The Old School RPG Poll at the Tavern is in a Dead Heat - Just Over 24 hrs to Go

At any given moment, Labyrinth Lord and Blood & Treasure are either tied for 1st in the poll, or extremely close 1st and 2nd place.

Help decide which rule system I'll use in October for readers of this blog - you have just over 24 hours to do so.

Want to pad the vote? Add a comment on this post about which system you would like to see run and I'll add it to the final tally.

Fear - Why It Is Difficult to Replicate in an RPG (and a method on how to do so)?

Fear - the final frontier of RPGs. Often attempted, rarely replicated except as game mechanics, which is pretty much a failure if you ask me.

Why does fear fail so often in RPGs?

Well, you have to be invested in the character - no investment, no return of fear. Movies draw you into the character (and add mood music and such) to draw you into the fear. Sure, the PC is yours, but until you've played him / her for a few sessions, you probably aren't as invested in it for real fear of loss to occur. Fear of loss is about the only kind of fear that works in an RPG.

RPGs tend to go for the immediate threat. Immediate threats result in fight or flight. Most situational conditioning in RPGs is to fight in these situations, even against overwhelming odds. From my own personal experience with 9-11 - when you don't have time to think, you do what you are conditioned to do. Without time to contemplate what I was fairly sure was my impending death, my training kicked in and I went into rescue mode. Believe me when I say I'm very invested in my own life, much more so than any player is in their character. Players will tend to react as they are conditioned - to stand and face the immediate threat despite overwhelming odds. I'm not saying they might not run, especially as parts of the party start dropping like flies, but that won't be the first instinct.

If you want to invest your players into their characters, if you want the stink of fear to permeate the gaming table, you have to make the object of fear a long term fear. If players are conditioned to handle immediate fears, they are rarely able to shuffle aside the long terms ones. From my own personal experience, my diagnosis of cancer a few years back (all gone now) caused me to curl up in a ball in the hallway to my kitchen and cry like a baby. Why? Because there was a distinct possibility (not a probability, but a possibility - less possibility than on 9-11 i would think) that I wouldn't make it past 12 months. I was looking death in the eye and running scared. Long term fear. I'm not conditioned for that. Too many possibilities. Too much time to worry. Heck, worrying was a luxury I had plenty of time for.

You want to put fear into your players? Hit them with a long term, debilitating curse after they've become invested in their characters. Finding the cure will become their immediate, short term and long term goal. Success and failure will have meaning. Heck, even immediate threats may get a response similar to that of a long term threat - time to run away, so as to survive long enough to overcome the long term threat.

Successful fear in an RPG is a long term situation that you need to put your players in, and much more effective (and enjoyable) than the short term "Save vs Fear."

Free Game of the Week - Mini Six Bare Bones Edition

I'm a day late with updating this week. So I'll try to make this extra special.

Do you remember the D6 version of the Star Wars RPG? The old West End Games version? Well, long after WEG lost the license, and after they tried to migrate the system to other genres, the D6 system went open. Open as in OGL.

AntiPaladin Games took the Open D6 system and boiled it down to Mini Six.

Mini Six is a member of the OpenD6 family of games. It’s cinematic and flexible like its parent, but its goal is to be lighter and faster, keeping the heart of the system’s mechanics but streamlining the rules.

Mini Six is a variant of the OpenD6 system. It's generic, though there are several starter campaign ideas presented including fantasy, science fiction, and a lighthearted take on a 1970's cop action show style game. 

The mechanics of Mini Six revolve around rolling a dice pool made of a number of six side dice, resulting in a total that is compared to a target number set by the game master. 

What you won’t find in this book are a lot of detailed examples, exhaustive rules to cover every possible scenario, or a large list of modifiers. Instead, we are trusting GM’s, with the help of their players, to apply common sense to make the game fun for everyone. Don’t slow the game down by wasting time digging for rules that aren’t there. And most importantly, when the rules conflict with fun, fun wins.

Of Racial Classes and Mundane Spells

Class as Race

Class + Race

Racial Classes

The first two are what we see most often in the OSR. "Class as Race" is the OD&D through BECMI method, where if you were anything but human, your class was decided by your race.

"Class + Race" is the AD&D method. Different races have access to different classes or even different class combinations (mulitclassing).

Racial classes are something I've rarely seen. Adventurer Conqueror King System uses the method for it's non-human races. Class options for non-humans are limited to racially specific classes. These classes often have aspect of one or more "human" or normal classes, but they are unique to each race.

I'm working on a project dealing with"racial classes". We'll see how well I can nail it (or not). A side result of this has been the more mundane spells that I've been coming up with. They certainly aren't specifically pegged to one race or another, but they are useful in helping flavor some of the classes.

I suspect there will be many more mundane spells making their way to the blog (and probably more Racial Classes too).

New Spell - Homestead Blessing (OSR)

I've got a few of these bouncing around my head. May as well post 'em and get feedback

Homestead Blessing

Spell Level - Cleric 2 / Druid 1 

Range - 100' radius per level of caster

Duration - 1 Year 

This spell is used to bless a home or farm. Blessed homes gain a +2 save vs fire and severe weather (winds, floods, etc). Occupants of the blessed homes receive a +1 to all saves while in the blessed home.

Lands surrounding the home and within the radius of the spell are more fertile and are able to withstand drought and pests a bit better than unblessed lands. Blessed farmland will yield 10% greater crops than unblessed farmland.

The material component is a pinch of dirt from consecrated ground, usually from a local church affiliated with the caster.

9-11, Eleven Years Later - A Personal Perspective

I tend to keep most real life events off of this blog. It's a gaming blog, not a news blog, political blog or life recap blog. 9-11 is one of the few exceptions to my unwritten rule.

That day literally redefined my life. I lost a close friend. I witnessed with my own eyes and ears both towers coming down. I heard screams over my police radio that I will take to my grave. I thought I was going to die that morning, and I was at peace with that. Years later, when I was diagnosed with cancer and thought it was possible I might only have six months or a year to live, I curled up in a ball on the floor and cried like a baby. Cured now.

When I came on the Job back in 1996, we were told the only heroes were those that made the ultimate sacrifice. We were told not to be heroes - be brave, but not foolhardy. 9-11 redefined that definition for me. The heroes that day were not only those we lost, but the common man that shouldered a burden that wasn't his, but decided it was the right thing to do.

The homeless man and the Wall St. banker directing traffic on Houston Street and 2nd Ave as I raced the police van from the South Bronx to Lower Manhattan. Shopping cart full of one man's total belongings propping up another man's suit jacket and brief case.

Local grocery stores emptying their shelves of food and water to feed the now gray colored police and firemen after the towers fell.

Watching the long lines of people walking over the Brooklyn Bridge to the far side, and other masses of people heading north up the middle of the streets. Seas of people supporting each other. Color, race, creed, orientation - it mattered not at all as folks came together for the common good. The worst of times brought out the best in people.

There are lessons in that day. In our communal loss we still have much to gain and learn.

New Spell - Brewer's Best (OSR)

Sometimes you need the silly. Sometimes the silly needs you. And at all times, you need beer.

Brewer's Best

Spell Level - Cleric 1 / Druid 1 / Magic-User 1

Range - Touch

Duration - Immediate

This spell turns 2 pints (1 quart) of water per caster level, drinkable or not, into a decent beer or ale of the caster's choice. A pinch of hops and a pinch of yeast for a pale ale or lager type, and optional pinches for other types of brew (casters may experiment or research other types). This is an effective way to turn stale water into sanitary beer.

(edited to add caster level into the spell description)

My Polyhedral Etched Shot Glasses Have Arrived - Waiting on Drinking Quest for a Beta Test ;)

The shot glasses ROCK!

My wife, who was ready to (attempt) to restrict my online shopping privileges loves them, and wants to make other purchases at Monster Dance Designs - now that's a true vote of quality :)

(maybe I shouldn't have lined them up back to back for the shots of the shots - but there will be more pics when Drinking Quest is in hand :)

If you happen to buy anything from Monster Dance Designs, tell them Tenkar's Tavern sent ya. Maybe I can get a Battle Axe etched beer glass on discount ;)

Whereupon I Traded in My GM Hat to be a Player, and Met With Death

When I gamed via Fantasy Grounds 2, it was always as a player. Not because I didn't want to GM, but because I didn't have enough confidence in myself to run games with the software. Damn shame to, as I bought an Ultimate account (or whatever they call it). FG2 is a good program, but not so user friendly if you want to design your own (or port) adventures into the program.

I was psyched about iTabletop - don't even ask me how much I put into that. Never seemed to get where I needed it to be to run with it.

Then came G+ and Hangouts and Tabletop Forge (Dinner With Dragons before the 2 merged their efforts) and the D&D Next early playtest - and I was back as a player again. But not only that, I could actually see myself running games using Hangouts - it felt right.

When our playtest group felt like moving away from D&D Next, I offered to run ACKS and I haven't looked back. Heck, I even ran a handful of DCC sessions. Hangouts is just a natural way to emulate gaming at a physical table - without the long drive, dropped dice and messy clean up of snacks and garbage at the end.

Last Saturday I gladly tossed the GMing reins back to my first (and only thus far) G+ Hangout GM - Greg Christopher. ACKS will pick up later in a few weeks, without missing a beat. In the meantime, we are getting to playtest Greg's new game - Ambition & Avarice. A&A is Old School in feel, much like the DCC RPG is, while still straying a bit from the preconceptions that go along with OSR games. That being said, it certainly plays like an OSR game.

Our party of four had 2 outright kills of PCs (myself included) and a near TPK (1 PC walking out on is own power out of the 4 of us).

It felt really nice to be a player again. It felt great to get my PC killed. Really. Even with 4 of 6 scores at 15 or better, rolling 3d6 in order. I was sorry to see my Dwarf die, but I was happy to die. I was happy he could die. Death didn't accompany us on the D&D Next playtest. Saturday night we became fairly intimate with him, unlucky rolls and all.

Oh Shit! Run! is advice my unnamed dwarf should have followed. Any game that can emulate that well is okay in my book. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to this Saturday Night's session of Ambition & Avarice

Tenkar's Minor Magical Tidbits - Daily Destiny Spear (OSR)

It's late, I know. Better late than never ;)

Daily Destiny Spear - The Destiny Spear is a warrior's spear with a fine steel tip. It's blade and shaft are engraved with runes of an unknown origin and is nearly unbreakable. It special powers will become apparent after first use.

The first time wielded on any day, the GM (or if he prefers to not keep the result secret, the player) rolls 1D4 to determine the spear's bonus for the rest of that that (midnight to midnight).

on a roll of 1, the spear has a penalty of 1- to hit and damage for the rest of that day

on a roll of 2, the spear has neither a bonus or a penalty for the rest of the day

on a roll of 3, the spear has a bonus of +1 to hit and damage for the rest of the day

on a roll of 4, the spear has a bonus of +2 to hit and damage for the rest of the day

The spear may be thrown, and always returns to the owner's hand at the end of the round it was thrown in, hit or miss.

Once wielded for the day, the character will find it impossible to use any other weapon until the next day. He can drop it, leave it behind, lock it behind a door - the moment that he states his intention to attack, the spear will appear in his hand, and the weapon in his hand (if any) will exchange places with the spear. This may be a problem if the character left the spear a considerable distance away, or tries to dispose of it in a well or otherwise. If the spear hasn't been used yet in the day, it can be safely disposed of. It is the owner's destiny to wield the spear, but that destiny resets on a daily basis.

The List of 16 - Part IV - Blood & Treasure, Crypts & Things, Swords & Wizardry Complete and Labyrinth Lord

Final part of the List of 16. Woot!

As of the time of writing, 3 of the 4 games in the post are in the top 3 of the current poll.

Blood & Treasure - So, what is Blood & Treasure? It's an RPG that lives somewhere between the various editions. It tries to link up a simple set of rules that are recognizable to most people who have played the game in the last 30+ years with all the goodies that 30+ years of gaming creativity have given us. (Very recent release. It's getting good word of mouth in the blogosphere, including by me. I dare say it could be 5e, if 5e weren't being written for corporate reasons)

Crypts & Things - What is this game about? It’s about exploring the ruins of the dying world of Zarth. Fighting off the Others, alien monstrosities from outside of your reality. Making your mark on the world before it dives into the sun Nemesis. 

Be a wild Barbarian, a deadly Fighter, a soul-torn Magician or a sword sharp canny Thief, fighting evil Tyrants, foul Sorcerers and demons in a world rapidly dying and heading towards its final Nemesis.

In short its a Swords and Sorcery role playing game using the original edition of the world’s favourite role playing game.  Base upon the Swords and Wizardy rules. (whereas AS&SH is a heavy game with many classes and setting material, C&T is on the other extreme - lightweight and based on a familiar ruleset. Different approached to S&S style gaming, and both are valid)

Swords & Wizardry Complete - This is the game you played 20 years ago. It's true to the original style and philosophy that made the game great. No "Spot Checks" here. Simple, flexible rules that allow players and game masters alike to roll play and roleplay.  This stand-alone tome provides all the rules you need to play the game. Its easily transferable as a rules set for other retro-clone games as well as those old dusty modules you still have in the attic. (one of my favorite OSR rulesets. reminds me of pretty much how we played AD&D back in the days - by ignoring most of the wonky rules ;)

Labyrinth Lord -Down to the Roots of Fantasy Gaming:

"Enter a world filled with labyrinths, magic, and monsters! You can take the role of a cleric, dwarf, elf, fighter, halfling, magic-user, or thief on your quest for glory, treasure, and adventure! This is a complete role playing game. All you need are a few sheets of paper and some dice. Welcome back to a simpler old-school gaming experience. The Labyrinth Lord awaits your arrival. Can you survive the dangers of the labyrinth?" (one of the big 3 of the OSR, along with OSRIC and Swords & Wizardry. This was the first ruleset I found after Castles & Crusades. Really can't go wrong with any of these rulesets.)

The List of 16 - Part III - OSRIC, Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea, Delving Deeper and Castles & Crusades

Part III of the series of posts describing the 16 games in the Tavern's current poll.

OSRIC - OSRIC™ represents a compilation of rules for old school-style fantasy gaming. The book is intended to reproduce underlying rules used in the late 1970s to early 1980s, which being rules are not subject to copyright, without using any of the copyrighted "artistic presentation" originally used to convey those rules. (one of the "grand-daddies" of the OSR, OSRIC is AD&D 1e via the OGL - free download available)

Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea - is sword-and-sorcery role-playing at its pinnacle. Play an Amazon fighter, Atlantean magician, Esquimaux shaman, Hyperborean warlock, Ixian necromancer, Keltic barbarian, Kimmerian cataphract, Pictish thief, Viking berserker, or one of many other possibilities.

The heroes of a HYPERBOREA campaign delve the mazes and labyrinths of vast dungeons filled with horrifying monsters, lethal traps, and bewildering puzzles. They explore savage frontiers, breach hostile borderlands, probe ancient ruins, and investigate cursed tombs. They plunder for treasure and magic in a decaying world inhabited by bloodthirsty beasts and weird, otherworldly beings. (Popular game in the blogosphere with some very vocal fans ;)

Delving Deeper - The Delving Deeper RPG closely emulates the rules of the earliest version of the world’s most popular roleplaying game. Go back to a time when every weapon did d6 damage, clerics could cast no spell at first level, only fighters could use magic swords, and if you wanted a locked door opened you had to bash the thing in!  It is difficult to imagine in a world where multiple, weighty tomes comprise the rules; but this single, small book contains all you need to build a campaign that can span decades of real time! (An interesting take on OD&D)

Castles & Crusades -Castles & Crusades is a fantasy role playing game with countless possibilities. Designed for use with multiple players, Castles & Crusades puts you in charge of the adventure path. Included within are all the rules of play, how to get started in your very own role playing game, how to run the game and play in it.

It's easy to learn attribute-based rules system allows players to choose among 13 archetypal character classes and 7 races to create their characters. Spells, equipment, fast-paced combat rules, and all essential information needed to play a game of Castles & Crusades is in this book. Further, the attribute-based rules system allows Castle Keeper's to design and run adventures as they see fit, without all the crowded, complex rules of other role playing games. (probably the best supported game of anything on the list, it's also the game that brought me back to RPGs)

List of 16 - Part II - MicroLite 74/75, Basic Fantasy RPG, LotFP Weird Fantasy, Mazes & Minotaurs

Part II of the series of posts describing the 16 games in the Tavern's current poll. If you haven't noticed yet, I'm working my way from the bottom of the list.

Microlite 74/75 -While Microlite74was originally designed as an introduction to "old school" play for players more familiar with modern rules systems based on the Primary Fantasy SRD, it has become a game that many groups have chosen to run full blow campaigns with. Microlite74 version 3.0 -- released in October 2011 -- has been designed as a complete rules set for regular play, although it can still serve as a fast introduction to old school play for those more familiar with later editions. All three versions of Microlite74 use a rules-lite OGL based game system that old school grognards – especially those who cut their gamer teeth on "0e" – should find equally enjoyable. The system also easy to modify with your own house rules or rules drawn from your favorite edition of the world’s most popular fantasy roleplaying game. The game system is also compatible with most 0e-based rules, adventures, and other materials. (Free and nicely put together)


Basic Fantasy RPG -The Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game is a rules-light game system modeled on the classic RPG rules of the early 1980's. Though based loosely on the d20 SRD v3.5, Basic Fantasy RPG has been written largely from scratch to replicate the look, feel, and mechanics of the early RPG game systems. It is suitable for those who are fans of "old-school" game mechanics. Basic Fantasy RPG is simple enough for children in perhaps second or third grade to play, yet still has enough depth for adults as well. (a game that is often overlooked in the OSR niche, which is a shame, as it is a damn good game)

LotFP Weird Fantasy -LotFP: Weird Fantasy Role-Playing presents a sinister and horrific twist on traditional fantasy gaming and provides you with all the tools needed to create and run a long-lasting campaign tailored to your specific vision. Simple enough for a beginner – with material intended for those that have never before played a role-playing game – yet meaty enough for the veteran. (changes many common preconceptions of an OSR game, including only true fighters increase in THAC0 - great atmosphere)

Mazes & Minotaurs -Mazes & Minotaurs is what the first fantasy roleplaying game could have been if its authors had taken their inspiration from Jason & the Argonauts (yes, the 1963 movie with all the cool Ray Harryhausen monsters) and Homer’s Odyssey rather than from Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings or Poul Anderson’s Three Hearts & Three Lions. In other words, Mazes & Minotaurs is :

- a nostalgic pastiche of early fantasy roleplaying games

- a tongue-in-cheek tribute to old-school gaming

- a complete and fully playable roleplaying game !

The List of 16 - Part I - Mutant Future, Starships & Spacemen,Space Princess and Tombs & Terrors

It was pointed out to me that I probably should do a series of short posts highlighting the 16 games that are currently in the poll, so this is the first part of that series. Without further ado...

Mutant Future - Mutant Future is a nuclear post-apocalyptic science fantasy game. It is created in the style of similar RPGs from the late 70s, but built around the core Labyrinth Lord rules so that these two games are fully compatible. (Think Gamma World type setting)






Starships & Spacemen (2e) - This second edition of the classic game is compatible with Labyrinth Lord and Mutant Future. The best elements of the first edition have been kept--the classes and subclasses, the excellent starship rules, and the space adventuring rules. Classes, races, and abilities have been made more in line with Labyrinth Lord. (as a supporter of the Indiegogo project for S&S, I have access to the current PDF - should release in October)



Space Princess - Take your dungeon crawls into the future! Tales of the Space Princess is a rules lite game inspired by the original fantasy rules. Character creation in about 5 minutes, learn the rules in about 10 minutes and then you're ready to delve into the space fortress to wrest the Space Princess from the clutches of the Dark Lord! (from what I've read, it plays very much like "Dungeons in Space" in a good way)




Tombs & Terrors - Based on the rules first found in Go Fer Yer Gun! and seen later in Medieval Mysteries, Tombs & Terrors is an unashamedly familiar role playing game of delving into subterranean crypts and looting the treasure. Including 4 traditional character classes (Cleric, Fighter Mage and Thief) plus 2 "exotic" ones (Barbarian and Troubadour), and 5 races (Dwarf, Elf, Giant-kin, Half-elf and Human), this game is condensed for simplicity but covers ground that you will understand. Compatible (with some tweaking) with sourcebooks and supplements that you already have. (Not a clone, but a nice addition to the "Old School" feel ensamble of games)

Gamer / Publisher Needs Help With Medical Bills

If you don't know Mike Garcia, you should. He's the main man behind Occult Moon, the fine folks that bring you Toys For the Sandbox on a weekly basis.

Mike got injured (severely) while working for Oklahoma Department of Corrections, and has had medical problems and bills relating to his injury ever since.

If you can spare some change to a few bucks towards his medical bills, that's awesome. If you can't, and in these trying days of the economy that seems to be getting more and more likely, just pass this post on, so maybe others that can "will".

Gamers are a pretty tight community, and I've seen us come together time and time again for out fellow gamers. Lets keep the tradition going strong.

Mike's giving away a gaming supplement for free to those who donate - Blood of Morpheus. Actually, in truth, he's practically giving it away to any who are willing to even think about donating toward his medical bills - consider yourself on the honor system. It sells for $3 on RPGNow, and no, I haven't done a review for it, because I helped to edit it ;)

All that being said, if you can't donate - please pass this on to others.

48 Hours Into the Poll - 165 Votes!

Yep, the WHICH "OLD SCHOOL" RPG SHOULD YOUR FRIENDLY TAVERN KEEPER RUN FOR THE PATRONS OF THIS BLOG IN OCTOBER ON G+ HANGOUTS?" poll has 165 votes nearly 48 hrs into the poll.

Damn sweet! 5 days to go, so if you haven't voted (or even better, are looking to play in October) vote (and comment if you would like).

Top 3 contenders at the moment are:

Labyrinth Lord with 38 votes

Blood & Treasure with 36 votes

Swords & Wizardry Complete with 34 votes.

Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea is leading with 5 mentions in the comments section of the "Poll Post" - vocal fans there ;)

I think I'll go with Porky's advice, and give a quick paragraph on each, maybe split into 4 posts with 4 systems to a post - something t bang out during "Football Sunday" :)

Review - Blood & Treasure - Part II - I've Got Class

I almost didn't want to do another review post on Blood & Treasure at this point. Why? Because I don't want to influence the poll that is currently going on at this blog. Swords & Wizardry Complete and Blood & Treasure are fighting for a very close place behind Labyrinth Lord.

That being said, running a game of Blood & Treasure would be a blast ;)

Anyhow, lets look at classes in Blood & Treasure.

We have Clerics and their subclass Druids; Fighters and their subclasses of Barbarians, Duelists, Paladins and Rangers, Magic-Users with their subclass of Sorcerer and Thieves with their subclasses of Assassin, Bard and Monk.

A few things to point out:

Assassins are in the game as PCs. It's just like AD&D again, without the assassination chart but with spells ;)

Duelists, which I only remember as an NPC class back in issue 70 (71?) of Dragon are a PC class. If you want to play a lightly armored "fighter", this is the class to take.

If you remember Sorcerers from 3x, you should feel comfortable with the Blood & Treasure version of the class. He also gets a few weapons beyond that of a Magic-user that he can use.

Bards - again, similar to the 3x version of the class. I'm always partial to bards. I like bards. I like this version of the bard. Well done.

Monks - A very workable version of the class. Not a subclass of cleric, which always seemed awkward and wrong to me anyway.

Barbarians - the only class with a d10 for HD. Fighters and it's other s subs are D8, Magic-users and Sorcerers are d4 and the rest are d6.

The subclasses have some high minimum scores to hit, especially if you make your players roll in order. Monks need Con, dex and Wis at 13+.

If you are comfortable with any edition of D&D from BECMI through 3x, Blood & Treasures character classes should have a familiar feel for you. This is definitely a good thing.

I'll put part III of the review up in a day or so.

Stars Without Number: Core - Now Available in Print on Demand

I just ordered my copy last night from RPGNow. It will certainly make my GAPs project a bit easier to research if I have a dead tree copy of Stars Without Number: Core.

Besides, the damn book is cool no matter how you look at it.

You can get it with either of the two covers - Star Field like the original free version of SWN of the Alien cover that has been seen previously on the SW: Core PDF.

I am not sure if the Star Field version comes with a free copy of the SWN: Core PDF, as it is linked from and packaged with the SWN Free Edition. In any case, I went with the Alien Cover myself ;)

(just realized that the Hard Cover version is only available with the Star Field cover. Ah well, I wanted Soft Cover anyway)

Some Current Observations on D&D Next - Or "Where the F' Has Grumpy Gone?"

A "Not So Grumpy Dwarf by Stephan Alvarado

FYI - The Grumpy Dwarf is still around - he just isn't looking at D&D Next much. Why? Because Mike (and Monte, who is long gone) is no longer pulling game design concepts out of his ass. WotC is no longer promising the world and the stars - their design goals seem to be closer to home.  Heck, even the current posting by Mike makes sense.

Yes, I dared to say it. Mike Mearls Makes Sense. Say that five times fast.

Lets look at Mikes' "Pearls of Wisdom" from this past Monday (yes, I am making light of it, but his observations are spot on. Just giving credit where credit is due):


The rules shall make things easier for the DM. This might seem like a funny concept, but it’s something that is a huge distinguishing point between RPGs and other types of games. In an RPG, the rules should help move things along, serve as a useful tool for the DM, make things clear and easy to understand for players, and enable the sort of creative, unpredictable, and evocative gaming that has kept tabletop RPGs going for 38 years.

The rules guiding a good RPG fade into the background. Once you learn the rules, you can apply them logically and easily. A good rule is easy to extend to situations that sit near it, giving the DM an easy tool to cover the gaps and any weird situations that arise. The rule doesn’t call attention to itself, disrupt the game, or cause extra work.

An RPG rule’s greatest goal is to ensure that the game is better for its presence. If you didn’t have that rule, you’d want it in the game.

This point is important because RPGs are the most open-ended form of game. The DM needs to make judgment calls and apply the rules, and having rules that are easy to extend or modify makes that much simpler.

I sincerely doubt that D&D Next will "my kind of RPG", but if Mike can accomplish this, he'll go a long way to bringing players back from all the editions of the D&D.


The rules shall balance character options, within reason. D&D gives players classes, races, spells, and other options to build characters. Although the game isn’t competitive, it’s supposed to give players a chance to take on a role as an adventurer in a fantasy setting. Some people want to be wizards, and others want to be warriors. The game should ensure that no single option, or small group of them, completely overshadows the rest. The game is about the adventures of fighters, rogues, wizards, and clerics, not a wizard and his or her lackeys.

In other words, the game shouldn’t punish someone for deciding that he or she wants a character like Sir Lancelot rather than someone based on Raistlin Majere (or vice versa). Whether your DM runs an absolutely killer dungeon or hands out artifacts like candy, the characters should each have the same basic opportunities to contribute to the adventure, stand out, and feel effective.

On the other hand, perfect balance is a complete myth. If people want to build broken characters, they are going to find ways to bend the system and options to completely outdo everyone else. When a broken combination appears, R&D needs to judge whether it’s a pervasive enough problem that it requires errata or another major fix. In the meantime, we can give DMs guidance and advice on dealing with overpowered characters. We can also issue suggested changes to tide groups over. It’s fine for players to find powerful combinations. R&D needs to determine if those combos are powerful enough to distort the game or transform one character class into the absolutely most powerful option (This is Grumpy sticking my head in to the conversation - notice how they are treating D&D Next like a MMORPG with this - I suspect there will be a big push to provide the rules in whatever electronic format WotC can use to lock them down and provide updates via subscription - whatever method that WotC uses to distribue this - and all the back catalogue they are promising - will probably not be consumer friendly)

Building everything in perfect balance would lead to a boring game. Additionally, the moment where a character does something notable is a moment created by localized imbalance. It’s interesting when the wizard uses feather fall to allow the rogue to float silently on to a hill giant’s back and stab it in the back from above. It’s heroic for a fighter to block a dungeon corridor and singlehandedly hold back a dozen ogres while the rest of the party retreats. We want our characters to shine. The rules step in to make that happen by giving the character the chance to accomplish something unique.

The rules fall down when, through no special effort, one character outshines everyone else combined. There’s also a problem when entire classes don’t have much to contribute. The system works if the average gamer can put together a character and have a good time. Thus, overall the classes should be balanced by giving them unique and interesting things to do that allow each one to stand out in its own way.

Not aiming for perfect balance. Targeting the average gamer?  Good stuff :)

Review - The Monolith From Beyond Space and Time - Part II - Head Scratching and All That Jazz

Despite the fact that it looks like a VD infected
penis of a Mongelman, I like the cover.

It's been over two weeks since the first part of my review of The Monolith From Beyond Time and Space. Why the delay?

Because I really wasn't sure what to make of the "adventure" as a whole. Actually, let me rephrase that just a tad. I wasn't sure what the "whole" of the adventure was supposed to accomplish, except to bring an ongoing campaign to a screeching halt. If the adventure doesn't outright kill your party, the survivors will probably be so fucked up, your campaign will be just as dead. This isn't ending your campaign on a high note - it's more like a slasher flick killing.

As a tournament module, where the players aren't invested in the characters or the campaign world, it could be a hoot to play. Heck, if you want the the players to be invested in it, make it like that whole season of Dallas that was retconned back in the day - after you basically skull fuck your players, it never really happened. Take them out for drinks and have a laugh. Because if I ran this for my regular group as a legitimate part of the campaign, street justice would fail to describe the acts of violence that would be directed at me.

All of which is a shame. The concept of the Monolith From Beyond Time and Space is a good one. Who doesn't want a little Lovecraftian weirdness and horror in their fantasy? I know I do. The key word is "little". One scoop of Mythos - the full half gallon in one sitting leaves one sick and never wanting more, ever again.

Monolith is certainly worth more for it's parts, than as a whole. A dungeon that reacts to the voiced thoughts or desires of the characters? I can run with that. Screwing with perceived distances in a certain location, due to magic or otherwise? Crapload of fun with that. Screwing with the free will of the players? Not so much fun. Damning them deeper and deeper, pretty much irrelevant of the decisions they make? Not my style of game.

I think any of the "screw the party" aspects of the Monolith are workable on their own. Maybe more for inspiration other than taken straight up, but James has some interesting scenarios that could play out well on their own (and probably toned down a bit). So, raid it for parts, plots and ideas if you will, but avoid adding this to your campaign unless you really want to burn it all behind you with no going back. Or run it as a one off at a con.

(yes, I see I used some pretty vulgar language above. it is what it is.)