggs in the remaining oil, seasoning them with salt and pepper to taste. Place an egg in each portion of the cooked vegetable and top with a dab of pesto if desired.
Disclosure: I received a free copy from The Newlywed Kitchen from Sasquatch Books.


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Otis can groove with some serious savory cooking and he is a master when it comes to chopping veg, but he also swoons for making sweets. Fresh Mint Chip Ice Cream seemed like a good way for us to celebrate the Easter Break, the green explosion of spring, and our bountiful backyard mint patch.
Otis says this is the best ice cream he has ever tasted (and we all know that 11-year-olds are ice cream experts!) I personally think the whole recipe is quite dangerous. I found myself wanting to slurp the minty custard before I even froze the stuff - need I say more?
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 packed cups fresh mint leaves
- 5 egg yokes
- 5 ounces dark chocolate, chopped and melted
Warm milk, 1 cup of cream, sugar, and salt in a medium sauce pan, over medium heat. Stir to melt sugar. When sugar has dissolved, add mint leaves to the pan. When everything is hot and steamy, remove the pan from the heat. Cover, and let the mint leaves steep in the warm milk for an hour.
After an hour of steeping, pour the minty milk mixture through a strainer into a medium mixing bowl. Using the back of a wooden spoon, press down on the mint in the strainer to release as much flavor as you can, then toss out the mint leaves and wash your strainer. Return infused milk to the medium sauce pan and rewarm over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
(Pour the remaining cup of cream into a large mixing bowl. Place strainer over the top of the bowl, and set aside.)
Whisk egg yokes in a separate, smallish bowl. Pour a ladle or two of the warm infused milk into the yokes and whisk to integrate. Then pour all of the yokes into the sauce pan with the warmed minty milk. Stir continuously with a spatula and cook custard, over medium heat, until it begins to thicken. (Lebovitz says the mixture is done when it reaches 170 degrees, or is thick enough to coat the spatula.)
Pour custard through the strainer into the large mixing bowl holding the cream. Stir. Place mixing bowl over an ice bath and continue stirring until the custard has cooled. Transfer to a covered container. Refrigerate for two hours, or even overnight, then freeze in your ice cream maker, following the manufacturers instructions.
While your ice cream maker is working its magic, put a storage container into the freezer to chill.
When your ice cream machine is done, pull the chilled storage container from the freezer and drizzle some melted chocolate across the bottom. Then add some ice cream to the container. Then drizzle more chocolate over the ice cream. Use a spoon to break up the mixture and you will have nice broken streaks of chocolate (homemade chocolate chips!) running throughout the ice cream. Continue adding layers of ice cream and drizzled chocolate. Place your now marbleized ice cream into the freezer to firm up again before serving.
My talented friend and fellow blogger, Phyllis Grant of Dash and Bella, recently posted a recipe for Mint Stracciatella Ice Cream. If you don't already follow her blog already, you should - everything she does is delish and I imagine her ice cream is no exception!


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Riethmeyer's Auto Repair Can Meet All Your Lexus Repair and Maintenance Needs
When you visit Riethmeyer's Auto Repair, you're bringing your car to a service center that has a dedicated and knowledgeable staff that is eager to get your Lexus luxury vehicle back on the road quickly. We use the latest automotive service techniques and technologies which allows us to repair a multitude of Lexus vehicles. We're conveniently located at Austin, TX 78758 and easy to reach. The staff at Riethmeyer's Auto Repair is waiting to complete maintenance or any repairs on your luxury vehicle.
Lexus, the luxury arm of Toyota, is an automotive brand that combines the reliability of Toyota engineering and safety with luxury styling and amenities. The Japanese luxury brand takes aim at its German competitors and offers a lineup of stylish cars and SUVs that offer comfortable interiors and copious amenities and technologies. Riethmeyer's Auto Repair in Austin, TX is looking forward to keeping your Lexus operating at its best.
As reliable as Lexus cars are, some problems do crop up from time to time, especially in older models. Issues that may arise in older Lexus cars and SUVs include transmission issues and interior fit and finish issues after extended use.
Reliable Lexus Repairs
When you leave your vehicle with Riethmeyer's Auto Repair, you're leaving your Lexus with people who will treat your car as if it were their own. That's hard to come by in today's automotive repair and maintenance market. Our staff at Riethmeyer's Auto Repair is eagerly waiting to meet all your automotive needs. If you have questions, or just want to schedule an appointment, call us at 512-836-6615. You can also stop by – we're waiting to help!


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Some of you may remember Sue Abbott, the Australian woman fighting her ticket for cycling with a helmet. The Australian documentary filmmaker Mike Rubbo made a film about her getting ready for court, which we blogged here.Mr Rubbo made a film following Sue on the day she showed up in court, which you can see above. She lost her case, which wasn't really a surprise, but the judge didn't really take her position seriously, which really is his job. Sue has now decided to appeal, taking her battle for bicycling freedom to the next level.Good luck to her. We haven't had bicycle 'activists' in Denmark for many years but we certainly used to and anyone fighting to ride a bicycle as they see fit gets our respect. Not least because it's also about questioning society's tendency to ignore the problem - the automobile.Mr Rubbo was also present at a bicycle conference in Melbourne where a bike share programme was presented. With this film he explores the problems of implementing a bike share programme in a city with mandatory helmet laws. The woman interviewed calls it a 'vexing problem' and she proposes making cheap helmets available FOR SALE at convenience stores and fast food outlets that are open late.
Basically, you want a bike. Before - or after - you get a bike the idea is that you go to a shop or fast food joint somewhere [hopefully] nearby and buy a cheap helmet. Then off you go.
Kind of defeats the purpose of ease of use and accessibility. Making helmets available for borrowing doesn't work due to the issue of sanitation. Lice and happy-sounding skin diseases like Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus are among the reasons that make sharing helmets undesirable in such schemes. There is no cost efficient way to sanitize helmets in bike share programmes. Australian authorities have known this for ages and don't really know how to tackle the problem. Buying a helmet for a short trip from A to B seems a bit far-fetched.
We'll see how things turn out in Melbourne.


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ELOVL4 single gene test
ELOVL4 single gene test
Test Strengths
The strengths of this test include:
- CAP accredited laboratory
- CLIA-certified personnel performing clinical testing in a CLIA-certified laboratory
- Powerful sequencing technologies, advanced target enrichment methods and precision bioinformatics pipelines ensure superior analytical performance
- Careful construction of clinically effective and scientifically justified gene panels
- Some of the panels include the whole mitochondrial genome (please see the Panel Content section)
- Our Nucleus online portal providing transparent and easy access to quality and performance data at the patient level
- ~2,000 non-coding disease causing variants in our clinical grade NGS assay for panels (please see 'Non-coding disease causing variants covered by this panel' in the Panel Content section)
- Our rigorous variant classification scheme
- Our systematic clinical interpretation workflow using proprietary software enabling accurate and traceable processing of NGS data
- Our comprehensive clinical statements
Test Limitations
This test does not detect the following:
- Complex inversions
- Gene conversions
- Balanced translocations
- Mitochondrial DNA variants
- Repeat expansion disorders unless specifically mentioned
- Non-coding variants deeper than ±20 base pairs from exon-intron boundary unless otherwise indicated (please see above non-coding variants covered by the panel).
This test may not reliably detect the following:
- Low level mosaicism (variant with a minor allele fraction of 14.6% is detected with 90% probability)
- Stretches of mononucleotide repeats
- Indels larger than 50bp
- Single exon deletions or duplications
- Variants within pseudogene regions/duplicated segments
The sensitivity of this test may be reduced if DNA is extracted by a laboratory other than Blueprint Genetics.
For additional information, please refer to the Test performance section.
The genes on the panel have been carefully selected based on scientific literature, mutation databases and our experience.
Our panels are sectioned from our high-quality, clinical grade NGS assay. Please see our sequencing and detection performance table for details regarding our ability to detect different types of alterations (Table).
Assays have been validated for various sample types including EDTA-blood, isolated DNA (excluding from formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue), saliva and dry blood spots (filter cards). These sample types were selected in order to maximize the likelihood for high-quality DNA yield. The diagnostic yield varies depending on the assay used, referring healthcare professional, hospital and country. Plus analysis increases the likelihood of finding a genetic diagnosis for your patient, as large deletions and duplications cannot be detected using sequence analysis alone. Blueprint Genetics' Plus Analysis is a combination of both sequencing and deletion/duplication (copy number variant (CNV)) analysis.
The performance metrics listed below are from an initial validation performed at our main laboratory in Finland. The performance metrics of our laboratory in Marlborough, MA, are equivalent.
Performance of Blueprint Genetics high-quality, clinical grade NGS sequencing assay for panels.
|Sensitivity % (TP/(TP+FN)
|Specificity %
|Single nucleotide variants
|99.89% (99,153/99,266)
|Insertions, deletions and indels by sequence analysis
|1-10 bps
|99.2% (7,745/7,806)
|11-50 bps
|99.13% (2,524/2,546)
|Copy number variants (exon level dels/dups)
|1 exon level deletion (heterozygous)
|100% (20/20)
|1 exon level deletion (homozygous)
|100% (5/5)
|1 exon level deletion (het or homo)
|100% (25/25)
|2-7 exon level deletion (het or homo)
|100% (44/44)
|1-9 exon level duplication (het or homo)
|75% (6/8)
|Simulated CNV detection
|5 exons level deletion/duplication
|Microdeletion/-duplication sdrs (large CNVs, n=37))
|Size range (0.1-47 Mb)
|100% (25/25)
|The performance presented above reached by Blueprint Genetics high-quality, clinical grade NGS sequencing assay with the following coverage metrics
|Mean sequencing depth
|Nucleotides with >20x sequencing coverage (%)
Performance of Blueprint Genetics Mitochondrial Sequencing Assay.
|Sensitivity %
|Specificity %
|ANALYTIC VALIDATION (NA samples; n=4)
|Single nucleotide variants
|Heteroplasmic (45-100%)
|100.0% (50/50)
|Heteroplasmic (35-45%)
|100.0% (87/87)
|Heteroplasmic (25-35%)
|100.0% (73/73)
|Heteroplasmic (15-25%)
|100.0% (77/77)
|Heteroplasmic (10-15%)
|100.0% (74/74)
|Heteroplasmic (5-10%)
|100.0% (3/3)
|Heteroplasmic (<5%)
|50.0% (2/4)
|CLINICAL VALIDATION (n=76 samples)
|All types
|Single nucleotide variants n=2026 SNVs
|Heteroplasmic (45-100%)
|100.0% (1940/1940)
|Heteroplasmic (35-45%)
|100.0% (4/4)
|Heteroplasmic (25-35%)
|100.0% (3/3)
|Heteroplasmic (15-25%)
|100.0% (3/3)
|Heteroplasmic (10-15%)
|100.0% (9/9)
|Heteroplasmic (5-10%)
|92.3% (12/13)
|Heteroplasmic (<5%)
|88.9% (48/54)
|Insertions and deletions by sequence analysis n=40 indels
|Heteroplasmic (45-100%) 1-10bp
|100.0% (32/32)
|Heteroplasmic (5-45%) 1-10bp
|100.0% (3/3)
|Heteroplasmic (<5%) 1-10bp
|100.0% (5/5)
|SIMULATION DATA /(mitomap mutations)
|Insertions, and deletions 1-24 bps by sequence analysis; n=17
|Homoplasmic (100%) 1-24bp
|100.0% (17/17)
|Heteroplasmic (50%)
|100.0% (17/17)
|Heteroplasmic (25%)
|100.0% (17/17)
|Heteroplasmic (20%)
|100.0% (17/17)
|Heteroplasmic (15%)
|100.0% (17/17)
|Heteroplasmic (10%)
|94.1% (16/17)
|Heteroplasmic (5%)
|94.1% (16/17)
|Copy number variants (separate artifical mutations; n=1500)
|Homoplasmic (100%) 500 bp, 1kb, 5 kb
|Heteroplasmic (50%) 500 bp, 1kb, 5 kb
|Heteroplasmic (30%) 500 bp, 1kb, 5 kb
|Heteroplasmic (20%) 500 bp, 1kb, 5 kb
|Heteroplasmic (10%) 500 bp, 1kb, 5 kb
|The performance presented above reached by following coverage metrics at assay level (n=66)
|Mean of medians
|Median of medians
|Mean sequencing depth MQ0 (clinical)
|Nucleotides with >1000x MQ0 sequencing coverage (%) (clinical)
|rho zero cell line (=no mtDNA), mean sequencing depth
The target region for each gene includes coding exons and ±20 base pairs from the exon-intron boundary. In addition, the panel includes non-coding and regulatory variants if listed above (Non-coding variants covered by the panel). Some regions of the gene(s) may be removed from the panel if specifically mentioned in the 'Test limitations" section above. If the test includes the mitochondrial genome the target region gene list contains the mitochondrial genes. The sequencing data generated in our laboratory is analyzed with our proprietary data analysis and annotation pipeline, integrating state-of-the art algorithms and industry-standard software solutions. Incorporation of rigorous quality control steps throughout the workflow of the pipeline ensures the consistency, validity and accuracy of results. Our pipeline is streamlined to maximize sensitivity without sacrificing specificity. We have incorporated a number of reference population databases and mutation databases including, but not limited, to 1000 Genomes Project, gnomAD, ClinVar and HGMD into our clinical interpretation software to make the process effective and efficient. For missense variants, in silico variant prediction tools such as SIFT, PolyPhen,MutationTaster are used to assist with variant classification. Through our online ordering and statement reporting system, Nucleus, ordering providers have access to the details of the analysis, including patient specific sequencing metrics, a gene level coverage plot and a list of regions with suboptimal coverage (<20X for nuclear genes and <1000X for mtDNA) if applicable. This reflects our mission to build fully transparent diagnostics where ordering providers can easily visualize the crucial details of the analysis process.
We provide customers with the most comprehensive clinical report available on the market. Clinical interpretation requires a fundamental understanding of clinical genetics and genetic principles. At Blueprint Genetics, our PhD molecular geneticists, medical geneticists, and clinical consultants prepare the clinical statement together by evaluating the identified variants in the context of the phenotypic information provided in the requisition form. Our goal is to provide clinically meaningful statements that are understandable for all medical professionals regardless of whether they have formal training in genetics.
Variant classification is the cornerstone of clinical interpretation and resulting patient management decisions. Our classifications follow the ACMG guideline 2015.
The final step in the analysis is orthogonal confirmation. Sequence and copy number variants classified as pathogenic, likely pathogenic, and variants of uncertain significance (VUS) are confirmed using bi-directional Sanger sequencing or by orthogonal methods such as qPCR/ddPCR when they do not meet our stringent NGS quality metrics for a true positive call.
Our clinical statement includes tables for sequencing and copy number variants that include basic variant information (genomic coordinates, HGVS nomenclature, zygosity, allele frequencies, in silico predictions, OMIM phenotypes, and classification of the variant). In addition, the statement includes detailed descriptions of the variant, gene, and phenotype(s) including the role of the specific gene in human disease, the mutation profile, information about the gene's variation in population cohorts, and detailed information about related phenotypes. We also provide links to the references, abstracts, and variant databases used to help ordering providers further evaluate the reported findings if desired. The conclusion summarizes all of the existing information and provides our rationale for the classification of the variant.
Identification of pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in dominant disorders or their combinations in different alleles in recessive disorders are considered molecular confirmation of the clinical diagnosis. In these cases, family member testing can be used for risk stratification. We do not recommend using variants of uncertain significance (VUS) for family member risk stratification or patient management. Genetic counseling is recommended.
Our interpretation team analyzes millions of variants from thousands of individuals with rare diseases. Our internal database and our understanding of variants and related phenotypes increases with every case analyzed. Our laboratory is therefore well-positioned to re-classify previously reported variants as new information becomes available. If a variant previously reported by Blueprint Genetics is re-classified, our laboratory will issue a follow-up statement to the original ordering healthcare provider at no additional cost, according to our latest follow-up reporting policy.