I’m a Tinker Gnome

At least when it comes to tabletop RPG’s.  I don’t think I have played more than three games in my life that I haven’t tried to alter, enhance, improve, or otherwise deviate from the written words of.  This has lead me to some fun times.  The whole process has even lead me to writing my own games from the ground up.  And now, with my recent interest in OSR and Retro-clones, a new kind of tinkering has sprung to mind.

First off, I have to admit that the initial impetus for a lot of my amateur game-design has been financial.  I have never been well-off, and aside from a brief period about 10-12 years ago, I have always had to struggle to stay above water.  Consequently, I have never really been able to afford all of the cool splat books, new RPG’s, and added content written for my favorite games.

Fast forward to this past weekend.  Saturday was Free RPG Day.  And, like Free Comic Book Day, it’s almost like a Geek Holiday that I look forward to every year.  This year I picked up the annual Pathfinder freebie, a WoD/Vampire adventure (mainly for my wife), and two sets of quickstart rules.  It’s the quickstarts that sparked an idea.

While sitting on the can yesterday (where I get some of my best reading done), I was perusing GW’s free intro to their new WH40K RPG, Only War.  The game centers around the idea that the players are all Imperial Guardsmen.  I’d be interested in seeing how this plays out, as my initial thought is that it would just end up being a skirmish game, like a mini-version of a full-blown 40K game.  Which is fine with me, but I doubt I could convince anyone I currently game with to give it a try.

But my idea came in when I looked at the mechanics, and realized that, even though the quickstart rules are pretty sparse, only giving the players what they need to run a very limited scope game, it would not be hard to reverse-engineer it into a complete game.  Maybe even scour the rules of GW trademarks and place the whole system into an original world.  Honestly, the rules could work well for an action/adventure game based loosely on my beloved Mack Bolan/Phoenix Force/Able Team/Stony Man books and their universe.

Not sure if I will do much with this, but I think I will most likely at least do the scouring and expanding part.

Meanwhile, today sees me back to the office after 9 days off.  In between work tasks I am tinkering with the OSR conversion of Life of Rage.

MOAR OSR!!

First off, I scored a copy of Cook's Expert Rulebook yesterday at Half-Priced Books (I swear, I could spend an entire paycheck in there!).  It's in very fine condition, and for a $8, it was a steal.  At the same time, I had enough cash to pick up the Expanded Rules for Star Frontiers - Alpha Dawn for about $4.  Another game that I loved as a young gamer.  I know it's very unlikely that I will ever get to actually play it again.  But, these days I'm as much a collector as I am a player.  And that game holds a special place in my heart, right next to the Moldvay Basic Rulebook.

So, I've gotten a little bit of feedback on Basic Arcana over at osrgaming.org, and it's been generally good.  The person who gave me some commentary was an "old grognard" so he was reticent about using some of the more 3e-influenced rules changes, but even he admitted that he could see the benefits.  Overall, based on that one post, it sounds like my work might be a decent first outing.

Yesterday I started work on my next OSR project: the conversion of Life of Rage to a version compatible with the Moldvay and Cook books.  It's going relatively quickly, as most of the flavor text could be copied directly over from my original work, with very little modification.  Leaving me able to concentrate on the nuts and bolts of the actual game-play rules.

In my original version, Life of Rage uses a classless system derived in part from the "Roll/Keep" system of AEG's Legend of the Five Rings and 7th Sea RPG's, along with some elements from other games, as well as some ideas of my own.  I had originally considered converting to 3.xe.  However, I find that the OSR method of making races a class actually lends itself better to Life of Rage. 

From its inception, my game has always been about simple rules, fast play, and a high degree of flexibility for GM and Player ideas to be incorporated.  This is also easily translated to the OSR way of things.  There is a certain amount of freedom that OSR games offer that is missing in the latest editions (especially 4e).  This is mainly due to the simplistic presentation, but I think it's also a product of the times in which these games were written.

One thing that majorly differentiates OSR form post 3e is the sheer volume of supplements.  In the old days, there were only a few basic books you needed, and most of the extra stuff created up through 1e were adventure modules and campaign settings.  This was great because most DM's I have known prefer to write their own adventures that take place in their own worlds.  So, there was no need to buy anything beyond the rulebooks, and maybe a module or two to kick things off.

With 2e, and even more so with 3e, the focus seems to have shifted from the rules to the accessories.  This may not actually be the case, but that is my perception.  With book after book of player options, new classes, feats, skills, weapons, prestige classes, monsters, deities...the basic three rulebooks are almost drowning in a sea of material.  There's so much out there for each new edition (3e, 3.5, Pathfinder, 4e), that I think players and DM's seem to lose sight of the fact that it's all smoke and mirrors, and that the only thing they actually need are the PHB, DMG and MM.

All of that being said, I LOVE 3.5 and Pathfinder.  I like the options, and the flexibility.  And I am quite comfortable cherry-picking rules from the various supplements for use in the games I play (currently one).  But, I also enjoy the simple charm of OSR games, and the nostalgia that comes with just reading the books (and if you read my other blog, you know what a big place nostalgia has in my life).

So, I guess it's safe to say that most of the stuff I create for OSR will be my efforts to combine those two styles of game.

Welcome to the table!

Hail and well-met, traveler.  Some of you may already know me from my other blog, while others may be just hearing from me for the first time.  Either way, I’m glad to have an audience to stroke my ego for.

Wait, that didn’t really sound right…

Anyways, as you should be able to guess, this blog is about tabletop gaming.  Within these not-so-hallowed halls I shall endeavor to discuss the RPG’s I have played, those I currently play (or will be soon), and those I never played, but would really like to.

As a writer of fiction, nonfiction, gaming material, and just about anything else that suits my fancy, I will occasionally talk about my own projects.  In fact, I would wager that the subject of my own creations and efforts will come up quite frequently.

So, we’re back to my ego.  Ok.

I certainly invite and welcome commentary here.  Feel free to introduce yourself, give me a link to your gaming-related blog, and/or just comment and criticize what I write here.  Despite 30 years of gaming experience, I am by no means an expert, or all that knowledgeable, and I welcome open discussion.  I have recently realized what a huge part RPG’s have played in my life since the 6th grade, and this blog is just my way of giving back to that beloved community just a little bit.

May your dice always roll exactly what you need them to!