Tenkar's Tavern: Loren Wiseman - Co-Founder Game Designer's Workshop

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Loren Wiseman - Co-Founder Game Designer's Workshop - Passed Earlier Today

You can read Loren Wiseman's Wikipedia entry for a full account of his career. I remember him mostly from the GURPS Traveller line.

Cause of death appears to have been a heart attack.

Rest in peace.

2 comments:

Wild BillFebruary 15, 2017 at 10:44 PM
Sad to hear. I knew him mainly from GDW's Twilight 2000 RPG.
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UnknownMarch 10, 2017 at 8:35 AM
Wow. He was a neighbor , I was unaware of his prolific career. What is really sad is the community (landlord,neighbors) tossed all his belongings-some way cool war miniature
s ,countless steve jackson texts, diagrams, models,a plethora of myriad games, tons of interesting things in the garbage. Yes. I was appalled.
I am still mortified they would treat his property with such indifference.
I am sorry to never made his aquaintance, he was quiet and kept to himself.
You just never know.
Rest in peace Time Traveler.
Jessika Lisa
Austin, Texas
MARCH 8TH, 2017
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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 ;)

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Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Loren Wiseman - Co-Founder Game Designer's Workshop - Passed Earlier Today

2 comments:

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