tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62534032050593612452024-03-14T09:11:32.947-04:00Psionic Blast From The PastOld School Dungeons and Dragons, OSR and RPG discussions/musing. David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-85394197078911951882024-03-13T21:33:00.003-04:002024-03-13T21:33:50.687-04:00Moving to SubstackGreetings everyone,
I realize I haven't posted in a while. Many things happened which I won't go over. However, one thing for sure is that I didn't stop playing RPGs or thinking about them. Therefore, I want to restart this journey of thinking out loud and maybe helping people along the way.
However, I'll be moving over to Substack as I prefer the platform and it will give me a chance of David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-80854038844079171092020-12-12T11:15:00.000-05:002020-12-12T11:15:02.465-05:00Stargate as OSR No credits for the picture found. How can Stargate, both the movies and old series, be useful to OSR? For those that don't know what it is, basically it's a sci-fi TV series that ran in late 90s early 2000s where a crew of adventurers used a "Stargate" (teleporting device) to explore different planets and battle aliens, almost like a contemporary "let's explore the galaxy" strand of David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-9197471434945313052020-11-13T16:47:00.000-05:002020-11-13T16:47:19.030-05:00Designing Content with a Hierarchical Graph in Sandbox/HexcrawlsMountain Pass by LF OSR. Please check out his amazing artwork (no affiliation, I just love his stuff). IntroductionThis is a short one, and I don't intend to reinvent the wheels. Loads of people must be doing something similar, and it will maybe sound obvious. But since some people might not think of those things, I wanted to share this procedure that I use to create and maintain content David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-3017241908991963342020-11-03T18:17:00.010-05:002020-11-04T10:28:42.400-05:00Musing on OD&D SettingImage by Elmore
Sometimes I see people saying that OD&D setting is Sword & Sorcery, or this kind of setting, or that kind of setting. Although I believe first and foremost that everyone should play as they see fit (more later on that), I do think that OD&D/D&D isn't per se S&S: it's his own thing.
My thesis here is that D&D implied setting is not purely S&S. It David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-81959781012436400902020-10-06T17:11:00.003-04:002020-10-06T17:11:40.524-04:00I'm Still There + Check This Artist Out!So first of all, I'm still there. Nowadays I'm more busy with "normal" life and being a player in two 5th campaign. My own campaign only plays once per month (or less). I'm still waiting to start another one to playtest more thoroughly my Castle & Towers homebrew (Chainmail + OD&D) for a full campaign. Soon. Also, I wanted to give a shout out to this most excellent artist. I David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-48763922995303634572020-07-25T20:32:00.001-04:002020-07-26T11:16:18.613-04:00Jaquaying the Quake Maps - Analysis of Quake 1 and 2 Maps (PART II)(for those of you just joining us, see my Part I on Quake I)
Outer Hangar map
QUAKE 2 ANALYSIS
Quake 2 Preface
Before going on with the analysis, let's speak a few words. Quake 2 is generally considered an inferior FPS to Quake 1 in single player for multiple reasons. Some even consider its multiplayer weaker too. That being said, I'm taking a look only at the level design. My initial David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-7560956684789631812020-07-19T16:08:00.001-04:002020-07-19T16:58:56.912-04:00Jaquaying the Quake Maps - Analysis of Quake 1 and 2 Maps (PART I)
Geophobia by Andrew 'than' Palmer
INTRODUCTION
I decided to conduct a little experiment. Since Jaquay had worked on Quake 2 maps, and that both Quake maps are heavily praised in their design (mostly), and I had found memory of the game back when it came out, I decided to analyse the maps from a dungeon making perspective. I will not tackle, for now, any mod/wad/exterior maps.
I could have David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-10802596763376638302020-07-01T12:06:00.002-04:002020-07-01T12:07:21.297-04:00OD&D / 3LBB Retroclone ComparisonI decided to make a spreadsheet with semi-arbitrary categories to compare the different retroclones. I also included mine in the work for the sake of it (Castles & Towers). I only took some that I already possessed or that could be found freely on the net.
Note that I didn't copy-paste the tables in Blogger because the default formatting is horrible. Hence, sorry for the small font image. MyDavid B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-55762878830965780532020-06-30T14:15:00.002-04:002020-07-01T09:07:53.416-04:00Thought Experiment: Everything as HPEDIT: I made some clarifications and modifications.
INTRODUCTION
To understand why I want to propose what I'm proposing, I'd like to first consider the different views/definition in the earlier edition of D&D given for HP (Hit Point, or sometimes translated in other games as Health Point). As an aside, I suggest anyone to read this essay by the Alexandrian for the conceptual David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-59891366858077256632020-06-23T17:15:00.003-04:002020-06-23T17:21:43.849-04:00Some Metrics On My Blog - Where Next?
PREFACE
If you are a reader of this blog, this is important at least that you read the last line (which is a question to you). The rest is just context and musing.
CONTEXT
I took a good look at my blogposts, and here are the most popular ones, which I divided in three tiers of interest:
Tier A:
How to Create a Campaign
Dark Souls OSR
How to Generate Treasures/Dungeons
Making Traps
CantripsDavid B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-37885035911061611822020-06-23T11:53:00.002-04:002020-06-23T11:54:33.766-04:00Scribe's Work - OD&D Play Report Arthurian West Marches Campaign (Referee) - Part 33
PREVIOUSLY
Last time they went out, they found a lord they had heard about and (unwittingly) helped. They killed a basilisk that was on his land and gain massive loot.
PARTICIPANTS
Ernold the ranger (Dan), level 4 ranger
Ludwig le Fol (Vince), level 4 Fae Knight (my version of elf)
Follower: magic-user level 1 (he has sleep so he's actually very useful to them, although he has poor David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-43315122415749985752020-06-13T06:31:00.002-04:002020-06-13T06:31:22.095-04:00Referee Resources - Worldgen App By Alexander PetrovI just found out this app to generate world maps with realistic consideration by Alexander Petrov. It can be very useful to create a base map to the import to Worldographer/Hexographer and start hexing it out. It is akin to the donjon fractal world generator in use for Referees.
Here are two different maps, one as picture, one as hex map (it even include settlement and main road):
David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-85603976633958180432020-06-09T13:18:00.001-04:002020-06-10T19:15:06.082-04:00Scribe's Work - OD&D Play Report Arthurian West Marches Campaign (Referee) - Part 32
PREVIOUSLY
Last time they went out, they tackled a Gnoll Tower (that now interest them) and they entered the Wastelands to the west for the first time in order to do some reccon that enable the Ranger to remove the geas he had on him.
PARTICIPANTS
Ernold the ranger (Dan), level 4 ranger
Ludwig le Fol (Vince), level 3 Fae Knight (my version of elf)
Follower magic-user level 1 (he has sleepDavid B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-31759298032726249282020-06-08T19:28:00.002-04:002020-06-08T19:28:17.008-04:005th ed. and OSRINTRODUCTION
There are always discussion, literally everywhere, on whether 5th can (or is) OSR or not. My personal definition of OSR is that it needs both compatibility and tonal fidelity to early TSR D&D to be OSR. Therefore, the answer is short and clear: 5th cannot be OSR.
Can you run an OSR-influenced game? Sure. You could with WFRPG, Runequest, etc. But D&D has, of course, its own David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-67201493479882743412020-06-06T21:49:00.004-04:002020-06-10T19:14:46.929-04:00Scribe's Work - Baldur's Gate Campaign 5th Ed. (Player) - Part IIPREVIOUSLY
I am also (although IDK for long since my schedule is tough) in a 5th campaign with friends with which I started AD&D 2nd back in the day. They are also players in my OD&D campaign. We are playing a Baldur's Gate theme campaign that, from what I understand, is DM's Guild but not official material.
This is the second game. Last game with met with lots of fan-service (although David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-29917389073318109092020-06-06T17:32:00.002-04:002020-06-06T17:32:23.848-04:00Scribe's Work - DCC (Player) - Part IIPREVIOUSLY
It's part II for me but the game has been ongoing for a year or so I believe ? In any cases, last time I missed out on the game, the guys went in through a wall in the evil keep we are besieging and fought some undead and ghosts.
PARTICIPANTS
There was 4 players (SGM, Brutus, Hello Friend and Myself) for a total of 11 PCs with one Referee (Irenaeus). Mine are again a commoner (Oswin) David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-25184295605992945592020-06-02T11:06:00.005-04:002020-06-02T14:54:15.152-04:00Scribe's Work - Arthurian West Marches Campaign - Part 31
(picture from Kristina Boyko)
PREVIOUSLY
Last time they went out, they explored the far southwest of the Woodlands. They found a group of rangers that gave them useful information. Notably they know now of a second passage west into the Wastelands that doesn't include a Type III demon protecting a bridge. This is critical because one of the players (level 4 ranger) has been geased into David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-2769353259895400192020-05-31T16:58:00.003-04:002020-05-31T16:58:39.611-04:00Psionic Class for OD&D - AGAIN !I recently read a comment on Reddit with regards to a blogpost about the Divine and the Mystic by user helios_4569 to the effect that:
Apparently the Mystic had what became the "psionic abilities," while the Divine had what became "psionic attack / defense".
Of course this isn't new: anybody that read about the psionic class, its development, implementation and so on, and that read David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-81823730478783853552020-05-30T23:47:00.004-04:002020-06-05T17:07:27.989-04:00History for RPG - Part I - Sacred KingshipINTRODUCTION TO HISTORY FOR RPG
I'm going to start out a new series, called History for RPG. The goal will be to use my knowledge in history (up to PhD) to present small historical capsule. But since historical capsule by themselves are dime a dozen (and anybody can wikipedia things), I will bring it one step further: I'm going to make sure anybody can understand it AND provide a feature for D&David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-74662511268572416712020-05-29T10:48:00.000-04:002020-05-29T10:48:38.392-04:00Wilderness Setpiece - Temple of the Great EyeThis comes from a /tg thread where I decided to write this setpiece inspired by a Conan adventure. I didn't make anything of it at first, but I finally decided to add it to my hexcrawl because a most generous anon provided an amazing picture of it when I asked, so I'm posting it here, all cleaned up.
Wilderness Setpiece: Temple of the Great Eye
Hex Terrain: Desert
Location: A 80x80 black David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-28383518444809414182020-05-25T21:28:00.000-04:002020-05-25T21:28:46.529-04:00Scribe's Work - OD&D-B/X Homebrew (Player) - Pt 1PREVIOUSLY
I just joined a campaign online that's a mix of B/X and OD&D. As you can see I'm joining campaign ! Well let's say that I was players in 5th campaign that just ended as a player, so I decided to try and join now group that play OSR-related content.
Previously the dwarf had found a strange wizard tower with potential treasures and adventure !
PARTICIPANTS
Aberdene (Dwarf cleric, David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-23026729123257474272020-05-25T11:28:00.002-04:002020-05-25T11:31:13.461-04:00Castle & Towers (Retroclone WIP) - CursesStill working on my retroclone of OD&D + Chainmail. Since I'd like it to be useful to people, I'm putting more material than the base books (LBBs) not to overthrow the compatibility or anything, but just to provide more gaming material and answer people's question. I'm a big fan of having content useful for both players (it does something to their PCs) and Referee (generate easy gaming David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-72211244371798806762020-05-23T19:22:00.002-04:002020-05-23T19:24:29.612-04:00Scribe's Work - DCC (Player) - Pt 1PREVIOUSLY
I just joined an ongoing open table DCC campaign called "The Cradle Valley". I rolled up two characters, a knight (insane stats) and a commoner. I arrived during some kind of respite between two assault during a siege led by a group of lords against an evil undead keep.
I played this game listening to Dungeon Synth since I have less things to think about as a player. Very good mix.
David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-47507774276504628342020-05-16T18:39:00.002-04:002020-05-16T18:40:35.983-04:00Scribe's Work - OD&D Arthurian Campaign - Play Reports 30INTRODUCTION
I'll start a new series, called Scribe's Work. When I'll DM a game or play in a game, I'll put a play report here on the blog. It's something I think that's missing from the blogosphere.
For a quick recap: I'm a Referee in an open table west marches campaign set in a pseudo-Arthurian low-fantasy world using OD&D (with some added stuff from supplements). It's been about 30 game, David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253403205059361245.post-8628824591005671032020-05-16T10:24:00.000-04:002020-06-05T11:06:56.321-04:00How to Create a Campaign in a Few HoursINTRODUCTION
The title may be bold, but it's actually possible. Of course, the number of hours highly varies on whether you have access to some resources, and whether you are used to create some of the particular content. But we'll go through it and make it as simple as possible. The final product will be PLAYABLE. But still the goal is to be MINIMALIST.
I decided to make this post because David B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00429498583022992655noreply@blogger.com5