Tenkar's Tavern: From The Far Far Past of the RPG Internet...

Saturday, April 7, 2012

From The Far Far Past of the RPG Internet...

Back in the way way back, I used to print out word text documents for my free RPGs.

There was no such thing as "formatting".

There was no included artwork.

Just Walls of Text...

5 comments:

JDJarvisApril 7, 2012 at 8:03 PM
The good old days. My university had a gaming newsletter for a while that I would contribute ASCII art and cartoons to. It was a way back when there was a whole 2 high speed dot matrix printers in the computer lab.
I've still got a box somewhere with hundreds of pages of green and white printer paper with gaming stuff somewhere... I think... I'm going to have to go look in gamehalla.
ReplyDelete
Replies
DeathanddrekApril 7, 2012 at 8:05 PM
I tend to accrue PDF/other electronic materials rather than hardcopies and use a Kindle to read them: the wall of plain text is superior for a small e-reader.
ReplyDelete
Replies
SylvaeonApril 7, 2012 at 8:26 PM
I remember those days, too... some of my favorite times were on the barebones IRC chans back in the early 90s or with the ascii rogue-like games, etc
ReplyDelete
Replies
Erik TenkarApril 8, 2012 at 12:10 AM
yep, IRC and later AOL chatrooms.

even played in a AD&D game via AOL chat back then. Shit got too expensive, even though the GM was great
ReplyDelete
Replies
Billiam BabbleApril 8, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Reminds me a lot of the gaming walk-through text files. :)
I'm still in a quandary about printing large docs. I think I need to go on a book binding course!

All hail impoverished artists and print-on-demand book stores! ;)
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

Why "Swords & Wizardry?"

Believe me when I say I have them all in dead tree format. I have OSRIC in full size, trade paperback and the Player's Guide. I have LL and the AEC (and somewhere OEC, but I can't find it at the moment). Obviously I have Basic Fantasy RPG. Actually, I have the whole available line in print. Way too much Castles & Crusades. We all know my love for the DCC RPG. I even have Dark Dungeons in print, the Delving Deeper boxed set, Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. BOTH editions of LotFP's Weird Fantasy and some dead tree copies of the Greyhawk Grognards Adventures Dark & Deep

I am so deep in the OSR when I come up for breath it's for the OSR's cousin, Tunnels & Trolls

So, out of all that, why Swords & Wizardry? Why, when I have been running a AD&D 1e / OSRIC campaign in Rappan Athuk am I using Swords & Wizardry and it's variant, Crypts & Things, for the second campaign? (Actually, now running a S&W Complete campaign, soon to be with multiple groups)

Because the shit works.

It's easy for lapsed gamers to pick up and feel like they haven't lost a step. I can house rule it and it doesn't break. It plays so close to the AD&D of my youth and college years (S&W Complete especially) that it continually surprises me. Just much less rules hopping than I remember. (my God but I can run it nearly without the book)

I grab and pick and steal from just about all OSR and Original resources. They seem to fit into S&W with little fuss. It may be the same with LL and the rest, but for me the ease of use fit's my expectations with S&W.

Even the single saving throw. That took me longer to adjust to, but even that seems like a natural to me now. Don't ask me why, it just does. Maybe it's the simplicity of it. At 45 52, simplicity and flexibility while remaining true to the feel of the original is an OSR hat trick for me ;)

Swords & Wizardry Light - Forum

RPGNow

Saturday, April 7, 2012

From The Far Far Past of the RPG Internet...

5 comments:

Blogs of Inspiration & Erudition