The Gathering of Heroes

 The Gathering of Heroes

Imagine if you could get the old adventuring party back together? The one from back in the day for a grand weekend of gaming. Many will have lost their characters from years ago so we just digress and all remake level 10 (or whatever level you stopped at back in the day) versions of our favorite characters or ideal characters from who they are now! Hell if many of you became successful, you could rent out a cabin in the wilderness to do this. Perhaps you could make this a yearly event? The adventure wouldn't just be a normal Adventure but time of great peril! These characters would have to come out of retirement in order to save the day. If you could do this in a cabin in the wilderness you could actually have a marathon session like you did back in school! Can you imagine the level fun you could have what you know now in the game in the style of back then? Imagine doing this with the 5th Edition rules as easy and smooth as they play? If you can make that happen with the old Gaming group and get together at least once a year so you don't forget who you are then do so.

I have tried it on and off for the last 20 years at least 5 to 10 times. I'd either get no response or very vague answers.

So should I try to do it again?

P.S. At this point in time I wrote this blog post a month or two ago, and pretty much I don't really feel like trying it again but if you make it happen, let me know. See it almost happened again. We had a place to play and the universe itself in the form of a hurricane ruined that potential place to play. 

Reevaluating My RPG Gamer (NON) Life

CAUTION LANGUAGE!




After the 4E Apocalypse and the OSR

Well my old group from back in 2006-2009, well some of the people started to suck and make it not so fun anymore. We we're glad to have a new game due to our collapsed 3.5 game raped by a rules lawyer bastard and a weak ass too nice of a DM (Me)! Also 4E was starting to suck and not really be fun anymore as well and it was time to disband the group.
A profound disregard for my suggestions of trying other RPGs because they had spent money on books while sitting in my $5000+ Meade Hall with $20,000+ in game books.

A void in gaming! Working out of town. Chaos! It all fell apart. People got lots of criticisms, and wants but can they run the game?

Well my wife bought a copy of Mathfinder and with a few of the select non sucky people we tried that. My out of town job started to interfere as Mathfinder is a lot of work. A perfect system but too much system. I just didn't have time to set the game up. Tried to switch over to Labyrinth Lord as the Dungeon was originally written for that but the group said hell no and so I pulled the plug on that one.

DAMN so much time has went by! 

While all this was going on I read over and over the complaints about the old systems but the love of the simplicity across the OSR blogs and forums. I kept seeing the same complaints so I went to make the perfect neoclone hybrid. The simple D20 mechanics and options mixed with the old school simplicity. I gave body and soul as working turnarounds took all my time but also late at night and on weekends gave me time to create and write with unlimited access to computers and printers and so I wrote. Back to the Dungeon RPG came out well but I was always dissatisfied. I released it back in 2012 then to my dismay the announcement of the new 5E came out. I thought damn I got bad timing but I have worked so hard on Back to the Dungeon RPG. The OSR is going to eat this up, a perfect merging of the Old and New school styles playing at the same table. Totally easy to run and tell stories! Then I noticed something worse than being rejected, no reaction.

A Small Start with BttDRPPG

I didn't give up, 5E wasn't coming out until 2014 (on my Birthday) so I could carve me a little piece of the market. I started chugging out supplements and modules. I stopped giving it away and put it on DriveThruRPG and actually got a few responses and sales as well as a stellar review. My style is primitive old zine style because some of us old people don't know how to edit documents like a boss. 

Still it never took off but I knew some local Game Masters so I was going to fill the pre 5E void with a local scene.  Mostly it was going to really kick ass and be totally fun to do! A giant collaboration of people all creating one gaming world! There was this huge void in the area of gaming as in campaigns starting and dying all over the area. My timing would be perfect, giant organized gaming on a local scale! 5E came out but I had momentum..

BUT...

BttDRPPG the Local Scene Dream that Became a Nightmare.
To my amazement none of the stuck in the mud turd GMs didn't even attempt to even read my rules or collaborate. I explained this Grand vision of a local gaming scene as well as multiple Game Masters collaboration of Homebrew settings.  A few of them only played the old stuff or didn't want to learn another system even though mine was 15 minutes or so to learn. I did get some of them to play and the adventures flowed, only through me. Got tired of running shit, wanted to play. But as usual my new job killed everything.

As a side note, two of those GMs actually asked me to "take a look at or help me write and publish a game" but that's a different story. Shortened version, none of them even barely got their games written cuz "man writing an RPG iz hard!" Yeah no shit Sherlock.

Jobfuck and Gamedeath

The old job was taking up all my time and through betrayal and the company being done with me after using me all up I got laid off. The new job killed all free time as well as shit breaking down at my house, as well as my Meade Hall being filled with various people's crap because we were supposed to move, so no gaming space! Back to the Dungeon adventures flowed but got farther a fewer in-between. I decided to retire my BttDRPG as it just got too hard to try and put it out there. I was a little black and white zine compared to a full colored behemoth.


5E came out and I saw a very robust community out there and all my BttDRPPG gaming had came to a stop. Well I started messing with 5E because hell, nobody was digging my brand and it was surprisingly much better that I initially read.  We started gaming in my cramped ass living room but as if on cue my stupid job starts working soul raping amounts of hours and kills all my gaming once again. 

What sucked is my 5E games went really incredibly well and they were really fun but that fucking soul raping malignant job made sure gaming was ruined! Other than at the local con I have not gamed in almost 10 months and life sucks.  I am not doing it anymore in my cramped ass living room muddy shithole outside along with 3 dogs and I don't have anywhere else to put the crap stuffed in my Meade Hall as well as a few other reasons..

Termites and the Great Awakening

One thing I did have was a collection, a legendary gaming collection. But looking at systems other than 5E that had been sitting around for 20+ years it was time to maybe sell them. I decided to first sell all my 3.5 RPG books for like half the cover price. Got the deal set up. Guy on his way to meet me. I pull some of the books and one falls the fuck apart as termite shit and filth falls out instead of pages of the goddamn book. Like half the fucking books eaten by foul little asshole termites. Went through the wall and just to my huge collection of 3.5 books! I already am overworked and at a breaking point so I flip the fuck out and spray the fuck out of the wall with termite spray. Took a huge loss on my sale price.

I check around that shelf and it appears they only went after those books. I was wrong.

I made a deal with a pretty cool Pathfinder player and had all my books sold that were on an entirely different shelf. Most of the books were in very good to perfect condition, that was until those books were also eaten and I had to take a huge loss on the price.

Fuck it. I just don't give a fuck about collecting anything anymore. 

A (not so) Great Awakening! 

Sold my Cyberpunk 2020 and all my AD&D collection for less than half price before those God forsaken termites ate those. They also got into the 4E books but who cares. Still got some more to sell but my job schedule is starting to resuck. Hopefully a new position with SOME free time is on its way. I have tried to move stuff around in my Meade Hall and it's maybe going to become usable soon. I am going to add an outside bathroom as well.

Can't get no Satisfaction!

I still had my writing and publishing once in awhile. That's one release I can do to get some kind of gaming related activities in but it seems I can't even do that. I am not getting the reaction I want from my RPG projects other than it's kinda good, but what about a play report? Has anyone played any of my modules after all these years? Did they delve deep in the Black Stairs? No play report s anywhere. I am slowly realizing that I am playing music nobody wants to hear. Total waste of time if it's for nothing.  I will try and finish some of my projects, MAYBE bit it's time to change gears.  Worst of all is I don't have my creative space anymore and if I have to burn or throw my family's crap that they decided to store in my building, I will.

Back to the Basics, Fuck the World!

I am not going to be typing up any of my new projects anymore with the anticipation of selling them. I am going back to my old gaming roots. All on paper, scratchy drawings and maps on graph paper. All hand written dice rolled stuff. I am just going to create stuff for my own personal games. I may still in the future try and start the Adventurer's Guild Unlimited (My idea for an "unofficial" organized play like AL) but I will be concentrating on the fun of creating once again. 

Got a few "open" projects to finish but maybe I will and maybe I won't...

I am anticipating a new position where I will have this free time soon. I have looked back at my life and for the last 10-12 years I have worked too much. 

I AM DONE. 

I will also be moving, getting a trailer, or building another house and setting myself up for a life of ease amongst the trees, drinking spirits, cooking exotic meals, gardening, rolling dice and gaming...

ANON!

Stepping Back....

😒My last few games I ran, I feel went like crap. I am so trying.

I used to be a fantastic Dungeon Master.

I have also had huge spans of time where I was working turnarounds so huge spans between games. The campaign, no matter how hard I have tried just does not go anywhere. You know when you have written a great adventure and knocked it out of the park. You know when you put obvious hints. The players also seem to have amazing abilities to roll 20s as well which would be exciting but they do it almost every combat. 

I am burnt the hell out. My rules don't excite me anymore. Still so much more to do but I don't feel like messing with them anymore. 

Going to go back to Basic, Delving Deeper, Basic Fantasy, or Labyrinth Lord. I want 3D6 in Order, save or die, "give the players nothing that they don't work for" gaming.  

The last session, nobody showed up at the dudes house. Some were sick and some just ignored the game time posting so screw it. People ought to know that one can tell if you look at their Facebook posting. I will let someone else run games. 

I am done as a game master for the time being.   💀

DUNGEONPUNK RPG So you want to be an adventurer eh?

Using the same system I discussed so long ago at The Forge and the system that is used in the Graphic Novel Supers RPG, inspired by the Dungeonpunk manifestos and counter manifestos, here is my take on the DUNGEONPUNKness. 

DUNGEONPUNK game that takes minutes to make a character and provide hours of fun. The only dice you need for this game is a 20 sided dice. Based off the Graphic Novel Freeform Supers RPG and The NOVEL FREEFORM RPG System that was discussed on The FORGE years ago. 

When you want to do something you roll a Dice. The higher you roll the better the outcome. How high you need to roll is determined by your described skill and the amount of difficulty from 1 (easy) to 20 (nearly impossible) assigned by the game master. A natural “1” is a complete failure and a natural “20” is a complete success. Any other dice will do as long as everyone is using the same dice but the D20 is the king. 

Most of the playtesters said it was one of the best times they have had in a long time.

It's only $1 at DriveThruRPG!!!


http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/209450/Dungeonpunk  

Can't Seem to Make Gaming Happen.

Been down lately. Real down. My main stress release is gaming but that does not seem to ever happen. I also seem to be the only Game master for Fantasy Gaming. Tried to collect a few other Fantasy Game Masters but they have failed to produce (even though many have claimed to be really good game masters.) or don't want to do it. I have tried for years to start an expeditionary campaign of old using Back to the Dungeon RPG which shares the workload between game masters but it never seems to happen.

You know when you are really on target with an adventure or module you write. You know when one is kinda half ass and sucks. Especially if you have been gaming since 81 yet my well written games lack fire. I am getting burnt out as a game master as well.

I can't really explain it other than many of my players are non adventurous adventurers.  I am not a killer GM but they are careful to the point of making the game boring at times.

They take NO chances save a few of the characters. One adventure (one claiming to be one of the best GMs in the world in his younger days) even suggested that the party go back to town because the dungeon was dangerous.  

The party tends to not go the way of the adventure such as exploring a mountain in the distance that has nothing to do with the adventure or is a separate part of the adventure. Even throwing in blocker monsters does not stop the wandering. 

People also don't always show up thus screwing up the continuum.

My terrible schedule also lacks any consideration for life. Around the middle of this year I worked almost 2 months straight then another month. I am about to work almost 4 months straight once again. I am afraid that may gaming group will die. 

We Can Never Be Has-beens!

We are Gamers and WE can never be Has-beens!

Pen and Paper Tabletop is what I am talking about.

UNLIKE other hobbies and such where in one's youth there was a rise, then a peak and decline, we can always have another glory day!

We don't have to sit around and talk about how good it was in the old days because we can still live new ones!

Unlike other hobbies we can game until the day we die if we can talk and roll a dice!

We can become young again! We can have adventures! We can become some other person or being!

Nothing else can do what gaming does!

A gathering of friends old and new with a twinkle in our eyes ready for adventure!

The smell of fowl and loin cooking upon the grill! Slow cooked soups and vegetable trays sometimes replace sodas and chips.

Dark beer and fine bourbons flowing mixed with the smell of incense and fine cigars coming in from the outside. 


It's not like it was in our youth but something more deep.

We look around and see or children are there at the table as well, having their experience with the game.  

Hopefully we have been good stewards of the hobby and have ignited and passed the torch to them.

So you still have a chance to gather your party and explore through dungeons deep and caverns old!

You still have a chance to delve the labyrinth!

Is the BlogOSRsphere dying off?

Is the BlogOSRsphere dying off? 

It seems to be waning a bit.  Oh there are people who post quite a few times a week but not like it was just a few years ago. It is kinda nice to be able to keep up with the blog post though.

It is very much alive though! 

Some of the main players have stopped posting or have slowed down to a mere trickle. Some have fallen to scandals or have made scandals.

Still every day there is at least something interestingly posted for the love of the game. 

I know that I am here for the long haul whatever that is even though my blog is one of the least of the OSR blogs. 

It seems that the OSR has not really moved forward at all if you compare the post of Chicago Wiz way back in 2011.

Does something needs to happen publishing wise to get the OSR ball rolling again? I don't think that is ever going to happen (save the release of Adventures Dark and Deep but that's just me getting excited about a product that I have yet to buy) again. 

People are still going to publish Retro Clones (Neo-Clone, Simulacrums, Fantasy Heartbreakers, etc.)  but the chance for glory has passed. 

I hope to be proven wrong on that statement but we shall see...

People seem to be very happy with the RPGs they are playing.


What needs to happen that would re-excite (Like it was a few years ago!) the BlogOSRsphere? I think people getting out there and playing and posting about it. 

Some sort of organized play starting on a local level and then possibly becoming state, regional, and then possibly national and posting about it.

TARGA needs to come back. 

Some really good ground breaking home made modules and house rules! 

New race and class options! 

Wait, that still is going on !  

In my area, RPG Gaming seems dead though rumors of groups existing in secretive insular little clans. Old School Gaming locally has a few small sparks but they never seem to ignite. If there is an OLD campaign that has existed since the late 70s and early 80s in my area I don't know about it.  

What to do? What to do?

What a strange place I am in my RPG life.

SO I am in this strange place in my RPG life. For years I have started and not completed so many RPG projects for no reason other than to just write them. I would say most games get about 60% or so before I burn out.



I go back to them here and there but always am reminded by self doubt or wrong direction why I burnt out AND GET REBURNT OUT.

Strange though that I am about 99% finished on many of my games and have even completed a few in the last few years. If you get a chance take a look at Horror World my Zombie Apocalypse game. I am 99% finished with Back to the Dungeon. I also am 99% finished with STARCLADS Sci Fi RPG. Done with NOVEL Hero's Mag a nearly freeform Supers RPG.

Back to the Dungeon RPG will get worked on for another few years but it is getting really close to a 1.0

All of these playtest versions are free and one day I may sell them but there really is very little to NO money to be made in the RPG business at least in this current business model. I have really innovative business models that I won't share here but I have elsewhere.

I am in such a gaming void as my gaming group broke up once again but that is OLD news.

Alas yet another boring and short post but I hope thought provoking.

Vote for NEITHER!

Is there going to be a New Age of Gaming? (LONG POST!)

If I were a gaming company with a stylish and rather well written Fantasy RPG I would be putting full steam ahead! The "stars are right" IMHO for many games to get spotlighted that would never have had the chance to do so.

There still is the void out there for many in gaming that is not filled by the Old School Renaissance and is not filled by Modern Fantasy Gaming. Many are out there and want to play but either can't find a group with their style or rules they like.

The Old School Renaissance still holds onto their "preferences" of what drives New School Gamers away. Race Classes, Race/Class Restrictions, or to sum it up not getting to play what you want to play. Some Grognards say tough! Suck it up and like it but many times as I have tried to run an old school game people that have never played Old School before are mystified and then appalled by the restrictions. They simply don't even give it a chance. My biggest killer is Elves that cannot be Rangers. I had both of my daughters about to play 3d6 in order and they just as they read through it said "Dad this game and those other games suck. You can't be what you want to be in those old games." Yes I know I know I could house rule it but why stick to these old outworn restrictions? My largely ignored RPG addresses these problems while staying old school simple but this is about people trying to make it in the RPG business world not my hobbyist approach.

The New School Gaming is somewhat doing fine but it is currently waning. Oh it is alive and well in it's current form but it is no longer in it's heyday like it was in the 80s and the 80s didn't even have the internet and all the conventions crazes that this modern world has.

You see tabletop gaming is at a very unique place at this time and I will get to that.

The D20 system came out in the early 2000s and reinvigorated the dying gaming industry. The 90s did have it's heyday as Vampire did make it's huge mark on the gaming world but by the end of the 90s it was dying as waves and peaks of popularity of things do. Many D&D gamers kept chugging along even though TSR was doing an Atari type glut failure. I must admit I quit playing D&D because of 2nd Edition as I found it really sterile and somewhat boring until the huge glut of Forgotten Realms stiff cam out and other people were running it. We gathered a group and played for years until people being assholes destroyed the group as well as people moving away, divorces, gossip. It's amazing how someone can be an admitted asshole then get their feeling hurt when people start calling him an asshole.

We all know the amazing story of WotC buying D&D and Hasbro acquiring it. They then got it back in order and came out with the 3rd edition. I have to say I had not been so excited about an edition or an RPG like that in a long time. I was blown away by all the detail. You could so many things with a character! Sadly that was replaced by questions on the game design that has plagued modern games for the most part ever since. TOO much damn detail which means too much work for the DM as everyone else sucked as DMs or was too lazy to run the game.

Well 3.5 put a band aid on it a few years after I bought a shit ton of books again and although I tried to resist I found the 3.5 books on Amazon for half price shipped and then I bought another 3.5 library. We played for many years until we gathered a quite large gaming group. Oh then once again the group grew and shrunk. We had gained a particularly brilliant rules lawyer that actually was so brilliant (if not "too brilliant") who actually memorized every rulebook in the 3.5 library. Without ever cheating he tweaked his characters into gods unlike anyone I had ever seen. Like I said he never cheated and used the rules to break the game and did he ever show how completely broken the 3.5 D&D game was. Well there was one alternate DM who did give too much gold when he was running but the Rules Lawyer never mentioned that rules break. I could put a challenge for his character but the rest of the party would die. He ended up killing the party a few months before the release of 4th Edition. He fireballed a villain amongst his own party who he well knew had a necklace of Fireballs and blew up the entire party. Of course he saves and too no damage though the combination of feats and magic items. He tried to say he made a mistake but he just knew the rules too well. Anyway the adventure was a save the world type adventure and he allowed the world to go into a cataclysm!

With my world destroyed and all of my group disliking and really pissed at the the rules lawyer things looked grim. The 3.5 rules had been shown so very broken or at least breakable by a rules lawyer. The rest of my players were story gamers for the most part.

The release of 4th edition things were really going well. The rules lawyer HATED 4th edition because despite all it's faults rules lawyers have a hell of a time breaking the game. He left after a bit of time and my table grew under the 4th edition. A bit of stupid drama and the table shook but the 4th edition game went on for at least a few years. During that time and since 3.5 I had been yearning to play some of the old school stuff. Unfortunately my group outright refused my request save for two game of Swords and Wizardry most of the players would only play 4th.

I kept telling them I needed variations in my games but no one would budge.

The 4th edition games began to slightly bore me and some of the players just did not get or like the rules and left and my wife is a story gamer and on medication and some of the players and DMs were rude when she did not get the rules. Battles that lasted four hours? Tables full of cards as in so many that we almost had no room for maps. The lies and deceit of WotC and their "Online Tool". The Essentials or 4.5 D&D. I began to get sick of 4th edition and one day I just wrote everyone and said not playing 4th for an undetermined time. They were appalled and I was cold. I never said they had to stop playing but the group died out.

I got a Pathfinder game started up using my Labyrinth Lord dungeon. It converted very well with far more options than LL/AEC and I must say Pathfinder is 3.5 perfected and is perfect in every way but it was too much damn work and some of the players were careful (if not boring) players and others story (if not foolish) gamers and there was snippy rude comments that pissed off the story players. When I stated I had no time to prep (as I was working out of town five days a week) the game and finally was going to convert it to Labyrinth Lord/Advance Edition Companion for ease of prep time and I had already written it in LL/AEC already, the players got pissed and threw a fit. The only were going to play Pathfinder. I guess they don't know rule #1 so I said fuck I won't game at all.

I looked round online and find there are many like me gameless. I will play Pathfinder again but life has not given me gaming groups that play on weekends. I have looked for Old Schoolers but they are far and few between and play on weekdays.

So here is how I see it. Pathfinder is successful because 4th Edition D&D did not do very well and is currently NOT doing very well and this time WotC is actually listening to the fan base this time concerning D&D Next. No matter what the reason there was a 4th edition is because of the flaws of 3.5 and after awhile Pathfinder will suffer the same fate when D&D Next comes out IF it is what they claim "a damn good game". The problem is they are FAR from coming out with D&D Next so this leaves an interesting gaming void that IF games like Numenera and The 13th Age do it right MIGHT be able to find a place in gaming BEFORE D&D Next comes out.

You see there are some apparently kick ass games coming out right now. Some have already came out and are chugging along like Dungeon Crawl Classics, Adventurer Conquer, King, Swords and Wizardry Complete, and others.

IF you take this little time in this void you will do well. People are kind of wary of it all and are looking for a gaming fix.

OR am I wrong? How do you see it? What say you?

Classic Fantasy Role Playing Game: Update

Well I am back to having thoughts of releasing the rest of my CFRPG.

It's like 99% done but after the Word Processor Formatting Demon Possession Problems I had I kinda gave up.

The announcement of D&DNext was kind of a bummer but at the same time I like what I see but I also just am not excited. Maybe it's the few thousands of $$$s they already got from me.

I dunno.

I need to get my Neo-Clone out to the world as a personal quest as there have been a few members of the "community" that have naysayed your good and kind Eldrad.

I stayed classy and did not respond in a FuhQDiK but I should have. I will not say whom but it still bugs me although a long time ago.

BUT I must say the rest of the "community" is the cat's meow! Except for a few that never...Oh never mind.

I am so close but this gamer's block that I have! BUT I must admit every time I look upon an old D&Dish type game from modern to olden I get bugged.

The oldens and the clones the same (some say stupid) restrictions that hamper role play.

The modern the same overcomplicated CLUNK that hampers role play.

"Uh yeah my Half Unicorn Vampire Half-Dragon Were-Bulette Lich with a Shirley Temple Template Fighter Thief Death Wizard Exotic Dancer Uses her or his Damper Jet Plane Feat and does a five foot step and warps back in time using his Alter Time Space power to get an opportunity attack with sneak damage ans critical hit because he is a Quadruple three weapon specialist. That's a uh 4+7+16+93+1d20! I roll a uh 234 yeah! WHadda ya mean you have a reverse megaton feat??" Pages are flipped the rest of the night looking for the rules! LOL!

The solution?

A game as simple as the classics but with SOME of the options of the new BUT without RULES bloat.

Easy to Run and Easy to Play!


My Game! The one that had very little to no response from the OSR Blogger world due to way too many games bloat form the OSR but at least they are mostly all free!


BUT it would be argued by a few that I am wrong! Some in the OSR like the restrictions!

Many if not most of the New School don't even pay attention. LOL!

"We only play 4th Edition"
"We only play Pathfinder"
"That old stuff is OOKIE! Stuff!"

Forgive them Gods of Gaming! They know not what they do! OR maybe it is I that does no know! LOL! I am going to bed.

Classic Fantasy RPG Update

Well I decided to cut and paste the S&W treasure table and I shall modify it accordingly.

After making the Back to the Dungeon Zine I really am thinking about getting my CFRPG back on the burner.

IF I can get this sucker is a state that I don't want to tear down and redo I may be happy with it. I can't help but think there are people not satisfied out there and want the style of old with some of the options of new.

BUT anyway switching from nights to days and have to wake up in a few hours after sleeping most of the day.

CFRPG Goblin and Dog Man (Kobold)

A few post back I posted the stats for a Goblin and a Kobold for LL and PFRPG. Now I am going to post the stats for CFRPG.

Goblin AC HD1-1 Move2 Damage 1d6 Weapon and Ranged.
Small 4' tall evil stinking humanoids of various bestial looks. They only live to destroy. They are the ancient enemy of the dwarves but the plague all when they come to an area and multiply.

Dog Men AC14+ HD1-3hp Move20 Tricky! Daggers 1d4 or Shortbow 1d6
These are small evil cunning creatures that look like 3' tall men with dog's heads. Also called Kobolds by some! They only exist to breed and kill out mankind and their kin.

That's it. That is all there is to it. If I leave off the description it looks even shorter.

Goblin AC HD1-1 Move2 Damage 1d6 Weapon and Ranged.

Dog Men AC14+ HD1-3hp Move20 Tricky! Daggers 1d4 or Shortbow 1d6

One thing I know when messing with the OSR type rules is simple to write an adventure. Creativity flows with rules-lite that cannot flow as they do with rules heavy.

SO with all the rules out there why the hell am I writing another game? Well I am not writing a Retro Clone per say I am writing a Neo Clone. I was thinking about writing a rules variance for LL/S&W/OSRIC but those are their own game. They have their charm but class race and class race restrictions as well as level limits as well as some of the mechanics just need to be left out and changed. They to me are just not any fun.

My daughter's boyfriend was getting ready to play a Labyrinth Lord/AEC and he wanted to play an Elven Ranger. When I told him of the rules restrictions he just didn't seem interested anymore. Why is that restriction there? For no better reason than to retain the spirit of the old rules and no other. Yes I should have let him just play it but why is the restriction there? It makes no sense. Elves live in the wood and they should be rangers and Druids. The OSR needs to let go of the restrictions and come out with each their own "Unearthed Arcana" rules variations.

At the same time if someone wants to play any old school game restrictions and all I am there!

Rules should be there to facilitate role playing not restrict it. This game I hope will be one of the answers

I have decided that this game will be from the hobbyist approach. This mean the game will be free and I am even going to include instructions on how to print it out and make your own fold over booklets. There are plans to make a version to sell but really it's going to be done for the love of the hobby.

Some more rantings about CFRPG

The CFRPG is going really well. Editing is happening in spurts in DnD Charlie's life. Far more than I could do being CUT OFF from a full computer and the internet and having severe ADD.

I was having some deep gaming thoughts while trying to cope with work the other day. Agree or disagree with this philosophizing.

Old School = Less Rules but with More Restrictions
New School = More Rules but with Less Restrictions

We all know the More and Less part of the Rules.

What many players DON'T like are the Old School restrictions. Like what? For example in many Retroclones Elves can't be rangers or druids? Why? They live in the freaking woods. It would seem natural that they would be able to be rangers and druids but these restrictions are held onto and in my opinion need to be written out of the next generation of Simulacrums.

Damn these sacred cows!

For many new players the cat is out of the bag on races being able to play the class they want. Every time I pull out an Old School game and start explaining the restrictions of what class each race can play the "this sucks!" face comes out and they just don't play.

This is with new and old players alike. Level limits do the same thing. They chase away players and can't really be explained without forcing the story.

Now I understand that a DM could force his story to explain the rules but that restricts in a small way some of the stories freedom and the player's fun. Now it may not restrict it at first but when your demi-human goes down every time due to lack of hit points and progresses so slow that the player gets bored and gives up because he is not having fun anymore what then?

I want as many race and character options as I can get to be able to play what I want but without the game ever getting rules heavy and I really think the CFRPG has done this very well.

Most of all it's easy to run and easy to play. Fast flowing and large combats are very manageable by Player and GM alike.

The CFRPG will be know as a Neo-Clone as it it's going to be somewhat a Retroclone but with many of the modern options. Most of all it will be easy to run and easy to play! Easy to make a character in about five minutes.

I know the purpose of the retro-clones were to be able to recapture the Old School Style of gaming but so many of the ridiculous restrictions restrict the fun while so much of the New School Style's huge multiple volume rules you have to stop and look up or can't play without computer cut and paste assistance restrict the fun as well.

Now I don't stand here upon a hill poking bears with sticks challenging the powers that be I just have my opinion formed from my observations of what is going on with gaming here lately.

Oh did I also mention that there are plans to have a published version of CFRPG but like many of the clones out there I plan to give it away for free as well. Not only that the books will be in a format to print them out yourselves and put a cardboard cover on it making it look very close to the size and style of the LBBs.

There may even be a small business opportunity in printing them out yourself as well.

CFRPG Update.

Well my partner in crime D&D Charlie on my yahoo group has been pecking away as the editor of my CFRPG. So far he has the document looking professional. I got kinda teary eyed on how good he made it look.

I never seem to have time to keep this going but seeing all organized is well INSPIRING!

So far there has been no open bridge between the old and new school gaming and I hope this may be the answer for a few people. Old school simplicity of rules with new school options WITHOUT getting bogged down in huge rulebooks.

Easy to run and easy to play.

Free to very cheap, pay if you like it or not, free to kids, print it yourself, make copies for your friends, distribution model. Once perfected there could be a POD version but that is far away for now.

I hope other people take the rules and...
Make books of more spells!
Make monster manuals!
Make more races and classes! More options the better but still keep em simple.
Make Modules! Lots of modules!
Fanzines!
Living Campaign Based on your real world geography?
Would people oppose a free approval process where one's creation would be checked over and approved so not to come out with a game killing class or race?

So is there room for another retro-clone? Yes, No, and Maybe.

Is there room for a Bridge-Clone? OR whatever you want to call what the heck we are doing? I don't know. I will have to hear what people think.

BLAH

Due to lack of time interest and drive I am putting CFRPG on the backburner and just working with LL/AEC for now and my setting. When I get a good few weeks off with money in the bank I may sit back and finish...or...start and stop on it again.

Writing a game is hard...

If any of you in the Yahoo Group want to work on the skeleton that I have feel free to do so. For the love of god someone please correct my grammar and layout.

What Do YOU want out of a Classic Fantasy Role Playing Game?

What Do YOU want out of a Classic Fantasy Role Playing Game?

So what I am asking is for the people who have not made their own Old School Rules (but want too!) is to join with me in making the ultimate/kinda good mixture of Old School with New School Options rules set.

This game may be the ANSWER that you have been looking for.

Hobbyist need to apply! Join me and at least get credit for helping make this game. Are you are sick of the Simulacrums that repeat the rule restrictions of the old days.I never really liked Race Classes. No skills and feats! Quick to make a character. NO FULL PAGE MONSTER STATS!

EASY to run and EASY to play!

This game could be the ANSWER that you have been looking for. If not still have fun with what you like to do!

Join me at http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/CFRPGOSR/.

IF you are not satisfied with what rule systems are out there then Join us!!!
We need to combine the new school with the old school to achieve the gaming independence that we truly want!

You need and want to have a game that is simple to create a story. As a GM in the CFRPG you CAN create any story you want.

The goal is to make one complete rulebook then from there expand by making Books of Magic, Monster Books, Class and Race Books all made by others. Of course it will have to go through approval process but nothing too stringent.

I plan to if ever I finish my/our game to have it free and/or cheap.

If you want to help then join my Yahoo Group.

PS: Send me your email and I will send you a copy as well. Be warned it's not edited or finished.

My non-Perfect RPG

Well I finished my races, classes, spells, equipment, monsters, and NOT treasure.

Monsters ah Monsters, they are just mostly 3 stats. AC HD and Move with a brief description of damage and the monster.

After spells, Treasure Tables really suck. Have not made any yet. Oh how I dread.

I mean my spells are still only BARELY described hoping that GM Fiat and judgement will make the final decision.

The best part of the game is GM Fiat. The GM not the rules are the ultimate judge in this game. The other part is the GM not the players need to learn the rules. The players will just play their characters and have fun.

I also made the game to be played FAST! I decided on using the BASIC style of initiative.

It works.

It works with HUGE combats.

The game should be easy to run most of all and allow the GM to tell a story with fast action and deep story. EASY to run!

Hope to playtest this 4th of July with my Pathfinder Group as I am running out of patience with PFRPG.

I hope to start a spark and let it burn. This is not going to be another Simulacrum but a hybrid of old and new.

I hope that I can get comments good or bad to let me make this into a great RPG. I know that there will be many disagreement from those who have their own ideas but I have been gaming for 30 years and I know what makes a great game despite the intent of other designers.

No one purposely designs a game bad they just don't think of the practicality of their rules all the way through.

The Old School stuff I left out was Level Limits, Racial Limits, Weapon vs Armor Restrictions, and other stuff...

New School I left out Skills, Feats, Whole Page Monster Stat Blocks, Stupid Huge Hit Point Amounts, Level Adjustments and many other things.

Well been drinking and got to get ready for bed and work.

Lord of the Rings Bonus Features!

Lord of the Rings Bonus Features!

THE APPENDICES PART V: "The War of the Ring"
Disc intro by director Peter Jackson
"J.R.R. Tolkien: The Legacy of Middle-earth" documentary

From Book to Script:
"From Book to Script: Forging the Final Chapter" documentary
Abandoned Concept: Aragorn Battles Sauron

Designing and Building Middle-earth
"Designing Middle-earth" documentary
"Big-atures" documentary
"Weta Workshop" documentary
"Costume Design" documentary

Design Galleries - 2,123 images
The Peoples of Middle-earth (galleries with docent audio)
The Realms of Middle-earth (galleries with docent audio)
Miniatures (galleries with docent audio)
"Home of the Horse Lords" documentary

"Middle-earth Atlas: Tracing the Journeys of the Fellowship" interactive map
"New Zealand as Middle-earth" interactive map w/on-location footage
THE APPENDICES PART VI: "The Passing of an Age"
Disc intro by Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan

Filming The Return of the King
"Cameras in Middle-earth" documentary
Production Photos (gallery) - 69 images

Visual Effects
"Weta Digital" documentary
"The Mumakil Battle" demonstration / multi-angle interactive feature

Post Production: Journey's End
"Editorial: Completing the Trilogy" documentary
"Music for Middle-earth" documentary
"The Soundscapes of Middle-earth" documentary
"The End of All Things" documentary
"The Passing of an Age" documentary

Cameron Duncan: The Inspiration for "Into the West"
"Cameron Duncan: The Inspiration for 'Into the West'" documentary
"DFK6498" short film
"Strike Zone" short film

Here are great short films and such. Great inspiration for creating a setting. Details that you can use for your games. There are many small details that one might not think of. Damn I was going to write more but it's really tough right now.

How the hell do you do it?

Oh lord it is really hard! Get your minds out of the gutter slimes! It's really hard to write a freaking game. Even simulacrums that many accuse of it being "just copying". Well you shut the F*&^%K up and try to do it yourself. Oh I didn't think so Beeearch!

Many of us have "a take on what we would like to see" and THINK we can do it to but NOOOO! You won't and you can't. Either no free time or not the patience when there is free time. I envy those with that little extra spark that can get off their ass and write a game.

Hell trying to write up a decent module with production value is a task as well.

Lord knows I have built and burnt down my take on the OSR rules and such. Then loooooooose interest and then write a few lines. Should I truck on or gather a team? Should I just write a supplement of house rules? Damn a game is a huge undertaking!

SO my question to all writers and creators is : "How the hell do you do it?"

More of my RPG

First of all this in not a simulacrum. First of all level limits suck. Race as class only makes sense with major story limitations. It's a rules lite D20 in the spirit of old school gaming but with some of the options of the OGL. With the OGL monsters that have full character stats suck. Too many hit points suck.

Made to play with large or small groups. Made to be simple and FAST to make characters. Made easy to run. I have built and tore down this system hundreds of times throughout the years. First inspired by the clunk of 3E and the nostalgia of yesteryear's gaming.

Here is how stats are generated. No surprise here.

Roll 4d6 don't count the lowest dice this generates a number from 3-18 6 times in order for the following attributes. Switch any two abilities if you like or leave the dice to fate. This prevents from having min maxed characters.

Strength (STR)– How strong you are. Your bonus to hit and damage in melee combat.
Dexterity (DEX)- How agile you are. How quick you can dodge or run. How well you can aim.
Constitution (CON)- How tough and resilient you are. Your bonus to hit points and ability to save from poisons and magic.
Intelligence (INT)- How smart you are as well as your knowledge. Your bonus to languages and arcane spells.
Wisdom (WIS)- How wise and perceptive you are. Your ability to resist mind magics.
Charisma (CHA)- How powerful your personality is and possibly how attractive you are depending on description.



Here is how you do things in my game.


The simple way is to roll a D20 and add the Attribute bonus (or subtract) plus your Primary or Secondary bonus plus ½ your level. Every 4 levels you get to improve one attribute by 1. The higher the roll the better the result. Some tasks have a difficulty number. The game master may require the Player to write a good character history to determine background skills.

DIFFICULTY NUMBER or DN
Easy 5
Average 10
Moderate 15
Hard 20
Impossible 25+




More later...