Best of the Web - Just Use Goblins, Horrible Peasants, Drugs for Exp, and Smelly Encounters

d4caltrops has a post called Just Use Goblins in which the idea of reskinning simple goblin statblock for use on other beasts is discussed. Most GMs have been doing such for ages but its nice to see it written down.

Coins and Scrolls has a fun Horrible Peasants NPC generator. This one bit says it all "Peasants don't get last names because nobody really cares. They get smells instead. Peasants usually smell like unwashed people, but underneath the body odour there are other scents." 

He's also got a OSR: Horrible Burgher NPC Generator and a Horrible Baron NPC Generator. 

Sheep & Sorcery has  post titled THERE IS NO XP! TAKE MONSTER DRUGS INSTEAD!  the point of which is to replace normal level progression. It's a bit like Zak's progression except made awesome with some in game choices, different drugs and such that increase different abilities instead of being random. Definitely gotta chew that one over for awhile. 

Gundobad Games has a post with the title "What do you smell? Man-Flesh!" Scent, Wind Direction, and a Curious Gap in Encounter Procedures in which Gundobad details what an amazing sense of smell many natural animals have and postulates how this might effect random encounters. Personally I would say that any player with decent wilderness skill (GM option as this would depend upon the ruleset) automatically knows the wind direction at all times (they don't have to stop and think about it, the player doesn't have to ask, they are just noting it as habit) and thus their party does. 

If a party is aware of the wind direction everything plays as normal regarding surprise. If a party is unaware of the wind direction they will never gain surprise against an animal encounter. It's simple, separates the newbies from the more skilled, and encourages newbies to hire scouts when tramping around in the wild. Also I would determine if a Dungeon or sub-level does not have a natural airflow than surprise rules are normal for everybody as everything in the dungeon is sitting in a cloud of their own stench which would seriously reduce the use of scent.