#RPGaDAY2022 Day 16 - What would be your perfect game?

Perfect game? Hmm.

If you mean the perfect RPG then I have to say NIGHT SHIFT, but that is kind of a cheat for me really since it was designed out of the box to be my perfect game.

For a perfect game, I have run? Hmm. Either my "Dragonslayers" game I ran with my kids some years ago. "The Dragon and The Phoenix" Buffy game that eventually would influence my writing on Ghosts of Albion. I also love my current "War of the Witch Queens."

Maybe I should re-tool The Dragon and The Phoenix or Season of the Witch for NIGHT SHIFT!

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 15 - Who would you like to Gamemaster for you?

Interesting question.

Normally I prefer to game with people I know. Conventions are an obvious exception.  So there isn't really anyone out there that I would like to have as a Game Master. 

I would however like to play a game with Matt Mercer of Critical Role.  He just looks like he runs a fun game. Yeah, that might make me a heretic among the old-school crowd, but I stopped caring about that years ago.

 

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 14 - Suggestion Sunday

So today is Suggestion Sunday.  I am supposed to "Roll 1d8+1, and tag that many friends and suggest a new RPG to try."

But generally speaking, I don't like to tag people like that. I have a few on my friend's list that in fact do not like to be tagged. The alternate is also tagging people. 

So instead I am rolling a 1d8+1 and recommending that number of RPGs in my to-be-read pile.

I rolled a 4 so here are 5 RPG recommendations from my to-be-read and to-be-reviewed piles.

1. The Dark Eye.  The English version of the German Die Schwarze Auge has been sitting here taunting me forever. It just looks like so much fun! Plus it has witches. You know I love that.

2. Coyote & Crow Core Rulebook. Alternate future, Native American RPG. The premise intrigues me and any game that has Cahokia as its central city already moves up several notches in my mind.

3. Hero Kids. I just love the idea of this game.

4. Far Away Land. I am embarrassed by how long this one has been on my TBR piles. It is so good and so much fun.

5. Blue Rose. I know I have reviewed it already and played it. But it is the "+1" part so I can go off of my own script. Seriously check it out it is a wonderful game.

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 13 - How would you change the way you started RPGing?

I don't think I would change anything, to be honest with you.  Save for maybe hold on to some items longer.

Generally speaking, I am not one to have regrets or second guess my past. Things happened, I made the best choices I could with the knowledge I had and it made me what I am right now and I would not want to change that.

My struggles to figure out how Holmes Basic worked with the Monster Manual or Moldvay Basic/Cook Expert worked with the AD&D Players Handbook set me off into directions to understand these systems better. Which got me to write my own material. Which got me into writing my own material for online use. Then to working with real publishers. To produce materials that people buy now. 

It all goes back to that. I would not want to change any of it really.

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 12 - Why did you start RPGing?

Like I mentioned on Day 8 it was the late 70s and early 80s and honestly, Dungeons & Dragons was everywhere it seemed. This was before the full Satanic Panic had hit my small town (that would be later) and it just seemed like something all the cool kids were doing.

Of course by the time I picked up D&D all the "cool kids" had moved on to "Call of Cthulhu."  Yes I can still recall being told "oh. You are STILL playing D&D?"  Yeah, here I am 40 years later...and still not one of the cool kids I guess.

Eh. No worries. My kids think I am cool. 

...

I have been informed that they don't think I am cool.  Whatever. You all still like me.

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 11 - If you could live in a game setting, where would it be?

Hmm.  These questions can sometimes be a little cringe. BUT I am going to take it at face value.

I rather like my Ordinary World setting for NIGHT SHIFT.  The supernatural is real, but it largely wants to be left alone.  I just kinda like the idea that vampires work the morgue night shifts, werewolves are postal carriers, and the scary old lady down the street really is a witch.

Who knows. It might be fun!

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 10 - When did/will you start Gamemastering?

When did I start Game Mastering?  Right away to be honest.

It would have been with the D&D Basic Set edited by Tom Moldvay. I am sure I ran my younger brother and sister through some adventures.  I know I had made my own dungeons then and still have a couple of the maps. One, in particular, had a red dragon in one room and a green dragon in another.  No idea how they got through the doors.

I would like to think I got better.

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 9 - What is the 2nd RPG you bought?

Ok. This one is up for some debate.

D&D and its variants of the time were all my "First" RPG.  I played them like they were all one game.  

My Second RPG?

That one was a bit fuzzier.  I know where I bought it though. It was from the Mail Order Hobby shop.  I know this because I am sure I bought them both at the same time because they were not available at my local book store.

It was either Chill or Traveller.  

For my "street cred" I will say Chill, but in my gut, I think it was Traveller. I do know that I did not get a chance to play either of them until much later in life. 

I still rather enjoy both games.

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 8 - Who introduced you to RPGs?

That one is a little harder to figure out.  I feel like that in the late 70s and early 80s D&D was all over the place. I knew of it as far back as 77 or 78. I didn't read any of it until 1979 though.

I borrowed the Monster Manual from my classmate Geordie Herald. I got a copy of Holmes' Basic from someone. My first real DM was Jon Cook. 

In truth, there was this critical mass of D&D in my town in the late 70s. I DO remember I almost didn't get involved with it due to my interest in video games. But reading mythology and "The Hobbit" and watching all sorts of horror movies I think made my involvement in the game at the time rather inevitable.

All roads lead to the Keep on the Borderlands it seemed.

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 7 - System Sunday: Describe a cool part of a system that you love

I have to admit, I am a big fan of the "Rule of 2" we use for NIGHT SHIFT.

From the rules:

The rule of 2: this is my name for a sub-system in D&D that has never been precisely codified, but is buried deep in the bones of the game. Any time a situation needs to be adjudicated in D&D for which there is not another system, throw a die, and on a result of 1 or 2, it happens. Listening at a door (and not a thief)? You hear noise on a 1 or 2. Looking to notice a secret door (and not a dwarf or elf)? Roll a d6 and you find it on a 1 or 2. Surprise? 1 or 2. The only thing that changes, for the most part, is the type of die--rangers, for example, use a d8 surprise die--and some character types may adjust the probability (elves noticing a secret door without searching is a 1 on a d6).

A nice simple rule that covers a bunch of situations. 

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 6 - How would you get more people playing RPGs?

In the past, I would have focused on the adventure, the excitement and the interactivity of it all. Today I would still do that, but I would also focus on the things that mean more to me these days; playing with family and friends.

I'd also point out how it is a great creative effort.  Want to write an 11 backstory for your character? Sure! Go ahead. But keep in mind they might die at any point.  What to do then? New character and new backstory!

There are so many reasons people get into RPGs now and so many different kinds to choose from. Getting people into RPGs may not be the right question. Instead, how do we help people find the right RPG for their needs and wants?

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 5 - Why will they like this game?

I guess this is continuing on from Day 3's choice.

Why will they like this game? 

Well for Basic D&D you can get up and running really fast. Character creation is quick, you can be right into the action in under an hour.

I also use D&D Basic to sell people on the game by appealing to their sense of history, I talk about how many others have traveled the same paths they have. I appeal to their nostalgia.  With "Stranger Things" so prominent in the media now this is a good hook.

"So many heroes have walked this path, but so many more are now forgotten. Which one will you be?"

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 4 - Where would you host a first game?

This one is easy.

If it is the first game for people I don't know well and I am teaching them the game then I usually want to do it at my Favorite Local Game Store, Games Plus in Mount Prospect, IL.  This way if they want to buy the game in question everything they need is right there.  Plus it is a nice neutral environment.

If it is for people I know well then I prefer my game room here at my home.  I always wanted my own game room and now I have one.

I just need to convince my kids they need to clean up when they are done using it.

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 3 - When were you first introduced to RPGs?

I believe I have shared this story before, but it never hurts to re-share.

For me, it was the Winter of 1979.  It was "quiet reading" time at school and I had already read everything in our school's small library on science and my new fascination, Mythology.  So instead of picking up "D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths" for the 100th time, I borrowed a friend's book that also covered all the same monsters and creatures. 

The book was the AD&D Monster Manual.

The rest is history.  I tried to figure out to play on my own, made up a bunch of stuff, and then finally got a copy of the Holmes Basic book. A poorly Xeroxed copy to be exact. Until I got my hands on the Moldvay Basic set this was how I tried to play D&D.  

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 2 - What is a great introductory RPG?

There are a lot of great choices out there, but I am still rather partial to the 1981 Moldvay Basic Set.  Starts you out simple and lets you build as you go on.  While the Mentzer Red Box Basic for the BECMI line gets a lot of kudos (and got the sales to be sure) I am still more in the camp of Moldvay.

I suppose it follows then that Old-School Essentials is also a good choice as is Basic Fantasy.

 

#RPGaDAY2022 Day 1 - Who would you like to introduce to RPGs?

Hmm. I have already introduced RPGs to so many people. My kids and through them more people. 

I think there are is an untapped market in appealing to other creatives I know; artists, writers, and the like. I think many of them would naturally take to RPGs.

Though it is still many, many years down the road, maybe I can introduce RPGs to my grandkids!

 

#RPGaDay2022

Tomorrow is the first of August and that means #RPGaDAY for 2022!

Started and maintained by Dave Chapman at AUTOCRATIK, this has been a yearly thing for the last nine years.  My first was in 2014. I took 2017 off, and didn't finish 2018s. But I am here for it all in 2022!

Here is the list of post prompts I will be doing all month.  They follow the questions of Who, What When, Where, Why, and How. With bonus questions on Sunday.

As well as text ones for anyone using a screen reader.

#RPGaDAY2022 Prompts:

1 - Who would you like to introduce to RPGs?

2 - What is a great introductory RPG?

3 - When were you first introduced to RPGs?

4 - Where would you host a first game?

5 - Why will they like this game?

6 - How would you get more people playing RPGs?

7 - System Sunday: Describe a cool part of a system that you love.

8 - Who introduced you to RPGs?

9 - What is the 2nd RPG you bought?

10 - When did/will you start Gamemastering?

11 - If you could live in a game setting, where would it be?

12 - Why did you start RPGing?

13 - How would you change the way you started RPGing?

14 - Suggestion Sunday: Roll 1d8+1, and tag that many friends and suggest a new RPG to try.

15 - Who would you like to Gamemaster for you?

16 - What would be your perfect game?

17 - Past, Present, or Future? When is your favorite game set?

18 - Where is your favorite place to play?

19 - Why has your favorite game stayed with you?

20 - How long do your games last?

21 - Setting Sunday: Share an intriguing detail from a game setting you enjoy.

22 - Who is your current character?

23 - What situation are they currently in?

24 - When did you start playing this character?

25 - Where has the character been?

26 - Why does your character do what they do?

27 - How has the character changed?

28 - Style Sunday: Roll 1d8+1, tag that many friends with your favorite RPG cover art.

29 - Who would you like to see take part in #RPGaDAY?

30 - What should #RPGaDAY do for its 10th anniversary next year?

31 - When did you first take part in #RPGaDAY?

--

Follow along here and on Twitter.

#RPGaDAY2021 Day 31 Thank

This one might be the easiest one in the series.

Day 31 Thank

I want to thank everyone that read my posts, posted replies, and interacted with me on Social Media. 

I also want to thank Dave Chapman for doing this every year.

Thank everyone.  Now I turn my sights to October and Halloween!

#RPGaDAY2021 Day 30 Mention

Almost to the end!

Day 30 Mention

I thought I might mention some D&D-related content I am looking forward to.

From Wizards of the Coast

Some great-looking books coming up.

The Wild Beyond the Witchlight reminds me a bit of the Ravenloft Carnival product for 2e. Likely that is how I am going to use it.  Love the idea of a traveling carnival from the Feywild.  Plus the chance for the return of Warduke, Kelek, and Skylla?  Yeah, sign me up!

Fizban's Treasury of Dragons.  Ok, I am not looking forward to this one per se, but I am looking forward to seeing my oldest, dragon-loving, son get it.  Though it does look like it has a lot of cool things in it.

Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos. Seriously. How could I know be excited about this one? 

From Goodman Games

Original Adventures Reincarnated #6: Temple of Elemental Evil. I never played or ran the ToEE back in the day. I have planned on using it as the penultimate adventure for my D&D campaigns when they all end.  This two-volume set looks fantastic is exactly what I need for my campaign.

So yeah. I am sure there is more, but these are the ones on my mind right now.

Don't forget NIGHT SHIFT The Night Companion is nearing its last few days.  Give us some support. If we hit the stretch goal I will give a new Night World and this will keep me out of trouble for a while.

#RPGaDAY2021 Day 29 System

We can see the end from here!

Day 29 System

I feel today is going to be a lot about what sort of game system people prefer. Things like "d20" or "BRP" or a favorite of mine, "Unisystem."

Those are all good choices.  But today I want to talk about one that might not yet be yours or anyone's favorite. Not yet anyway.

Today I am going to talk about O.G.R.E.S. and a little bit about O.R.C.S.

The "S" in both stands for "System," so it is redundant to say "O.G.R.E.S. System" or "O.R.C.S. System" just O.G.R.E.S. and O.R.C.S. is fine. 

O.G.R.E.S.

O.G.R.E.S. stands for Oldschool Generic Roleplaying Engine System.  It is the system that powers NIGHT SHIFT.  It sits somewhere between the "rulings not rules" freeform of OD&D and the simple mechanics of d20.  The end result is something that feels very familiar and new at the same time.  

O.G.R.E.S. features three main subsystems as described by my co-author and designer Jason Vey. They are:

• Percentile checks
• d20 checks
• The Rule of 2

The first two are likely self-explanatory, but here is Jason explaining all three in detail.

Percentile checks are used to check anything that requires a straight probability. Some class abilities use percentile checks (thief skills, for example, and the ranger's tracking). Other class abilities (the druid's nature lore ability) simply work. For the most part, however, any class ability requiring a check will use percentile dice. Also, just about every table in the game (with a few exceptions) uses a percentile roll.

d20 checks are used for anything combat-related. To hit rolls, saving throws, and turning undead are rolled on a d20.

The rule of 2: this is my name for a sub-system in D&D that has never been precisely codified, but is buried deep in the bones of the game. Any time a situation needs to be adjudicated in D&D for which there is not another system, throw a die, and on a result of 1 or 2, it happens. Listening at a door (and not a thief)? You hear noise on a 1 or 2. Looking to notice a secret door (and not a dwarf or elf)? Roll a d6 and you find it on a 1 or 2. Surprise? 1 or 2. The only thing that changes, for the most part, is the type of die--rangers, for example, use a d8 surprise die--and some character types may adjust the probability (elves noticing a secret door without searching is a 1 on a d6).

Three very simple subsystems.  Of course, all of these can be reduced to d% rolls.  But really it is all simple.  That is the point. In a game like NIGHT SHIFT action can happen very fast and you don't want a system of dice rolling to get in the way.

There is a hierarchy here of sorts.  Most things will be a d%, followed by combat-related actions with a  d20, and finally the Rule of 2. For everything else.

The Night Companion will expand on this and give you more options for play.

O.R.C.S.

O.R.C.S., or Optimized Roleplaying Core System, is the new version of the system that powers Spellcraft & Swordplay.  This system is heavily inspired by OD&D and other old-school play styles.

The core of O.R.C.S. is the 2d6 task resolution.  Much like the earliest form of D&D BEFORE the d20 was introduced.

Everyone talks about how Swords & Wizardry is the closest thing to OD&D, but they obviously have never played Spellcraft & Swordplay!

I am hoping we will see a lot more of O.G.R.E.S. and O.R.C.S. in the future.

Don't forget NIGHT SHIFT The Night Companion is nearing its last few days.  Give us some support. If we hit the stretch goal I will give a new Night World and this will keep me out of trouble for a while.