Strong Medicine on International E.Gary Gygax Day - Is This My Exit From The New Hartford DM's Network?!

 Today's E. Gary Gygax day & it's hitting me that I really need to get back to the creative well of my gaming. I've been a part of a network of DM's in New Hartford. Which has been a fall back after my own game hit the skits. It's been good, I get a network of DM's & a support system of good friends allowing me to step away from behind the DM's screen & play for a change. But today's it's hitting me hard. But the fact is that these are not my own players but they are friends. And this makes it hard because DM Steve allowed me some time to get back on the horse with his players. But at the end of the day these are his people.

Need to make my own way in the hobby. Grab some new players and make other friends as well in New Hartford. At fifty two this isn't an easy decision on my own part. Does one take the risk or remain comfortable where one is?! 

So my wife & I are talking it over tonight, there are decisions to be made. And is this my time for an exit after two or is it three years?! 
It struck me meeting up with a fellow DM for coffee today. It's time like this when one is too stuck knee deep in a comfort zone that maybe it's time for a challenge & change. Maybe this is my take away from E.Gary Gygax 2022, it was a damn fine cuppa tea & to catch up with DM Paul as well as Steve. 

The Quest For New Players - A Common Sense Approach To Old School & OSR Gaming

Getting new players is never an easy quest. The fact that this morning I had a 'gentleman' over the weekend email me & insist he had to meet with me on Monday wasn't a problem. A no show though that's a problem. My day job is beyond busy & that's the way it is. Its also the way I like it!  Rather then go completely haywire about the situation I decided to make the most out of it & share some insights.




Here are some of the actual ways that I've found new players for table top rpg's & some common sense guidelines:

1. Ask around to people you might know in the hobby locally. And keep in contact through local folks in the hobby. There always people open to talk about & get into games. 
2. Wear a tee shirt advertising your favorite games such as AS&SH or the like. Right now with shows like Critical Role & many other venues of table top role playing  games we're right now living in the Golden Age of Dungeons & Dragons. Yeah its sometimes that easy to start a game. 
3. Run on line, this has been a very curious option where I've watched Venger Satanis & many other dungeon masters run OSR game sessions on line. Some of the research that I've done offers up some places a couple of options according to this Reddit ; "Roll20 it has a virtual battle map which you may not need but it covers a lot of other things as well. Chat program, has video and voice, can roll dice (of a huge variety), Characters have journals and sheets, you can play music to the party, share handouts, and more.Obsidian Portal will handle all the paper work. Has a wiki, character sheets, maps, and more. Want a timeline? Every session add an entry to the adventure log (blog). Keep a wiki with all the NPCs and small details that come up. All pages can have GM only parts.Pair your chatting program (or Roll20) with Obsidian portal, grab some dice, and your ready to go."
4. Take an add out in the local classified's news paper. Yes there are still newspapers around & you'd be surprised at how often this works. 
5. Approach your local library about starting an OSR or Dungeons & Dragons club. Yes this is another option & one I'll be pursuing this option in the near future. 
6. Get a game going in the local hobby shop. Yeah in 2020 the old habits die hard & since about 90% of hobby shops in my area are card collecting & playing pits this isn't an option for me as a dungeon master. Your area may yet have a dedicated board game or table top rpg hobby space. Get to know the shops owners.
7. Go to a local rpg table top hobby conventions. By this I mean conventions dedicated to the hobby. 
8. Run Dungeons & Dragons in any of its incarnations regardless of the BS that the OSR feeds you this game is gonna get you the widest number of players. The brand recognition is still strong  among both new gamers & old schoolers.
   
   

From here on out there are two options to start a game in my opinion. Public game campaigns which is done at hobby shops & libraries as well as the like in which these are run exactly like convention events. In other words anyone can show up, the adventure has a beginning,middle, and open end. And private games which are run within your home, at a friend's house,etc.
Both options require the one thing that no one ever tells you about, interview your new players. Yes there are all kinds of freaks, weirdos, etc. out in the world today. Having a bit of an interview will give you the heads up & keep you & yours well safe. Talking with the new player is going to give your exceptions of the campaign & those of the player. Avoiding any unnecessary drama over the long haul. 

Do yourself as a DM a favor & don't plan an elaborate play session for the first outing. Plan this adventure like a ground up convention style game session or mini campaign with four to six sessions max or two or three to begin with. The keep it simple out of the gate approach
with a minimalist adventure the rules won't scare off new players & will have returns to the table top. 

Shooting fish in an OSR barrel - Some Guidelines In the Table Top Hobby & the OSR

One of the things that I really miss about the world without the internet was the scale of TSR back in the classic days. If you were lucky enough to find a Dragon magazine at the local street level then it was a gateway to world that someone in small town New England America at eight or nine didn't know anything about. Gary Gygax is someone that I knew only in passing  & having talked with at a GenCon back in the early Nineties & 00's. Man each & every time I went to GenCon it was an odyssey the likes of which they don't talk about today. I discovered the OSR in '08 when I was puttering around on the internet. I was almost down to my last dime, fourth edition Dungeons & Dragons was gonna be the newest thing to take the world by storm, & I had ultimately had it with the local hobby & table top scene. Hobby shops, comic shops, etc. were going out left & right. Time & again I got called to help clean out my old haunts. Then I discovered the site  Dragon's foot  & the various OSR blogs such as the Savage Afterworld,  From the Sorcerer's Skull, etc. even to a certain extent the RPG Pundit.  It would take me until 2011 to start this blog after a friend & other folks had said that no one would want to read anything that I had to say about table top rpg's or Advanced Dungeons & Dragons or original  Dungeons & Dragons. But it was Planet Algol that really got me going. 

Thank you for helping to prove each & everyone of those folks wrong.  I would discover in '08 the retroclone systems that I've come to love around the same time. Why I love retroclones systems is sheer variety & scope of them. Yeah I know that their supposedly someone's campaign notes & systems but I don't & didn't care. Retroclones have been a corner stone of the OSR. They don't appear to be going anywhere regardless of Wizards of the Coast finally releasing P.O.D. of both Advanced Dungeons & Dragons or original  Dungeons & Dragons adventures & supplements. I'm good with this on many levels because of what its done with the table top hobby. There are twenty rules that I've developed in the old school & OSR hobby since '08;

1. The players are the single most important thing at the table let them play & they will give you yards & yards of material to help create your dream campaign. 
2. Remain positive & keep at this hobby no matter the OSR or internet kerfuffles that go on. Read & keep reading books to keep yourself sharp. Even those books outside your comfort zone. 
3. Play the games & designers that you want to play as long as the players want this as well. The players are the most important people at the table. 
4. Be open to writing as long as it doesn't interfere with your day job. You need to eat & pay bills. 
5. Its only a game & a campaign don't take it personally. 
6. You are not responsible for a Kickstarter gone wrong let the chips fall where they may. 
7. Work at your day job, the hobby is just that even writing and yes you can do both. 
8. Family & marriage is more important then any game. Friends are what make and break this hobby. But its family that get's you through 
9. Don't let apathy win or it will break out from this hobby. 
10. Trust yourself, your opinions, and your gut but be open to other opinions, new ideas, etc. 
11. Write and keep writing no matter what happens it will get you through everything. 
12. Second guess yourself when you need to but have faith in your design & writing. 
13. Keep playing Dungeons & Dragons 
14. Don't burn out pace yourself as needed. 
15. Politics is crap & you need to work past it regardless of others opinion if they drop you then move on. 
16. Get paid where & when you can. Don't work for free ever unless it suits you. 
17. Develop your instincts for clown shows & B.S. let that stuff bypass you 
18. People are going to have problems with you so take the high road when you can. 
19. Never assume who your talking to is who they say they are. Talk as if you were always talking with a boss. 
20. Keep writing, designing,playing, & most of all enjoy yourself. 

Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, wearing Chancellor's Robes
 and the Garter Ribbon.
By 

Anthony van Dyck  (1599–1641)

Carcosa, Dark Cults, DCC Mutant Crawl Classics & OSR Sandbox Setting & World Building Development

Alright so the other day I went on a bit of a rant about my personal cut off point for OSR & old school material. Apparently some people thought I lost my mind or what little of it I have left. There have been some really interesting and exciting OSR developments over the past three weeks or so. Right off of the top is the fact that Dark Cults has both a pdf and print run on Lulu. Do yourself a favor and go pick that addition to the Dark Albion setting up. Its a top drawer supplement & I'm a big fan of the author's stuff. I had the book at the table the other night and my players weren't happy about it at all. Why?! We shall see in a moment why.


One of the most versatile and dangerous cults in Cults of Chaos are the star cults, these are cults that have contacted things and aliens from outside who may only be contacted or summoned during certain times of the year or seasons when the stars are right. This has been a part of mythology, history, etc even before HP Lovecraft put pen to paper or ribbon to typewriter and they're some of the most dangerous cults in the book. These kinds of cults could easily operate in a post apocalyptic wasteland or right under the noses of inquisitors for centuries. Due to the fact of social rank playing such an important role in the Dark Albion setting these are perfect mid level and upper crust cult, in the wastelands these sorts of cults can offer all kinds of benefits and hooks for the DM to exploit for adventures.The aliens are sort of like the traditional Grays but even more metal and dangerous doing Lovecraftian alterations, giving techomagical gifts & even more.

This file comes from Wellcome Images

So what does this have to do with Carcosa? Quite a bit, Geoffry McKinney released four Carcosa modules into the OSR wild for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. According to the Lulu description;"Each of the eight Carcosa modules serves as a complete sword and sorcery setting for the play of AD&D, and they can also be combined to form a larger campaign area. Four Carcosa modules are now available, and four are forthcoming." This all ties into expanding the world setting of Carcosa from its Lamentations of the Flame Princess into the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons system. How does this impact upon the LoFP Carcosa system? Well it doesn't basically this puts Carcosa line where it belongs in its author's hands. James Raggi Jr. has always let his authors control their material and its one of the reasons why I love his take on the OSR. Besides giving his authors control over their corners of LoFP's books, the authors retain control of their creations & material. So the author decided to take Carcosa into the AD&D format on his own. Each of the modules stands independent and on its own is a hex crawl unto itself according to author;"
The modules are primarily hex-crawls. Each module has a one-page introduction to Carcosa, then it describes the various geographic features of the hex map (printed on the back cover), and finally it has descriptions (averaging about 140ish words each) of various points of interest on the map. These points of interest comprise the majority of each book. Some of the hex descriptions have various tables in them."
Right the back story of Carcosa makes these adventures excellent to use and seeing this photo of Wayne Rossi made me order them and these are the last OSR material I'm going to be order for awhile.


One of the factions on Carcosa are Grey like humanoid aliens in saucers armed with all kinds of weird technology who are very dangerous and keep exploiting the locals while doing the same to the Lovecraftian gods. The best part is that Carcosa has come up to Advanced Dungeons and Dragons first edition stats. The reason is that now it opens up the system to the gonzo or Carcosa and Dark Albion is ripe for an alignment with these two but wait there's more. Because of the system alignment a DM could in now set ASE1: Anomalous Subsurface Environment I & II by Patrick Wetmore  on Carcosa without any conversion.



Because of the very nature of these cults and their astrology connection they make perfect foils for the wastelands because of the connections with everything from hunting, navigation to farming the stars & seasons are important to the very survival of communities and individuals. This could be used as a lead in for a Crawling Under A Broken Moon campaign in Merica. Where the very stars and their movements determine life in the wastelands.



All of this is great fodder for that ever increasingly funded juggernaut of Mutant Crawl Classics and I've already heard of friends working on the conversions for such an operation. The wastes of Merica and Mutant Crawl Classics go together like mutated peanut butter and jelly. According to Jim Wampler:"The felinoid is out of the bag! Our next MCC stretch goal is a digest-sized booklet called The Data Orb — an entire booklet of sage advice on how to survive the terrors of Terra A.D., written specifically for the system by none other than TSR veteran Tim Kask! The Data Orb will be a free PDF for most backers and has been added to the print block pledge levels along with the adventures. This booklet is both a great read AND a useable in-game artifact for the PCs!" 

OSR Cut Off Point - When Enough Is Enough - Some OSR Commentary

I got into the OSR way back when fourth edition Advance Dungeons & Dragons reared its head. The fact wasn't motivated by edition hatred or that Wizards of the Cost was coming out yet another edition. It was the fact I had finally gotten my 3.5 books all set for a campaign and my players decided to quite literally go with fourth edition. Alright I could have gotten into a tiff & quit the hobby; no instead I got creative & went back to basics. I got out my OD&D & first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons books and started writing. Then I discovered the OSR and found I wasn't alone. Suddenly almost over night I got games going again.
I was back creating & running old school adventures.
Then my world changed right out from under me, my father took sick & like many families its been a roller coaster with doctors visits plus the occasional what not. Money went to the usual round robin of bills, medicine, etc. I've sold a few things here and there but all in all its alright.



But then I started noticing some insidious, the slow and steady marketing of the deluge of neo OSR titles when hits social media over and over again. I've been very careful about my purchases over the years. Will XYZ OSR or neo OSR title be of utility at my table. Many times the answer is no and I've done a review or what not on said title which is fine to get the word out but I can't spend the money on said title. Now I'm not up on the latest and greats of the OSR and I don't really care at all. But then social media has become one long running advertisement of epic proportions. I find myself getting really depressed at the length, breath, and depth of gaming material that is out there. The whole affair has become one long drawn out must consume rotational equation and it sucks!


Its not the lack of quantity but the depth of it, there is literally no way that anyone can keep up with it. Endless rotations of Kickstarters & whatnot; the hobby has always been a business but now its a money grab pure and simple. A money grab I and others can't afford to keep up with.  Sorry I'm not going to. 



The fact of the matter is that I'm going back to writing and playing my own material for a while. That means looking to dipping into the OSR titles and systems I already own and creating new material like I used to. It also means that I'm going back to working with material that I actually like and not the latest fad in supposed neo OSR design or marketing. I'm picking on certain systems and OSR material? Umm no this is motivated by a far more insidious motive. I just don't have the time to write and design material for everything.



If you want to run neo OSR material then more power to you. There is far too much material for me to get into and my time is very limited. So I'm not going to get into any of the Hacks that have been making the rounds in the gaming community. This is a personal choice and doesn't reflect any hatred or opinions one way or another.


My inner hipster gamer Ariel is upset by this.  The fact is that I've got a huge amount of books & OSR material that I'm not even at the moment using. The the systems that have given me the most utility and bang for my buck are the tried & true ones. These run from Original Dungeons & Dragons in its incarnations to Advanced Dungeons Dragons First edition when it comes to old school for retroclones this runs the gauntlet from Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Goblinoid Game books, to the Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea adventures and tons of OSR material in between. I've been sticking with Fantastic Heroes & Witchery for a couple of years now and its just now starting to take off. Dark Albion was my last gaming purchase and perhaps one of my recent best.
Since Eighty One now I've relied on the TSR Hobby Catalog method of campaign management, basically taking Advanced Dungeons and Dragons and using it with first edition Gamma World & Boot Hill. This was the method mentioned in the first edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Guide & its one that I've used with my own worlds over the years. I see no reason to change this style of gaming. If you want a trip down memory lane then go over here.




So the bottom line really is the bottom line now, one of the prime motivators for my continued rabid OSR gaming creations is the fact that its a stress release and coping mechanism in my life. Thanks for rolling those dice but for the moment I'm broke & that's not going to change with both time and money.
Cheers and try to make your save folks!

Private Cons, The Antiquarian Gamer, The OSR, Wargaming Societies, & More

Over the years I've become somewhat disenchanted with certain aspects of the OSR, mostly the constant marketing of new titles, the retreading, and near constant politic of controversy that seems to dog certain avenues of the hobby.



There are other avenues that hardly anyone hears about on social media or even on the internet all I'm talking about the private war gaming and role playing clubs. These are men and women who for years have been using and enjoying the hobby of war games for years. Societies like these have for years kept the hobby of wargaming alive. This is where I cut my teeth and learned how to play games, we didn't need safe spaces or anything of the sort because there were rules and everyone respected everyone. We were there to play games, socialize, and talk about history. BTW when I was a kid this was where I was exposed to numerous LGBT players and DM's. I hate to tell folks but there are still numerous private clubs and sandbox groups out there that don't want a damn thing to do with the constant back biting and fighting that goes on in the hobby. If there isn't a private war gaming and role playing club in your area then start one! Growing the hobby is a face to face affair for many folks.



The concept of the private con is one that grew up in my area after many gamers couldn't afford to go to GenCon or even Gary Con. Sadly my dad took ill & despite numerous attempts I never have made it to Gary Con. Fortunately, I've had really wonderful friends who threw me a Private Con, a private Con is part party and mostly rpg events where different DM's & players ran stuff for a weekend. This was over several friends houses and the events were scheduled around people's work as well as family time. These worked out rather well and everyone pitched in for clean up. There are three things about private Cons; they take lots of preparations, even delegation for events, and everyone on the same page. These events also provide a solid and controlled environment for games. Everything went off without a hitch and everyone was there to run and play games.



I'm a gamer whose not really been that engaged in the 'must buy more' aspect of the role playing hobby. For me its always been the creation, the play, and the social aspect but there is also the thrill of the hunt for books. I'm what a friend has classified an 'Antiquarian Gamer', that is a person whose not interesting in collecting role playing systems but whose interested in playing with dead systems. For me its the chase of looking for a book either, science fiction or fantasy. But with the advent of the internet well that's become a bit easier which is fine. But I'm far more comfortable among the stacks of a private book shop, library, or barn then I'm dealing with the latest 'crisis' of the OSR's numerous factions. But the engine of creativity of the OSR is what keeps me coming back to the table so to speak. But let me say that at our table everyone is welcome to play as long as you use common sense, manners, and have a good time. Everyone is welcome to play and it seems as though everyone comes back to play again.



Between Connecticut and Massachusetts there are numerous games that have happened over the weekend that folks run. We seem to forget that just because a hobby is declared dead or dying according to others that it is. The hobby of war gaming continues on despite the naysayers and haters. This is going to happen to rpg's across the board. Regardless of there being an OSR I know of campaigns of OD&D that have gone on for over thirty years even spawning their own vanity press fanzines for players. We are a part of a dynamic hobby that continues despite itself as long as there is one person who is interested. Bring players into the hobby by playing. You have to be your own OSR and keep those fires burning as well as  those dice rolling.

Meditations On Hacking West End Games Star Wars Strike Force Shantipole Adventure By Ken Rolston For Your Old School Campaigns

 Introduction 


Coming out in '88 this classic Star Wars Rpg adventure for the  first edition Star Wars rpg puts the PC's right into the classic era cross hairs for a daring mission into the lions den. The blurb on the back of the adventure takes the PC's right into heat of the Rebellion against the Empire;
"Battle Imperial starfighters in the vastness of space, chase deadly probots through asteroid storms, and go up against a heavily-armed escort frigate in this explosive full-length Star Wars adventure.
In the Roche Asteroid Field, a secret Rebel project nears completion. Headed by Commander Ackbar, the Shantipole project has developed a powerful new starfighter for the Alliance arsenal.
But first, Shantipole must be safely escorted back to Alliance High Command. That's where you and your team come in. With a borrowed freighter, sealed holodisc orders, and a good blaster at your side, your ship emerges from hyperspace -- right in the middle of a TIE/LN starfighter patrol!
And they told you this was going to be a routine mission..."
So I know what your thinking what the hell does this have to do with OSR gaming and why is taking a classic West End  Star Wars adventure and talking about hacking it. Well its not to what you might think. This classic adventure by Ken Rolston brings the action of the Star Wars game right to the players door step and goes that extra push over the edge. This classic adventure allows the PC's to meet an iconic Star Wars character as an NPC and play a critical off camera role in the midst of the background of the movies all of the while a key piece of the Rebellion Alliance military hard wear keeps flying and out of the Empire's clutches.
When we begin looking below the surface of the adventure into the story line, background of the adventure plus the way things begin to play out we begin to see a pattern in the adventure's foundation.




Background, Plugging In Elements, and Sword & Sorcery  Because of the military aspect of  Strike Force Shantipole it is very easy to take certain plot and adventure elements and transport these over to your favorite retroclone or old school adventure. The thing to remember is the PC's are playing a central roll in the continuation of one of the most iconic fighters in the Rebel Alliance



Take the action, the background elements, and other messy plot point details and transport this adventure over into your favorite retroclone or AD&D 1st edition sword and sorcery style campaigns and suddenly the utility of the adventure is extended by years. Certain adventures are iconic and easily recognized and work on a number of levels for science fantasy play. Take these adventure elements and transport the whole plot lock, stock and barrel into a sword and sorcery game or campaign and things can get very interesting.


Sealed orders, the fate of a kingdom,incredibly dangerous encounters on the enemies home territory, and other surprises make this style of hack easy and incredibly fun.Throw in some iconic NPC's for various encounters and you have a mini campaign going soon enough.



According to Wookiepedia:"Research Station Shantipole was an asteroid in the Roche system. It was primarily staffed by Verpine. After the Battle of Yavin, the asteroid was the site of the Shantipole Project, in which Slayn & Korpil worked with Commander Gial Ackbar to develop the B-wing/E starfighter." So here's how this might translate over to a sword and sorcery campaign setting:

1. The isolated island was the site of an ancient military ship yard within a hidden base. 
2. A special fast pirate ship is being used by renegade forces and only PC''s are aware of it after their aboard and on their way into the jaws of death. 
3. Add in some pulpy minor monsters, a subplot, a bit of magickal mythology and legend not to mention the HP Lovecraft or Robert Howard connection and your almost ready to go. 
4. A cult or other faction could help to move the plot along. 
5. Rival forces for opposition to the PC's could make for some much needed melee and combat. 
6. Many of the over the top aspects of the Empire are perfect for keeping PC's on their toes with warlord tactics and management ideas. The Empire becomes a world level power and faction with the added twist of the ancient dark magic/religion being behind the rise of the power in your world.
7. The added dungeon crawling aspects of this adventure give just that much more of a classic D&D style dungeon crawl. 
8. Many of the plot pieces feel as though they belong to a classic fantasy film or WW II war picture many of these exciting elements can be worked into other plots. Don't try and rush this adventure there are a lot of moving parts and pieces. 
9. There's something about this adventure where the PC's are a party of rag tag fighters that works on a number of levels. 
10. This adventure could be adapted to other classic rpg genres such as a post apocalyptic adventure. I used this one as a part of a space going Mutant Future/Buck Rogers style crossover. This style of adventure with altered ships, details, and some backgrounds allowed it to work great at the time.
    
     Breaking Up The Beast, Parts, Pieces, And More
    
    
    As I said this is a beast of an adventure that has a plot that could be used potentially for lots of applications. This is especially true of using Star Wars adventures for WWII movie style role playing a fact that I've used several times in modern style role playing games such as Top Secret and others. The secret to this style of role playing is the movie serial. Breaking up the plot of a complicated or long  range module allows the DM and players to emulate the pulp style reels of the 1930's.
    
    
    
    
    The serial approach allows the PC's to take center stage on a number of levels and allows the DM to break up the action of the adventure to be stretched into a mini campaign with the PC's playing their vital parts. This approach works especially well in a wartime style scenario or as a sword and planet or science fantasy vehicle. The Fifty Five film The Damn Busters really solidifies the idea for such an exciting adventure with a
    military theme.
    
    
     Once again we're going back to the roots of Star Wars in this case the Damn Busters a 1955 UK film that George Lucas used as inspiration for many of the Death Star sequences and trench run camera angles.Many of the action military films of yesteryear not only provide a touch stone with the roots of the film but also provide a clue for getting the most out of adventures that players might not be expecting.
    

Meditations On The What West End Games Star Wars Rpg Taught Me About Dungeon Mastering An Old School Campaign & Setting Building

Introduction



  I can remember the day I saw one of my favorite rpg from West End games in Dragon magazine in '87. The blurb really caught my attention and plugged into my kid Star Wars fever', "Experience the vast scope and sweeping power of the greatest space fantasy of all time!
Struggle against the awesome might of the evil galactic Empire, fly faster-than-light spacecraft, trade blaster fire with Imperial stormtroopers, fight lightsaber duels, and tap the mystic Force which binds all living things together. Explore a galaxy of a billion suns, each with wonders and dangers of its own — a universe of dire peril, where Rebels fight desperately against the eternal night of Imperial oppression.
In Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, you will face overwhelming odds, hard choices, impossible challenges — but if you meet them bravely, you will triumph, for the Force is with you always!"
I think I mowed about maybe seven or eight lawns to afford this bad boy and I've still got my first edition Star Wars rpg book.


May the fourth has passed without incident except for the usual load of internet related Star Wars memes and it brought back certain strains of memory and nostalgia. It also brought back a certain back straightening memory. You see way back when I got seven friends together who were life long Star Wars fans and we got together to play the game. They were life long Star Wars fans who knew the canon like the back of their hands and that's where the trouble began. See at the time Dragonlance was in full swing and I was involved in a friend's home campaign. This is where I learned the difference between approaches in world building between a 'canned' setting and an open setting like 'Greyhawk'. I was used to 'Blackmoor' & 'Greyhawk' where you could make your mark on the campaign setting from the get go. Dragonlance established canon, history, setting, and more. It was a lesson that would come around in spades with Forgotten Realms but that is a story for another blog post.
All of a sudden during my first planned Star Wars game the arguments started about 'official Star Wars canon' straight out of the gate. The game degraded as they often did back then. What was I going to do. Well the answer was I got sick with the flu. That might have ended that right there.
Star Wars, Samurai,VHS  & Shakespeare 


 Things picked up with an unexpected visit and a brand new campaign direction. After the flu got a bit well, iffy.

 The flu was a big deal for a kid like me, I've got a touch now of asthma but back then it put me down for a long time. This insured that I had friends who brought me my homework and such from school. And that's where one of my mentors comes into it. See back then we had video stores that did some great rentals and one I used to hang out in and I became fast friends with one of the part time workers. His daughter went to  my school at the time and he brought me homework that day. Michael noticed my copy of  West End's Star Wars and went back out to his car for a copy of a 1957 Japanese film co-written and directed by Akira Kurosawa called Throne of Blood. Now the reason why I was watching Throne of Blood was simple I had a report on William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, Throne of Blood follows and retells the drama in a whole new light by transporting it to feudal Japan. Its vicious film and very well done and  it became a favorite of mine.
The plot follows Macbeth in its own way but there a lot of subtle differences but here's important points of the back plot;"Generals Miki and Washizu are Samurai commanders under a local lord, Lord Tsuzuki, who reigns in the castle of the Spider's Web Forest. After defeating the lord's enemies in battle, they return to Tsuzuki's castle. On their way through the thick forest surrounding the castle, they meet a spirit, who foretells their future. The spirit tells them that today Washizu will be named Lord of the Northern Garrison and Miki will now be commander of the first fortress. She then foretells that Washizu will eventually become Lord of Spiderweb Castle, and finally she tells Miki that his son will also become lord of the castle."

At the time I was watching a hell of a lot of low rent sci fi movies and Throne of Blood's plot fit right into the science fantasy background of Stars Wars. Everything came together with this two page spread in the game.

 The PC's were agents on the Galaxy Tours for various reasons who were aboard a luxury ship passing through the Tsuzuki system. An an asteroid collision puts the whole party in an escape pod rocketing down onto a back water planet. Where a dark side spirit has taken a hold of the local warlord and only his loyal R2 unit knows the extent of his descent into murder, and madness. The PC's had to figure out the tissue thin murder plot and help to restore the rightful heir to the throne of Spiderweb fortress.

 The R2 unit later became the backbone of this campaign which expanded into the Tsuzuki system which would later appear appear in my Wasteworld rpg in a totally new incarnation. 
The  Tsuzuki system is a backwater steeped in dark side mythology, misplaced alliances, bad deals, and lots and lots of blood.

Back to the Star Wars Rpg, the Tsuzuki system campaign became one of my longest running and sustained rpg campaigns ever. It lasted three and half years and bits of it are still floating in my back brain to this day.
Rules, Settings, Worlds & Mayhem




The West End Star Wars was one of my first smacking into the weight & back history of a fictional universe. Fictional settings & universes are something that people get very, very, attached to. It was also one of the times when departing from the official canon also meant blazing your own path. For some people this can be a very scary proposition. It also makes one of the real differences between new school and old school games for me. New school games seem to have worlds and settings already built into the system itself, this includes Vampire the Masquerade, Rifts, and too some extent West Ends Star Wars rpg.  I can hear the teeth grinding and whatnot but let's talk about second edition AD&D for a moment. They had all of those wonderful worlds such as Ravenloft, Dark Sun, Forgotten Realms, etc. All of these are premade world settings and that's not a bad thing and they do allow a DM to colour outside the lines to some extent.  

But there's also a huge number of differences with old school products such as Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Arduin, etc. That's the fact that its really up to the DM to fill as much or as little  of the campaign setting as they'd like. Here are ten things that I've learned about world building from West End Games Star Wars Rpg that I've applied to OSR campaign building :

1. Colour outside of the lines always. Don't be afraid to go outside of the comfortzone when it comes to 'official' canon. 
2. Rip, rip, rip off rip from the paperbacks or other merchandise that comes out for a game world, movie franchise,etc. These often have grey areas that you as DM can exploit to their fullest extent. 
3. Twist player expections in various ways, build the world or campaign events that you always wanted to see into your games and don't give an over arching reason. Just do it. 
4. Don't listen to so called 'experts' or super fans. Never let the official reason for something keep you from doing what you want. These are your games. 
5. Mark and make a game world or setting out as your own. Make a check list of bullet points of things, places, alien races, etc. you want in a game.
6. Create, create, dream, and create the adventures that you and your players want to play. 
7. Pick the black points on a map and go to town. Be sure to map out what areas you want for your universe. 
8. Don't be afraid to borrow from classic literature, plays, or other sources. Often times the origin points for movies or other franchises have things that the writers, directors, etc. never used. With a bit of research these can yield campaign diamonds that can add that extra facet. 
9. Pick your players brains, often times I see DM over prepare adventures and write out dizzying adventure scripts with maps, outlines, histories,etc. by themselves. Sit your players down and as a whole decide what your going to do and then twist from their. The whole experience should be about group enjoyment of the game. 
10. Stop over analyzing movies and settings. Instead let things develop organically from group table top play. Have fun.

Formula Win Vs Formula Fail - Where Campaign System Form and Function Is Needed Plus iZombie

  

   Usually about seventy percent of the time I agree completely with Mr. Satanis when it comes to campaign advice but this time I think he's full of it. And here's why, apparently he's seen Izombie is a television show and television shows are excellent role models for role playing adventures up to a point. They get a party from point A. to point b. And sometimes you've got to make several twists here and there with regards to the setting elements such as adventure locations, NPC's,etc. But sometimes you've got to follow a logical direction and pad things out especially in the beginning of a campaign when you've carefully hung a campaign together. Short,quick, jabs in a campaign are very important, these short sets enable a group of players to cope with real life. I often do what are referred to as convention sets, adventures that are like like comic book issues. They are self contained, build upon one another, and allow the players to cope with scheduling, real life, etc. all of the actual things we never seem to write about on these blogs. Well I do. Often time real world crisis and life happens to people and these turn about events can end a campaign without warning. 

But let's for argument's sake consider Izombie for a moment, there's nothing at all really innovative in the show's design or the episodes that I've caught. But the concept isn't something new at all. 

 But should the concept be thrown out entirely? No, and just  because there isn't anything new here at all doesn't mean that you should throw the brains out with the basin. But looking round the rpg collection we find that the concept has been out in the wild of pop culture in a very different place.  Delta Green had the ghouls eating the brains of the dead to gain memories of the dearly departed way back in the 90's and early 2000's.

I'm going to bet that one or more of the writers of iZombie were Call of Cthulhu players or DM's especially of the Delta Green campaign books from Pagan publishing. I've long been a fan of Pagan's for a long time . And this is a pretty damn half assed attempt at 'innovation' on the show's part. It's already been done with style and wit by the Pagan publishing crew years ago in the 'Ghoul Manuscripts' from the Delta Green product line were for me one of the many bright spots of the spotless and innovative line of books.  Some concepts of which have for years been making their way into many folks D20 Conan books, D20 Call of Cthulhu books, and OSR books. So there is something to be said for sticking with a tried and true approach. Doing things methodically is the name of the game for me. It might work for your as well when things fall apart, its far easier to stick the structure of a campaign with order, style, and flourish. These are things that while I lack them still have form & function.


 


"The madness and monstrosity lay in the figures in the foreground- for Pickman's morbid art was pre-eminently one of demoniac portraiture. These figures were seldom completely human, but often approached humanity in varying degree. Most of the bodies, while roughly bipedal, had a forward slumping, and a vaguely canine cast. The texture of the majority was a kind of unpleasant rubberiness."H.P. Lovecraft, Pickman's Model
Like ghouls we of the OSR often pick up concepts from seemingly dead places, dust them off and bring them into the lights of our games. DM's all have styles and attitudes that work for them. They don't always work for everybody but that's really up to each individual DM and that's where a tool box like  How to Game Master like a F$%$ing Boss is still a good tool box but its knowing how to pick the right tools that work for you as a DM. Learning the rules means that you can break them. Breaking them means using the tools in the right way. 

I'm not attacking Venger, but I do disagree with his assessment on this subject, and as for me I'll stick with my tribes of Ghouls and Lovecraft. iZombie left me less then filled and didn't take a left or right at all. It's basically 'One Tree Hill' or 'Gilmore Girls' with monsters.
I'm going to give this one a pass.