#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.

NuTSR Continues its Downward Spiral

NuTSR's Not Star Frontiers

Honestly, I have been trying to avoid the latest RPG Drama du jour.  Yeah, it gets me hits, but I'd rather get them for my game-related content and not my stance on whatever shit storm is going on.

But some things can't be left unsaid.

So last year I talked a bit about the NuTSR. I wanted to call them NotTSR or !TSR, but NuTSR won out.  

A quick recap they are suing Wizards of the Coast so they (NuTSR) can keep the name they stole, the game they stole (Star Frontiers), and get WotC to remove the content disclaimers on DrivThruRPG. All of which have a snowball's chance in Hell of getting accomplished. All of this is online in places (waves vaguely) and you should have no trouble finding it.

Frankly, I was happy just to wait around and watch WotC/Hasbro wipe them off the face of the gaming world forever. 

That was until the reported Playtest Version of their Not Star Frontiers was leaked.

And man, if you thought FATAL or MYFAROG was bad. The playtest was leaked by Tenkar at his eponymous Tavern and YouTube channel. You can see the rules in his video.

Look, I have NO IDEA if this is a legit set of rules. Many people with solid industry inside knowledge and contacts claim that it is. It is a truly horrifying document. Let's ignore the atrocious grammar and spelling. Let's move past the extremely terrible game design. I mean what I have seen so far screams "fantasy heartbreaker written by high school loner." let's get right into the racist bullshit.

Actually, no I am not going to give them the bandwidth and sully these pages with their madness.  Instead go to the "There's No Place For Hate in Gaming" website and read it all their with the rest of Dave Johnson's hate-spewing nonsense. 

Here is a bit from their Twitter feed (read the whole thread):

Dave Johnson & NuTSR's "Star Frontiers" playtest has been leaked, and it's insanely racist.

It literally has a "Negro" race listed as a subspecies of the superior "Nordic" race. Dave's "Negro" race is "thick bodied," strong, and low intelligence.

NuTSR is straight-up KKK trash. pic.twitter.com/zkIkTx4AAr

— NoHateInGaming (@NoHateInGaming) July 19, 2022

That's pretty damning really.

I am not going to try and insult you all by saying shit like "well this matches with things Johnson has posted in the past" or "the style here matches things Justin has written before."  No. Just read this all for yourself.  

Do I trust that Tenkar has good information? I trust that he trusts it. We don't see eye to eye on, well a whole lot really (it's a Chicago vs New York thing), but I do trust him that he is covering his bases. 

Right now Justin et al are in full DARVO mode saying that it is others attacking them and and "photoshopping" the screen-shots.

Seriously, all NuTSR has to do is issue a statement denying this was their writing, unequivocally denounce it as racist garbage, and pledge that nothing of this sort is in their game or ever will be.

It's what a real publisher would do. It's what a real writer would do.

But to date, they have not that. Nothing at all from Dave Johnson or Justin LaNasa on this. 

This is all developing. So far The Gamer website has picked up on the story, and rumor has it that WotC had an "emergency meeting about it." (that one has yet to be confirmed and I remain skeptical but hopeful.)

Lots of people are covering this and lots of people are talking about it. I am sure we are just at the beginning of all this. So why am I talking about here?

Simple. This sort of behavior needs to be called out.

It is not ok, funny, or edgy to print this shit in 2022. It wasn't right even in 1974, but less so now.  Nazis, racists, sexists, and any sort of bigots need to feel unwelcome in this hobby. More to the point they need feel like outsiders, like uninvited guests that are about to get the boot out the door. There is no room for them here, now, or in the future.

People will bitch and moan with "oh you are just gatekeeping!" No dumb ass. We are keeping hateful rhetoric out of our spaces. If you don't like that then you kindly fuck off and keep fucking off until you are gone.

For anyone that wants to play Star Frontiers, there is a vibrant community out there for it. You can use the original rules or the newer retro-clone.

Star Frontiers

• Star Frontiers: Alpha Dawn (WotC)
• Star Frontiers: Knight Hawks (WotC)
• FrontierSpace Player's Handbook (DwD Studios)
• FrontierSpace Referee's Handbook (DwD Studios)
• Frontier Explorer (DwD Studios)

I had this to say about the whole thing:

Hey @Wizards I think you should release a new version of Star Frontiers using the D&D 5e system. Then release a portion of it as an OGL SRD so others can join in on the fun. Why now? Oh. No reason. #starfrontiers

— Timothy S. Brannan (@timsbrannan) July 20, 2022

Links

• https://www.nohateingaming.com/
• https://www.tenkarstavern.com/2022/07/wait-star-frontiers-new-genesis-is-for.html
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD9evesvAos
• https://www.thegamer.com/tsr-dave-johnson-star-frontiers-playtest-racist/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/w3txdt/star_frontiers_new_genesis_leaks_reveals_overt/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKPn7fM1YwA
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFr_-EhjM_0
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkPURc5cqTU
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtlHA2O3GYs
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeKYty0JyTg *NEW*

Follow Friday: Wobblies & Wizards

I like Podcasts. I can't keep up with all of them out there, but I do enjoy them and you get a different feel from them than you get from say a blog post.

Here is one of my new favorites.

Wobblies & Wizards

Run by Shane Thayer aka Logar the Barbarian. It is an old-school, new-school, and all-around cool geek-based podcast.

If anything he leans more into old-school and the OSR scene, but that is a matter of these are the game he enjoys. You certainly get the vibe here that all games are welcome AND all gamers are welcome.

I was on (should be up soon) and we spent time talking about The Misfits and Black Flag. He has some great OSE content, Satanic Panic, and talks a lot about world-building.

Really worth checking out. Give him a listen and follow him on social media.

https://anchor.fm/wobbliesandwizards

https://twitter.com/LogarHailCrom

https://www.facebook.com/wobbliesandwizards

https://www.patreon.com/wobbliesandwizards

It's June!

The last couple of months has been really busy here at the ole' Other Side. I went from the "April A to Z"  right into SciFi month.  I think June is a great time to get back to the bread and butter of this blog; D&D.  Plus watching Season 4 of Stranger Things has really put me back into the mood.

June was always a great D&D month for me.  While in school it meant summer break. After I got married and had a house it was the month when the planting season was mostly over.  My wife has always had a huge garden (+2,000 ft², that's a lot for the burbs) so in April and May, every weekend is spent outside working.

I have to admit that of late I have been in a sort of creative lull.  Oh I am still picking at the various Basic Bestiaries and I am collecting art for them. My goal/plan/desire is NOT to do a Kickstarter for it. So I am collecting and buying art as I can.  I have not done much if anything on the High Witchcraft book. I have been sorting through the 800+ spells I have written over the years and trying to figure out which ones need to be used.  Both of these projects will be generic OSR, so not tied to any one rule system. I will use my own Compatibility Logos on them.  But the ideas have not been flowing really at all.  Oh I have picked some Fey Lords and a few different types of Angels (both are also discussed in the High Witchcraft book) but that is about it really.   You may have noticed that outside of NIGHT SHIFT I have not produced anything during Covid-Times. You also may have noticed the uptick in reviews here vs. new content.

My friend and day-job co-worker Richard Ruane pointed me in the direction of something going on on Itch.io.  Itch.io is an RPG PDF storefront similar to DriveThruRPG but catering more to the Indie crowd.  All I know about it is the prices of the PDFs are usually twice to three times what I expect to pay on DriveThru, but whatever.  The thing he pointed out to me was the OSR June Jam. 

https://itch.io/jam/osr-june-jam

I have never participated in a Design Jam for RPGs before. I have done plenty at my day job. So I thought I should give it a go.  

This sounds like a fun idea really, and I do have two completely brand new ideas I could do with this. I will talk about them later since I am looking into some details now. But a hint for one is "Halfling Folk Horror."

It is hosted on Itch.io but I have to look at my contract with DriveThruRPG since I think I signed exclusivity. I don't know yet.  Submissions are due at the end of the month so that gives me 28.5 days to get it all in.

I will also use my Compatibility Logos above for these, but my target system is likely to be Old School Essentials Advanced Fantasy and/or Advanced Labyrinth Lord.   Though there are some logos on the site they recommend.

Maybe this is something I need to shake off the cobwebs in my brain.

In the meantime check out all the empty space on my Itich.io profile: https://timsbrannan.itch.io/

Test Post: More Larina Art

Testing a few things on my social media manager, but I figure this is also a good time to show off the latest art I had commissioned from OdinDoesArt.   I am quite pleased with it, to be honest.

Now to see how far and wide this one went!

The Fall of the Empire of the Petal Throne

The news came out this past week about M.A.R. Barker, the creator of Empire of the Petal Throne and Tékumel. Apparently, there is confirming evidence that Prof. Barker (formerly Philip Barker) wrote the book Serpent's Walk under the pseudonym Randolph Calverhall and published by the same neo-Nazi publisher that published The Turner Diaries.

This is fairly damning, to be honest.  The book is pretty much Nazi "fan fiction" by those familiar with it. While this might not be enough for others there is more.  It does seem that the Tekumel Foundation has known about this, and kept it quiet, for years.  Now you might ask how is a "Nazi fan fiction" any different than say Philip K. Dick's "Man in the High Castle?"  I guess the back cover of the book tells the whole story.  It was written as fulfillment fantasy of a group of S.S. officers' descendants "correcting the the wrongs" of the end of W.W. II.

Ok that is pretty bad.  Then to make matters worse, Prof. Barker sat on the board of editors for anti-Sementic, Holocaust-denial journal, "The Journal of Historical Review," as psuedo-scientific and psuedo-academic journal. It has been described as anti-Sementic by the Southern Poverty Law Center.   

The Journal is much like others of it's ilk; not peer-reviewed, pushing an agenda.  There was some uncertainty online about who this particular "Philip Barker, Ph.D." was, but honestly combined with the publication of the other book I don't feel that he gets any benefit of the doubt. 

What does that mean for me? 

Well.  Everyone has to draw their own lines somewhere. Like Lovecraft, Orson Scott Card, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and J.K. Rolwing, Barker has left a pretty dark mark on his legacy.  

For me, Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism are steps way too far. 

There is no evidence of this, as far as I can tell, within the pages of Tékumel.  But the shine on the books is gone for me. I know he is dead and won't benefit from anything I do or don't do.  I am not looking to boycott or raise a campaign about it, plenty of others will do that.  It is just sad of course that such an obviously brilliant man also has such vile and repugnant beliefs.  

Anyway, here are the relevant links. No I am not linking to the books. You can find them on your own.

• RPGNet Discussion
• Reddit Discussion
• Statement from the Tekumel Foundation
• SPLC on the Institute for Historical Review
• Auschwitz Memorial and Museum's statement on The Institute for Historical Review and the Journal of Historical Review 

Crowdfund Your Weekend!

Today's weekly KickstartCrowdfund Your Weekend looks at projects beyond Kickstarter. 

Mistletoe Massacre - Horror Comedy Slasher Film

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mistletoe-massacre-horror-comedy-slasher-film#/

I love Indie horror movies and this one looks like a lot of fun.  They are crowdfunding, which is also fun.  I have participated in crowdfunded projects like this before and it is cool to see your name on the screen under "thanks!"

Seriously though, check this out and give what you can.  I know a lot of you love horror films as much as I do. So help them out, get a fun new horror flick and some memorabilia too!  The signed poster looks nice. 

Bundle for Ukraine

https://itch.io/b/1316/bundle-for-ukraine

Another RPG Bundle from Itch.io.  This time they are raising $4M+ for aid to Ukraine.

For $10 you get $992 pdfs/games from 733 creators.  That's a hell of a deal.

Both of these are very worthy so check them out!