kantcon.com

The Esperanto Association of St. Louis (Esperanto-Asocio de Sankta-Luiso) is a local group for Esperanto speakers and learners in the St. Louis, Missouri area. Its website is organized around a simple set of sections — Home, Events, About, Links, Sister Cities, and Contact — which tells you most of what you need to know about how to plug in: check the Events page for meetings, read About for the group's background, and use Contact to reach a member directly. If you are a complete beginner, the association is best treated as a local point of contact rather than a structured course.

What the association is

Based on the site's own framing, the organization serves the St. Louis metro area and operates bilingually — the welcome heading appears as "Bonvenon / Welcome!" and the group's name is given in both Esperanto and English. That bilingual presentation is typical of local Esperanto clubs, which tend to include a mix of fluent speakers, returning learners, and people who are simply curious about the language.

The site does not describe membership fees, dues, or a formal joining process, so don't assume any of those exist. The practical way to find out is to ask through the Contact page.

How to get involved

The site's navigation gives you a direct path:

1. Check the Events section. This is where meeting times and locations would appear. If it is empty or outdated, that itself is useful information — it may mean the group meets irregularly or communicates mainly by email.
2. Read the About page. This is where the group's history, purpose, and typical activities are most likely described.
3. Use the Contact page. This is the most reliable step for a newcomer. Introduce yourself, say whether you are a beginner or experienced speaker, and ask when the next meeting is and whether newcomers are welcome.
4. Browse the Links page. Local Esperanto groups usually list national and international organizations, learning resources, and related clubs here — useful if the St. Louis group turns out to be small or dormant.
5. Look at Sister Cities. This section connects the local group to St. Louis's sister-city relationships, which in an Esperanto context often means pen-pal or exchange contact with Esperantists in partner cities.

A realistic expectation for beginners

A local association is not a substitute for a structured beginner course. If you are starting from zero, use the group for conversation practice, encouragement, and local contacts, and pair it with a self-study course or an online learning platform. The association's value is the people, not a curriculum.

What to do if the group seems inactive

Small local clubs often have a website that lags behind reality. If the Events page looks stale:

• Send a message through Contact anyway and ask directly whether the group is currently active.
• Search for the association's name on social platforms or mailing lists, which local groups often use more actively than their own site.
• Check the Links page for a regional or national Esperanto organization that can tell you about current activity in Missouri.
• Consider attending a national or online Esperanto event first, then asking there about St. Louis contacts.

Quick reference

The single most useful action is to send a short message through the Contact page asking about the next meeting. Everything else on the site supports that one step.

A tabletop RPG (TTRPG) is a collaborative storytelling game where one person narrates the world and its characters while the others each play a single hero, and dice decide whether the things they attempt actually work. You can start with just a rulebook, a set of dice, and a few friends — a battle map and digital tools are optional, though they help a lot once combat and dungeon exploration become central to your sessions. The rest of this article explains the core loop, what to buy or download first, and how to get a group running.

The core loop: narrate, declare, roll

Every tabletop RPG session runs on the same repeating cycle, regardless of which system you pick:

1. The GM describes a situation. "You step into a flooded crypt. Two stone sarcophagi line the far wall, and something is moving in the water."
2. The players declare what their characters do. "I want to climb the wall to get a better look." "I draw my sword and wade toward the sarcophagus."
3. The rules resolve uncertain outcomes. If the action could plausibly fail and the result matters, a die roll plus a character stat decides it. Easy or trivial actions usually just succeed.
4. The GM narrates the result, and the loop restarts from the new situation.

That's the whole engine. Everything else — character sheets, spell lists, monster manuals — exists to make steps 2 and 3 more interesting.

How it differs from board games and video games

The key difference is the GM. A board game can't handle "I want to bribe the guard with a fake deed to the mill," and a video game can't either — a GM can.

What you actually need to start

You can begin with very little. Here's the minimum, then the nice-to-haves.

Essential:

• A rulebook. Most systems sell a free starter set or basic rules PDF. Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder both publish free introductory rules; many indie systems are pay-what-you-want.
• Dice. Standard polyhedral sets (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20) cover most systems. Free dice-roller apps work fine.
• Character sheets. Usually free PDFs from the publisher, or a fillable online sheet.
• 2–5 people, one of whom is willing to GM.

Optional but useful:

• A battle map, if your system uses tactical combat with measured movement. This is where a tool like DUNGEONFOG comes in — it's a vector-based editor for drawing dungeons, buildings, and overland terrain, then populating them with assets. According to the site, it ships with a library of over 3,000 assets across different time periods and settings, and new asset packs are released monthly as part of a premium content subscription. Maps can be played on-screen inside the tool or exported and printed.
• A screen or divider for the GM to hide notes and rolls.
• A session-zero conversation about tone, boundaries, and scheduling.

Choosing a system

Don't agonize over this. Pick one, play three sessions, then decide.

• D&D 5e / 2024 rules — the largest player pool, easiest to find a group for, fantasy-focused.
• Pathfinder — similar genre, more mechanical depth and character options.
• Call of Cthulhu — horror and investigation, rules-light on combat.
• Rules-light indie games — good first choice if your group is intimidated by 300-page books.

The DUNGEONFOG site lists support for Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Cthulhu, and more, so map-making isn't tied to one system.

How to find or form a group

Three realistic routes:

1. Ask people you already know. The lowest-friction option. Four people and one GM is a full table.
2. Local game stores. Many run organized play nights where you can join a table as a stranger and learn the rules in play.
3. Online. Virtual tabletops and RPG Discord servers host open tables; you'll play over voice chat with a shared map.

If you're the one GMing for the first time, run a published starter adventure rather than writing your own. It removes prep work and teaches you the pacing.

Where digital tools fit in

If you play in person, a printed map is enough. If you play online, you need something to share a visual space. A map editor lets you:

• Draw the dungeon layout to scale.
• Drop in assets for furniture, terrain, and props.
• Export the result for a virtual tabletop or print it for the physical table.

For example, if your group is about to enter a goblin hideout, you'd sketch the cave rooms, place crates and campfires, export the image, and share it — instead of describing every rock in words.

Common sticking points

• "The rules are too complicated." Start with a starter set and ignore optional rules for the first few sessions. You can add complexity later.
• "Nobody wants to GM." Rotate the role, or run a GM-less system. The GM shortage is the single most common reason groups never form.
• "We can't schedule." A fixed weekly slot with a quorum rule ("we play if three of five show") beats trying to find a perfect time.
• "Do I need to buy anything?" No. Free basic rules, free dice apps, and free character sheets are enough to play your first campaign.

AdventureQuest is a free-to-play, browser-based single-player RPG from Artix Entertainment, hosted at battleon.com. You can create an account and start a character without paying; the optional Guardian upgrade (linked from the site's Upgrade page) adds premium content but isn't required to play. If you want a long-running RPG with two decades of quests, weekly events, and no download required, this is the direct path: make an account on BattleOn, log in, and pick a class to begin.

What AdventureQuest actually is

The site describes it as "an ever-expanding RPG with two decades' worth of adventures" where you "step into a world beset by peril and monsters" and "rise as a hero." Key traits:

• Single-player, browser-first. You play in the browser, or through the Artix Game Launcher if you prefer a desktop client.
• Free to start. The homepage markets it as an online RPG you can "play for free," with new adventures every week.
• Long-running live content. News posts cover limited-time shops, seasonal events, and item packages — the cadence is weekly, not a one-time release.
• Part of a larger family. BattleOn also hosts AQ3D, AQWorlds, DragonFable, EpicDuel, MechQuest, OverSoul, and others. AdventureQuest is the original; the others are separate games with separate characters.

AdventureQuest vs. the other Artix games

If you specifically want the classic single-player experience, choose AdventureQuest. If you want multiplayer or 3D, one of the others fits better — they are not the same game or the same account progression.

How to start playing

1. Go to battleon.com. The homepage is the entry point for AdventureQuest and the other Artix games.
2. Create an account or log in. Account management lives under "Manage Account" in the site navigation. You need an account to save a character.
3. Launch the game. Either play in the browser or install the Artix Game Launcher, which the site promotes with a "Get Launcher" link.
4. Create your character and choose a class. The site's game section lists Classes, Quests, and Events as core areas — class choice shapes how you fight.
5. Follow the weekly content. Check the AdventureQuest News section for what's live, including limited-time shops and events.

Expected result: you land in the game world with a persistent character, and new content appears on the site's news feed each week rather than requiring a reinstall.

The Guardian upgrade: what it is and whether you need it

The homepage says "Guardians needed in the land of rising evil!" and the site links to an Upgrade page labeled "Guardian." That's the paid tier.

• Not required to play. The game is presented as free to play; Guardian is an upgrade, not a gate.
• What it signals: Guardian status appears tied to premium access and recognition — the site's navigation includes Guardian-specific areas like "Top Guardians," "X-Guardians," and "Guardians" listings.
• How to buy: through the Upgrade link on battleon.com. The site does not publish a price on the pages reviewed here, so check the Upgrade page directly for current cost and terms.
• Related currency: the site references Z-Tokens and Artix Points, which appear in shop and package contexts (for example, "20K Z-Token Package" and "50K Z-Token Package" news items). Treat these as in-game purchase currencies, not free grants.

If you're unsure, play free first. Upgrade only if you want the Guardian content and perks.

Finding weekly and seasonal content

AdventureQuest's content model is event-driven. From the news feed:

• Weekly drops. Posts like "COMING THIS WEEK!" announce new packages and shop rotations.
• Seasonal shops. Example: the Fall Seasonal shop returns with autumn-themed items, including the Lantern of the Equinox.
• Holiday events. Example: the Talk Like a Pirate Day Event sends you aboard the ship Red Betty for Captain Rhubarb's Pirate Quiz, with a Pirate Scholar Shop and Pyrerat Contracts as rewards.
• Limited-time packages. Example: the Zombie Hunter Set (armor, 3 weapons, shield, title) is explicitly limited — "only available for a limited time."

Practical habit: check the AdventureQuest News section on battleon.com before a play session, since limited-time items can disappear.

Getting help and redeeming codes

• Support: the site navigation includes a Support link for account or gameplay issues.
• Redeem codes: a "Redeem Code" link is in the site navigation — use it if you have a code from a promotion or purchase.
• Account management: "Manage Account" handles login, credentials, and account settings.

Common snags

• Confusing the games. Buying or progressing in AQWorlds, DragonFable, or AQ3D does not carry into AdventureQuest. Confirm you're on the AdventureQuest page before creating a character.
• Assuming Guardian is mandatory. It isn't; the free game is the default experience.
• Missing limited content. Seasonal shops and packages rotate out. If an item is gone, it may return in a later season rather than being permanently unavailable.
• Expecting a price on the homepage. The reviewed pages don't list Guardian pricing — go to the Upgrade page for current details.

steam.tools is a collection of browser-based utilities for Steam community items, not a marketplace or a game store. You use it to look up, filter, sort, and organize trading cards, emoticons, and backgrounds, and to sort your own inventory by market value. It is useful if you already have a Steam account with community items and want a faster way to browse or assess them; it does not sell items or process trades itself.

What the site actually is

The homepage describes steam.tools as "a set of Steam related WebApps built around trading cards, emoticons and backgrounds," with the stated purpose of viewing, sorting, and filtering up-to-date item lists. The site is credited to Ehsan Kia, carries a 2013–2019 copyright line, and lists affiliate links to Steam UI Customizer, SteamLadder, SteamSignature, and TwitchCenter.

Two boundaries follow from that description:

• It is a viewer and organizer, not a storefront. Nothing on the page indicates item sales, trade execution, or checkout.
• It depends on Steam data. The tools present Steam community item information; they do not create items or change your account.

The five tools and what each one does

The homepage presents these as separate apps, each with its own "Check it out!" entry point. The Emoticons and Backgrounds tools are explicitly described as single-page browsers with filter and sort controls, which is the main convenience over paging through Steam itself.

How to use it, step by step

1. Open steam.tools in a browser. The homepage lists each tool; pick the one matching your task.
2. For browsing (Emoticons, Backgrounds, Trading Cards): open the tool, then apply the filter and sort controls on the page. Expected result: a narrowed, ordered list of items instead of an unfiltered catalog.
3. For your own inventory (Item Value Sorter): load your Steam Community items into the tool, then sort by market value or filter by item type. Expected result: your items ranked by value, or reduced to one type.
4. For image output (Mosaticon): choose an image and generate a mosaic built from emoticons you own. Expected result: a mosaic image composed of your emoticons.
5. For shared games (Games Filter): view the intersection of users' Steam games, then filter by category. Expected result: only the games common to the selected users, narrowed by category.

Verification: after filtering or sorting, confirm the list changed in the way you selected (fewer rows, different order). For inventory tools, check that the item count matches what you expect from your Steam inventory.

Common sticking points

• Inventory-based tools need your items to be visible. Item Value Sorter and Mosaticon work from items you own, so an empty or private inventory limits what they can show.
• "Up to date" is the site's claim, not a guarantee. The copyright line ends at 2019, so treat displayed data as the site's current snapshot rather than a live market feed.
• No pricing or login terms are stated on the page. Do not assume the tools are free of login requirements or that they show real-time market prices; the page only mentions sorting by market value.
• It is not a trading venue. If your goal is to buy, sell, or trade items, this site is the wrong tool; it organizes and displays information.

Choosing the right tool

• Want to find an emoticon or background? Use the Emoticons or Backgrounds browser with filters.
• Want card set statistics? Use Trading Cards.
• Want to know what your inventory is worth? Use Item Value Sorter, keeping in mind the value data comes from the site's own source.
• Want a creative output from your emoticons? Use Mosaticon.
• Want games you and a friend share? Use Games Filter.

If your task is buying or playing games rather than managing community items, steam.tools does not cover it.

Kenney is a game asset and tool provider that offers thousands of completely free game assets, plus open source Starter Kits for learning game development. You can download individual free assets, buy an all-in-one package that bundles everything with free updates, or use Kenney's tools to create 3D models without deep knowledge of complex software or frameworks. It fits best if you need ready-made art and quick-start project templates for common game engines, and you want to spend your time on game logic rather than asset creation.

What Kenney actually provides

Kenney's site organizes its offering into a few clear categories:

• Games – finished or experimental game projects.
• Tools – software for creating assets, including 3D model creation aimed at people without complex software or framework knowledge.
• Assets – the core offering: thousands of completely free game assets you can use in your projects.
• Starter Kits – free and open source project templates covering various game genres, designed to help you kickstart your next game.

The site also mentions a Knowledge Base and Support section, which is where you'd look for troubleshooting and usage guidance.

Free assets vs. the all-in-one package

The most important distinction for a new user is between the free downloads and the paid bundle.

The site states plainly that there are "thousands of completely free game assets for you to use," and separately offers the all-in-one package for downloading everything at once with free updates. If you only need a handful of sprites or models, start with the free downloads. If you expect to work on several projects, the all-in-one route saves repeated searching and downloading.

Using a Starter Kit to begin a project

Learning game development can be a daunting task, which is the problem the Starter Kits are built to solve. They are free and open source, and they cover various game genres.

A practical workflow looks like this:

1. Pick a genre close to your idea – the Starter Kits are organized by genre, so choose the one that matches the game you want to build.
2. Download the kit – it's free and open source, so you can inspect and modify it.
3. Open it in your engine – the assets are intended to work with most game engines, so you can bring the kit into the engine you already use.
4. Replace or extend the assets – swap in other Kenney assets or your own art as your project grows.
5. Verify – run the kit as-is first to confirm your engine and project setup work before changing anything.

The expected result is a running project skeleton in your chosen genre, so you spend your early time on mechanics and level design instead of building a project structure from scratch.

Compatibility and tools

Kenney states that its tools let you create 3D models without knowledge of complex software or frameworks, and that results "can be used in most game engines." That phrasing matters: the assets and tool output are positioned as engine-agnostic rather than tied to one platform. Before committing to a large asset set, confirm the file formats your engine accepts and test one asset end to end.

The tools are described as available "at a very affordable price," which indicates they are a paid product separate from the free assets. The site does not list specific prices in the material available here, so check the Tools page directly for current pricing.

Where to get help

If something doesn't work as expected, the site points to two resources:

• Knowledge Base – for documented answers and guidance.
• Support – for direct help.

There is also a newsletter you can subscribe to for updates on new assets and releases.

How to decide if Kenney fits your project

Choose Kenney's free assets if you need a broad, no-cost art library and want to prototype quickly across genres. Choose the all-in-one package if you'd rather download once and receive updates. Choose the Starter Kits if your main obstacle is not art but not knowing how to structure a game project. Look at the Tools if you specifically need to produce 3D models and want a simpler path than full 3D software. In every case, start with one small download or one Starter Kit, get it running in your engine, and expand from there.