tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.comments2024-03-18T18:03:26.604-05:00Walker's RetreatBradford C. Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10810129226163375188noreply@blogger.comBlogger1062125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-77727075215204487542024-03-17T21:41:24.933-05:002024-03-17T21:41:24.933-05:00Glad I have experience publishing my own stuff, th...Glad I have experience publishing my own stuff, then. As for whether my work will fill a niche or not, I guess it depends on how much people want Modern Day Supernaturals, without 'Current Yearᵀᴹ' World of Darkness attached to it, but with some of AD&D's DNA instead.AgentBJ09https://www.blogger.com/profile/01674986456971220873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-59935589011654605242024-03-15T11:47:33.649-05:002024-03-15T11:47:33.649-05:00Fulton Sheen who said: one day people will want to...Fulton Sheen who said: one day people will want to know what a photo of a happy family looked like and we, the Church, will be here for them.A.F.W Juniorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15868768368133083012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-28227665327147277312024-03-14T00:33:30.253-05:002024-03-14T00:33:30.253-05:00Jon Mollison is on the beat: https://jonmollison.c...Jon Mollison is on the beat: https://jonmollison.com/2024/03/13/told-you-so/Bradford C. Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10810129226163375188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-37128122050823614802024-03-13T08:38:31.872-05:002024-03-13T08:38:31.872-05:00I've been a reader for a while, but I wanted t...I've been a reader for a while, but I wanted to finally drop a comment because there was something about this video that it seems people are overlooking in all the outrage: Wizards (inadvertently) joined the BrOSR! There's a segment from 21:23-26:45 (https://youtu.be/PhxVlgehNpc?t=1283) where they discuss a column Gary Gygax wrote for a European wargaming fanzine (Europa) detailing how D&D was meant to be played and how it's very different from Conventional Play. They mention things like player autonomy, domain play, PvP, large table sizes, always-on play, etc. They admit that according to Gary, this the the meat of the game, and that the dungeon delves are there to augment this. They even speculate that Conventional Play emerged from Tournament Play at conventions, because that was how most people first experienced the game being run by the people who made it; everyone just took that and ran with it, and thus for decades have been playing a completely different game than the one Gygax and Arenson intended.<br /><br />In other words, Wizards themselves just admitted to a bunch of things the BrOSR has been saying forever (and for which theatre kids have been chewing them out forever), *on the official Dungeons and Dragons YouTube channel no less.* I'm not a Twitter dweller myself to know if the BrOSR is rubbing this in everyone's faces, but if they aren't, I have to ask why not.TheChungusAmongushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12490162125476501188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-82077108047890578912024-03-13T00:33:49.063-05:002024-03-13T00:33:49.063-05:00I can imagine what Ernie and Luke Gygax, and David...I can imagine what Ernie and Luke Gygax, and David and Malika Arneson, must be thinking, and feeling, about this. Probably the same pit of the stomach disgust I felt when this news reached me.AgentBJ09https://www.blogger.com/profile/01674986456971220873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-61328680496321548072024-03-08T21:55:37.233-06:002024-03-08T21:55:37.233-06:00"Western fantasy followed first Burroughs, th..."Western fantasy followed first Burroughs, then Howard, and then Tolkien."<br /><br />There is a Fourth, and His name is H. Rider Haggard.<br /><br />His Zulu Trilogy:<br />Marie <br />Child of Storm <br />Finished <br /><br />Then: <br />The Holy Flower <br />Heu-heu: or, The Monster<br /><br />Then: <br />NADA THE LILY - Umslopogaas's backstory...<br /><br />You might as well throw in King Solomon's Mines, and Allan Quatermain, while you are at it. IMO: If those two books are the only Haggard books you've ever read, you are missing out on some of his more epic stuff.<br /><br />I believe that Haggard laid a lot of groundwork for what came after. But his contributions to the adventure and fantasy genre get overlooked because much of his work was set in colonial Africa. And even today most don't really look at his content past King Solomon's Mines.Wes350https://www.blogger.com/profile/18000679875275993917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-65335883741083488962024-02-29T19:13:54.752-06:002024-02-29T19:13:54.752-06:00As a business circles the drain, the principles of...As a business circles the drain, the principles often do stupider and stupider things in order to squeeze the last few shekels out. <br /><br />Did you see Gab just committed suicide?Scott Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06719105828151924883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-88785490086016341012024-02-29T18:31:35.247-06:002024-02-29T18:31:35.247-06:00"Piss-poor processes to convert vidya players..."Piss-poor processes to convert vidya players to tabletop players, starting with a piss-poor product (including the use of that product)..."<br /><br />In my opinion; the actual product is irrelevant. <br />The conversion is not possible due to Vidya payers and Table Top players only really ever crossing over One-way. TT will dabble in CRPG's and wargames, or even convert over, but very seldom the reverse.<br /><br />TT Players for RPG's and wargames are ultimately chasing a different experience than Vidya offers. <br /><br />Vidya players have Zero interest in ANY TT experience. Including the brosr one. And although the TT hobby has grown, it is still a niche of a niche. Because Vidya has gotten colossally bigger as well.Wes350https://www.blogger.com/profile/18000679875275993917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-87632691017513188452024-02-24T20:15:07.715-06:002024-02-24T20:15:07.715-06:00This sounds like an interesting idea. If Old World...This sounds like an interesting idea. If Old World of Darkness gets this treatment in the coming days, Werewolf in particular, I'll tell you ahead of time that unfucking it is going to involve an editor as much as a gauge of the rules. AgentBJ09https://www.blogger.com/profile/01674986456971220873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-579098537634768992024-02-24T13:07:24.574-06:002024-02-24T13:07:24.574-06:001e Star Wars is readily available used. There was ...1e Star Wars is readily available used. There was also a 30th anniversary reprint of the 1e core and sourcebook that are still relatively available.<br /><br />There was also the Star Warriors space combat game that WEG put out for 1e. Which allows you to plug your PC straight into the more complex wargame starfighter combat. <br /><br />They only did the space combat wargame, but I'd imagine that savvy people could extrapolate the Star Warriors rules to land based combat with AT-AT's, Troops, etc...Wes350https://www.blogger.com/profile/18000679875275993917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-49336582272634013202024-02-08T18:09:51.142-06:002024-02-08T18:09:51.142-06:00I'm still waiting to see a video or hear a pod...I'm still waiting to see a video or hear a podcast where someone does this with their table, live and unedited, to see how long it takes to generate these things.<br /><br />I can just imagine the players sitting around the table waiting while the dungeon master flips - flips - flips through the book looking for the tables and roll - roll - roll the dice and compare this and compare that and then "oh look it's troglodytes. You are surprised by troglodytes!"<br /><br />To which the players respond "How come we didn't smell the troglodytes down the hall? They smell terrible."<br /><br />"Oh, well, um, I didn't have anything at all prepared cuz the guys on Twitter said that #zeroprep was awesome, so here we are."<br /><br />Appendices A and B are fantastic tools but they are not meant to be used live at the table every session all session.Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12417094386820895642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-23974554826127384622024-02-08T10:23:34.261-06:002024-02-08T10:23:34.261-06:00I've been reading your blog for years, but nev...I've been reading your blog for years, but never quite got the hang of "Rules as Written". My college gaming group in 1979 never used the appendixes, as we preferred to create megadungeons with megabackstory instead. We never used the appendixes.<br /><br />This post worked. I am now imagining what might have happened if I followed your instructions back in the day, and let the dungeon and backstory emerge from random rolls.<br /><br />Took me a while to find the Ruins subtable, though...Carl Hommelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12807429086094333292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-56919236725092965892024-02-04T09:57:37.345-06:002024-02-04T09:57:37.345-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.M. L. Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079559988227795442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-41742485881853286742024-02-03T21:02:34.684-06:002024-02-03T21:02:34.684-06:00Without going hard into piracy, you're choosin...Without going hard into piracy, you're choosing between evils.Bradford C. Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10810129226163375188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-72540454370715353302024-02-03T13:33:29.698-06:002024-02-03T13:33:29.698-06:00"You can get all the fun of Deadlands without..."You can get all the fun of Deadlands without giving that pozzed publisher a penny."<br /><br />Yes, but that $8.50 will go in Wizards of the Coast's pocket--maybe less money, but to a more malignant entity.M. L. Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079559988227795442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-48626279721617683372024-01-28T04:44:26.700-06:002024-01-28T04:44:26.700-06:00Forced myself to read the article start to finish....Forced myself to read the article start to finish. Writer creature is the worst villain of the lot but she(?) had to work for it. Ja Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08379693132446190976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-63139598128071239062024-01-23T15:44:33.902-06:002024-01-23T15:44:33.902-06:00Exactly, you can just take things you like and mas...Exactly, you can just take things you like and mash them together. Do your own spin, your own interpretation For me, I have created a bit of a "pantheon" of Celestials (below a creator God). Some of these are inspired by Touhou characters.<br />TAKE THINGS YOU LIKE AND SMASH THEM TOGETHER. This is the core essence of my worldbuilding. There is nothing wrong with this, especially for TTRPGs, in fact it's good.Legendsmithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14359995217892847708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-49766014712833303522024-01-09T23:59:25.247-06:002024-01-09T23:59:25.247-06:00Shirt Size: 2X (Tall if available)Shirt Size: 2X (Tall if available)Bradford C. Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10810129226163375188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-36583399986629426872024-01-06T13:20:10.707-06:002024-01-06T13:20:10.707-06:00There was a 6-9 month window where PF1e did outsel...There was a 6-9 month window where PF1e did outsell 4e D&D.<br /><br />2011 Releases for 4e: (I'm sure I missed some stuff)<br /><br />Book of Vile Darkness December 20, 2011<br />Player’s Option: Heroes of the Feywild November 15 2011<br />Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium April 19 2011 September 20 2011<br />Madness of Gardmore Abbey boxed super-adventure September 20 2011<br />Neverwinter Campaign Guide Forgotten Realms August 16 2011<br />Player's Option Handbook: Champions of the Heroic Tier July 19 2011<br />Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale Box set June 21 2011<br />The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought and Beyond. Box set May 17 2011<br />Player's Option: Heroes of Shadow April 19 2011<br />Deluxe Dungeon Master's Screen February 15<br /><br />As of late 2011 4e was still putting out players option books, and campaign setting guides. It was still a fully supported game line.<br /><br />Pathfinder had already begun to outsell 4e On Merit by at least Q2 in 2011:<br /><br />https://icv2.com/articles/games/view/20743/top-5-rpgs-q2-2011<br />https://icv2.com/articles/games/view/21403/top-5-rpgs-summer-2011<br />https://icv2.com/articles/games/view/22214/top-5-rpgs-q4-2011<br /><br />Only in January 2012, did Wotc announce that a new edition of the game, (D&D Next), was under development.<br /><br />I don't believe Lisa Stevens is lying here, but to each their own judgement:<br />paizo.com - Community / Paizo Blog / Tags / Paizo / Auntie Lisa's Story Hour<br /><br />Paizo Publishing's 10th Anniversary Retrospective—Year 8 (2010) - Following Up on Our Success - Thursday, November 1, 2012<br />"This will be news to most readers: By the end of 2010, the Pathfinder RPG had already overtaken D&D as the bestselling RPG. It would take almost half a year before industry magazine ICv2 first reported it, and several quarters more before some people were willing to accept it as fact, but internally, we already knew it was true. We'd heard it from nearly all of our hobby trade distributors; we'd heard it from buyers at book chains like Barnes & Noble and Borders; we could see it using industry sales trackers such as BookScan; we were even regularly coming out on top on Amazon's bestseller charts. Each individual market we sold in had us either tied with or outselling D&D, and none of those sources counted our considerable direct sales on paizo.com. Put all of those things together, and it was clear: Pathfinder had become the first RPG ever to oust D&D from top spot."<br /><br />I don't understand why some have such a hard time accepting the fact that Pathfinder outsold 4e on merit. Certainly by early 2011. <br /><br />As a result of which Hasbro/WotC made the decision to cut their losses, and move to a new edition of D&D to right the ship.<br /><br />I think someone at WotC recognized that 4e had split the fanbase; that PF1 was taking big chunks out of their market share, and it wasn't slowing down.<br /><br />Perhaps 4e essentials was intended to rectify this? But PF1 kept on chugging. By late 2010, early 2011, the writing was on the wall, and someone at WotC/ Hasbro made the decision to go to a new edition.<br /><br />Which culminated in the D&D next announcement in 2012, when new product for 4e actually did fall off a cliff.<br /><br />Personally, I would like to know who made the call to switch to D&D next/5e. That took some serious stones and foresight. It was a ruthlessly pragmatic business decision that had to have been made very early in 2011 when they were still had plenty of 4e products in the pipeline to roll out for the year.<br /><br />I agree that if D&D abandons the tabletop; there will be a collapse. <br />But it will not be the end to commercial viability for RPG's, although they will naturally take a hit. <br /><br />Because in my opinion; the PF/4e Debacle has already shown that a "D&D" alternative can fill that void, and eventually, over years, assume a market leader status in RPG land.<br /><br />Of course what is going on now is terra incognita, and only time will tell what will really happen.<br />Wes350https://www.blogger.com/profile/18000679875275993917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-54823932346269134622023-12-30T22:47:42.710-06:002023-12-30T22:47:42.710-06:00Traveller really needs one or two subsectors to ge...Traveller really needs one or two subsectors to get a campaign going. Merchants and Scout Ships need something to move around in. The Travelling sequence is half or more of the game-- ie picking up cargos and passengers, encountering pirates, etc.Jeffrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09953996131312014993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-70059590645513507362023-12-20T16:31:36.526-06:002023-12-20T16:31:36.526-06:00That makes sense. Thanks!That makes sense. Thanks!Algebraicvarietyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10533981801720860723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-88109605571770682402023-12-19T21:49:15.011-06:002023-12-19T21:49:15.011-06:00By default, victory means "No one can contest...By default, victory means "No one can contesting the most dominant character."<br /><br />For a campaign that starts with a blank map that fills in over time by player actions and interactions, that works; it's also possessed of sufficient verisimilitude given how frontiers explode and close.<br /><br />For something more purpose-built, that's far more like the wargames people recognize: each party has a specific objective, so the first to hit their objective (and are unable to be gainsayed) wins- and the better ones have a global Loss Condition so that everyone can lose if that gets met (e.g. warring parties trying to escape a location about to blow, but only one party can do so).Bradford C. Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10810129226163375188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-71169256992893802092023-12-19T17:08:51.037-06:002023-12-19T17:08:51.037-06:00Thank you for a great summary of the fundamentals....Thank you for a great summary of the fundamentals. I have just one question: in a standard AD&D campaign with setting generated on-the-fly, how does the campaign-DM decide which victory condition to set, and when in the campaign's course should this happen?Algebraicvarietyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10533981801720860723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-37211282059392009692023-12-16T15:07:18.144-06:002023-12-16T15:07:18.144-06:00And the sooner it happens the betterAnd the sooner it happens the betterAlcamtarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17306363847212311336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-695527399731010011.post-44251141516405651272023-12-16T03:55:28.189-06:002023-12-16T03:55:28.189-06:00Steve Jackson games has always been this.
The mon...Steve Jackson games has always been this. <br />The money comes from running an ISP. <br />And munchkin card game variants bring in enough to cover all the other stuff. <br />But even he turned to Kickstart as pre-order manager for new projects the past few years. heyjames4https://www.blogger.com/profile/16001886521427679105noreply@blogger.com