Something old...something renewed?

 Finally getting around to doing what I meant to start doing back in January...

As some may recall, I had a long spate of self-publishing, both fiction and gaming material, that started around 2012 or so. All of my stuff is still out there on  Amazon Kindle and DriveThruRPG, respectively. And now that my wife and I have pulled the trigger and registered Wishful Gaming as an LLC, I'm looking at possible ways to build a catalog. 

We are certainly planning new projects. My wife is a wonderful GM, who has created several very original adventures. It's just a matter of organizing her notes and writings into something that can be published. That will happen eventually. Possibly along with an original setting where her adventures (and even some of mine) take place. But that's a rather sizable undertaking for two geeks. One of whom has very little free time (her own doing...but that's another tale for another kind of blog).

Anyways, circling back to the original point, I have lately been considering revamping some of my older products into something more modern and marketable. The first product that came to mind was Life of Rage, my orc-centric take on B/X D&D. The product that currently exists is a supplement for use with that system, and systems based on it.

The current idea I am mulling over is two-fold. First, revamp the systems to be more modern without losing the nostalgia-fueled simplicity of the OSR movement. And second, make it a complete game where you could conceivably just buy the book and run the game. All you'd need to add is paper, pencils, dice, and players. The way Gary & Dave intended it. All of that is mostly complete at this point. Enough so that a good, solid week of work could have a finished product in concept.

However, part of the idea is also to maybe revamp how orcs are presented. In my mind's eye, orcs are very much in the strain of WarCraft, with a hint of Stan Nicholls. But I also understand that there are now many views on orcs by gamers and fantasy/sci fi fans alike. Aside from the militant tribal orcs I prefer, there are the slightly more savage and less "brainy" orcs/orks of Warhammer, the enslaved evil fodder of Tolkien, and the traditional pig-snouted, one-dimensional depictions from early D&D.

Assuming I stick with my preferred iteration, I'll be trying to come up with more ideas to give them a broader appeal, if that's even possible.

Plus, there's the need for artwork...