ADD Grognard

New Link-New Blog-New Start

2012-02-28T20:26:00.001-05:00

New Link-New Blog-New Start

Since I have no idea what will happen after March 1st to all the Google users who have not agreed to the new terms of use I thought I would get this out there today and see what happens.

The new home base is:

classicrealmsofadventure (dot) com

The new email is:

classicrealmsofadventure (at) yahoo (dot) com

All further activity and updates will be posted there.

Ok, back to the silicon mines.

Please Read: Changes To The Blogs

2012-02-27T17:29:00.001-05:00

Ok, I had a big post with notes and such to post but after editing it I’m still not happy with the results so I’m doing this post instead.

Please understand that I’m wide-banding this one post to all my blogs so if something sounds a little weird it might not apply to the location you are reading it at.

I’ve mentioned that I am switching services away from Google to a more diversified approach.

The central location will now be the recently acquired:

classicrealmsofadventure (dot) com (no www).

This is currently linked to my Tumblr blog of the same name.

I will be using my Mediafire account to host files at. I have several projects I have been ready to upload (including a 2700 page wiki book I compiled on Transhumanism for use with Eclipse Phase and a 26 volume wiki encyclopedia of Legendary Creatures for fantasy systems). The word seems to be that they will not share the same fate as Megaupload and report that 86% of their traffic is business related (and they are evidently willing to show their hand to any legal organization).

I have a Wordpress blog I am tinkering with. If I don’t go with a paid hosting service then it may become the hub in the future (just grabbed a Dummies book for it to scan over).Paying them to use my own domain though just rubbed me the wrong way and I decided to stick with Tumblr for now (they do allow using your own domain and at no charge).

The new email address is classicrealmsofadventure (at) yahoo (dot) com. I will cease to answer mail from the Google accounts as of March 1st.

So, I think that covers things for now. I will miss Blogger. It has not always been the best solution but it allowed me to ramp up fast and learn about publishing a blog and keeping it running.

So, I look forward to seeing everyone at the new digs.

Till next time…

Video Game Sales Down - Tabletop Games Up

2012-02-26T12:24:00.002-05:00

Well, I had a completely different post in mind for today but after seeing some good news for a change I decided to pass it along.

Confirming what I have posted about apparent sales in the tabletop market in general and the word out of GenCon last year the numbers are out and rather staggering.

First:

http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/22214.html

This should come as no surprise, but this should:

Video games sales down, hobby games up in 2011

"In a move that may reflect the shifting United States economy, video games sales plummeted 38% and hobby games sales are up 25%."

(Read More)

http://www.examiner.com/rpg-in-national/video-games-sales-down-hobby-games-up-2011

So, I feel pretty good that what appeared to be happening last year was sustainable, that Pathfinder continues to grow (and they deserve it - watch the videos at YouTube from GenCon for what else to expect this year from Paizo-that Bestiary Box is MINE) and for all the naysayers who say we are just a tiny speck of gaming goo and that everyone quit table top to play video games I get to proudly stand and say:

STFU

(Coming Next Time - The Consolidation Update - The Future of the Eternal Keep - CRoA Update - More)

RESET

2012-02-08T15:03:00.001-05:00

RESET BUTTON POWER ON

TIMELINE RESET DESCRIPTION IS AS FOLLOWS:

2000 - Wizards of the Coast release D&D 3.0 and the SRD under the newly created Open Game License. Tabletop Role-Playing Games are saved by this initiative.

2008 - WotC ceases production of D&D to focus on their primary product line Magic: The Gathering.

Smaller companies, led by a bold start up-Paizo, begin to produce role-playing games that go back to the roots of the hobby using the Open Game Content from the SRD and newly created OGC sources.

2010 – The rpg ‘industry’ finally succumbs to the growth of the ‘hobby business’. With the rise of the internet and its many tools, game production takes on a whole new meaning. It is now possible to design and produce gaming materials and distribute them on a completely different scale. With the advent of Print on Demand (PoD) and digital publishing through the PDF format gaming experiences a renaissance and player numbers and sales continue to increase, a trend started in 2004.

2011 - The game market coalesces around the Open Game concept. Many declare it to be a new Golden Age of gaming, a network of players and publishers world wide, creating and sharing games of all genres while exploring the outer boundaries of the Old School Style along with the new mechanics being created on almost a daily basis. A successful GenCon finds most vendors in good spirits as sales continue to increase.

2012 – The End of the Beginning. New technologies have allowed players and publishers greater freedom to create and play than ever before. With the growing use of VTT, Social Networking sites, and A/V hardware/software and more traditional digital methods like PBeM and forum more games than ever are being played by a growing group of diversified gamers. The hobby is seen to have come full circle but now that circle goes, not around a city, but the entire planet. And with hand held mobile devices increasing in popularity and software rising to meet the challenge games can now be played by anyone, anywhere at anytime.

The Revolution is complete.

Now, all you have to do is press the button to complete this timeline reset. This may be accomplished by verbal authorization in the comments section below.

ENGAGE RESET NOW?

(WARNING: TIMELINE RESET MAY CAUSE SLIGHT NAUSEA AS TIMELINE SHIFTS AND HAPPINESS INCREASES)

New Post

2012-02-07T12:06:00.002-05:00

Ya know, I keep trying to post something and by the third line I'm dropping so many f-bombs I would have to change the settings on the blog to mature.

The more I look at it the less I understand.

Now keep in mind, I'm not talking about 4e fanboys or 'whatever' gamers (they play whatever is new).

No, I'm thinking about all the posts I have read over the last 2 years that has not let up on how:

(A) Nobody cares what WotC does next.

(B) WotC...who?

(C) "It'll be a cold day in hell..."

(D) "D&D...are they still doing that?"

You get the idea...and don't act like you don't recognize some of those...I have a LOT more...

I think the guys summed it up best:

Steve: Ahhhhh!

Zack: Calm down, Steve. Gygax and Arneson are both dead. They can't hurt you anymore.

Steve: People cried about them dying, but when Gygax went what we really lost was a final authority on all rules arguments. And even though the number I had for Gygax was probably no longer in service, I always had that reassuring feeling like if I was really in a jam and my characters were insisting they wanted to grapple someone I could call up Gary and ask him how to resolve it.

Zack: He's gone now, Steve, but his spirit lives on in the exciting new 4th Edition of- I can't even type that out. Does anyone play that?

Steve: It's pretty fun.

Steve: For stupid babies.

Zack: I would imagine Gygax had his detractors back in the day.

Steve: Gygax didn't have 50 writers and 100 artists and color printing. He just went out there and said, hey, here's how you subdue a dragon and sell it as a slave. Here's what a robot is doing in a fantasy game. Deal with it. I made it up, deal with it.

Zack: And now a committee has designed everything.

Steve: The stupid baby committee.

http://www.somethingawful.com/d/dungeons-and-dragons/steve-old-gygax.php?page=11

So I wonder...where does that leave us now...a game that turns out like Republicare? (You get to call it Obamacare when you pass the version he wrote, not the one the Republicans agreed to vote yes for).

Just think, if the game sucks you get to blame yourself...pretty slick maneuver isn't it?

Player #1 - Man, this D&D 5e blows...

Player #2 - Well, you designed it.

New Clips For First Film To Launch In Support Of 5e

2012-01-31T14:20:00.003-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoFyDGTnkUo

Wow...just wow...I may have to change my thinking on all this...

Well, I guess we have been told-(WARNING: LANGUAGE)-Continued

2012-01-29T21:17:00.002-05:00

I have started a new post here continuing the discussion started at:

Well, I guess we have been told-(WARNING: LANGUAGE)

I begin with the latest comment and response:

KenwolfJan 29, 2012 04:56 PM

if you was to ask the question what osr means to you, i bet you would get a lot of different answers to that question. some people it means old school rules, some people say it means games made from the srd and ogl. some say it is all about the feel of the game. some say it is just retro clone games based on everything up to 1st edition.

you are the first person i have ever heard say that pathfinder i part of the osr. most people would say that pathfinder is just 3.75 of D&D im not bad mouthing it, if that's your thing good for you. but you are the first i have heard call pathfinder osr.

i guess i am not an osr gamer in your definition of it cause i play AD&D 2nd edition with a generous helping of 1st edition mixed in with it. i would consider me an older school gamer, but not so far as to od&d or basic.

i have been reading a lot of blogs talk about how excited they are about these developments. is that so bad really ? i have absolutely no love for wizards of the cost, but you can't blame them for destroying the osr or old school gaming. if just 2 announcements from wizards of the cost can have that bad of an effect on the community then it deserves to die.

it isn't the announcement from wizards that is driving the osr or old school gaming apart. it is people that say if you buy the new reprints then your not part of this community that are. or if you like 5E then you are a sell out. don't you think having someone tell you that would cause an argument just because you wanted to buy a gaming book ?

as for the posts that you mention. i think that's bull shit. i agree with you on that people that say we should buy them just because should kiss some ass. i have stated at a forum that i post on a bunch that i think they are over priced, and that i wouldn't buy them cause i already own a copy of them and if i wanted more i can get originals a lot cheaper on e-bay and if i wanted to put money to the charity fund for the statue i would just send them the money to begin with.

now i am gonna use your own words against you. "God forbid a company actually make a game the fans want and actually like." you just said that, so why are you so mad about it when people like wizards of the cost for doing something that they wanted them to do ??

maybe you need to read that statement that you just said and ask your self "why am i so mad about people liking a game that is produced by wizards of the cost."

i am here because i like reading blogs about the older editions of games and the stories that people have of playing those games when younger.

I replied with the following:

Ok, first, I concur with Justin Alexander when it comes to defining the stages of D&D. Yes, AD&D2e is old school. So is 3.x. His reasoning was all the editions had been different up through 3. But a fighter was still a fighter. You could recognize a fighter. When 4e hit it was a new ballgame. Justin play-tested both 3 and 4 and was excited about 4e to start with, but soon he saw where things were going, turned in his notes and has been hated by the Wizards fans ever since. But D&D is not OSR. Older D&D would be considered Retro Gaming. The OSR started in the 21st century.

Now, I'm not the first person to have a problem with Wizards. They have been sinking for 12 years. I agree with the majority of people who feel betrayed and ripped off by them.

Their track record is crap man, and they are promising a game that can't be made and certainly can't be played the way they describe. I'm a game designer. My first full RPG would have come out this year. Now I have to reconsider what I'm doing. I know they are blowin' smoke but every time they say they have a winner, well, if you think they have made a smart business move in 12 years I would like to see it. Man, they lost 22.5 million players...out of 24 million...that is awful.

Think about this for a second: You have a big box in a room sitting on a table, on the side a big bright D&D logo, a crank handle and a slot marked 'money comes out here' and you don't even know how to turn the crank.That's WotC.

Too little too late is my own view on these latest tactics. Go read what the 4e hardcore are posting. They hate us (people who aren't hardcore 4e fans) worse than ever. They blame US for the death of 4e. Is that rational?

I have my reasons for not liking Wizards and even TSR. When the 'industry' took off in the mid 80s I had opened a shop. My ads ran in Dragon magazine. I was on top of the world. 3 years of my life and every penny I could scrape together in the worst economy the country had seen since the Great Depression.

And TSR and the 'industry' sold us up the river. When the Satanic Panic started they backed down instead of telling those psychos to go to hell they screwed everything up trying to appease them. It was all about the money then. I lost everything, including my love for the game. It would be 7+ years before I would even look at a game again. I tried to get with AD&D2e, spent a small fortune on Dark Sun and all the bells & whistles just to have no one want to play. I quit gaming again.

It would be almost 10 years before I would try again. It just didn't work out. And the war was raging over 3.0.

Wizards being bought out by Hasbro was probably the final nail in the coffin.

And if you read that quote up their at the top of the page on the right by Rob Conley that is what the OSR means to me.

Before the industry TRPGs were a 'hobby business'...games made by gamers for gamers. Look at all the famous people involved in gaming from 1973-89. They were gamers. I respect Erik Mona for being forthright about his gaming background. He gave a great keynote speech in 2009 (I have the link if you would like to watch it out at YouTube-be warned...it is over an hour long. Excellent speech though). The GenCon 2011 video of Erik and Lisa is also excellent.

And here's something too when it comes to Wizards vs. Paizo. You may have heard how Wizards has been having gaming items taken off the market due to copyright infringement. Most of that has been BS. But the OSR can't front the lawyers like the big boys have so they have no choice but to pull their product, even if the charge was bogus (which it was).

Paizo's own Sean K. Reynolds announced that fans and professionals alike were free to develop new material for the new Beginners Box (which is excellent btw) and even sell it because they were not going to be developing for it. I just like the way they are straight forward about stuff like that.

And I didn't say Paizo was OSR. They use the same SRD we all do who develop games under the OGL (Open Game License) and Pathfinder fans and OSR fans tend to get along. They seem to have a mutual respect for each other.

If people want to take the chance that a company that has failed the fans every single time they have released a new edition of D&D then that's their business. But don't shout down those who don't believe them anymore.

The OSR hobby business can't wait around for people to figure out what is going on here. They are small companies. They won't last without sales. If people are saving money for whatever it is that they think Wizards is going to deliver on they won't be spending money on the 'hobby business', which will kill the last place that many of us feel at home. As a publisher and a game fan it truly saddens me. I haven't enjoyed gaming like this in years. Now it's ruined. All anyone wants to blog about is WotC. I don't care about them or any announcements they make now or in the future.

Now I have to decide what I am going to do.

(end reply)

A Poll For OSR Publishers

2012-01-29T11:57:00.004-05:00

Having read as much as I can stomach each day of this 'shock and awe' tactic being used I was wondering what the creative members of the community have to say about this.

Now, it doesn't matter whether you are a fan publisher or a professional publisher (basically do you give your creations away for free or sell them).

If you don't want to speak I understand. But I haven't really seen much one way or the other about how publishers feel about reprint news and new edition news.

Be civil (unlike other blogs which have begun to look like fan boy forums) and state your piece.

So the question is: How do you see this affecting your own future publishing efforts?

No piddly poll thingy to the right...just post to the comments...

Well, I guess we have been told-(WARNING: LANGUAGE)

2012-01-28T12:06:00.003-05:00

What a nice way to wake up Saturday morning:

"Seriously the grognards (lower case g) need to f****** get over themselves and stop b******* and seeing conspiracies where there are none."

-Timothy Brannan

http://wastedlandsfantasy.blogspot.com/2012/01/ad-regarding-reprints.html

So, what have we learned here.

First, the use of the term 'grognard' as a derogatory remark is pure 4e fan boy / Wizards-style BS. When I see the word it has always been a sign of respect, the oldest of the old school. Second, when someone tells you to 'get over' yourself, yet another typical statement from this group of gamers.

So what does this mean? Seems we have had some 4e fan boys hangin' out in the OSR back waters. Anyone else want to raise your hand while we are at it?

It would seem you have a right to play and say whatever you want, Tim. But it seems the rest of us are not entitled to free speech. Nice going...Hitler.

And Jason, this is not about 4e. This is not about a game system.

This is about years of an industry who finally find themselves backed into a corner that they constructed themselves and now need a way out.

This is about not giving another nickel to an organization who taught a whole new group of gamers to hate everything that came before 4e because it was, and I quote "A bunch of old neck beard grognards playing old broken games" and how they need to "get on board and support the latest edition to show their loyalty to the game"...does that sound a little familiar this morning?

That's 4e fan boy talk.

This is about an industry that has used bully boy tactics and strong armed retailers into doing whatever they are told to do upon threat of pulling their wares from the shop and then turning their backs on store owners when the chips were down. It was going on in the 80's and is still going on today.

Well folks, I could lay out the f-bombs and turn this into a real war, but that's what WotC was hoping for and as I also predicted this noise would eat up all the signal about gaming. 2 for 2 so far.

I have typed and deleted many lines this week but I think it is just time to wash our hands clean, devote our resources to gaming and forget these people existed. You know who they are. Just read their posts.

All I ask is that everyone take a moment and think about this today: The people who have provided us with materials to play the games we love while the industry turned their back on us.

Tim, I have to say...I am disappointed by your actions. Not that you want to play 1e with your kids. No, it's more about the attitude you have developed lately towards your fellow gamers. It's about the use of abusive language...and you're a teacher...with kids...is that what you are teaching them?

I hope everyone finds a seat today at a table of their choice and enjoys some gaming goodness.

20's

GLOBAL UPDATE - OR DAMN I'M GLAD I BOUGHT ARKHAM HORROR

2012-01-27T14:56:00.002-05:00

Just a bit for those who might care.

It would seem this is going to go down as the most insane January in my memory. I look forward to that deepening of winter and slowing of the schedule that comes after the holidays. A time to reflect and to look forward to the year ahead.

Now if it would just drop below 70 degrees and the tornadoes would stop we might get back to winter.

Anyway.

The Eternal Keep has been gaining some meat again as I find time to squeeze in some updates. I decided that since the original problem may have been caused by the size of the widget I was using I decided to start with blogs that had been waiting to get on the list and then start working on the loyalty list.

For almost 3 years I have been maintaining the Keep and only ask for one thing in return-a link back to the Keep. I never noticed till today how many blogs never did that. So I'm checking blogs to see who had it linked and they are being reloaded now.

Also, email will be changing soon. This whole mess with Google and their desire to run off every user they have amazes me but humans will be humans. So I will be re-locating everything in time. I'm consolidating all my mail to one location and have already opened accounts with Tumblr and Wordpress. I have had blogs with Tumblr before and they would be a perfect fit if it wasn't for a few things lacking that I really want on a blog...namely an integrated commenting system. But I can cut code into other blogs to show a feed so I am working on that.

I purchased the domain

http://www.classicrealmsofadventure.com/

and am currently using it as the front end to that blog, but will re-direct it when the change over has been completed.

All in all a pain in the ass for the foreseeable future.

On the gaming front, yeah, thank GOD for Arkham Horror. Seems that is the only game related thing bringing a smile to my face right now. As predicted it seems that all anyone wants to post about is the one topic I'm not interested in. Sad. I really did completely misjudge this whole thing.Plus people want to crawl up my ass about what my problem is with the situation. I just hope they enjoy that 'game that is completely impossible to make' cause there may not be much to return to after they figure out what has transpired.

I will say only one other thing about that-all I have heard for years is the following:

"Oh no, I just spent all that money on 3.0 and now 3.5 is here-Oh no I just spent all that money on 3.5 now 4.0 is here-oh no..."

Same company guys...same company...nothing has changed...you want to believe it has, but if you crap in one hand and wish in the other...

As it stands I think I will throw my lot in fully with the majority, maybe for the first time in my life, and designate 3.x in all its many guises as my 'go to' for play and design. I have truly enjoyed getting to know fans of that ragged beast and have never ceased to be amazed at what all it is capable of. It may be the closest thing to a true Universal system that I have every enjoyed (sorry Steve, GURPS just doesn't do it).

Oh well, I'm grateful for all the good games, rpg and boardgame, that we have...at least old Howard P. can still get me started. :)

For those who stick it out your company is greatly appreciated and I hope to post a bit more upbeat soon. Good things are all around. I just need to get about 20 things off my back right now.

This might explain some of our Blogger problems

2012-01-24T20:18:00.002-05:00

https://www.google.com/policies/#utm_source=googlehp&utm_medium=hpp&utm_campaign=en-us-hpp_pp

And I would look over those new Privacy Policies and TOS...not so certain I want them any further in my business...

Crossroads

2012-01-23T09:01:00.000-05:00

The year isn't even a month old yet and already chaos seems to haven taken root. Screw the Mayans, we'll burn this puppy ourselves.

Something that a lot of people don't know about me is that my background is sales and marketing. My first business was a game store that not only went belly up but belly flopped so as to create a massive wave of debt that I paid off by way of a crappy job afterwards.

Now, I was young and inexperienced but not without council and guidance. This was the mid-'80s, just when the gaming industry took over. This was when my problem began.

Satanic panic had set in and the economy was crap. Instead of pulling for the retailers who were the backbone of the business at that time and standing up for the company TSR basically fed us to the lions.

So my problem began long before Wizards was even dreamed of.

But I know BS when I smell it.

I do not like the company. I do not trust the company. I can tell you the next 10 moves to make to break Paizo's back and destroy the OSR in one fell swoop. And it seems the OSR is already falling for it.

Somehow people have confused the OSR with D&D. Whatever those initials stand for D&D is not part of the OSR. For all practical purposes the OSR began with OSRIC. OSR is about NOW. Otherwise you are talking about 'classic' or 'retro' gaming. Big difference.

The division that WotC keeps causing with each new announcement will continue. Then everyone will go out and buy their crap again infusing enough money into the dept. to keep it running.

Anyone in their right mind can read what is being said about 5e and know that it is impossible. Come on, just look at one example-skills and feats - just this alone divides more fans than just about anything.

Without them you lose the new school player and with them you lose the old school player.

Old schoolers want to role-play. New schoolers want to build a tank and drive it through a dungeon.

This list could go on but I just wish people could see what is going on just as it has in the past and just say no this time. It might be different if we didn't have the vibrant scene that is gaming in some cases 24 hours a day, but we have what we need. And if we don't by tomorrow morning someone will have wrote it.

My own project sits at a crossroads. I am very frugal with resources but finding myself short of labor and behind schedule has placed me in the position of having to decide whether I proceed further. I know there must be others who are in the same corner and the folks who have made this a going concern have to have a case of nerves as well.

Top that with a rapidly changing tech situation (that I think has taken out Eternal Keep, but I'm still hoping) that is causing nightmares for everyone involved and I don't see there being an OSR at the end of the year.

Which is what they want. The re-print will give them the cash boost to get through (do you really think they aren't going to be holding back cases of DMGs to auction on eBay after the LTD ED runs out? $150 a pop most likely) and then the initial sales and reviews will drive the final nail in the coffin.

I notice how no one has mentioned how this game has already been in secret play tests and everyone I have read about in those play tests are 4e people. And they like it. Which means old schoolers will not.

The news on the Eternal Keep isn't good. Being unable to save the changes to the blog list means it slowly falls into decay as blogs fade away and no new ones get entered. Not to mention the amount of work involved in trying to save it just to possibly have the same tech problem again.

Yes, my position on this is extreme. I have a background in the business end of it and it didn't go well. Now, once again, I have put 3 years into development just to wake up to a lukewarm market that spent all of it's party money on that pretty dress in the window and then never got to go to the ball.

The future is unclear and I don't plan on spending this year working 20 hour days on something that there, in all likelihood, won't be a market for when it's ready.

But the real dilemma is in supporting the community. The Eternal Keep is not the only other blog I maintain. And I don't ask for money and I don't even run ads. I have done it to repay a community that has helped me as I found my way back into something I thought I would never see again. I was having a great time, tech problems and all, until I watched everyone start running after WotC like a dog after a fresh bone. That was disturbing.

If you want to get pissed at me I suppose you can. You have a right to your opinion.

But then so do I and I choose not to be a party to it.

When Alexis at Tao of D&D starts making more sense about this than anyone else I get a little freaked out.

I'm not saying everyone has went down that road. But over 75% of what I have read support WotC in these endeavors to one degree or another.

I just hope everyone thinks this through. If you really think this supports the OSR then I would ask that you spend $2 with OSR publishers for every $1 you spend on the reprints. THAT would be good for the OSR.

UPDATE

2012-01-22T11:32:00.002-05:00

So it would seem that Google/Blogger are up to their tricks again. As bad as I hate Wordpress I am about 3 seconds from pulling the plug on this whole show. My Gmail is screwed up, I can't edit any blog and the Eternal Keep is set to private while I try to figure out what is going on (it won't let me edit the blog feed list and save it so I can neither add nor subtract blogs-and yes, I have upgraded everything - including software I didn't want to upgrade - and it still hangs on the 'save' function.

So I guess everything goes on hiatus till I finish house projects up. I expected a slowdown, I didn't expect for it to go to hell all at once.

More when I know something...

OK...AN END TO FREE PUBLICITY

2012-01-20T12:20:00.001-05:00

So it would seem the world has went Wizards crazy over the last few weeks and I am personally tired of looking at their f****** name EVERY TIME I look at the Eternal Keep.

I became involved in the OSR because it seemed to be a home for people who were trying to carry on the spirit of gaming from it's origins.

But the last few weeks have really made me question what this is all about. I have promoted, freely and without charge, the work of those involved in the OSR in many ways and places. I have spent a great deal of personal time maintaining and adding those who have come along over the last year to my blogs and in my posts.

But now it just seems like I have been sitting in a lobby full of people just waiting for Wizards to hack up a fresh hairball.

What happened to the 'old school'? What happened to common sense?

This whole reprint issue is insane. Buy a damned DMG off Amazon for $10-15 and send a donation to the Gary fund.

As for myself this is where the Wizards train ends.

At this point I am a supporter of Pathfinder and will begin to adjust things to highlight a company that encourages me to develop and even sell material for the new Beginners Box.

Microlite is what brought me back and 3.x/OGL/OGC is really the only reason I'm in the RPG side at all.

It has been an interesting ride, but so many people have left the blog community this last year and now it seems that all I'm going to hear until GenCon 2013 is WotC WotC WotC then I think I need to rethink what I'm doing here.

Expect changes and as always may all your rolls be 20's...

SOMEBODY GET A TORCH IN HERE - HELL HAS FROZEN OVER

2012-01-19T02:28:00.001-05:00

I'll just let the link do the talking...

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/02410000

STOP SOPA-STOP CORPORATE CENSORSHIP-PRESERVE FREE SPEECH

2012-01-18T11:58:00.003-05:00

Today the internet speaks out against corporate and government censorship.

Do not be fooled by the rhetoric of these corporate and political groups. They are not trying to stop piracy. They are trying to stop people who speak out against oppression and upload video showing both international and domestic acts of violence against unarmed civilian populations who have no other voice than the internet.

They seek to stop the rise of freedom provided by the internet to produce our own music and films, books and games. They want to set the clock back to when an artist had to sell the fruits of their labors outright and seek copyright extensions to maintain control of this material long after the artist had left this world.

We all have family members who died to stop the rise of Fascism in Europe in the 20th century.

Now it's our turn to stop Fascism in the 21st century.

Let your voice be heard and be united this day and may those who go that extra yard to protect us from tyranny be free from harm and find shelter from retribution for their actions.

Rise.

OK Guys...Enough With The 5e

2012-01-17T01:11:00.002-05:00

No, seriously...it is doing just exactly what the press release was designed to do...distract us...I'm sick of looking at post after post about f****** 5e on OSR blogs.

I understand mentioning it once...or every 6 months...maybe...but every damned DAY.

Come on...remember...real D&D...remember...old school...not more WotC BS...

(/rant)

DAMN THEE 5E

2012-01-13T14:00:00.000-05:00

So, let me see if I understand every thing clearly and please correct me if I miss something here.

Wasbro release D&D 3.0 and piss everybody off but people buy it anyhow.

Then they turn around in short order and release 3.5 and piss everybody off but people buy it anyhow.

Then they abandon everyone in mid-stride, produce a series of marketing strategies that start the biggest edition war in history, because as portrayed in the commercials (which can be viewed at YouTube)everything before 4e is 'broken, stupid and silly', creating a small but rabid fanbase that hate every thing that came before 4e and then hate 4e when they release 4.5 (sorry, not buying the name thing...it's 4.5). Released and bought...again.

Now it's 'can't we all just get along' time because they screwed up so bad (Hint-in business NEVER piss off your long term customer) and here we go again.

They pull the Monte/5e announcement at GenCon (it was already all over the floor that at 9:30 (Saturday?) morning they were going to announce) and the big announcement is pulled because somebody realizes they are about to shoot them self in the foot by having stacks of books they will never sell. So they wait till after Christmas, BS'ing the whole time about the 'bright 4e future' while they are play testing with a group of yes-people (haven't found an old schooler yet invited to the NDA fests) and, because they aren't moving jack squat in the way of product, decide to throw a monkey wrench into the whole affair by announcing a game nearly 2 years early that, if the general gaming public is lucky, will get to pick the color of the new logo for their 'involvement' in the design of the game.

Seriously...I'm reading reactions across the web...PLEASE tell me you not going to fall for this crap...again. PLEASE.

I'm going to ask a favor from the gaming community over the months ahead. Instead of going through this whole thing again buy a system from someone who cares. Buy mine, buy any other system. Hell, buy Pathfinder...the box set is an excellent piece of gaming gear and I haven't said that about a commercial system in a long time. Support the work of those out here who will lose business because they have tossed the pie in the sky again and now everyone is waiting...for whatever they come up with this time to hang the D&D logo on.

There is one thing that must be accepted. This is not a hippy love fest. They created a splinter market that they should have stuck with and worked with the gamers who were buying the game and paying for the online services. But they just weren't moving enough units...not driving enough people into stores to buy their game. There is no way they are going to get the 4e fans and the fans of the older editions to all come back...not even half...which just sounds like more of the same old spiel.

There are a lot of really talented people out here doing excellent work. From those who toil over their pet projects and give them away for free to those who have made it a going concern. Look at the releases over the past year and the quality of the product.Don't be fooled by yet another corporate ploy that is all smoke and mirrors.

Just think about it. That's all I'm saying.

Thanks for taking time to read this. I won't speak of it further here.

20's

Let's tell them what we reeaaaly want...STOP!

2012-01-09T11:29:00.002-05:00

DON'T MAKE ANOTHER DUNGEONS & DRAGONS EDITION.

This is something I commented on the other day but will be going into detail more now that the moment has arrived.

BOYCOTT D&D UNTIL WOTC/HASBRO RELEASE THE FRANCHISE.

Many things have been discussed out here including the community buying the franchise out right. That may sound impossible, but we have to get off the roller coaster at some point.

I've already started the year by boycotting any further product they produce for the franchise and will soon start a campaign to also boycott FLGS that sell it. Paizo has said they would like a greater store presence but with WotC's draconian tactics (look at the riff from Dungeon's Mastering and their run in with WotC over when Encounters should be ran in-store...really...threaten the store owners with pulling their programs if they don't do what WotC tells them to do? Really? )you can understand why that might have been a problem up until now.

There will be a lot of discussion about this I'm certain but the last thing D&D needs now is another splintering and that is what they will get.

They said it...let your voice be heard...vote NO to D&D5e.

Going Dark

2011-12-20T11:59:00.002-05:00

This year we have seen many of the regulars of the hobby that we call home leave the blogosphere most with timely notice.

But what of all the blogs that have went dark in almost mid-sentence?

Lord of the Green Dragons
Outlook is Grim
Sandbox of Doom
Sham’s Grog ‘n Blog
Advanced Gaming & Theory
Old Guard Gaming Accoutrements
Breeyark.org | "It's OK — Gary sent us."
Ode to Black Dougal
Confessions of Not a Grognard
Hamsterish Hoard of D&D
3d6

And I compiled that list in under 5 minutes...there are hundreds more. I have voiced that I thought that 2012 would be the year of the shaking out process. But I'm beginning to wonder if it hasn't been going on all along.

Up until now there have been several distinctly different groups all orbiting the world of the OSR / Indie / etc. Now it seems many of not only the larger players, many here from the start of the internet side of this, to the regular joes who don't post as often but have nonetheless added insight into the scene have just dropped off the radar.

I say it everyday-community is everything. That doesn't mean this is some big group hug kinda thing. We may battle verbally back and forth all day about a principle or topic but at the end of the day we make our world just a little better with the passion we bring to this very unique activity. I would have loved to see Joseph Campbell's take on what may well be the last modern form of communal story telling to exist.

Where this crazy boat ride takes us next no one can say. But I hope our fellow passengers are well and that we see their return.

Take care everyone, have a great holiday season and every chance you get-play often-play hard.

See you in the new year

20s!

Making Plans...Just In Case

2011-12-06T22:28:00.003-05:00

Well, after being changed, against my will...again...to a new interface at Gmail and with the changes being made that demand I upgrade my browser to a stinking pile that crashes constantly and is being version updated now every 45 seconds I am making plans that if necessary I will have a back up plan in place for moving this whole show off Google servers.

Between losing people to Wordpress, the G+ suckage that folks don't realize that when you try to revert back to your old settings it destroys your blog (have seen a lot of folks leave due to this fact as well) I took the preemptive strike of buying my own domain and have it tied currently to what is quickly becoming the hub of activity.

So

http://www.classicrealmsofadventure.com/

will become the new home more likely than not after the first of the year. I have a ton of work to do to clean out my Google accounts but I have had enough of the change for changes sake and will probably use my Tumblr acct in conjunction with some real hosting where I control what is going on a little more than when you are just begging space. It would be nice to have real file storage space again :)

So, no big changes at the moment but bookmark the above link and I will be posting it to all my blogs soon in case I decide to take the plunge and return to the world of being a real web master again (now if Dungeon Master only paid like that did back in the 90's I might have to turn pro :)

New structure might involve using Wordpress (which I loathe) but currently I only have one browser to make changes with on my blogs and I'm growing very tired of having to use 4 computers at a time when not that long ago my laptop was all I needed. Hell, I can do Tumblr from my phone!

So just wanted to give a heads up. I have voiced my opinion with the powers that be but I don't know how many others have so I will wait and see.

More as things progress...

FOR THE NEW YEAR

2011-11-30T13:22:00.001-05:00

Ok, so maybe I’m jumping the gun on the end of the year thing but I want top have time to put everything in place and make the changes that will benefit everyone including myself.

First, streamlining. The news pages are very important to me and from the emails I receive they seem to be of use to many folks. I’m glad that my ‘lazy man news reader’ has been helpful to all.

There are many people in this community who have served as anchors when the winds of change have (literally) blown at my door. They serve as an example to me and I hope others of staying on target. You guys know who you are and you all need an email of thanks before this year is out.

Second, I have started a few other news sites to help ease the load on Eternal Keep. I have seen the results of too much crammed on one page and it reminds me of that online seizure, MySpace. So The Keep has gotten cleaned up and I have created additional sites to ease the load. I will be moving some entries to these new sites over the 1st Q to better distribute the load. Many may have spotted new links on the right side of the page at The Keep (I will be adding the links to all blogs). There are a few more to go there but the main issue is getting everything cross linked to make it easier to find the news source that fits your daily read.

The additional news sites are:

• The Lone RPG Gamer -Covering Solo News From Around The Web
• Weirdlands-News of Weird Fantasy, Space Fantasy, Planetary Romance & Swords & Planets-style RPGs
• The Call of the Dungeon-OD&D News
• Tabletop Skirmish-Wargames, Minis & More

The Eternal Keep will continue to function as the daily hub of news in general but the software limitations of the widget have topped out more than once this year and as new requests have come in to be added to the list I have found myself having to cut more blogs from the bottom of the list.

My plan is to move some of the slower posting blogs over to categorized sites and to keep more active blogs on the Eternal Keep. That keeps everyone just one click away from their favorites.

Having way to many irons in the fire this year has taught me how important knowing your limitations are.

I want the news sites to be basically self-sustaining so that I can concentrate on getting the projects back on track. As many might know by now I have opted to drop the pdf version of CRoA (Classic Realms of Adventure) in favor of just using the Classic Realms blog for the time being. I purchased the domain so that if the day comes that I want to put it all together somewhere else I will have a thread for folks to follow to find me. I will bring out the pdf and even possibly a print version of the zine but only when I have the proper help to do so. The 20 hour days are getting to me and the pace I have tried to keep this year is not good.

My main three outlets will be the ADD Grognard blog for announcements and commentary, Classic Realms of Adventure to act as a central hub for releases in general and the entries that will comprise the blog version of CRoA and the Forsaken Souls blog for announcements, development notes and eventually the hub for all things Forsaken that are currently in my ‘inbox’ that reaches half-way to the moon.

Speaking of Forsaken Souls, the work on the project has been re-booted and I am looking at different ways of bringing the system to market. It seems the one thing we have seen this year is a plethora of system releases and complaints of no support (I guess that would mean supplements, adventures, creature guides, etc) and the question from mid-year on has been ‘Do we need another D&D?’

I’ve posted that I’m not one to step between someone and their muse, but there does seem to be a bit of overload this year. I congratulate all those who have been able to bring their vision to life. But I find myself asking the same question as a gamer…do I need another D&D-type game in the collection? For myself, unless it is something that I am an ardent follower of, I am taking a break from new systems for awhile. I agree that we need more support and went back to re-do Forsaken Souls so that it isn’t viewed as ‘just another D&D’. I am attempting to satisfy the challenges I have read across the blogosphere to bring more to the table. If I feel that I am proceeding in the right direction I plan on using something like Kickstarter and releasing the first series of projects at some point next year. I will not tease a date because it is far too soon to call it and I don’t want another missed deadline. It is driving me crazy when I see that deadline looming and knowing I’m not going to make it.

As for the other side projects I currently have churning away out there they will have to wait (with the exception of Darkness Over Dunwich –dedicated to HP Lovecraft and the sites that cover all things Eldritch - and the FFG titles Elder Sign and Arkham Horror). I love working on them but there just isn’t enough hours in the day to try and keep this up. I will be deciding which to backburner and which to drop entirely after the first of the year. It won’t be easy but something has to be done to pare down the work schedule. I’m ready to see a completed project in someone’s hands and the sooner the better. With any luck I can afford to hire someone and take on a part time intern to help and then the pump will be properly primed.

And no, I will not be ‘nuking’ any sites but I will have the common courtesy to mark the blog as ‘parked’ for the time being.

Between all the activity on the horizon and the Mayans putting their 2 cents in on 2012 it should prove to be an interesting year.

I would like to take a moment and say thank you to those who have left the community over the last year. I probably wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for you guys and I am saddened whenever someone has to leave us. May the road rise with you.

Now that I have typed a novel I guess I need to give it a rest.

Until next time…

Two Things You Need To Read

2011-11-19T13:14:00.007-05:00

Hell is poppin' today and the real world needs a bit of our attention.

Saturday, 19 November 2011

The Ridiculous Censorship Bill

In case some of you weren't aware, the U.S. government is currently debating a proposed bill, the ridiculously named SOPA or "Stop Online Piracy Act", which could see ordinary internet users face up to 5 years in prison for posting a pop song on Facebook...

http://americancensorship.org/

Go check out that link. Because you know what? If the SOPA bill passes, the US government or even abusive individuals within it could make it impossible for you to go to that link, or any number of others.

RPGpundit
http://rpgpundit.xanga.com/756832748/item/

And from Tenkar's Tavern:

OneBookShelf Changes It's Sorting System For Free Products and I'm Not Happy

and

More Thoughts on RPGNow's "Reorganization" of It's Free Products Section

I have said it before and I'll say it again. We may not all see things the same way all the time but we are a community with a passion for the things in our lives and gaming brought us together.

Help keep the lines of communication open and let OBS / RPGNow / DriveThruRPG how you feel about their recent changes to the site.

Thank you taking the time to read this.

Kindling For The Fire

2011-11-15T11:24:00.004-05:00

It would seem that burnout and frustration has been the subject matter of late so I thought we should find the positive in it and ask this: How do you revitalize yourself from burnout?

For me, I like to get outside my comfort zone where I'm not just glossing over things and missing important details. DEEP DELVE helped a lot with that.

Lately I felt a need for a deeper cleansing and something that the creative side of it would be as play. That beast is ARKHAM HORROR.

It started with checking out a new release from Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) called ELDER SIGN and it was worse than crack. I had a session running 24 hours a day until just recently as I transitioned into its big brother ARKHAM HORROR.

Now waiting to complete the collection I have dove head first into fresh waters. I haven't played anything remotely called a 'boardgame' in years and this new generation has really opened my eyes as to why boardgame sales have been on the rise. The fan base behind the game, and I should call it a system at this point, has generated an enormous amount of support material that looks to be as much fun as FFG's work.

I have already felt my energy returning and have been re-organizing my approach to my rpg project after listening to the vox populi this year. I have to agree with many of the points made but I also have to stand on the principle that we know not whence or why our muse appears, just that she doesn't wait around for market trend reports. You have to create when the ideas are flowing and put them out there.

Are we a little top heavy on systems and a little light on support? Yes, but we are also a community evolving, finding our way in the dark forest that gaming had become after so many disappointing years of system separation. Please note that I'm not bashing anyone or any system they support. The waves that were created have spoken loudly and I have no sway towards any camp except that of fun and freedom to create.

And for me that is the essence of creation. Whether it be an adventure for your regular group to play in or a complete system to build new worlds with it has to be fun and when it's a drag it does not serve its purpose.

So, in your hour of need, where do you turn to find inspiration and fresh flame for the fire?

And another disappears into the black hole of Word Press

2011-11-14T12:07:00.002-05:00

Aldeboran is gone. Disappeared into the black hole of blogs, Word Press. I really liked Aldeboran.

This trend, I assume from all the changes that Google is making to all its products, is something I have resisted and warned others about. By being the 'beta' testers for every new scheme they cook up we subject ourselves to losing what we have worked for. G+ has done more damage this year to the OSR community than all possible c&ds and lawsuits combined, deleting blogs or their content whenever someone tried to go back to a previous setting.

FAIR WARNING: ONCE YOU USE A NEW FEATURE FROM GOOGLE YOU CAN RARELY UNDO IT.

Now , there are worse things than Word Press, Live Journal comes to mind as the biggest piece of crap I have ever seen (crashed every browser on 5 different computers the other day due to some mutant script running) but that doesn't excuse Word Press. It is like when I signed up for MySpace. My only real experience with 'social networking' came to an end a week after signing up and being blitzkrieged by every creature who could figure out how to log in and spam the whole system.

The final straw, and I do not exaggerate, was the Myspace page that I went to that was 3 screens wide, had so much orange and lime green colors that it burnt holes in the back of my skull as I was overtaken by a seizure from the flashing and whizzing gizmos and rainbows and 5, count them 5, music players all set to start at the same time at max volume.

I've never returned and I never will.

The Eternal Keep was an accident. I started the blog because the title was available and because I hated Google's reader interface so bad that I toyed around with EK and found the blog widget could hold a substantial amount of titles.

And so it began. A pure accident. One of the most successful things I have done in the blog community became a hit with others I can only assume because it appealed to readers for the same reasons as me.

And it SCALED.

Due to a number of issues that I will not bore you with I have to be able to hold down Ctrl and use scroll on the mouse to be able to read a page most of the time. Blogger was great for this because it scaled for the most part very nicely.

Word Press, and please excuse my language, doesn't scale worth a SHIT. It makes an unreadable mess of everything and I want a page that has the full post, not just another snippet of lead in that I already got at the Eternal Keep. I also have the most amount of problems with their feeds and being emailed by the authors of WP blogs that something is not right at EK on almost a daily basis.

I am not a facist. I will not dictate where a person may spend their creative energies nor find their happiness. I also will not deal with Word Press any longer because at the end of the day the Eternal Keep is still where I get my news from and if I can't read it it is just taking up the limited space that I have available to list blogs on EK.

If there are WP blogs that are not causing a problem they will remain, but I will no longer spend half a day trying to figure out why WP does what it does. There are no ads on the site and I don't get paid to maintain it. Thus it needs to be a positive and not a negative thing in the daily routine.

I'm not trying to piss anyone off or chase them away. I am simply making a decision on what I am willing to tolerate from blogging software the same as others.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and please continue to enjoy the Eternal Keep as we go through this period of change. I have over 1,000 blogs back listed to start adding soon.

The Year Of The Great Burn Out

2011-11-12T11:45:00.004-05:00

After seeing just how many of my favorite blogs have disappeared I realize I'm not the only one experiencing blogger burn out.

It seems one of the ways we deal with this syndrome is by blaming our software. Frustration at the constant change online is reaching a fever pitch and as they try to push Web 2.0 down everyone's throat many have just packed up and went home.

I for one have loved blogs because of their simplicity. A simple interface that can hold a picture or two and link to a video for as an added benefit.

But the flight of many into Facebook, Twitter, G+, etc seems to be leaving a vacuum and it is having a rough time refilling itself.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm no Luddite and like a new gadget (software or hardware) as well as the next guy. But it seems we have become so focused on the features of the hammer that we are forgetting that we were building a house.

It's been a tough year for many, myself included so I do understand, from the bad winter that segued into a worse spring (the old analog antenna that was on the roof when we bought the house coming through the ceiling during a micro-burst being the single event that focused my spring) filled with storms EVERY F'ING DAY for 3 months causing me to power every thing day and sit in the dark when the power would go out tested my patience to their limits.

We seem to be going through another transitional phase, where the last of the first wave of OSR bloggers are making their exit to the the second wave-divided over what constitutes the OSR, what material should be released,free vs commercial, what impact we have had,etc-now departing due to differences that imo shouldn't be separating us in the first place.

But people will be people of that there is no doubt. I watch as more blogs close up or just disappear and wonder if maybe some self-fulfilling prophecy is at work here. What will be left of us by the first of the year? Will 2012 be the end of OSR scene as we know it?

All I seem to read about these days is how the games have never been as big as they were in the '80s and how small and insignificant we are as a group, be it gaming in general or the OSR. That our numbers are so small we are a drop in a cosmic bucket.

But yet one of the biggest game corporations in the world is sending reprimands to bloggers demanding they print retractions about when store sponsored events can occur and cease and desist letters to those they feel are impinging on their copy rights and trade marks.

As I have said before, if we (the OSR) are so insignificant why do they bother to issue a 'Red Box' that is identical in all but company name in outward appearance to a generation of gamers who for the most part weren't even born when it first launched unless it was to try and bring back the large volume of gamers who have abandoned them for greener pastures.

There is only so much self-deprecating modesty necessary in the situation and I think we have reached our limit. The items I see being produced, even on a pure fan scale, are superior in material and design to what would have passed for commercial product not a decade ago.

I haven't posted much myself here in the last few months due to my bad habit of taking on too many projects at once. But a house cleaning is in order. I only have so much time and energy for these projects and now have to start deciding what will receive my attention.

No, I will not be nuking any blogs, although some will be seeing less activity and some will begin to change in nature of their content. I decided for me a way to regain my energy was to enjoy a bit of what I love about the hobby and that is playing. Granted I have chosen something that some might not fit in with an RPG / OSR theme, but I'm gaming nonetheless at something I have wanted to try for a long time. I have always been an HP Lovecraft fan and since my chances of playing a CoC session is very slim I am quite enjoying the FFG editions of Elder Sign and Arkham Horror. These activities have boosted my energy and lowered my contempt for looking at my own design notes to the point of where I can get back to work on them.

For me gaming is a long and winding road, made up of many different eras and I have always loved the idea that there is something awesome just around the corner that I have never played before. I miss my original group as much as anyone, but then everyone remembers their first and that's fair. But don't let the past stand in the way of enjoying the present for all that it is worth. I could go on about this being a Golden Age but hell, if I have to tell you that then I think we are failing each other in some way.

I consider this community to be one of the better things I have involved myself in and my hope for the future is that it continues to prosper and grow in strength and numbers. For those who have to go I might not like it but I will carry no ill will towards them and for those who decide to stay and re-invent themselves, taking on the challenges presented by this crazy hobby I offer a hearty handshake.

We may not ever get to sit at the same table and roll the bones in person, but I look forward everyday to being in the 'big room' that has been built out here in Will Gibson's 'cyberspace' and wish everyone health and happiness as we enter the holiday season and the challenge of a new year.

Now, I have to go show Mr. Cthulhu he needs to work on his people skills, not just his people EATING skills...

Ok, since everybody else is doing it...

2011-11-03T12:25:00.001-04:00

I might as well get on the 'get my s*** together' band wagon :)

I know it has been hit or miss of late but this year has been super crazy...I mean right up there with best of the worst. So many things draining time from me and me falling behind on the projects that are important to me.

So, it's time to schedule one day a week for the 'extras' that I do (news aggregators, personal crusades, long comments when shorts one will suffice, etc) and get back onto the main path of finishing my system and publishing Classic Realms of Adventure (CRoA).

Since it would seem I would pick the year that everyone and his grandma would release a system (not complaining...everyone should follow their muse while she calls) I figure I would use the system I am building to create stand alone games with. The most common complaint I hear is so many systems but so little support. So I decided to put the cart in front of the horse and produce something playable now and work on the system till I feel that it and the gamers were ready for it. The nice thing is that the stand alones will provide content already available for the system when it arrives because they will be based on the same engine. So for someone who has never played the stand alone it can be played as a straight forward adventure and someone who has played the stand alone will be able to play it again with more options.

I learned a lot from making DEEP DELVE and have tons of notes that didn't make it into the final cut of the Alpha that I can use in all my projects. Just common sense solutions (many gleaned from some of my favorite blog authors).

I had hoped for a better year but we do what we can. I hope the extra work on the FORSAKEN SOULS ENGINE 2.1 (FSE21) shows. As I have said before I have some really good ideas piled in with a lot of blah, so I have started from the bottom up and began using new mechanics and source that I will be discussing over at the CRoA blog.

Just so I don't confuse too much, CRoA is both a blog acting as a central location for releases and a pdf based ezine I am trying to finish up the premiere issue of. I had to wait for some material to arrive (like ELDER SIGN) so that I could have a chance to put in a first look and some other material I just needed to read over for a better grasp. I hope that 'different' isn't a dirty word. It sounds like from what I read that there is a lot of burn out and maybe some of this will help re-light the pilot and get motivation back up. This has truly been a great year for both new games and discovering older games and I wanted to share that in a portable format that you don't even need an internet connection to enjoy.

And now, back to the salt mines.

The Salem Witchcraft Papers - Verbatim Transcriptions of the Court Records

2011-10-30T10:54:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile and I wonder sometimes if I should just go back to blogging and forget the zine I'm working on. But with the attrition rate of blogs these days I would like to leave something a little more permanent as a reference point...oh well...a subject for another day...

The following is from what I consider one of the best online book references on the web. I found this years ago and caught myself wrapped up in reading these documents. For someone running an early American game or Horror theme (Lovecraft anyone?)these might provide some inspiration.

Just remember, what you are reading really happened. Truth is stranger than Lovecraft.

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/texts/transcripts.html

YouTube - ‪DW Bestiary: Available Now‬‏

2011-10-22T12:30:00.001-04:00

YouTube - ‪DW Bestiary: Available Now‬‏

What is Dragon Warriors?

Dragon Warriors is a game from the heyday of pen and paper roleplaying games, the 1980s. Penned by Dave Morris and Oliver Johnson, it was originally published by Corgi Books. They used a paperback format, which gave the game the appearance of the incredibly popular Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, and indeed many bought into the game thinking that’s exactly the kind of thing it was.

Dragon Warriors was in fact a full roleplaying game, with a Games Master and a group of players taking roles within the fantasy world of Legend. This being the 1980s, the game bore some distinct resemblance to Dungeons and Dragons. However, it came with a distinctly British flavour, especially when it came to the included setting – the Lands of Legend.

(Read More- http://serpentking.com/?page_id=153)

They Promised Us We Were Going To Live Forever And All I Got Was This Stupid Blade Runner T-Shirt

2011-10-20T12:01:00.001-04:00

Blade Runner is my favorite film. I have studied it like religious scholars have the Dead Sea scrolls.

There is a reason for my unstoppable support for this mangled masterpiece...it was the first time I thought I had seen the real future.

It was the first time I felt I had been told the truth.

And that was disturbing.

I knew something had changed inside me when I left the theater opening day after the first showing. I just didn't realize what it was until later.

But over the next several months in '82 I went through a transformation that scared people a little. I had always worn my hair long. I cut it the shortest it had ever been. I was working an early morning shift in winter and could only afford a motorcycle as transportation. I went into a thrift store and hanging on a rack was a mint condition vintage army trench-coat with the wool liner. I handed the lady my $5 and left the building.

I still own that trench to this day. Frazzled and worn it is still one hell of a coat and with the liner will keep you warm in deep Siberia.

I didn't know what cyberpunk was then. It didn't have a name. But there were books and other items that seemed to be part of a world not often talked about in fiction circles or any other circles for that matter.

I read Burning Chrome by William Gibson that same year. I began my Gary Numan collection. I bought John Brunner's pre-cyberpunk trilogy-Stand On Zanzibar / Jagged Orbit / The Sheep Look Up - and the grand-daddy of them all-Shockwave Rider (where he coined the word "worm" to describe a program that propagates itself through a computer network).

Prior to all this I had been a believer in the 'science will cure all our ills' future. Future Life magazine promised we would all travel to space and live forever. There would be no more war or disease. That science would deliver us from ourselves into a 'golden land of opportunity and adventure'.

Flash Forward 30 years - The planet is dying and we argue over whether the water will rise in Miami 24 inches or 24 feet. Genocide takes place everyday on this planet. Starvation is rampant.

And I watched what may very well be the last time this country puts a person into space in my lifetime.

With the last launch of a shuttle the curtain comes down on the finest achievement humans have ever made.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope somebody figures it out. The future we were promised was a bright one, filled with the technology and the know-how to fix the problems, to right the wrongs.

I'm just not holding my breath.

ON PIRACY AND NEW MODELS OF DISTRIBUTION IN THE 21ST CENTURY

2011-10-11T17:47:00.008-04:00

I have been reading a series of posts about pdf piracy of game materials on the web and found the sentiment in the right place but I would like to add something.

Many fields of intellectual properties have a had a tough time coming to terms with the new tech ecology that permeates ever aspect of our lives.

The only solution is to stop treating the downloaders as criminals and find new ways to monetize the content they are downloading.

First accept this: THE PAST IS DEAD AND GONE.

We must invent new models to find a balance between the the creator and the consumer.

Models that I see as helping to bridge that gap:

(1) Distribute your IP for free with support from advertisers that appeal to the demographic you are trying to reach. These advertisers must make a property that supports the IP yet cannot be distributed in the same fashion. In games for example minis make a good choice. And take it a step further. Join with them in creating custom minis for your IP. There are other items that fall under this heading (like custom dice).

(2) The Ransom Model / Kickstarter. Having the item paid for in advance is a way to insure a base return on investment. If no one wants to pay for it then there is no point in devoting time to a project if financial gain is your motive. Please Note: I'm a dyed in the wool hard core capitalist. I have nothing against making money except when it brings harm to others. I love for people to see the fruit of their labor. I know I enjoy it.

(3) Incorporating items that cannot be transferred over the web and play an integral part in the IP. Boardgames fit this profile. Even WotC is figuring this one out.

We have to get smart again about the way this new technology is not our enemy but our friend. I know many will disagree with these ideas and I wish you much luck in the future if your IP is purely digital in nature. But I hope it is just a hobby and not a serious business concern.

(4) And last but not least put a way to be paid on the internet and make certain people know where it is. I see many times when someone has created and distributed something for free that I would love to PayPal them a sum of money and a note that says 'keep up the good work!'. It's a simple thing but you might be surprised how many will contribute.

The last thing I will mention is an observation-people buy from people they like. Paizo has an all but cult-like status because of the access the fans have to the company and its output unlike WotC who always feel like they are trying to pull a fast one or being underhanded in how they approach their customers. Stop treating your players like crooks and be forthcoming in your activities with your fans. And don't mislead and screw them every five minutes and make them feel like a chump.

DEEP DELVE-50+ DOWNLOADS - NEW GEAR -CRoA #1

2011-10-06T19:22:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to download DEEP DELVE-RPG. I have been compiling my own notes on corrections and additions and am waiting to hear from some more folks to see what else is broken.

Currently waiting on new gear to get started on some must do projects.

Which brings us to the first issue of Classic Realms of Adventure. I was hoping to have the first ready for this week but with a delay in gear arriving it set me back a bit so I will be shooting for next week. If I have time I might do a sneak peek issue #0 just to give everyone an idea what will be included in each issue. I will have to see how things go after inspecting the new equipment (and believe me, after some of the deliveries I have received I check every thing twice :)

I want to try and update through the weekend as things re-surface. It has been a mad week and I've got travel time coming up soon so I want to get as much prepped as I can before I enter 'vampire' phase (I have always preferred working at night) as soon as road time is over.

Ok, it would appear new hardware is in the house. Let's get busy :)

End Of An Era

2011-10-05T20:40:00.003-04:00

Steve Jobs
February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011

DEEP DELVE alpha 0.6 Ready For Download

2011-10-01T12:44:00.002-04:00

Yes, the day is finally here. DEEP DELVE-RPG is ready for its preview:

http://classicrealmsofadventure.blogspot.com/2011/10/day-is-here-deep-delve-rpg-alpha-06-now.html

UPDATE-DEEP DELVE, FORSAKEN SOULS And New PDF Ezine

2011-09-14T11:57:00.005-04:00

Yes, the blog sits here like a faithful dog, waiting by the door, waiting for me to come back. Blogs...mans second best friend. :)

Thought I would just give a brief update. I haven't forgotten about this place, I've just been trying to make up for a crappy first 6 months to the year.

Anyway, FORSAKEN SOULS slowly makes its way through a third draft. I realized I have some really good stuff in there but my presentation was poor and needed to be re-worked.

It got to the point of being gibberish so I took a break from it and have nearly completed an introductory rpg, DEEP DELVE, that took me out of my comfort zone and into a more open concept behind design methods. It has been a good learning experience.

Meant to expose non-players to the concepts of role-playing without scaring them off with pages of math and phrases that are alien to them, the mechanics are simple but if a new player leaves and can sit down at another game table and have at least a basic understanding of language and general concepts in role-playing then I will feel like I have done my job.

And realizing that maybe I'm not cut out to be a full time designer I am shifting over to a format that I am much more comfortable with-the ezine. With pdf publishing allowing me to do things I have never had the chance to do with older formats I look forward to being able to cover what is turning out to be a very vibrant scene that is growing so fast that it's becoming tough to keep up with.

So CLASSIC REALMS OF ADVENTURE (which is also the name of the blog that will be the zines home base along with other projects like DEEP DELVE) will start off with an open ended publishing schedule (eventually settling into a weekly format) with a page count ranging between 32 and 128 pages (the wide range allows for a lot of wiggle room-I see the base model being a 64 page weekly but don't want to back myself into a corner).

It will cover news, previews, new releases and contain game content as well, along with 'guides' to various parts of the hobby like the emergence of 'Weird' and 'Swords & Spaceships' or what I call 'The John Carter Template'. Since blogs play a key role in this community I will be highlighting not only great posts but series that may span multiple posts or blogs and taking a lesson from Rob MacDougall I will go Paleo-Blogging, highlighting older posts from the more established blogs that might have been overlooked by new readers.

I just know that I miss the weekly update from The Underdark Gazette and want to do something that not only is of use to me but can hopefully provide others with a portable one stop mobile medium that can be carried around and read easily where ever you go.

So, please email me if I miss something or if you have a new release or news in general to include. I look forward to an overflowing inbox :)

Ok, next cup of coffee and back to it.

Till next time...

Obituary for Michael S. Hart (1947-2011)

2011-09-11T03:29:00.002-04:00

The founder of Project Gutenberg and creator of the ebook has died.

I was stunned. This didn't even make the news...sad times we live in indeed:

Michael S. Hart

From Project Gutenberg, the first producer of free ebooks.

Obituary for Michael Stern Hart

Michael Stern Hart was born in Tacoma, Washington on March 8, 1947. He died on September 6, 2011 in his home in Urbana, Illinois, at the age of 64. His is survived by his mother, Alice, and brother, Bennett. Michael was an Eagle Scout (Urbana Troop 6 and Explorer Post 12), and served in the Army in Korea during the Vietnam era.

Hart was best known for his 1971 invention of electronic books, or eBooks. He founded Project Gutenberg, which is recognized as one of the earliest and longest-lasting online literary projects. He often told this story of how he had the idea for eBooks. He had been granted access to significant computing power at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. On July 4 1971, after being inspired by a free printed copy of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, he decided to type the text into a computer, and to transmit it to other users on the computer network. From this beginning, the digitization and distribution of literature was to be Hart's life's work, spanning over 40 years.

Hart was an ardent technologist and futurist. A lifetime tinkerer, he acquired hands-on expertise with the technologies of the day: radio, hi-fi stereo, video equipment, and of course computers. He constantly looked into the future, to anticipate technological advances. One of his favorite speculations was that someday, everyone would be able to have their own copy of the Project Gutenberg collection or whatever subset desired. This vision came true, thanks to the advent of large inexpensive computer disk drives, and to the ubiquity of portable mobile devices, such as cell phones.

Hart also predicted the enhancement of automatic translation, which would provide all of the world's literature in over a hundred languages. While this goal has not yet been reached, by the time of his death Project Gutenberg hosted eBooks in 60 different languages, and was frequently highlighted as one of the best Internet-based resources.

A lifetime intellectual, Hart was inspired by his parents, both professors at the University of Illinois, to seek truth and to question authority. One of his favorite recent quotes, credited to George Bernard Shaw, is characteristic of his approach to life:

"Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable
people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress,
therefore, depends on unreasonable people."

Michael prided himself on being unreasonable, and only in the later years of life did he mellow sufficiently to occasionally refrain from debate. Yet, his passion for life, and all the things in it, never abated.

Frugal to a fault, Michael glided through life with many possessions and friends, but very few expenses. He used home remedies rather than seeing doctors. He fixed his own house and car. He built many computers, stereos, and other gear, often from discarded components.

Michael S. Hart left a major mark on the world. The invention of eBooks was not simply a technological innovation or precursor to the modern information environment. A more correct understanding is that eBooks are an efficient and effective way of unlimited free distribution of literature. Access to eBooks can thus provide opportunity for increased literacy. Literacy, and the ideas contained in literature, creates opportunity.

In July 2011, Michael wrote these words, which summarize his goals and his lasting legacy: “One thing about eBooks that most people haven't thought much is that eBooks are the very first thing that we're all able to have as much as we want other than air. Think about that for a moment and you realize we are in the right job." He had this advice for those seeking to make literature available to all people, especially children:

"Learning is its own reward. Nothing I can
say is better than that."

Michael is remembered as a dear friend, who sacrificed personal luxury to fight for literacy, and for preservation of public domain rights and resources, towards the greater good.

This obituary is granted to the public domain by its author, Dr. Gregory B. Newby.

Non-Game Related Music Video

2011-09-04T17:06:00.002-04:00

I was just knocked on my ass this morning when I accidentally ran across this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVOi5Hdbd7Q

My band used to use their second album to check our stage sound set-up before a set.

Not bad for a bunch of old guys. :)

Hope you enjoy

FOR EVERYONE SAYING GAMING IS DEAD...

2011-09-03T15:42:00.002-04:00

I offer this little piece that basically says what I have been saying all year:

http://www.austin360.com/recreation/dungeons-dragons-grows-up-1698450.html?page=2&viewAsSinglePage=true

Thanks to Sea of Stars for turning me onto this:

http://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/wandering-the-web-12/

DEEP DELVE – THE RPG- PROGRESS REPORT

2011-09-02T17:31:00.002-04:00

Work progresses toward the release of DEEP DELVE - THE RPG.

I'm hoping to have the 5th alpha build up soon.

Track the progress of the system at:

http://classicrealmsofadventure.blogspot.com/

The Latest Churnings

2011-08-25T12:19:00.001-04:00

So nothing is getting posted here because I have had my head buried in the PROJECT THAT IS TRYING TO KILL ME and after finally deciding I needed a break from MATH I got a jump start after reading the following post over at The Mule Abides:

First, how do you make roleplaying games something that anyone can pick up and play for as much or as little time as they like – for example, at a party where people who aren’t already gamers are walking up and looking to experience this new thing without having to commit their whole evening to something they’re not sure they’ll be into?

http://muleabides.wordpress.com/2011/08/19/some-interesting-questions-for-rpgs-and-the-osr/

So after reading some other blog entries commenting on this and generally thinking that D&D is what was to be played and how it wouldn't work.

And they were right. The method described is not workable with D&D. But there is more to getting people interested in rpgs than just D&D and the manners and methods we are accustomed to in our world of play.

But you can play a game where there is zero prep and players can come and go from the table without disturbing play.

So I decided to write it. Oh nooooooooooo...I don't already have enough irons in the fire I need to drop in another one in cause nothing says luvin' like 1,000 irons in the oven.

I believe I have lost my mind.

Anyway, let nothing spoil the parade.

I started a separate blog for projects OTHER than FORSAKEN SOULS (MUST FINISH IT! MUST FINISH IT!) and thought what better way to start off the new blog.

Classic Realms of Adventure will play host to several projects including the Junior edition of FORSAKEN SOULS (thought the parents might appreciate a little lighter tone for little Johnny than trying to explain a post-apocalyptic god-less setting to an 8 year old-then again they might dig it) and now it will also host 2 lite rules projects - DROP & DELVE RPG and THE ZONE.

DDRPG will be a freebie (I just want to see how it goes and I've never done one of those 24 hour challenges so I want to see if I can use this to break through to getting some real work done again on FS) and I'm considering releasing it as a standard pdf and as a series of Pocket Mods to make it easy to tote to parties and such.

If you like the idea of the Pocket Mods please chime in. I count those as yes votes :)

And after doing some research and noting that we have had a system released just about every week this year I'm backing up a bit and trying a different approach with my Basic Edition of FORSAKEN SOULS. This new presentation method is based on ideas I have been reading here in the blogosphere that I thought sounded solid and exciting at the same time.

I too want to bring more players to the table but I want to do it the right way. Don't just make Gerber pablum to get everybody to the table. Make something exciting and relevant. Make something honest. I think that is the single must important thing that a publisher brings to the table. To make the best product they possibly can for the public and don't try to sell something that it's not and make them feel like chumps. The big boys have done this and chased nearly everyone away from their tables.

Ok, back to the silicon mines...

A Word About The Eternal Keep Meeting Place.

2011-08-19T22:43:00.002-04:00

I pushed this little guy out front in the event that someone had trouble with G+ or any other Blogger problems recently.

But I just wanted to say please feel free to visit and post whenever you like and tell others. I made it for folks who were tired of the fighting on other forums and the inevitable bias that always seems to take place.

And if your favorite isn't listed or you have an idea for a new board to add please let me know. Just consider it a little backwaters tavern where you can put the sword and shield down for a moment and relax.

And fair warning to any who test that tranquility. I'm a Libra, the scales are my sign and I will not tolerate bashing about on other folks.

In other words be nice :)

As always it can be found at:

http://the-eternal-keep-meeting-place.1048279.n5.nabble.com/

(PLEASE NOTE-The policy above does not discourage spirited conversation. Just when we resort to name calling or some such thing it is just childish.)

News on Dinky Page

2011-08-19T22:40:00.002-04:00

I listed a handy little web site provider the other day that is having to work out a problem from someone abusing the service. Hopefully they will get this cleared up soon.

SOME GAME TOOLS FOR ONLINE PLAYERS

2011-08-13T12:34:00.001-04:00

I have been using a couple things I haven't seen others mention who seem to be having a good time playing on Google+ and thought I would share them.

Free Disposable Webpage
http://www.dinkypage.com/

I thought this would be helpful. Set up a webpage in seconds that never goes away. Very simple (bookmark your link so you can find your way back)

Free Corkboard
http://corkboard.me/simple

I've been using this for some time with the ability to post pics to it as well for maps, monsters, items, etc it really has proven quite handy. Again, bookmark your link so you can find your way back.

Just a few simple yet powerful tools.

Enjoy!

DRAFTS-NOT JUST FOR THE NFL ANYMORE

2011-08-13T00:42:00.002-04:00

So I'm looking through my drafts-good god!

I notice most are dated from the time of the house damaging winds and contractor period.

I got a lots of finishing up and scheduling to do! :)

Time to get back on track...snow snow snow...hey, I can dream can't I?

A Request To The Blog Community-PLEASE READ

2011-08-09T09:11:00.004-04:00

Hi all. Yes, I know...I have been slack at posting but something has come up that I feel I must address:

PLEASE STOP DELETING YOUR BLOGS!

It seems like everyday now I visit another blog only to find it on the verge of being deleted or sometimes they are just gone.

As someone who has archived everything I can from the early days I can say I'm not the only person who felt like preserving our gaming heritage in those fragile, acid based paper fanzines or amateur publications. Axe & Hammer is another valuable resource for Gygax and Greyhawk material (do not feel left out if I don't mention every site-I just helped them to recover the blog after a complete wipe by unknown forces recently so it is fresh in my mind).

But I feel we face an even greater loss in the modern age when someone deletes their blog and it vanishes forever. Now, I understand if somehow you are paying out of pocket for the space or domain or any other cost. Times are bad and every penny counts.

But when I see the word 'blogspot' I know generally you are paying roughly the same amount to host your blog as myself...$0.

I know we don't always have time to post a comment or even follow every blog, but believe me when I say how important your work and the time you have invested into your blog is to myself and countless others.

I would implore those who about to close up shop just leave the blog 'as is' with a final post if you like about not continuing to update it. I will even start a new blog just to catalog those that have concluded so that others may research the work and benefit like I have from the knowledge and the, dare I say it, love we have for such an arcane past time. In a day and age when a new video game console comes out and replaces its predecessor every few years and computer game fans are realizing how much is being lost in their culture we have the ability to maintain ours by simply doing nothing at all.

I understand if for some reason you feel like you have to take it down, but if there is no other reason than just moving on please leave the blog so that others may still enjoy the benefits of your knowledge.

What good is the "Links of Wisdom' wiki if all the content is gone?

Thank you for taking the time to read this and if you know someone who is about to delete their blog I would appreciate you directing them to this post.

JOHN CARTER: WARLORD OF MARS Early Years

2011-07-26T16:36:00.002-04:00

It's taken me a few days to take this moment in and be able to type this.

A Princess of Mars was the first novel I ever read. It would set the tone for my reading habits for many years.

I was 8.

It would also color my world of what was possible, that as a species humans were capable of great things, and be contrasted by images of villages and bodies burning in Vietnam on television.

I didn't like television very much then. I preferred the company of my books. The confusion that a child feels is one of a deep and lasting nature. Children don't generally understand things like that at such a young age. I only knew that somehow, someway, as we reached out into space and landed on the moon that we were on a way to a great adventure and knowing then that Mars could never be what was written about in the books that somewhere we would find another Barsoom.

My only question was would we save it or would we burn it...

I have no delusions about this upcoming film version. Nothing can ever compare to the imagination of a child and the images that formed in the minds eye. But it's the thought that counts and for that I say thank you to all those who will have brought this special part of my childhood to the big screen.

Presented for those who have a bond with this type of literature is my small contribution to the re-examination of these worlds of wonder.

JOHN CARTER: WARLORD OF MARS Early Years

Forum For All

2011-07-10T15:22:00.004-04:00

I had been working on this for other purposes but have now added a sub-forum for bloggers to stay in touch during these hectic times with Blogger / Google, etc.

Scroll down to Blog Announcements.

Remember to back up your blog to your hard drive and if something happens drop in to the forum here:

The Eternal Keep Meeting Place

This is the same link listed at the top of Eternal Keep.

If you have any problems posting let me know. I too may be looking into moving services to Tumblr or somewhere else. I have not experienced any other problems with the service but I am hearing and seeing a lot of folks who are.

More later.

Stay in touch! :)

Pulp Fiction - The Golden Age of Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Adventure-Documentary

2011-07-09T18:41:00.003-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzlbRjmWEQ8

This was a nice find for a Saturday afternoon. This is a 52 minute version of what appears to be an even longer doc (noted at the bottom of the description on the page at Youtube).

FROM THE DESCRIPTION:

Discover the true behind the scenes history of Pulp Fiction and the Golden age of Sci Fi, Fantasy and Adventure, in this amazing fact filled documentary.

American Library Association - Booklist Review:
Pulp fiction (named for the low-quality paper on which the stories were printed) blossomed in the early twentieth century. Audiences (beaten down after WWI and the Great Depression) sought tales with strong heroes, exciting adventures, and alien encounters. This entertaining program traces the golden years of pulps, beginning in the 1920s, by highlighting numerous writers (including Earl Stanley Gardner and Edgar Rice Burroughs who turned out hundreds of stories. In interviews, popular and prolific authors Ray Bradbury and Frederik Pohl recall nominal pay, short deadlines, and insatiable demand for copy. Facing competition from movies, paperback books, and television, the demand for pulp fiction dwindled in the 1950s. However, many works have been recently reprinted for readers seeking escapist fiction. Great fun for pop-culture and genre-fiction fans. — Candace Smith, Booklist

Featuring
* Tim Powers
* Kevin J. Anderson
* Otto Penzler
* Ray Bradbury
* Frederik Pohl
* Marc Zicree

Enjoy!

READ THIS IF YOU USE BLOGGER

2011-07-07T00:32:00.002-04:00

And we just thought Blogger had been giving us hell lately.

READ THESE TWO ARTICLES:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/web/07/06/google.picasa.blogger.mashable/index.html?hpt=hp_bn7

http://mashable.com/2011/07/06/private-google-plus-profiles-retire/

It's so nice to have to find this out from a 3rd party with no notice from Google on this at all.

We may need to set up a meet point somewhere to find each other. It's very unclear whether this means we have to be a part of Google + but I have no intentions of standing for that.

I would also suggest emailing Google for clarification on this as I plan to do.

Modern Gaming-Part the 2nd

2011-07-03T10:56:00.003-04:00

First I would like to make it clear that I am not a game nazi who believes there is only one true way or one true game. I have said on many occasions that I believe our strength lies in the IDIC (Yeah, I know, cheesy Vulcan bit so sue me).

And no Sarah, I'm not mad at you or making too many assumptions. It is something I have heard time and again. Let's forget the old stuff and get on with the new stuff.

Well, when the new stuff sux let's not.

Should children drink Bacardi Rum? Or should Bacardi just tone down the liquor, maybe just put water in the bottle. This is what happened to D&D a long time ago and has fostered nothing but ill will ever since. D&D was an adult game made by adults for adults. The day it became a toy for children was the beginning of the end:

Commentary: Dragon Magzine #52, Moldvay Basic D&D Boxed set

http://swordandshieldrpg.blogspot.com/2011/07/commentary-dragon-magzine-52-moldvay.html

Issue #52 of Dragon Magazine features articles from Tom Moldvay AND Dr. J. Eric Holmes looking at the basic boxed sets for D&D. They are very interesting to me for any number of reasons. As the Moldvay boxed set is where I started, I will start with Moldvay's article on the 2nd edition D&D Basic boxed set. , I think my historian background requires me to simply let you read the article for yourself first prior to adding any commentary. I will follow this post later with a commentary.

"...the market has changed since the earlier rules edition. The first D&D market was made up of game buffs and college students. Today, the majority of D&D players are high-school and junior-high students. The new rules edition takes into account the younger readership in its style of writing."

The beginning of the end.(And no, I don't think that children should be banned from gaming-I'm writing a system specifically for children with notes, background and references for parents to become involved and better understand what I believe is a very important part of child growth-make believe and pretend activities-that they rarely seem to get these days with passive entertainment modes).

When TSR caved to pressure groups the face of gaming was changed forever. After '89 it has been a fractured world at best.

I don't think gaming is for everyone. I don't think D&D is for everyone. I don't feel the urge to have to pull more people in to satisfy a bottom line. I think there is a natural balance in gaming that sets itself. The more you try to make a product for the masses the less relevant the product becomes.

The Neo post to me symbolizes what is wrong with the industry and I understand where they are coming from completely. 'PLEASE let me sell you something' becomes WotC's battle cry.

Even though your comment was mild in temper it says the same thing that made me quit most forums:

"This is likely to get me into trouble, but I’ll say it anyway. One of the biggest positives and negatives of the D&D community is that we care too much. We love the game, we love sharing the game, but we want to share our own version of the game. We will repeat old stereotypes, gather around our “the right way to play” banners, and drive off most of the uninitiated. Honestly, it sucks sometimes.

Personally, what I wish sometimes is that we could drop D&D into the hands of the uninitiated devoid of the 70s and 80s context that surrounds the game."

-Sarah Darkmagic
http://www.neogrognard.com/article/374/essential#comments

See, taking out the 70's and 80's context you take away the game. Call this new beast "Forever Combat" or "Ultimate Tactical Combat Simulator" and run with it. Build your own history.

But Dungeons & Dragons has a history. I know because I helped in my small way to make it. I went through a lot of crap for this game and the thought of kicking it to the curb just rubs me wrong. You have people burning crap in your yard yelling you are doing the work of Satan and end up closing a shop because people are tired of having to run the gauntlet of freaks scaring their kids and you will see things a little different.

I think it is best summed up with a post from WotC's own forums:

Plea to Hasbro: Please just release the D&D franchise:

"Sell the D&D franchise to someone who cares."

http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/26682845/Plea_to_Hasbro:_Please_just_release_the_DD_franchise?pg=1

Ouch.

And I think the numbers tell the story. Paizo is now pulling ahead, D&D has went from 24 million players to 1.5 million almost overnight and now the word is they will announce the next atrocity this year at GenCon. Mike Mearls claims in his interview with The Escapist they didn't set out to run off all the players but ever since the release of 3.5 that seems like all they have accomplished.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/writersroom/8115-Complete-Mike-Mearls-D-D-4th-Edition-Essentials-Interview

I think it's Nintendo time for the Wizards...either build a Wii this time or you are out of he game.

Around About

2011-07-02T18:54:00.006-04:00

Ok, I can't take it anymore. Time has drained around here lately to the point of being a chrono-desert. But I have to dip my hand into what is left of that muddy little stream and bring you these:

The World Of Lia-DragonQuest Rules Archive-Limks

For fans this is a cool drink. It's been sitting on my desktop for days waiting to be posted...and this is just the meaty links page.

Dungeon Adventures

A slow starter but deserving of love just for this bit alone:

http://tormacksdungeon.blogspot.com/2011/06/few-pictures-and-maps.html

For those who have been enjoying the paleo-gaming articles lately (Like the Ryth Chronicles piece) there is some great stuff here circa '84.

Ghola Scale

A chronicle of projects restoring and sculpting scale fantasy and science fiction miniatures

I've never quite seen one like this before.

Avalon Hill's Magic Realm

A resource site for the game. Ton o' goodness.

Small But Vicious Dog Steals Hearts, Humps Leg

Ok, I'm not even going near a description for this one...just go forth weirdly...

My Problem With Most Modern Gaming

2011-06-28T18:41:00.003-04:00

Over at Neogrognard there was a comment that I really wanted to respond to but not being a Wordpress member is one of the prouder things in my life ( I DESPISE Wordpress) and I needed to 'log-in'.

Instead I'll just say my piece here.

http://www.neogrognard.com/article/374/essential

Sarah Darkmagic says:

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 at 11:23 am

I chuckled a bit when I read this. As much as 4e might have “failed” to meet its objectives in any broad sense, it seems to have worked exactly as intended for me. The “mistake” as you called it, allowed me to dip my toes in the water. But I realize that I’m not everyone and, even if I was, at some point, representative of the non-playing masses, many of us required people already invested in the game to show them how to play. If those invested players hated the game for the reasons you gave (and I know a number who do), then we blind newbies would either move to earlier editions/Pathfinder recommended to us or give up in disgust over the edition wars.

This is likely to get me into trouble, but I’ll say it anyway. One of the biggest positives and negatives of the D&D community is that we care too much. We love the game, we love sharing the game, but we want to share our own version of the game. We will repeat old stereotypes, gather around our “the right way to play” banners, and drive off most of the uninitiated. Honestly, it sucks sometimes.

I realized at that moment exactly why I dislike so much of modern gaming. It's the Big Mac theory and a direct reflection on the industry.

To me the whole point of the RPG is to, for a short time, live inside a different world. And everytime you sit down at the table with a new Dungeon Master you'll visit a different place. Some will suck. Some will be awesome. That's life

McDonalds was so proud of the fact that whether you bought a Big Mac in New York or California you would always get the same burger. The experience would be the same everywhere you went. This became a big part of the reason why they became the huge multi-national they are today.

But not everything should be a burger.

Imagine walking into a bookstore and finding only one book on all the shelves entitled 'Book'. You laugh a little, buy a copy and go home and read it. It was pretty good and you head back to the store only to realize that ever single book is the same one you just read.

This is the modern gaming attitude that I have found where ever I go. I made a comment one time that no rules were perfect and that imagination came in really handy if you're going to be a gamer and the response was ' If I wanted to write my own F'ing rules I wouldn't have bought the game'.

Pablum
Spoon fed.
Gerbers.

As the guys said over at 'WTF?, D&D!?' said:

Steve: People cried about them dying (Arneson & Gygax), but when Gygax went what we really lost was a final authority on all rules arguments. And even though the number I had for Gygax was probably no longer in service, I always had that reassuring feeling like if I was really in a jam and my characters were insisting they wanted to grapple someone I could call up Gary and ask him how to resolve it.

Zack: He's gone now, Steve, but his spirit lives on in the exciting new 4th Edition of- I can't even type that out. Does anyone play that?

Steve: It's pretty fun.

Steve: For stupid babies.

Zack: I would imagine Gygax had his detractors back in the day.

Steve: Gygax didn't have 50 writers and 100 artists and color printing. He just went out there and said, hey, here's how you subdue a dragon and sell it as a slave. Here's what a robot is doing in a fantasy game. Deal with it. I made it up, deal with it.

Zack: And now a committee has designed everything.

Steve: The stupid baby committee.

Now I have to get back to the feast table. Lord Hurgamurga, is about to regale us with tales of his heroic balance.

The Dark Side-The Industry-The Hobby

2011-06-16T16:45:00.000-04:00

Where to begin.

I have been reading the on going battle for what seems like forever now about 'social contracts' and 'industry standards'. I have really tried to stay out of it. This is the kind of pitched battles that made me quit forums. Somebody says something, doesn't maybe understand the gravity of the statement and then all hell breaks loose. It all started with this:

"It is that LOTFP: Grindhouse Edition violates the social contract of the RPG community."

http://errantgame.blogspot.com/2011/06/violation-of-social-contract.html

And ends up the biggest fist fight I have seen in some time. People are arguing with people that they have always been civil to. This one post has caused more damage to this hobby we call home than anything I can imagine.

What was so powerful about this to cause so many to react so aggressively? A simple mistake we have all made from time to time. When we speak we think we are speaking for the masses. And that offends a lot of people.

This could have been stopped by taking a step back and saying that it was a personal opinion but that didn't happen. The fuel was increased by somehow associating our group with a group we have nothing to do with and that is 'the industry'. If this were 'the industry' I wouldn't be here typing this. I would be filling out apps and trying to figure out whose ass to kiss next after Mearls over at Wizards. THAT'S the industry. This is 'the hobby' or 'hobby business' if you will.

This is the story of how our favorite hobby fell the 1st time and how we are now at the crossroads. again Will 1989 repeat itself? Or will we ignore the naysayers and forge our own path? The decision is ours.

In the past it started with Satanic panic, Mazes and Monsters and a lot of propaganda that would lead a company to make decisions that would change the course of gaming history.

TSR caved into pressure from religious groups and changed what had been an adult game into something acceptable to people who were not even customers, let alone gamers.

Now our own are quoting items out of context. The 'social contract' has nothing to do with the community as a whole. It is the agreement between players at a table and what they decide to play and how to play it. It is not a moral ruler to measure the acceptability of a game or anything else within the context of this community.

And here the added fuel:

The problem with LOTFP Grindhouse Edition is that it violates the boundaries set by the community. It goes over the line that people are willing to comfortably tolerate, it is beyond the acceptable standard of behavior, and people have reacted to that in a variety of ways."
http://errantgame.blogspot.com/2011/06/violation-of-social-contract.html

What community set which boundaries? Not my community nor the community of others that I have seen. This product seems to be doing quite well.

There is a difference between having an opinion and expressing it and presuming that you speak for an entire group of people. No one speaks for me. I think for myself and choose for myself. I am not cattle or sheep, moving in fear away from the edge that exists to challenge us.

I could quote the entire post I have excerpted above, but it comes down to 1989:

"People don't want their beloved games on the same shelf with this stuff, they don't like to see it included in the mix. They don't want someone looking at LOTFP Grindhouse Edition as being a part of RPGs, lest the negativity flow back onto other RPGs. Our hobby went through a very long and painful doldrum period where we struggled with negative reputational effects. We are just now getting to the point where it is not a big issue anymore. The last thing people want is for something like this to trigger even more negative associations. I try very hard not to describe RPGs as being "like D&D" because of this negative history. I would truly hate to have to disavow even more material."

Is this being serious or supposed to be funny? Who are these people buying games they don't want and setting them on any shelf? Negative associations? Let me tell you, they still hate us and think we are doing Satan's work and corrupting people. Those people have always existed and always will regardless of what a publisher decides to print.

Has someone been sneaking into homes and putting games on game shelves under cover of darkness? Is this some covert operation? Where's my damn copy then? Cause I would certainly love to have a nice boxed set proudly sitting on my shelf.

I am not ashamed of the roots of this hobby or the culture it grew out of. Are there things I disagree with? Of course. But it's me disagreeing. Not me telling you what you should find disagreeable. There is a big difference.

We have no reason to tip toe around and try to go unnoticed. We can stamp our feet if we damn well please and if someone is not 'comfortable' with that then they don't have to be part of it. I'm certain there is a big pile of Monopoly game boxes sitting somewhere nearby that is nice and safe. Go play that.

The last time was a different world, where people forced their opinions on the lives of others and caused a ripple effect that made me, for one, leave the hobby. But things are different now. No more boycotts or threats to a business owners livelihood if they carry those 'awful' Dungeons and Dragons games.

We're in charge this time. We are not part of 'the industry' and I wish to never be again. I look forward to the absolute collapse of 'the industry' and good riddance. And if those 'rules' are truly for GenCon then what is left? A table to play Jenga on? No violence, no gore, no nudity, no religion, no cosplay...what the hell do you do? Drink coffee and check your watch constantly to see when your flight leaves?

It's our show and the more of this fascist group think crap that I read the more I want to Spinal Tap this mother and take it up to 11...How about we start with a module, say The Rape of Village Thiyus...the whole module is seeing how many things you can rape in a given amount of time. Men, women, kids, dogs, goats...if it's breathing then we're hittin' it...and do it fired up on drugs and alcohol...maybe betting contests between PCs to see who gets the higher count...see how this crap makes me react?

You see, I ran a game store back in the 80's and I was treated like a leper. They burnt shit in my yard and told me I was selling the work of the devil. My customers were scared by these fanatics.

OVER A GAME.

So you will have to pardon me that all that 'golden age' dust doesn't get in my eyes and blind me from the crap we have always taken. Go be a mouse if you want to. Just don't expect everyone to be a mouse. Some are lions and they eat mice.

And as I said the other day, we really need to be careful about stepping over the most heinous of all lines-hypocrisy. When you take it down to the basics the largest group of gamers play a game that is a perpetual race war where you kill other creatures and steal their stuff. And don't say that's not what fantasy rpgs are about. Since day one that was the basic game. If you have 'moral issues' with gaming you might want to start right there.

I think too many folks are in this thinking it is a stepping stone into that big ticket job in 'the industry' and for some it may well be.

But the majority of people I talk with know this is a small thing and always will be. This is the only reason this is worth doing. These are labors of love, homages to those who came before 'political correctness'. Look at the our collective past and the influences on the hobby. This is 'Old School'. Frank Frazetta. Boris Vallejo. H.P. Lovecraft, R.E. Howard, E.R. Burroughs.

When H.G. Wells codified miniature war gaming he made a statement that perhaps if we fought more of these small wars we would fight less big ones.

And RPGs are the same. Remember that the concept of role-playing was developed by Jacob Moreno, a Viennese psychologist who contended that people could gain more from acting out their problems than from talking about them. That it would evolve into a gaming hobby is quite remarkable.

But man is a rough beast and for all of our laws and social structures we remain animals at heart, part of a greater nature than we may ever understand. This is the place for where the beast can be released and we can learn something about ourselves in the process.

Too heavy? Maybe you wanna go play that Monopoly now...

Here We Go Again! New System Release

2011-06-13T12:08:00.000-04:00

Get Epées & Sorcellerie RPG for FREE!

This courtesy of theresdungeonsdownunder.blogspot.com

"Well, Nicolas 'Snorri' Dessaux and myself, through our joint venture - Frightful Hobgoblin - are proud to announce the release of the English translation of Nico's Epées & Sorcellerie roleplaying game, now available in both print and pdf versions from Lulu."

Get it while its hot :)

DCC RPG-The First 24 hrs

2011-06-10T15:35:00.009-04:00

I would like to state up front that the method I use and describe in detail below is of my own devising and not based on contemporary methods of analysis because I believe that stats from focus group cards and similar methods are just not viable in the 21st century. That went out when Gen-X was observed watching advertising as entertainment (note the Super Bowl being the most watched pro game of the year because of its commercials).

To illustrate this point if you ask 1000 randomly selected people which would they rather play:

(1) A game with 15 pages of rules

or

(2) A game with 600 pages of rules

The majority of that group will say 15 pages.

Then you check actual sales and the core book for Pathfinder is generally the #1 selling rulebook at Amazon lately clocking in at nearly 600 pages. There is a psychological reason for this I believe and will go into detail about if anyone is interested.

Modern demographics fall apart on this level more often than not. There are many cases in history where focus groups tested the opposite of what the actual outcome was.

What I have done I refer to as the 'grains of sand' or 'buzz' theory. I feel the information in the initial period is more accurate than after time passes and people begin to be affected by others opinions that muddies the initial reaction.

I gather a wide amount of information, find the talking points and then rank most talked about to least talked about and rate them as positive or negative and make note of the distance between the two points. For an overall reaction I add all the positives and subtract all the negatives and compare this number to the total number of talking points observed. What follows is the distillation of hundreds of posts and comments made during the first 24 hours of the release of the DCC RPG beta. I hope it proves of some use to the games creators as they prepare a final commercial version.

NOTE:
the #0 = a negative response
the #1 = a positive result

TOP TEN DISCUSSED POINTS W/ REACTION

01. LIKE THE ART (+23)

02. DISLIKE THE NUMBER OF TABLES (-13)

03. DISLIKE THE ZOCCHI DICE (-13)

04. LIKE THE MAGIC SYSTEM (+11)

05. DISLIKE THE ART (-10)

06. DISLIKE THE SYSTEM (-8)

07. DISLIKE THE 0-LEVEL START (-6)

08. DISLIKE MAGIC SYSTEM (-6)

09. LIKE THE SYSTEM (+6)

10. LIKE THE 0-LEVEL START (+4)

TOP FIVE DISCUSSED POINTS (POSITIVE / NEGATIVE)

ART - (23 LIKE) (10 DISLIKE)

TABLES - (13 DISLIKE) (2 LIKE)

ZOCCHI DICE – (13 DISLIKE) (3 LIKE)

MAGIC SYSTEM – (11 LIKE) (6 DISLIKE)

OVER ALL SYSTEM – (8 LIKE) (6 DISLIKE)

0-LEVEL START – (6 DISLIKE) (4 LIKE (3 LIKE AS OPT +4=7)*

*A third reaction began to surface on the 0-level start mechanic of it being positive if added as an optional feature thus the extra added above.

Also, individual likes and dislikes have been counted together for a more uniform view of the overall reaction. For instance the dislike of the artwork was split about even between there being too much of it or they didn't like the style, etc.

Initial Analysis:

An overall positive reaction to the artwork both in quantity and quality (the most discussed point which I found very interesting).

A very negative reaction to the number of tables included.

A very negative reaction to the use of Zocchi dice and the added cost and complexity they felt was unneeded.

A positive reaction to the magic system.

A marginal positive reaction to the overall system of mechanics.

A negative reaction to the 0-level starting point of PCs but when added as an optional mechanic the reaction turns marginally positive.

There were many other talking points that appeared in smaller numbers and thus make them more difficult to sample but are included for the overall reaction rating. This is the complete sample list:

ART 1 (+23)
TABLES 0 (-13)
ZOCCHI DICE 0 (-13)
MAGIC SYSTEM 1 (+11)
ART 0 (-10)
SYSTEM 0 (-8)
0-LEVEL 0 (-6)
MAGIC SYSTEM 0 (-6)
SYSTEM 1 (+6)
0-LEVEL 1 (+4)
0-LEVEL AS OPTION 1 (+3)
RACE AS CLASS 0 (-3)
SYSTEM MECHANICS 0 (-3)
ZOCCHI DICE 1 (+3)
ALIGNMENT 0 (-2)
CHARACTER CREATION 0 (-2)
CHARACTER CREATION 1 (+2)
DEEDS 1 (+2)
RACE AS CLASS 1 (+2)
TABLES 1 (+2)
TRYING TO COPYRIGHT TABLES 0 (-2)
ALIGNMENT 1 (+1)
BFRPG MORE MODULAR 0 (-1)
CARTOONS 1 (+1)
CHARACTER MECHANICS 0 (-1)
CLASS MECHANICS 0 (-1)
COMBAT 1 (+1)
CORE MECHANIC 0 (-1)
D20 MECHANICS 1 (+1)
DUNGEON CRAWL 1 (+1)
EPIC LEVEL 0 (-1)
FUNNEL 0 (-1)
FUNNEL 1 (+1)
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER RECORD SHEETS 1 (+1)
LIKES BFRPG BETTER 0 (-1)
MECHANICS 0 (-1)
MONSTERS 0 (-1)
NO ‘WHAT IS ROLEPLAYING’ SECTION 1 (+1)
ROLEMASTER-LIKE BETTER 0 (-1)
TARGET GROUP FOCUS 0 (-1)
THEME 0 (-1)
XP TABLES 0 (-1)

TOTAL POINTS: 129

POSITIVE TALKING POINTS: 48
NEGATIVE TALKING POINTS: 81

In my own work in the past I look at this type of analysis to help tag and track different aspects of something that causes strong feelings for or against. It is a small sample but can be used as a heads up to further test and narrow the two extremes and bring the points closer together (I see a -2 and a +2 as par and canceling each other out while a -13 and a +2 shows a strong dislike of the topic being discussed and resources can then be directed to understand the situation better,etc).

This is not a value judgment nor does it reflect my own opinions on the subject. It is meant as a simple tool among many that can be used to better understand the subject and initial reactions to it. I hope it proves useful.

A Call For Basic Fantasy RPG resources

2011-06-07T17:00:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to post this here as well. I have been trying to put together a resource blog for BFRPG for sometime and have finally bit the bullet and went ahead with launching it even though I don't feel I have enough material yet.

The blog can be found at:

On Mountains High And Dungeons Deep-BFRPG

Any posts to resources, reviews, basically anything to do with BFRPG is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

And I Thought My Year Was Sucking

2011-06-06T23:39:00.003-04:00

Once More Unto the Breach!

Question: Alignment in RPGs? - Hail one and all! So, as usual, I don't have the time to write at length about anything (and trust me, I have a lot of ideas and it's killing me).

GROGNARDIA

Google Search - In case anyone cares, the Google search gadget located on the right is broken. I have no idea why it no longer functions (it did so last week, I am certain...

Steve Lopez's Big Blog o'Fun » Hot Leprechaun Chick says “Happy St. Patrick’s Day”

DC Comics reboot, old-school supers RPGing, etc. - I’m sorry about the relative infrequency of my posts, but I’m running as hard as I can just to stay stationary lately. I never realized that writing a blog...

Swashbuckler's Hideout

Brainstorming for a New Campaign - With the school year coming to close here at OSU coming, most of my players will be heading off home or will be away at prestigious internships

For A Fistful Of Coppers

A quick update - So, there sure hasn't been a lot of updating over here.

B/X BLACKRAZOR

Completely Embarrassed - I was trying to organize my notes from last week's game session, and realized I cannot for the life of me remember what the hell happened.

The Underdark Gazette

Unplugging for a Few Weeks - I'll be absent from the blogosphere for the rest of June, returning sometime during the first week of July. I've experienced several major upheavals...

Greyhawk Grognard

Apologies - Apologies again for my lack of posts. We are dealing with a death in the family and that is taking up almost all of my time at the moment.

TEMPLE OF DEMOGORGON

Keep on Truckin' (more or less) - Wow, more than two weeks without a post! What the hell is going on around here?

And that's just from a quick scan of my favorite blogs. I feel like any moment Neo is going to pull the wire out of the back of my head and say "Welcome to the real".

(Our house related suck has resurfaced again just to add icing to the s*** cake that is 2011).

Time To Catch Up

2011-05-27T16:54:00.007-04:00

Wow...these last few weeks...just...wow.

Anyway, enough of the mundane. Here are some things I have ran across in the 30 seconds I've had each time I tried to sit down and catch up.

First good news for those who were disappointed when WotC dropped their mini lines.

http://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/2011/05/25/46865/

And then Troll in the Corner added a Q&A on the subject:

http://trollitc.com/2011/05/more-info-on-paizo-and-wizkids-forthcoming-mini-line-with-a-handy-qa-section/

And the press release:

Paizo and WizKids Launch Pathfinder Pre-Painted Minis

http://wizkidsgames.com/blog/2011/05/25/paizo-and-wizkids-launch-pathfinder-pre-painted-minis/

And since we are talking minis:

A Cheapass Solution for Miniatures

http://swordsofathanor.blogspot.com/2011/05/cheapass-solution-for-miniatures.html

Book an Advert in Oubliette 6!

After the success of the Oubliette Issue 5 giveaway, I'd like to continue to offer future issues as free downloads for several weeks after they come out.

Issue 5 of Oubliette has reached over 800 people so far, which gives me every confidence that Issue 6 will have a circulation of over 1,000 copies - within one month of publication.

Commencing with Issue 6, I have decided to offer a limited amount of space to advertisers interested in reaching our readership.

(Get all the details at: http://oubliettemagazine.blogspot.com/2011/05/book-advert-in-oubliette-6.html )

I thought there was a certain irony here:

Hasbro Doesn't Even Sell the Latest Version of D&D on Its Webpage http://wondrousimaginings.blogspot.com/2011/05/hasbro-doesnt-even-sell-latest-version.html

The D&D Lair Assault promotion from WotC continues to heat up on both sides:

Wizards of the Coast Acknowledges 4E is Aimed at Min-Maxing Twinks

http://greyhawkgrognard.blogspot.com/2011/05/wizards-of-coast-acknowledges-4e-is.html

Ok, enough for now. A lot of ground to cover but that will have to wait till next time...

Enjoy!

Happy Post-Armageddon Day!

2011-05-22T12:15:00.002-04:00

Considering today is the beginning of year zero just a few thoughts.

There are times when this whole world of gaming drives me mad. I try to practice tolerance but there are times.

But then I remember why I like it, love it even.

I read a lot of posts, as many as I can everyday from the gaming blogosphere. I built The Eternal Keep just to try and keep up and love reading something that is just purely inspirational. I may not use every idea I read but it acts like oil to lubricate the bearings, to keep me focused on the fact that we make it what it is.

I remember back in the day if we went out to eat at a restaurant and knew we might have a bit of a wait we would just start playing right at the table. We always carried dice in our pockets and someone usually had pen and paper or we could get some from the waitress. (We would have LOVED having the ability to make pocket mods back then...that would have rocked!).

And to play that was all you needed. All RPGs are built around dialogue with bits of random events that are resolved with common sense or a die roll. That's it. Have fun. It was about imagination.

I feel sorry for many modern players that hate their game and blame the company that makes it for ruining it for them. No one can ruin my game but me. No set of rules is perfect. It's what you do with the concept that matters.

The looks we would get, especially from the waitress when the food came out, was worth its weight in gold.

And combat became so much easier (and healthier) when they started putting condiments out in packets. Plenty of minis and variety. Nothing like a horde of angry mustard orcs to make for some heroic tarter sauce action! :)

Hell Has Frozen Over

2011-05-08T12:21:00.007-04:00

Totally non-rpg related but I had to post about this.

Hell has frozen over and I'm sliding over to give the devil a scratch behind the ear because now I know how long forever is.

23 years.

The band broke up in 1988, and Ocasek had always discouraged talk of a reunion since then, telling one interviewer in 1997 "I'm saying never and you can count on that."

Yes, the latest album from The Cars, the real Cars, drops on Tuesday and god help me it's even good.

The first single is Blue Tip. The video is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpJQWGA1O8s

The second is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxqxNzlEFM4

If you were ever a fan (and trust me, I burned through 3 copies of Candy-O on vinyl during my peak gaming period-you are one or you're not, you'll know) then show the love and have a slice of pure 80s synth pop.

(If only Benjamin had been here it would be a perfect moment. I hope if he is near a listening station he gets a little smile from this beast.)

Enjoy!

Lawful Indifferent: Slenderman

2011-05-06T12:41:00.001-04:00

Lawful Indifferent: Slenderman

Go check this post out. I did this thing till 3:30am and am still creeped out. As LI says 'not RPG related' but very cool.

Enjoy!

Yeah, I Know...

2011-05-05T17:36:00.000-04:00

Posting has been way off of late, what with Mother Nature trying her best to blow us off the map and holes in roofs and insurance adjusters and contractors.

Every spare minute has gone into finishing the alpha of Forsaken Souls Basic Edition / Fast Start. There are days...

(2 days later)

And now even more time has passed. AARRGGHH!

Ok...finish this time:

Working
Working
Working
Madness
Pass out from no sleep
Repeat

POST NOW!

Happy Anniversary To...Me?

2011-05-01T11:47:00.004-04:00

There's been a lot of posting recently about which issue of the Dragon was your first and it got me to go look mine up. I always remembered covers but not numbers...and realized that April marked 30 years that I have been a part of this other universe where dragon's dwell, magic is real and heroes lived and died by their wits and their blades.

It ain't all that much to look at, but in 1981 is was the Holy Grail to me.

So, Happy 30th anniversary...to me.

The Wizards Community - The Jester Blog -The Death of D&D

2011-04-29T14:27:00.003-04:00

Ok, I'm not even going to comment on this one but if I could spin like this I could roto-puke all the way to the moon :)

The Wizards Community - The_Jester Blog - The Death of D&D

I will share my favorite quote with you though:

"Still, the trade magazine ICv2 reported Paizo tied WotC in sales in Q3 of 2010. And Paizo also has a strong showing on the Amazon above list. But, really, this is still a sign that D&D is doing fine, as even when WotC slips a little, a game that is really D&D rebranded moves up a spot."

Ok...translation...the competition is outselling D&D and that is ok because they do D&D better than WotC...wtf?

14th Century RPG Campaign | Christian Warrior

2011-04-29T13:27:00.000-04:00

A 14th Century campaign set in Europe using the KnightCleric&Rogue rules based on WR&C by Stargazer.

Find the file linkage here:

14th Century RPG Campaign | Christian Warrior

More on MicroGames

2011-04-23T13:31:00.002-04:00

Dwarfstar, the makers of my personal favorite - Barbarian Prince, have kindly posted legitimate downloadable and printable versions of :

Barbarian Prince
Demonlord
Goblin
Grav Armor
Outpost Gamma
Star Smuggler
Star Viking

Along with some history and info. I still have my copy of BP and it is sitting three feet from where I'm typing this from. (Get the errata for it if you d / l it. It is very handy.)

Find them at:

http://dwarfstar.brainiac.com/

(BTW: check out the Goblin that someone did...very nice :)

The Classic Microgames Museum

2011-04-22T16:43:00.001-04:00

The Classic Microgames Museum

Being a fan of micro games ever since I stumbled upon a little game called Barbarian Prince back in the day I have been interested in all the releases, most of which I have never seen in person, during that time period.

So here's a little treat from simpler times...

Enjoy.

Mythmere's Blog: AD&D vs OD&D in Knockspell

2011-04-22T01:22:00.000-04:00

I've noticed something quite interesting with the various submissions to Knockspell Magazine over the course of five issues. This is that despite the massively wider audience of AD&D, despite the fact that Fight On! is focused on OD&D, and despite the fact that there is not a corresponding AD&D magazine, the vast majority of articles I receive have been designed and/or statted for OD&D rather than AD&D.

continue reading at:

Mythmere's Blog: AD&D vs OD&D in Knockspell

Dragon Magazine Greyhawk Article Index

2011-04-20T13:57:00.000-04:00

Dragon Magazine Greyhawk Article Index

This is a great index for Greyhawk fans and is maintained at:

http://www.cmc.net/~rtaylor/greyhawk/dragon_index.html

(I have not checked this one for accuracy-YMMV)

Enjoy!

Words To Live By

2011-04-17T12:43:00.000-04:00

After a day of ducking bad weather and then being hit by a microburst (80mph winds was the guesstimate) that managed to drive a hole through the roof of the house and laying against the crown trying to do a temporary patch while lightning started in the distance it didn't leave a whole lot of time to work on things fantastic.

So I just started catching up some reading and ran across this in my bookmarks.

From: Old School Heretic

It is important and valuable to go back to the roots of things, if indeed your intention is to acquire some understanding of what was done and how, to learn from the past and devise your own strategies which you then take forwards and outwards and set into motion on your own terms. Going back is only useful if it facilitates our inspiration and spurs us to action. Endlessly revising, re-interpreting and regurgitating what has already been done is not what it is about --and it never was-- going back to the roots cannot be perverted into a retreat into some peculiar hegemonic orthodoxy. That way lies madness, sterility, barrenness and self-deceit. Going back is about learning, understanding and then moving on, going your own way, doing it on your own terms, using what has come before as a creative springboard or launching pad.

That is how we honor creators and innovators: by becoming our own creators and our own innovators.

Self-declared pontiffs and purveyors of empty opinions have no place in any creative undertaking, be it a movement of artists, a school of thought, or a swarm of nerds armed with colorful dice.

We're better than that.

All of us are better than that.

Look deeply into the roots of things, drink deep and then cast your lot.
It is the oldest way to bring something really and truly new into the world.

Read the complete article at:

http://oldschoolheretic.blogspot.com/p/going-back-to-roots-is-not-enough.html

Fame & Fortune: doing it differently and growing pie

2011-04-15T13:57:00.001-04:00

I read with interest Mike Mearls' article on the past and the future of Dungeons & Dragons. There have been a variety of responses appearing in the blogosphere. Wizards have a chequered history of fan interaction and organised play including mixed messages about fan sites, tiered organised play bias toward larger FLGS and forcing customers to register with their site to make a simple e-mail query. They have made significant progress with online community and D&D Encounters. Other industry players offer alternative views, involving active engagement with players and adapting existing assets to new formats. Yet Wizards have got a few tricks up their sleeve yet, as we shall see.

continue reading at:

Fame & Fortune: doing it differently and growing pie

Hack & Slash: On the OSR Required Reading List (Have You Read It?)

2011-04-14T14:38:00.000-04:00

This is a great reading list and part of my permanent printed binder collection (I should change that to wall :)

Hack & Slash: On the OSR Required Reading List (Have You Read It?)

Enjoy!

Jerry Lawson, Inventor of Modern Game Console, Dies at 70 | GameLife | Wired.com

2011-04-14T13:14:00.001-04:00

However you feel about PnP vs CRPG to me they are forever entwined. I got into D&D because it became to expensive to play videogames. A game had to keep having quarters pumped into it or a new cartridge where a PnP could be played over and over for about the cost of an afternoon at the arcade or about 1/3rd the cost of a new game cartridge. I remember buying the core set of AD&D for less than I had paid for Space Invaders for the Atari 2600.

Still, the videogame has been a permanent part of my life and we have lost another creator.

R.I.P. Jerry...

Jerry Lawson, Inventor of Modern Game Console, Dies at 70 | GameLife | Wired.com

Religion in D&D-Dragon #51-100

2011-04-12T13:51:00.001-04:00

And finally. Sorry for the delay in the series. Everything has switched into overdrive except me. Trying to complete the Alpha of 'Forsaken Souls' is zapping my typing energy. I will NEVER write another system so I better get this one right :)

Yes, I hate when series take this long and hopefully the next chapter (where I will cover #101-141-the effective end of classic D&D) will go quicker. So without further delay:

Dragon #51
It's not easy being good-General Paladin Guidelines
Thou shalt play this way- Commandments for Paladins

Dragon #52
The Clerical Collection:

The Role of the Cleric
This land is my land
The sense of sacrifice

Dragon #54
Down-to-Earth divinity-Creating a playable pantheon

Dragon #58
Spell minders

Dragon #59
The Gods of the Halflings

Dragon #60
The Gods of the Elves

Dragon #61
The Gods of the Gnomes

Dragon #62
The Gods of the Orcs

Dragon #63-(courtesy of Grendelwulf)
The Humanoids: Goals and gods of the kobolds, goblins, hobgoblins, & gnolls
(This entry is not titled on the contents page the same as the actual article-page 26)

Dragon #64
Greyhawk's World- Re-defining Deities of the Flanaess

Dragon #65
Tuatha De Danann- Celtic Mythos revised

Dragon #67
Deities and Demi-Gods of the world of Greyhawk
The Astral Plane- Cleric spells

Dragon #68
Leomund's Tiny Hut-The Cloistered Cleric
Deities and Demi-Gods of Greyhawk

Dragon #69
Deities and Demi-Gods of Greyhawk

Dragon #70
Deities and Demi-Gods of the world of Greyhawk

Dragon #71
Deities and Demi-Gods of the world of Greyhawk
From the Sorcerer's Scroll-Official new Druid spells

Dragon #75
The Nine Hells-Part 1

Dragon #76
The Nine Hells-Part-2

Dragon #77
Elemental Gods-Deities that almost defy description

Dragon #79
Setting Saintly Standards-Characters that Deities hold dear

Dragon #85
The Cleric Collection:
Here's to your health-Healing and curing magic
Special skills, special thrills-Variety for Cleric abilities
Clerics must be Deity bound-Tying actions to outlook

Dragon #86
Presenting the Suel Pantheon-More Gods for Greyhawk campaigns
Dragons and their Deities-Clerics with Breath weapons

Dragon #87
Presenting the Suel Pantheon-Part 2: Kord and Phaulkon

Dragon #88
Presenting the Suel Pantheon-Part 3: Syrul, Fortubo and Wee Jas

Dragon #89
Presenting the Suel Pantheon-Part 4: Pyremius, Baltar and Llerg

Dragon #90
Presenting the Suel Pantheon-Part 5: Phyton, Xerbo and Osprem
Plane facts on Gladsheim-The world according to Asgard

Dragon #91
Nine Hells Revisited
Eight Devilish Questions

Dragon #92
Clerics live by other rules
First, spread the Faith-Role-Playing Clerics
The more the merrier-Converting non-believers and getting credit for doing so
Presenting the Suel Pantheon-Last of the series: Lydia, Bralm and Jascar

Dragon #93
Life beyond 15th level-Keep high level Druids busy

Dragon #97
Deities and their faithful

Dragon #100
All about the Druid/Ranger

Victorian Adventure Enthusiast

2011-04-08T13:17:00.001-04:00

For fans of steampunk this is a great stop over:

Victorian Adventure Enthusiast

Mailed Fist: Diary of a Madman

2011-04-06T21:30:00.000-04:00

Mailed Fist: Diary of a Madman

The Old School Renaissance Group: The OSRG wins Gen Con Marketing Fellowship & Assigned Booth Number!

2011-04-04T20:05:00.000-04:00

It just keeps getting better:

The Old School Renaissance Group: The OSRG wins Gen Con Marketing Fellowship & Assigned Booth Number!

Rule One Issue 7

2011-04-02T17:09:00.000-04:00

I believe I missed this one:

Rule One Issue 7

A zine devoted to Glorantha. All the issues are available for free download.

Enjoy!

A Moment of Recognition

2011-04-01T13:47:00.000-04:00

It seems that I've been making a lot of comments on respect within the community and I just wanted to take a moment and recognize some of the people who I feel have really helped me in getting up to speed and making my work a reality.

First off, John 'Matt' Stater. His work is excellent and I have met few people who have been as friendly and helpful as Matt (or John...I'm not which you prefer :). Offering to help me with all that he has on his plate is an outstanding act and I have huge respect for him. If you have not visited do so now...you won't be disappointed:

http://matt-landofnod.blogspot.com/

Next, the man who should win the first award for hardest working man in gaming. Considering the trials and tribulations we face in this life Randall Stuckey has shouldered more than his fair share and still keeps creating some of the finest Microlite based work I've encountered. It was his work that helped me decide that Microlite was the engine for me and rarely does a day go by that I'm not reading something he has created. Pure inspiration at its finest.

http://blog.retroroleplaying.com/

And last, but by no means least, Hugh Dingwall. If it were not for this man and his vision of the RPG as being capable of anything I wouldn't be typing these words. Normality is so far out there that many gamers don't even recognize it as being an RPG, let alone a game. But I followed the directions and discovered something completely original. The work I am currently focused on now may seem trivial compared to this break through work, but I still look forward to adding to it as I recover a ton of files from the worst data loss I have ever experienced.

http://www.thegoatplan.blogspot.com/

Oh well, that which does not kill us makes us weirder :)

Savage Swords of Athanor: Gah! No time for a proper fix! So I'm giving it away.

2011-03-30T20:35:00.000-04:00

Savage Swords of Athanor: Gah! No time for a proper fix! So I'm giving it away.

Mirage Arcana Podcast

2011-03-29T18:59:00.003-04:00

If you don't always have time to catch up on all the blogs but maybe have a long commute then this looks like a good way to listen in on a bit of the wide world of gaming. The most recent podcast (#25) covers the Rules Cyclopedia.

http://www.miragearcana.com/

Enjoy

Our House Redux

2011-03-27T22:04:00.002-04:00

Since the first take on this subject turned into a mess, and with apologies to Lord Gwydion for deleting a fine comment, I have decided to take a second shot at this.

Text as follows:

I have to say I have been pretty shocked at the lack of knowledge within our community concerning the OGL and the many items that go with it over the last 2 days.

Across this and other blogs a conversation has ensued that leaves me queasy. I wonder how other publishers feel about this.

Does it concern you, as a publisher, that there are so many violations of the OGL in our community?

Does it bother you that your trademarked or Product Identity items are being used, I can only presume, without your permission?

Or that the procedure for documenting use of your copyrighted material is being ignored to a great extent?

I would like to have other publishers weigh in on this. Frankly I am very concerned.

Also, do you see any of this as a threat to the OGL? An example being WotC going to court citing a high number of violations of the license to be reason to revoke the license and thus effectively end the OSR as we know it as well as Paizo.

The Facts From The FAQ

2011-03-26T20:58:00.003-04:00

Excerpts From The WotC FAQ

Open Game License:
Frequently Asked Questions
Version 2.0 -- January 26, 2004

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/oglfaq/20040123f

(edited: the link connects to all that was listed here.)

Clarification of the OGL topic

2011-03-26T19:18:00.002-04:00

It seems there is a lot of confusion as to the use of the OGL, when it is needed, appropriate or necessary.

First Rule. If you are creating material for any game that has the OGL in it then you HAVE to include the OGL license in your work and abide by the license clauses.

This is not a matter of courtesy. It is the license.

Second Rule. If you are dealing with the OGL you can't use any other form of license process on the work. No CC, no standard copyright, etc.

Third Rule-This is not about money or intentions. If you create something to use in you local game then it's not necessary. But if you publish your derivative work in any manner it has to include the license and be properly filled in.

I'm not making this up or trying to spoil anyone's day. But if you are part of this scene and you haven't read the OGL you really need to. It protects your work, tells others the status of the work for re-use and satisfies the powers that be.

Doing The Right Thing Part 2

2011-03-26T15:21:00.003-04:00

This grew to large for comments so I just decided to post it whole here:

Ok, as for market share the latest numbers I've seen put the market at 47% play current edition D&D and 53% play 'other'. That 'other' gets broken down to about 3-5% playing 'classic' D&D (OD&D-AD&D2e) with the other 50% being players who play some variant of 3x.

Since most OSR is based on the SRD that places them in the 3x crowd. Unless you are playing only an original TSR product then you get lumped in with everybody from Paizo on down. So I think the total old school is a larger number than what is just represented by the 3-5% spread.

I have addressed some folks about this subject as I run across them and just thought it would be good to do a post on it.

As for what requires a license, unless you are creating something completely independent of all current OSR games (S&W, LL, C&C,etc) you HAVE to post the license. I see some doing this with blog content by declaring that the text that follows is OGC and hot linking it to a page on their blog that is the OGL. That is very good for the blogosphere.

I'm not going to name names or point fingers. I understand some may not be clear on the OGL requirements but ignorance, as a judge would say, is no excuse for violating the license. If you are going to put up in public either a document or a post you HAVE to do it. Also, I don't want to make a roadmap for others to follow to compile violations.

Here is the license in rtf format:

http://www.wizards.com/d20/files/OGLv1.0a.rtf

Notice that the license isn't predicated on whether or not you are Paizo making and selling a product or just a hobbyist posting variations of a SRD monster for free. You have to follow the license regardless.

I am a (soon to be) publisher and really don't want the rug snatched out from underneath a year and a half of time and money spent on development because WotC compiles enough evidence of violations to revoke the license.

And it's not my point...it's a legally binding license by a company who wants to see us gone. Let's not give them the bullets to shoot us with.

For the good of the community I'm just asking that everybody keep these things in mind.

That's all.

The Lair of Bloodtide: The three types of GMs

2011-03-26T13:52:00.000-04:00

A bit of PaleoBlogging but good information

The Lair of Bloodtide: The three types of GMs

Doing The Right Thing.

2011-03-26T12:56:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to take a moment and cover something I have been running across throughout the blogosphere of late.

The majority of people in the community of the OSR are using the OGL and some variant based on the SRD. Lately I have noticed an increase in folks not doing a proper license page at the end of the document or on their blogs and this could have potentially harsh repercussions for the rest of the community.

We are being watched by the majors on at least a casual basis. WotC would love nothing more than to pull the SRD and the OGL and have us go away. And before you say they can't do that just remember-with enough money and enough lawyers a sympathetic judicial ear is all they need to ruin everything that has been built. Showing that people are not following the license properly is enough to have the license overturned.

And when I say being watched I mean for example Mike Mearls posting his proper email address out at Planet Algol the other day and Erik Mona posting at Sword & Shield about their no-show at GAMA 2011 and why.

These can be found at:

You Need a Wizards.com Account to Email WOTC?!?!

http://planetalgol.blogspot.com/2011/02/you-need-wizardscom-account-to-email.html

GAMA 2011 Report: When the king abdicates the throne...who will rule?

http://swordandshieldrpg.blogspot.com/2011/03/gama-2011-report-when-king-abdicates.html

So they are paying attention. And I think they understand, especially Wizards, that we amount to more than the 5% +/- market share that we think we represent. I would almost guess 25-30% is closer and that gets everybody's attention. Paizo has the most to lose because it would destroy them and by using us as the example it makes everyone look sloppy.

So I implore you, please please put your proper license notice with your work. And if you need help just ask. This is one of the most knowledgeable communities of its kind and the most talented group of people I have had the pleasure to engage with. Let's keep it that way.

We're here to help and anyone who can post anything I've missed please feel free to do so.

Thanks for the eyeball time.

Sham's Grog 'n Blog: ORIGINS of a HOBBY

2011-03-22T13:05:00.003-04:00

ORIGINS of a HOBBY

A chronological study of some of the most important events leading to the first published modern RPG, TSR's Dungeons & Dragons, 1974.

Sham's Grog 'n Blog: ORIGINS of a HOBBY

That begins in 1893!

GRUBB STREET: Secret Origins-Jeff Grubb's On Some Gaming History

2011-03-20T13:37:00.003-04:00

GRUBB STREET: Secret Origins: "Marvel Super Heroes"

GRUBB STREET: Realms and Remembrance

GRUBB STREET: Spelljamming (Innnn Spppaaaaaace!)

Inside look at gaming history. Good reading.

Possible Explanation For The Rise Of D&D

2011-03-20T12:06:00.003-04:00

So, I'm reading the morning posts and start thinking about dice. Now, I've never been a big fanatic about dice, but I do have a fairly large collection and have studied the concept of the origins of those that are unique to gaming.

As I often do I decided to check in at Wikipedia and do a bit of background when my eye caught something on a secondary page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icosahedral#Uses_and_natural_forms

And then it all began to make sense. The rise of D&D, how nothing could seem to beat it and how the games based on the common 6 sided die were always just a bit behind.

Note to William S. Burroughs-Viruses....they're not just for language anymore....

Saturday Rant

2011-03-19T12:43:00.003-04:00

Apologies for the Robo-Posts lately. I have been trying to re-arrange my work space to speed things up and have nothing left to write with when done in the evening. I promise Story Time has several drafts in the works and I will get the series back on track asap.

I'm pushing hard to have my starter for Forsaken Souls at the GenCon OSR booth (if they'll have me :) ) . I'm just learning Hexographer and have so far designed 2 maps- Cow Flop 1 and Cow Flop 2- so need some more work there. I'm finishing the Combat section (hopefully) today and proofing as I go for the first alpha.

If anyone knows of a VTT software that lets you input a custom system into it and doesn't require a degree in programming please drop a link to it in comments. I would like to play test it on VTT as part of preparing the beta.

Ok, it's book shelf moving time..ugh .

:)

3 More Free From DriveThruRPG.com

2011-03-18T13:09:00.002-04:00

Game Geek Issues #14 - Avalon Game Company | DriveThruRPG.com

Signs & Portents 89 - Mongoose | DriveThruRPG.com

The Ancible Issue 7 - AKR Productions Limited | DriveThruRPG.com

GAMA 2011 Report: When the king abdicates the throne...who will rule?

2011-03-16T12:26:00.002-04:00

I think this pretty much confirms the suspicions I had last year about where gaming is now and where it is going on the RPG front.

I especially found the WotC information to be like a prophecy fulfilled.

Read the whole article. It is a bit of an eye opener.

http://swordandshieldrpg.blogspot.com/2011/03/gama-2011-report-when-king-abdicates.html

The Artifact RPG - Store32 | DriveThruRPG.com

2011-03-15T13:11:00.002-04:00

"The Artifact is an epic science fiction RPG. The full game is available for free as a download or for sale as a printed book....

The Year is 2085 and long range teleportation technology has made faster than light travel possible, In an attempt to find habitable planets earth’s governments send out probes into deep space.

They found something. . ."

Find it at:

The Artifact RPG - Store32 | DriveThruRPG.com

(And no, I'm not an affiliate and yes I should be) :)

3 Free from DriveThruRPG.com

2011-03-13T13:04:00.002-04:00

Get your read on...for free :)

Infinite Horizons, Issue #1 - Avalon Game Company | DriveThruRPG.com

Game Geek Issues #15 - Avalon Game Company | DriveThruRPG.com

[Swords & Wizardry] The Sun Fury Gazette I - Zodiac Gods Publishing | DriveThruRPG.com

(Yeah, you need to sign in...it's worth it)

The Lands of Ara: 2D Barcodes as Mapping Inspiration

2011-03-12T13:27:00.001-05:00

If anyone wonders what thinking outside the box means here is a 21st century version of 20th century DIY spirit

The Lands of Ara: 2D Barcodes as Mapping Inspiration

Agree or Disagree-Opinion Poll Time

2011-03-11T15:34:00.002-05:00

So I'm scanning down ESCAPE and spy this:

Review: Pathfinder Advanced Player's Guide

Sneaky Fourth: Hero Points
Under New Rules, the Pathfinder Advanced Player's Guide introduces Hero Points. These are very similar to my house rules of Action Points from the Eberron setting in 3.5. Essentially, Hero Points give players more options, as well as some control over when things like character death happen. I like this in particular because it gets rid of the 'meaningless death' issue in many fantasy RPGs - where the player fails one roll and her character plummets to her death, or is killed by the save-or-die spell, in a way that doesn't further the story whatsoever. Screw that.

It got me to thinking and I was wondering how this concept sits with others.

I mean, isn't the point of the game that you have a chance at great wealth or success or whatever your character motivations are and at the same time a chance at dying, possibly a horrible death?

Share your thoughts if you would please...I'm curious how others feel about it...

ODDS E-zine - FARSIGHT GAMES

2011-03-11T13:16:00.002-05:00

Get'em while you can-all 9 issues available at Lulu for free:

Get issue #9 from here

ODDS E-zine - FARSIGHT GAMES

1-8 available here

ZX81: Small black box of computing desire

2011-03-11T13:09:00.002-05:00

I think this article, although it doesn't deal directly with the OSR, speaks of a different mindset and mentality at a similar time.

Back then if something didn't do something you wanted it to do you fixed it, at least to your satisfaction. RPGs were the same way. I will say that everything TSR printed was a trainwreck to some degree in everyone's eyes, but that's not a value judgment. As the old hackers would say you just need to kluge it a bit and everything was ok.

Gaming was about consensus. The DM talked to a potential group, laid out (or handed out if lucky) any house rules and then the game was underway.

Now when you say house rule to most modern gamers they retort 'if I just wanted to make something up I wouldn't bother with buying the rule books'.

I think therein lies the fundamental building blocks that make up the difference between old school play and new school.

One group is happy to make something there own, inspired by many different things and the other want to buy a pre-packaged entertainment product and consume it. I guess there's nothing wrong with that and I don't want anyone to think that I believe this is a flat footed 100% across the board situation. Younger gamers are trying out different methods of gaming, which I whole hardheartedly agree with, I just think it underlines some of the basic misunderstandings between the different groups.

Anyway, enjoy the link to a flashback from the BBC. In the States you might remember this little guy as a Sinclair or Timex-Sinclair (the ads used to run in OMNI magazine every month).

BBC News - ZX81: Small black box of computing desire

Fabled Lands: This Tin Man's got heart

2011-03-10T13:02:00.001-05:00

"Gamebooks are alive and thriving in 2011, as you can see from this dramatic trailer for Tin Man Games' upcoming iOS gamebook Catacombs of the Undercity, the fifth in their Gamebook Adventures series that began with An Assassin in Orlandes."

read the complete post at:

Fabled Lands: This Tin Man's got heart: