Minute Might: A Wargame Review...

Roleplaying has wargaming blood. This goes without saying. It doesn't tell the whole story given Wesely's non-wargaming contributions to the hobby, but Braunstein aside, we can absolutely credit wargaming for the nascent pastime's technical nature. Simulation rules the day, and this began with miniatures on green-felt battlefields in someone's basement - or garage, as the case certainly was, with the early scene giving rise to clubs and local rulesets not unlike Minute Might by Matteo Radice, proving its spirit endures: 

Minute Might is a 26-page digital rulebook that channels the early hobby's charm while providing something frequently missing: clear and concise explanations. The introduction clearly states its purpose and cites its contributing minds in a manner recalling OD&D's foreword, which sets the amateur hobby's tone. Many (although certainly not all) of these early rulesets assumed an understanding of wargaming mechanics, providing only the necessary tables. This one inverts the arrangement completely...

Radice's offering assumes knowledge of the concept of wargaming, which has presence in the popular mind, while clearly explaining how to implement its content, preserving early gaming's charming openness while remaining useable. It feels like revisiting the mysterious rules that so fascinated me in my youth, only this time I understand, which feels a bit like revelation. Robyn, by no means a wargamer, likewise felt like she could apply its mechanics, which is the ultimate verdict here, like a fusion of competing experiences.

It begins with an explanation of terms: units and their descriptors (move and melee, among others), followed by two core mechanics: SCRUD, a dice-pool based on attack type as assigned and EDNA, which reflects an ever-changing battlefield situation by modifying future rolls based on prior success (or failure). Everything needed to play is derived from these aforementioned descriptors, meaning that in two short pages readers get most of whatever a battle may require. Unit melee? Missiles? Everything is on display...

Hereafter, it's a sequence of play, citing the above provisions plus whatever specifics may apply; and for such a straightforward ruleset, it goes pretty deep. Anything a wargamer should reasonably know, from artillery to terrain, is covered in its pages, written in simple and straightforward prose. A unit of 8 levies (spearman) gets an 8d6 dice pool (SCRUD), with morale checked against a 5 (EDNA). The latter is roll under, with each failure further reducing this by 2! Other units are more resolute, but peasant levies are famously cheap. 

Of course, this is wargaming, so resolutions are a bit more ponderous given the scale and scope involved, but only when compared to traditional roleplay. It's a different thing well within the grasp of curious roleplayers, who should find much to appreciate. This is historical fare equally at home in fantasy warfare, with low-fantasy units (our respects to Tolkien) completing its fighting ensemble. The War of the Ring is on the metaphorical table, with house ruling a viable (and clearly expected) option. The opportunities are endless...

The rulebook is laid out in a simple, letter-sized format much like something printed on the university's computer circa 1970-something and illustrated with some well-chosen public domain woodcuts. This completes the package, taking readers back to the emergent scene that eventually birthed modern roleplay, this time with the added bonus of well-explained mechanics. But this hits personally given my previous fascination with the green-felt hobby, and aspiring wargamers should find Minute Might a most excellent introduction.

The Spellbooks of Mydwandr...

Spellcasters in the Mydwandr RPG (and its eponymous setting) exploit a natural talent known to few beyond the mysterious elves, shaping the materials of creation into sorceries both powerful and (oftentimes) deadly if cleverly deployed. The result is a game wherein players fashion effects on the fly, no spell list required or available. A feature, not a bug, albeit one that may take some getting used to. Fortunately, there are tricks to tapping the game's potential in ways consistent with Mydwandr's spellbinding mechanics.

In Mydwandr, magic is something formed on the spot, which means players will improvise and no doubt remember which effects were allowed by the rules (and the referee) and proved effective in critical situations. When this happens, the enterprising magician can write these down in their PERSONAL SPELLBOOK for future reference. These can be named (i.e., Sye's Slippery Slope) with coverage/range, duration, and a descriptive text covering anything else the character may need to know, all drawn from actual in-game experience.

What follows is a sample spell, cast in the heat of the moment and subject to Mydwandr's spellcasting rules, formalized here as part of the character's spellbook:

Faren's Falling. Coverage/Range: Self  Duration: Triples (Rounds)

By means of this magic, the caster becomes feather light to fall safely and without injury at a rate of 10'/round to the ground. Should the spell terminate before the descent is complete, damage taken is limited to what distance remains. A life-saving conjuration.

This isn't Vancian. Players remain free to improvise spells on the fly. But by building a list of proven spell effects, spellcasters enjoy both the convenience of a traditional spellbook, complete with ready-to-cast magic of their own creation, and the challenge of conducting the sort of research spellbinders are known for. Ambitious referees might also place FOUND SPELLBOOKS as treasure. These serve mainly as good advice, making spellcasting easier while encouraging the improvisation and research Mydwandr enables.

The goal is a creative culture. Over time, the campaign will have its own spell list made by generations of spellbinders (and referees) adding to the setting's lore, available to new players with the continued option of impromptu effects. And really, isn't this what D&D and its many offspring are already, by implication, doing? Their voluminous offerings must have originated somewhere, after all, and Mydwandr turns the idea on its head. Regardless, the use of spell books should make spellcasting easier and research within reach...

Upgrading the Common Orc...

The common (some might say lowly) orc is ubiquitous in fantasy gaming, and while clearly dangerous in numbers, they can become stale with repeated use, especially to the seasoned group. Fortunately, it shouldn't take much to keep them interesting. Tribal politics alone can invigorate these pig-faced humanoids. They're more than just a pretty face, and the inventive can always find ways to spice up the individual encounters where these beasties frequently appear, using the following as inspiration. The key lies in defying convention:   

1. Orc berserkers who fight on for 3 rounds after death.

2. Orcish cavalry, ritually burned, riding firedrakes.

3. Orc devotees of a dark god so foul other orcs shudder.

4. Orcish engineers equipped with high explosives.

5. Orc flagellants so pious they turn their whips on heretics.

6. Orcish minstrels who sing to summon deadly spiders.

7. Orc pacifists who eschew violence and might help the party.

8. Orcish regulars outfitted with razor-sharp boomerangs.

9. Orc shamans (magic-users) carried in baskets on an ogre's back.

Once again, they key is to defy convention, but also to challenge. Giving orcs unique, often powerful allies and servitors, equipping them with unconventional weapons, and granting them unexpected and effective strategies collectively ensures not only cinematic encounters replete with spectacle, but challenging ones to test the toughest of parties. Of course, this operates best when coupled with campaign lore. Who is the dark god feared by the foulest of foes? And why do orcs have engineers? The game alone knows the final answer...

Beating the Planetary Blues...

World building is a central tenet of tabletop gaming, and it certainly illuminates the sheer immensity involved in a living planet. Vast continents spanning climates and cultures await those willing to explore, and one need look no further than our real-world example for an education. Worlds are impressively large. Tropical islands concealing pirates, frozen tundra home to deadly, cold-adapted wildlife; inhabited worlds have a bit of everything. Physical geography is just the beginning of an endless mosaic of possibilities.

An eastern religion storms westward, brought by the sword. Rats from their ships bring a deadly plague to foreign ports, a perfect storm depending on where someone just happens to be standing when it happens. Worlds are massive, and airplanes haven't done enough to shorten the distance. Now contemplate the vast universe in a spacefaring scenario complete with occupied planets as big as our own. Individual worlds become a pitstop for wandering spacecraft, reduced to mere blips on some rock's vast surface... 

It's a matter of shifting scale, where the void of space becomes a new world and individual planets its towns and far-flung villages. An unavoidable accommodation, although not outrageous or unsound as spacefaring types can only experience the specific locations their vessels happen to land upon. Laziness is a potential risk, however, with simple one-world governments and geographies that defy latitude and spheres. For referees and writers, this is a time-saving mechanism that actively serves to diminish these worlds.

The best way to avoid this trap is to formulate some idea of a planet's situation even as the spacefarers only experience their small portion. Perhaps open (and bloody) war rages between continents, with impacts to the tiny spaceport the characters encounter, uncovered when the party converses with the locals. A few scribbled notes are normally enough for narrative purposes, although it helps to have a system. Our Planetary Worksheets designed for the Blood of Pangea: Retrospace RPG are free for the curious... 

Sketch a quick surface reference, identify its major regions complete with climate, resources, and relevant heads of state, plus whatever additional details, including catastrophic wars, perhaps driven by plagues or natural disasters, define the place. Establish a checklist, using our planetary worksheets when not a better homebrew alternative to flesh out convincing worlds on nothing larger than a regular index card. Even the smallest of planets is enormous and deserves to be treated as such, and the briefest of sojourns will benefit.