|
Eow Links 43 |
| 2021-10-23 |
Eow Links 43
"Eow" for End Of Week. TTRPG Links I gathered during the week. This is iteration 43.
For more weekly links, head to The Seed of Worlds Shiny TTRPG link collection.
Most of the links below are found via the RPG Planet that Alex Schroeder built and maintains. If you have a RPG blog, please consider joining the conversation.
Minimal edtion again. Bear with me, I went to collect mushrooms instead of blog posts.
Jon Peterson, Game Wizards: The Epic Battle for Dungeons & Dragons (2021)
The most charming part of the story for me was to see how very little impact the authors expected that the game would have at the outset. They were just publishing rules for miniatures hobbyists like themselves, a cool new twist on established ways.
Arneson's Hit Points for Characters
Arneson held that character hit points should instead be fixed at character creation, and that characters should become harder to hit as they rise in level.
Harder to hit.
When you see the raw power, belligerence and sadism of male chimps - the sense they give off even in repose that in a split second they could explode into violence - it's hard to avoid the conclusion that they would make great orcs.
At first, I thought it was a post by Joe Rogan.
Ford's Faeries (free OSR bestiary)
Anyway, back in the G+ golden days, Eric Nieudan issued an invitation/challenge for OSR creators to make up creatures using Henry Justice Ford's illustrations.
Experience and exposure requires EFFORT and personal sacrifice.
I backed the first one, liked it enough that I came back for the second and am pleased to continue doing so. I think this magazine sits in a niche that seems to be a peculiarly East-side of the Atlantic one - where it assumes an omniverous gamer that is interested in lots of things. Compare this to Knock! which is the OSR blog-o-sphere in your hand or Arcadia which is monthly chunks of gameable content, this is covering more than just game reviews and actual plays but also the people putting it all together and what is coming down the pipeline. I see shadows of old Arcane magazine in here but that may be just me.
Enticing.
Hidden Depths of Thenya Palace - Actual Test for 24 hours
To test all this we take cousin Lara, competent swashbuckler who cannot sit still has 24 hours to kill and decides to wander about the Palace. Every hour she picks between going deeper into the Palace (1-2 on d6), staying on this level (3-4) or heading back to the core areas (5-6). I rolled up a bunch d6's to get her random path through the palace then rolled the relevant encounter dice sets depending on where she was every hour.
Those Xaossed tables are fun to play with. Here is one in action.
A comparative exploration of OSR RPG Systems - Basic Fantasy
Overall Basic Fantasy is an incredibly well designed retroclone that and is available entirely for free, with the book itself in bold letters stating not to purchase it. It's built up a big community around it as a result who are still actively creating adventures and optional rules and can be found discussing things within the games forum.
How far can you see (in hexes)?
For my games, I'd prefer an easier formula, even if a bit inaccurate.
They told us, stay safe, keep an eye on the next terrain compartment.
A character has a carrying capacity equal to their Strength in stones (which is the maximum weight they can carry), they are heavily encumbered if they are carrying more than two-thirds of this number (round down), and encumbered if they are carrying more than one-third this number (round down).
Endurance.
Xuanzang and the Five Border Towers
There were two ways from China to India, both risky. In the Middle Ages, Asia would be bound together by trade routes and shipping lanes that permitted the free exchange of goods and ideas (and fairly safe travel) that would take Europe almost a thousand years to equal. When Xuanzang set off, though, this network was just getting started.
Journey to the West.
