Dustchapel · Downs · Town · Crier

I’ve often wondered why henchmen and hirelings are not stressed more in adventuring. Everything seems to revolve around a party of four to six intrepid adventurers braving the unknown. At the same time, things like wondering monsters and random encounters have seemed to fall by the wayside as well. For me, henchmen and hirelings always were an integral and fun part of the game. I’ll admit that when I was younger, we did tend to treat these folks as cannon fodder and throw them under the bus with abandon (heh, that does bring back some funny memories). However, as we matured in our play style, they enabled us to adventure longer and farther as we had more resources to draw upon and survive random encounters. When playing with my last group, we initially did not utilize any hired hands, but it soon became apparent that it would be prudent to do so unless we wanted to limit the adventure to one encounter and then stop to lick wounds. I’m not quite sure why current designs shy away from this (of course it could all be just a misperception on my part). Especially with the current statistic obsessed incarnation of the game, it seems that this aspect would be much more highly stressed over the four player model (I guess folks view them too much as XP sinks).

I’ve been lurking a bit at ENworld and RPG.net and it seems that folks are getting interested in the Old School Games and the retroclones. The hard core hobbyist and old schoolers has remained fairly consistent, but the wider exposure seems to be growing on these non-old school sites. I don’t know if that can be attributed to a novelty or nostalgia factor, or if really is catching on. Regardless of the cause, I think it is a bit early to say for sure. I think it is vital for the old school movement and hobbyist gamers to go beyond nostalgia and pastiche. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of great works out there, but I think nostalgia can only go so far and is ultimately not sustainable. As for me, I’ like to stick to the spirit of the Old School while continuing to evolve it. In particular, I try to portray this through my artwork. I’m a big fan of verisimilitude in my work or at least a believable fantasy feel (if that makes any sense) while playing with and evolving my style. I don’t much care for tattooed and mohawked characters with big spikes and chains. Just not my cuppa. I prefer more traditional fantasy tropes when I work. I think that this can be done without pandering to nostalgia and remain fresh and viable. If anyone has seen Wayne Reynolds work for Osprey Publishing and compared it to his fantasy work, then you know what I’m talking about. Mr. Reynolds is a fantastic artist, no doubt about it. However, the thematic elements that appeal to me the most are his historical pictures rather than his fantasy works. His style and color palette remain the same, but the subject matter and portrayal is strikingly different. One works for me, the other – well, not so much. A matter of taste, but I think it really captures the direction of where I’d like to go.

I just finished placing my order for the OSRIC 2.0 hardcover and Malevolent and Benign Bestiary on Lulu. I’m pretty excited about these two works. OSRIC especially is the result of many man hours of volunteers dedicating their time to create this project. I really see this as a love letter to 1e AD&D from a core of dedicated volunteers. That at least is how I view my artistic contributions to this tome. The PDF looks great, but there is nothing quite like having a hard copy. It is quite amazing at over the past three years, how much momentum the Old School and hobbyist gaming movements have gained. There are several web sites dedicated to the movement, not to mention countless blogs. New product keeps coming out. And you know what? most of it is pretty darned good. And it probably should be since this is the work of folks who have been sharpening their craft for 30+ years in basements, garages, kitchen tables, etc. They have waited and hoped for a time that they could create and share their passions, and it would seem that time is upon us. And I only see it getting better.

In the Old School gaming community, there is not a lot of love for the likes of WOTC and even the later days of TSR.  I've read many a grognard's diatribe about how WOTC is killing the hobby or lament about how Zeb Cook and the post Gygax TSR crowd did the best they could to silence the voices of the true gamers and pandered only to the most fadish elements of our hobby.  I've heard accusations of the animifcation of the hobby and how everything is becoming too much like a comic book, anime, or video game.  Yes, teeth gnashing and hair pulling has become to be seen almost as much a part of the Old School gaming movement as the games themselves.  Recently, I was reading some posts about WOTC and their never ending flood of supplements.  It was stated in the thread that the gamer will never have a "complete game" because of the endless amount of rule material being put out.  The implication was that the rules are not complete and you simply must have every new thing to even be close to having a playable gaming system.  Heh, I'd submit that all of that teeth gnashing runscounter to what the hobbyist gamer is really all about.  The point is that you take what you want and leave the rest.  OD&D wasn't "complete" in that sense either and TSR/Gygax continued to refine and expand the line.  Every (and I do mean every) game system I own (which is A LOT) speaks about how the game master is the ultimate arbiter of the rules and it is the game master's world.  Who cares how many books come out that say "official content"?  A true Old Schooler takes what he or she wants, leaves the rest and creates a fun world for their players.  Everything else is irrelevant.  As to anime/comic book/video game influence, well, that is mostly a matter of taste and I personnally don't care much for it.  However, nothing frustrates and hacks me off more than anyone telling me that how I like to play my game is badwrongfun.  Get over it, play your game.  If you think the sky is truely falling, then get involved with whatever particular segment of the hobby you care about and DO SOMETHING to promote it in a constructive way.  Gaming is fun, gaming is a creative outlet, gaming IS A HOBBY.  And you know what, no matter what, the fun is up to you; all you have to do is have fun.     

My wife is doing an incredible job on my new web site.  It actually makes it looks as if I'm a professional artist.  She truly is a wonder and I'm an incredibly lucky man - she is, after all, the more talented of the two of us.  In the coming weeks, it should go live - Daisey has put a lot of work into the project.  Speaking of a lot of work, after the map book incident, I went and bought 5000 sheets of typing paper to give to my son.  Heh, you'd have thought it was Christmas or something by the excitement.  We have a bunch of three ring notebooks and punched a bunch of papers to put in the binders.  Daisey told him he could now work on his own books.  Bear has quickly set about creating his own super heroes along with entire story lines.  He is really following in his father's footsteps and I couldn't be a more proud geek dad.
I've been thinking about working on a Sword and Planet style supplement for Swords and Wizardry.  Right now I'm really digging the pulpy space action stuff.  Now that things are looking up, I'll have to renew the subscription to Planet Stories from Paizo.  Some really good stuff there.  However, as usual, I've got quite a few art commissions lined up and have been busy with that.  I think I'm going to have permanent India ink stains on my fingers! 

When I came home from work last night, I discovered that the graph paper notepad that contained my maps for my Old School project had been cut up and colored on.  My five-year old son had decided to express his own creative urges on a couple of months worth of maps I had been working on.  On the upside, he did share with me his new creations:  Sock Monkey Meat-Eating Monster, Fire Bull with the Scorpion Horns, and God Lizard - the lizard who ate the world.  My son does me proud and I feel that I have mentored him well :).

I have some catching up to do with the Old School products it seems.  Fight On! #5 is out and OSRIC core rules are available at Lulu.com.  I just finished a couple of art pieces for my first contribution to Mythmere Games' official Swords and Wizardry fanzine.  I have some Expeditious Retreat Press pieces that I'm working on as well as my latest collaberations with Alphonso Warden.  Along with the new art gallery web site that my wife has been designing for me, I'm pretty well busy on the project front (which is always a good thing).  I've been reading through S&W core rules and White Box rules and am greatly impressed.  I'll have to read through my OD&D three little brown books again and I'll post some thoughts here soon (perhaps this weekend). 

A couple of interesting insights on Comics and Gaming.  Growing up, I was raised by a single working mother.  We were well cared for but certainly not wealthy.  I had a weekly allowance of $5 which at the time would buy me around 4 comics (at 60 - 75 cents each) and have money left over for candy at the local convenience store.  I didn't live close to a bookstore, let alone a hobby store so my one outlet at the time was comics.  I checked out my sci-fi and fantasy reading material from the library so it wasn't until much later in life that I had an appreciable library of my own.  Actually, It wasn't until my mother was remarried to an Air Force officer and we left for overseas that I had much access to books and gaming material through the Post Exchange in Nuremburg, Germany.  Until we moved the only games I actually owned were the Marvel Superheroes Basic boxed set (which ironically enough my grandparents had purchased for me at the local Air Force Base Exchange prior to my mother getting married), a well used AD&D Player's Handbook, a AD&D Monster Manual (which my mother had given me for Christmas), and a Holmes Basic D&D set that I purchased from my selling Grit Magazines in the neighborhood (this was one of ads in comic books back in the day, anyone remember that?).  I never did amass a huge comics collection as a kid (I think I had around thirty or so until I was sixteen and my collection really began to grow from money I earned working summer hire for the Army).  My mother didn't seem to mind them overly much - she was more ambivalent than anything, but she never threw them out.  I spent HOURS pouring over the comics and gaming materials I did have creating my own drawings, stories, monsters, superheroes, maps, just about everything - I was a dedicated hobbyist from a very early age!  I think it is a lot of the same drive that fuels my hobbyist enthusiasm today.  The cool thing is, my five year old son is displaying quite a few of the same characterisitcs.  I have another hobbyist in the making. 

I've read several posts over the past several months of seasoned gamers (especially Old Schoolers) who say that hey have never really cared for comic books.  I must admit, that for me, this is somewhat of a surprise as it was a common in my day (and still is) to find gamers who also collected comics.  My interest in comics actually predates my interest in gaming since I discovered comics when I was around five and didn't encounter gaming until I was eight or so.  It was pretty much the norm for all of us comic book geeks to game (RPG, board, and war games), read sci-fi and fantasy (to include pulp literature) and be into computers (or at least gaming - I still miss my Apple IIe and Atari 2600, the emulators are good, but can't completely recapture the experience) .  Now some of us may have had a stronger bent towards one slice of the hobby pie than the other but no one was ever really ostracized as we all tended to float back and forth freely.  I tended to be cyclical about my interests (and find I still am for the most part).  One month I might be fully engage in comics (which for me included writing and drawing my own), or I might be obessesed with computer gaming (oh Bard's Tale, Wizardry, Ultima, Might and Magic and SSI RPGs how I miss you all).  We would spend days playing Risk or Axis and Allies and then suddenly get a hankering to play Marvel Super Heroes or Villians and Vigilantes (which would then probably inspire a bout of comic collecting and obsessing).  I guess my point is, I looked at it all (and still do) as a big tent hobby.  There is so much interesting nerdery to be had out there!  I couldn't imagine closing off any one of the outlets for fantasy and fun.   

Yes, I felt like I'd have to address this at some point so here goes.  I actually like (and still do like) UA, OA, MMII, DSG, and WSG, MotP, and the rest.  That doesn't mean I ever used them in play (except for MMII).  I found them more interesting as artifacts.  It was as if I'd been given a hard bound copy of someone else's house rules (and I guess in essence I was).  I'm the kind of guy that likes to watch the extras on a DVD, read the letters column and editorials in magazines and comics, see the behind the scenes stuff.  So I NEVER took any of this stuff to be canon.  Heck, while I'm at it, I don't take much to be canon either.  Afterall, just about every rule book states that the DM is the unltimate arbiter of the rules and the DM should be the only authority in their own campain.  And I hold to that.  So much so that were I to ever have DM'd for the founding fathers of the game, I would still have held to my rules vs. any suggestions they may have that would run counter.  Yes indeed, I am a true hobbyist gamer.  But I do like to see what other folks do in their campaigns or see other house rules.  And if I like it, I'll take from it and adapt it.  But there must be some minimal framework that we can agree upon to say that we are approximating the same experience.  OD&D/AD&D 1e come pretty close to how I ultimately would frame my fantasy gaming right out of the box (moreso OD&D - but I like the aesthetics of AD&D 1e more) and that has held true for many years.  So no, I don't love these books for the wonderful new rules they presented, I like the glimpse into someone else's rule sets and the different vantage point that it can provide.       

One of the things that has particularly irked me about D&D/AD&D and their ilk is the higher level of spells (particularly resurrection, gate, wish, limited wish, and alter reality).  For me, it always seemed as if it would be a little too easy to misuse those spells (and in my experience, they often were).  I was reading the Swords and Wizardry forum earlier today and stumbled on a thread that discussed this topic and caught my interest.  It was suggested that these higher level spells utilize ritual magic instead of D&D/AD&D's traditional Vancian magic system.  I know this in not by any means a new concept, but it does seem to make the higher levels of gameplay more in line with my tastes in fantasy.  I am thinking of utilizing such a system in my games to see it it goes over.  Has anyone done this and if so how well did it work and how did you implement it? 

I am a lurker and sometimes poster over at the Knights and Knaves Alehouse.  Today I ran across a post about 4e and the Old School Renaissance (OSR).  In the post, there was a link to a blog article entitled "4e D&D Created the Old School Movement" (article here:  http://thegamerdome.com/4e-dd-created-the-old-school-movement/). ; Not having any statistics on hand, I can't say what the current health of WOTC's 4e game is.  I have read posts on ENWorld, and RPG.net that folks are dissatisfied with the current edition of the game and are turning elsewhere.  I tend to think that is normal (folks check out a newer version and find that they are quite content with the version they had been playing for years); and any speculation that gamers are leaving the game in droves is just, well speculation.  I really am pretty ambivalent about 4e and I can't really say that I'll take any joy out of it failing (not that it will, but hypothetical).  The only thing I can say is that 4e did not create the OSR.  Indeed, folks like Stuart Marshall, Matthew Finch, Jerry Mapes, James Boney, Alphonso Warden, Chris Gonnerman, Dan Proctor, and many, many more (including quite a few like Rob Kuntz and Jim Ward from the early days of the hobby - also I appologize if I missed any other key players - there are  a LOT of folks to thank and I do thank you!) have been working in the background for  quite a few years to maintain and support out of print editions of the game.  Sites like Knights and Knaves, the Aeceum, the Delver's Dungeon, and Dragonsfoot have all had a very active membership for years before 4e was even a whisper.  If anything it was 3.x and more to the point the OGL, the Internet, message boards, blogs, and pdf sales that really fostered the OSR.  Linking the OSR to 4e dramatically cheapens the work of these sundry individuals and what they have accomplished (which is to keep the flame of Old School gaming burning).  Because it is specifically a phenomena unto itself, the OSR will have a longer life and the future for the hobbyist gamer only looks like it will get better!

One thing that I have remained fascinated with and remain fascinated with to this day is giants.  Done well, I think giants can really add quite a bit to an adventure.  I have been a particular enthusiast of Northern European mythologies since I was a boy and Giants play quite a large role in those myth cycles.  I've really been wanting a good Northern European styled adventure with giants, elves (portrayed as they are in the Norse myths), etc.  I've got a few projects lined up but if and when I get around to it, I'd like to work on some stuff in this vein.  Anyone out there have any favorite gaming memories of giants (and yes, I'm well for the GDQ AD&D series)?

I've been very busy lately working on art for "Sorcery on the Sands" (Alphonso - I'll have some art for you this weekend!) and various other projects.  I just received a few more XRP projects which is very cool, I love the assignments they give me and I think they are doing great things by supporting OSRIC and the Old School community.  I've been very interested in Swords and Wizardry lately and have been doing some pro bono work for Knockspell- the fanize for S&W put out by Myhtmere games.  Great stuff and I want to do what I can to support great hobbyist projects like that.  I've also been busy trying to get more color work done.  My wife has been gracious enough to work on a web site for me.  That should go into effect in the not too distant future.  It appears that I might have found a way to get some prints and T-Shirts done.  All of this has been keeping me pretty busy, but I'm riding a pretty good creative wave at the moment and I hope to keep up the momentum for a while.  I'm also looking at writing a few articles for Knockspell or Fight On! (another great Old School Fanzine - GO CHECK THEM OUT!!!!).  We'll see.  Several other projects in the works but not enought to talk about at the moment.  

I've been following/participating in the growing Old School Gaming/Hobbyist Gaming movement for a few years now and have watched the development of a few systems.  While OSRIC was and is one of the projects I have been most involved with; Swords and Wizardry is increasingly become an system of much interest to me.  Based upon the original release of Dungones and Dragons (the 1974 "Little Brown Book" edition); it is much more simplified than OSRIC (which is based on the later first edition of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons).  Recently, there was an announcement of the Swords and Wizardry forum by Matt Finch (the primary author/developer) announcing that the game (at least the core rules) will go into mainstream distribution, while Mythmere Games (Matt's "company") will still be devoted to the hobbyist aspects of the game such as the fanzine "Knockspell".  I think the mainstream distribution of Swords and Wizardry is fantastic news for the hobbyist game.  It will continue to grow the hobby and garner new gamers into the fold.  I think it is becoming readily apparent that Old School gaming is a valid play style/aesthetic and not merely a a nostolgia trip (Goodman Games, Kenser & Co., and Necromancer appealed to the nostaliga factor more than the play style in my opinion).  With the development and flourishing hobbyist segment that is growing daily behind the retro-clone games, it is easy to see that the window dressing and lip service aren't enough - the play's the thing.  The original editions played quite differently than the more recent releases of the game.  There are partisans for the older and newer versions of the game who vehemently denegrate eachother.  Personally, I'm glad that there are multiple play styles.  I'm excited for the trends in gamining and think there is a bright future for the hobby in general.  I'm excited that the hobbyist gamers and the Old School style is growing and will soon be more than a mere curiosity at gaming conventions.  What a great time to be a gamer!  In a few more years my son will be old enough to toss the dice.  I literally have a floor to ceiling bookshelf stacked with every edition of D&D, as well as many, many more systems (I LOVE GAMES).  I can't wait to share the joys and rich diversity that is our hobby with him (and not to long after, my daughter as well :)).  

I was reading a response to one of James Maliszewski's posts on his blog at Grognardia (great blog about Old School gaming.  If you haven't checked it out do so here:  http://grognardia.blogspot.com/). ; The original post is about Swords and Wizardry possibly getting released through regular distribution channels through an existing publisher.  While this is fantastic news, what I really found interesting was a comment about 4th Eddition D&D being the impetus for the current so called "Old School Renaissance".  I've seen this comment or question elsewhere and I just wanted to take a moment and look it over.  Sure, with more and more products for older systems and "retro-clone" systems such as OSRIC and Labrynth Lord popping up, it would seem that there is some correlation.  However, I've been loosely associated with the Old School gaming movement since at least 2006 and an unabashed player of 1e type games since, well since I started gaming back in the early 1980's.  OSRIC was in the planning stages since at least 2006.  I really think that the current upswing in the Old School movement has more to do with folks becoming aware of systems such as OSRIC, Swords & Wizardry, etc; than folks abandoning ship from 4E.  I mean, I'm still working away at my own OSRIC adventure and that has been going on since at least 2007.  Most of the Old School gamers are hobbyists that have been plinking away at their megadugeons for years and the availiablity (and viability) of the retroclones allows us to dust off the Trapper Keepers full of yellowed graph paper maps, drawings on napkins and barely legible dungeon keys to share our fabulous homebrew creations with like minded gamers.  In the end I think retroclones, blogs, message boards, self publishing through Lulu or PDF sites like yourgamesnow.com really have done more for the Old School movement than any real mass disatisfaction with any recent or current edition of D&D (or any other system).