Projections and Reflections

Seems like the blog-0-sphere is rife with posts giving the "2010 in Review" and "What's on the Plate for 2011" type posts. I figure it's as good a time as any for reflection and prediction. The slate is clean, in a sense. I was hoping to get a few more posts made before the end of 2010, but averaging over a post a week isn't so bad, all in all. I got a little distracted by the holidays, shopping, a new Wii and episodes of Angel on Netflix. Granted the blog was buried from March until October. If it weren't for successfully completing the Daily Blog Challenge in November, I wouldn't be anywhere near that number.

I started this blog about a year ago...I made few posts and it stalled. I recognized the problem almost immediately. There was no direction. I wanted to leave it as open as possible, allowing me to write about all sorts of topics of interest. The problem? It didn't really keep my interest. You see, I don't think of myself as a natural writer or anything. I don't dislike the writing process, but the words don't just "flow" for me, either. Combine that with a long standing desire to procrastinate and0 any lack of focus is probably a bad thing. If you go back to those earliest posts you'll see a bunch of brief movie reviews, some commentary on Food Network programming, a couple posts on RPGs.

Back in October, I decided to resurrect the blog and give it a bit of focus. Gaming, and RPGs specifically have been taking up a lot of my free time these days (although I still do watch a fair amount of trashy movies, listen to heavy metal records, and watch Food Network programming -- though I do wish we had access to their newish Cooking Channel with our current cable service. The programming over there appears to me much more my "style"...I can't believe I just admitted to that...anyway)...

So what is in store for 2011? More gaming, for sure, and hopefully more posting. Right now, I'm considering setting a schedule for myself. I'd love to average 12-16 posts a month, which is quite a high number, considering my posting history. For that to happen, I'm going to need some inspiration, so in the coming days, expect to see some posts that are more brainstorming than content or review. We'll see what happens. I'm going to apply for the Role Playing Game Bloggers Network at the end of January, because I'm hoping that having potentially more readers will be an enticement to post more content.

Well, what about 2010? It was a big gaming year for me, for sure. I've met a bunch of cool new people, I went to a couple gaming cons, I've found some great blogs, I've bought some box sets, and I've played a bunch of games.

October was my first visit to GASP Games day, and honestly, I'm kicking myself for not checking out this group sooner. Great people. Great games. I highly recommend it to anyone in the Pittsburgh area interested in trying out new games. At that first event, I didn't know anyone there. I started making some contacts on the forum, but just showed up ready to play. I got to check out a bunch of board games and I was finally able to check out Labyrinth Lord. I also went to my first "big" gaming convention, Origins, where I got to play Aces & Eights and Hackmaster Basic, sat through some RPG demos, checked out a bunch of board and card games. 2010 was my inaugural attendance at GASPCon, too. Again, I wish I had checked the event earlier. I met even more rad people and played way too many hours of RPGs. Right now, I'm planning on signing up to GM at least on session at the next con.

That Labyrinth Lord game at GASP Games day really set me off on a huge OSR / OD&D / retro-clone kick. I had been following some of the games for a few months, but hadn't played that style of D&D since the late 80s. Since then, I've played 4 additional sessions of LL, a session of Spellcraft & Swordplay, a session of Lamentations of the Flame Princess, and a session of Hackmaster Basic. I refereed a session of Swords & Wizardry which appears to have the potential to turn into a campaign. In addition to all that, my "every other Tuesday" group is still going strong. We started out as a 4e group, but due to a little 4e burnout on my part we've been exploring other games. We just wrapped a 3 session Gamma World (new edition) adventure. In a couple weeks, I'll be running a Hollow Earth Expedition adventure. We're not sure where were going after that; maybe back to the 4e campaign for a while, maybe some Savage Worlds, maybe something else. More details as they become available. The 3.5 Ravenloft Campaign I play in sputtered for a while, but seems to be back in the swing. The same could be said for the 3.5 Forgotten Realms campaign. The Call of Cthulhu game is still going strong, although I believe we're approaching the end of the story arc.

Since deciding to focus this blog on gaming, I haven't posted much on other topics. I quit my regular DJing gig down at the Smiling Moose. We were doing a weekly "Metal Night". All vinyl. Old school. Anyway, the crowds morphed into packs, and the packs morphed into stragglers. I was burned out of playing records for the same 15 dudes every week, so we called it off. No regrets, but my heart really wasn't in it any more. My heavy metal record collecting has definitely slowed this year, too. I already own more records than I know what to do with, but the lure of vinyl is strong. I have all the old records I want that are easy to find. I got lucky and started collecting Heavy Metal records before the collector mentality took over the scene, so I was able to grab a lot of the cool 80s stuff before it got out of hand expensive. There are still some gaps I'd love to fill in, but I have no love for eBay (or paying $50 for 30 year old record). Because of eBay, and n00bs willing to drop that kind of cash, I'm kind of out of luck. The cool records just aren't showing up in the shops like they used to...they're all in collectors hands or sitting on eBay at ridiculous prices. Oh well, like I said, I already have more than I know what to do with.

My band, Abysme, is set to begin recording our debut LP, Strange Rites, tomorrow. It's death metal, taking influences from Entombed, Nihilist, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost and Repulsion. If that sounds like it's up your alley, check us out. We'll be playing the Smiling Moose on January 15 with Nunslaughter and Derketa.

Well, that's enough for now.

A couple of nifty OSR "Toys"

Hey cool...I'm up to a dozen followers! Thanks folks!

There are a couple mega-cool things that popped up recently on blogs I read.  Meatshields! The Classic Fantasy Hirelings & Henchmen Generator allows DMs to make simple cannon fodder for their old school campaigns. The DM enters the size of the location, either village/small town or large town/city. For 5 gp, the players can The players can even choose to give an extra 5 gp to the town crier to get some extra (and I assume somewhat better) applicants. The example below gives the general idea of the output.

Name	Type	Race	HP	Sex	Weapon	Armor	Alignment	Background	Possessions & Knowledge	Notable Features
Samix	Torch-Bearer	Human	2	M	Dagger	None	Neutral	Mercenary	Nothing	Unwashed
Ulmyr	Torch-Bearer	Human	2	M	Dagger	None	Neutral	Failed Apprentice Mage	Nothing	Yellow teeth
Balgar	Man-at-Arms	Human	5	M	Spear, Dagger	Leather	Neutral	Failed Tradesman	Nothing	Pudgy
Beyda	Man-at-Arms	Human	4	F	Spear, Dagger	None	Neutral	Street Thug	Nothing	None
Corgard	Torch-Bearer	Human	4	M	Dagger	None	Neutral	Beggar	An ink pot	Hook for a Hand
Worford	Man-at-Arms	Human	2	M	Club, Dagger	Leather	Chaos	Escaped Slave	Nothing	None

 Notes for the DM:
The two most commonly recruited hirelings are:

• Non-combatant humans who serve as torch-bearers, porters, potion-testers, door-spikers, etc. Suggested rate of pay: 5sp/day.
• Zero-level human men-at-arms. Suggested rate of pay: 1gp/day.

In rare instances, the party may also recruit:

• Zero-level demi-human (dwarf, elf, or halfling) men-at-arms. Suggested rate of pay: 3gp/day.
• First level human henchmen (fighter, cleric, or magic-user). Suggested rate of pay: 1/3 share of employer's treasure.

Anyway, check it out. Pretty simple and a lot of fun. I'll definitely be using it for the Swords & Wizardry White Box game whenever appropriate.

Another cool OSR thing to play around with is the Weird Things in Rooms (d100) Random Table that popped up on Beyond the Black Gate yesterday. Lots of fun stuff on there to drive those players that assume everything in a room has to be there for a reason right up the proverbial  wall. Seriously. Dump this stuff in some room with no reason for them to be there and somebody will spend half the game session trying to figure out what they need to do with it.

Here's a couple examples to wet your whistle:

• 3. A large stone wheel set on one wall, clicks when turned.
• 14. One wall has been painted to look like three windows looking out into a lovely garden.
• 33. Seven fluffy orbs of light dance and float in the air of this room, remaining ever beyond your reach.
• 70. A mannequin stands in one corner wearing a surcoat made from fresh meat.

Just to be fair to your players, make sure you make these random rolls right before they enter room, so you have to be on your toes, too!

Happy Thanksgiving

Yep. It's true...we're almost there. This is Daily Blog Challenge post 25, and it's Thanksgiving Day.

First of all, a couple thanks are in order. First off, Curt for pushing to get a game together a few years ago (and convincing me to help DM the Gygax tribute games). Mark for volunteering to act as DM (and cooking dinner). You two got me back into the hobby. Sara for hosting (and healing). Thanks to Tim for allowing me the opportunity to see another DM in action. Dave and Allen for volunteering to get behind the screen so we could try out some different games (and playing in just about every game I play in). Jen for hosting (and trying out this totally bizarro hobby). Hickey, Brad and Paul for agreeing to play in my game (and showing up just about every game session). Tim and John for running some OSR games at GASP and GASPCon, giving me the opportunity to relive my childhood a little (and discover a lot of what I'm missing by playing the modern games). Everyone I've had the pleasure of gaming with over the past 5 years...It's way too many to list, but it was all pretty great. Finally, my handful of readers here at Gutter Cult. Thanks for the feedback and support.

On to a topic of sorts. Well, not really a topic....just letting you all know about the sale going on over at Brave Halfling Publishing. The third printing of Swords & Wizardry White Box box set is on sale for $25 (plus $5 shipping). I probably didn't really need another OSR box set, but I couldn't pass up the deal. The set contains 4 rule books (Characters, Spells, Monsters, & Treasure), a copy of the "Quick Primer for Old-School Gaming" (which I feel should be required reading for all gamers -- pdf is free at the previous link), character sheets, a pencil, and a set of dice, all in a game box. The first 50 orders also get two modules, "The Vile Worm of the Eldritch Oak" & "Ruins of Ramat." Here's hoping I got me order in early enough. They are supposed to ship Monday, so I'll report back, with opinions, once I have it in my hands.

Contents of the S&W White Box box set

Like I said above, I really didn't need this. This is my third OSR related box set. I also have the Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasty Role-playing and the limited edition Spellcraft & Swordplay box. All the content is available via free PDF on the Mythmere site. I even have the PDFs saved on my laptop already. I guess I'm just a sucker for these box sets for some reason. I did really like the presentation, though, and I definitely liked the price.

In case you haven't been paying attention or missed my earlier posts where I talked about it, Swords & Wizardry is a clone of 1974 edition D&D, sometimes called OD&D. They have two versions. The Core Rules cover the three original Little Brown Books (LBB), plus the supplements. The White Box only contains rules from the LBBs. There is also well designed set of Quick Start rules for S&W, for those interested in getting a taste without investing to time to read the full books.

That's all for today. Hopefully, I'll have a bit more to say about Hollow Earth Expedition tomorrow. Gonna start reading some more of the core book right now.

GASPCon Day 1

Daily Blog Challenge post number eleven.



Today I attended GASPCon XI at the Greentree Best Western, just outside Pittsburgh. It was my first time at the Con, and only my second gamer convention ever. Based on my experience today, I'm going to consider more small regional Cons in the future. Today was great. So great, I'm already excited for GASPCon XII, and I'm only one day into number XI. Hah. Anyway, I played two RPGs, picked up some RPG books, and got a free board game.

The Games Played:
Spellcraft & Swordplay - A Bridget Too Far
Spellcraft & Swordplay was developed by Pittsburgher Jason Vey. He attempts to return to the playing style of the earliest editions of Dungeons & Dragons, sticking with the D6 based Chainmail rules for combat. It's supposed to emulate what might have happened if the game developed down that path, rather than going with the alternate combat rules that ended up being the standard. The game uses a 2d6 + attribute bonus mechanic. The DM came up with the scenario on his own and offered the 4 players a stack of pregens. I grabbed a human priest, Curt went with the elf warrior wizard, the other guys were playing a dwarf warrior and a human assassin. The goal was to deliver our king's daughter and dowry to a neighboring kingdom. I thought the game was great. We were attacked by a horde of goblins and hobgoblins along the road. Combat was pretty deadly, but we made it though alive. After another close call at an inn, we arrive in the neighboring kingdom. The king is concerned that the attacks are coming from within his staff. At the very final moment, we manage to stop an assassination attempt on the princess and the wedding goes off with out a hitch. Everyone survived and had lots of fun. Would definitely play again! For the guys in game with, I do have this game, so maybe eventually I will put a one-off scenario together.

Friday 7-11: Labyrinth Lord - A Pit of Despair
Labyrinth Lord is a D&D clone. The game is going to be run by Tim Harper, who also runs the LL game I played at GASP game day last month. We had a very full table. I think there were 8 or 9 of us around the table, each with a character and a retainer. I ended up with a magic user PC and a fighter retainer. It could have been a real nightmare for a more tactical RPG, but with Labyrinth Lord's old school design, it moved along just fine. Tim ran a one-page dungeon he found online (I'm not sure if the 1-page dungeon Tim ran was included on that page, but it should give you the general idea of the philosophy behind them). Essentially all of the adventurers ended up in this crazy fun-house with very few combats and a ton of puzzles and traps and dozens of ways to die. I got pretty lucky. My retainer bit the dust on the next to last room, but the wizard made it through alive. I managed to solve the very last puzzle that allowed us all to escape, which was pretty rad. I thought the whole thing is was totally amazing. So much fun and so many weird and crazy events that I can't possibly get them all into a blog post. I've got another LL game with Tim on Sunday and I'm definitely looking forward to it.

The Swag:
I picked up the following Lamentations of the Flame Princess adventures from Chuck-a-Con online store: The Grinding Gear, Hammers of the Gods, and Death Frost Doom. Charles has a variety of gaming supplies and this prices are pretty good, too. I'll likely be getting more gaming materials through him in the near future.

All pre-registrants got a free board game, too. It looked like there were two possibilities. I got Terra Nova. It's some kind of Euro-strategy game. Looks kind of cool. Definitely into getting it for free.

Like I said, I couldn't ask for or expect a better experience than what I had today. Great time all around. More after tomorrows games. I'll be playing Hackmaster Basic, Savage Worlds, and Lamentations of the Flame Princess. Check back later for those!