Fantasy Gaming Made Me Grow Up...

Fantasy gaming is generally associated with a certain childhood sensibility.  One firmly rooted in the innocence of youth, although important to retain going forward.  But for those introduced to role-playing in the 1970s, gaming was actually an adult hobby that encouraged (and to some extent, demanded) that its younger aspirants measure up to adult standards of performance.

Indeed, the basic qualities of the earliest rules actively promoted these very "grown up" aspirations:     

The earliest games had words.  Lots and lots of words.  And approximately none of them aimed at the young.  These games were written by adults for their own amusement, and sometimes they addressed mature themes (one appendix to the Dungeon Master's Guide goes into detail about prostitution)...  

But while it's always been tempting to imagine the "adult" as synonymous with the sexual, these early games were mature in their less salacious details.  These were historical gamers first and foremost, and the earliest rules assumed knowledge of medieval armor and weaponry as well as culture, history, and religion.

Subject matter aside, the early games were simply written to an adult level of reading comprehension.  And young gamers who wanted to participate had to do so on adult terms.

Additionally, illustrations were not only amateur, but also less frequent, meaning that readers were confronted with - well - lots of written words.  This gave the pictures decidedly more impact while simultaneously leaving more to the imagination, which was a good fit with the written words, providing detail while inviting readers to fill in their (ever-present) blanks.

Now, imagine an 11 year old kid back in 1978.  He (and that was obviously yours truly) joined a group of older players and had to make sense of demanding (read: adult) rulebooks.  But this kid wasn't deterred.  Rather, he was EXCITED and found himself WANTING to rise up to the next level and master it on ADULT terms.

Later, by the early 80s, D&D was marketed to younger readers, with its writing retooled accordingly.  This wasn't really that bad, although it made it increasingly less necessary for young readers to measure up, as the writing met them halfway!  The new artwork was likewise greatly improved, not to mention more frequent...

More and better pictures plus fewer words written to a younger audience shifted this dynamic greatly, although role-playing remained a decidedly intellectual (and complex) pursuit favored by intelligent people, and I won't denigrate that... 

Nonetheless, the waning historical references coupled with increasing details pre-imagined by means of superior illustrations and easier-to-read explanations saw the end to an era.

Back in 1978, amateur rulebooks with primitive illustrations surrounded by many words written by (college-educated) historical war-gamers encouraged this blogger to ASPIRE towards adulthood, ironically, through an imaginary world of magic, monsters, and the stuff of childhood fantasy.  It completed his education and even joined him in war, noting that all those imaginary combats on paper taught strategy and problem-solving; adult life in fantasy form!   

We Used to Be in Magazines...

A few years back, when Pits & Perils was new (and just an obscure softcover on the Lulu storefront), we reached out to some fine folks in the UK.  The result was an article they kindly published in a wonderful online magazine entitled Errational Thinking, although we fear that it's most likely ceased production...

The article was written when it was just P&P, although its publishers seemed aware that we'd since released the Fear! Fire! Foes! supplement as well.  At any rate, our promotional stuff postulates a semi-fictional history of RPGs and imagined what might have happened if someone tried to create the sort of thing they would have otherwise only heard about via word of mouth from Lake Geneva in the early 70s.  You get the idea.

As it happens, it was earlier in the game's history, and we were likely more in touch with our intuitions, for we reveal the game for the thought experiment it sort of was (in addition to a game we actually played).  But the article also goes into some detail about what we consider old-school and why it even matters to us.  

So without further ado, here's a link to that esteemed issue...

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Anyway, we hope that you enjoy, and while the magazine is out of circulation, we'd still like to thank Melissa Humpleby for her kind support of our efforts to promote the game.  She, along with some friends, like +Sean Wills, have really helped the game take off with British audiences, and we deeply appreciate everyone's support!

Fields of Forsaken: A Review

Every now and again, we discover a product and it leaves a real impression on us.  A few weeks back, we picked up Pamphlet I: Fields of Forsaken, by +Thaumiel Nerub and D-oom Products, and now we're gonna review it for you!  So without delay...

Pamphlet I: Fields of Forsaken is a neat little (16-page) pdf available on Drive-Thru and its affiliates.  It offers an afterlife setting for RPGs, because while death is something to be avoided, characters will sometimes stumble into the afterlife, and this should be dark, gloomy, and surreal - almost dreamlike - as compared to the mortal realm, and D-oom nails it! 

EMOTIONAL GEOGRAPHY 

Most game settings read like a geographical text sprinkled with numerous charts and tables.  But Fields of the Forsaken presents its imagined world through an almost poetic fashion more at home in a book of modern verse or a horror story.  This is perfect for a dark afterlife where departed souls may fall astray...

Building emotion is a constant challenge for GMs, and the ethereal realms are especially affected here.  The afterlife, more than anything else, is a place fashioned from the very stuff of mortal emotion, and Fields of Forsaken does an excellent job depicting this world on its own terms; a place of despair.

DARK PRODUCTION

Production is equally gloomy, with a dark, chunky typeset and equally enigmatic illuminations that beg more questions than they answer, all while suggesting the afterlife they depict.

Good GMs are always looking for non-gaming inspirations, and Fields of Forsaken represents an attempt to offer one...

Those faithless who die end up in the

endless Fields. In the middle of the void,

where ever you venture, The Church

stands inviting. But no one can enter,

until the time of judgement...

Overall, it reads like a guided tour through a dark and gloomy landscape where the faithless wander eternally!

THE (OUR) FINAL JUDGEMENT

Although, presumably, intended for a horror RPG, this is equally suited for sword and sorcery.  Crossing the veil should be a disorienting experience, especially when you go without the blessing of a patron deity, and this smart book leaves its mark...

Modern poetry?  Narration?  Or an adventure setting?  This offering is pay what you want, and well worth dropping a bit to support!  

Holmes As a Complete Game (Eight Points)

OK, so we love Holmes Basic and are obsessed with playing it as a complete game.  Why?  Because the rulebook is so perfect on its own, and we'd like to enjoy it as a full game without introducing any outside elements except those added by the DM...

Now, you might be wondering why this publisher is promoting other systems on their blog.  Easy.  Each game offers a unique experience, and there's room for all sorts of fun!  Other publishers are not competitors, and the day we start thinking that way is the day we've abandoned our finest intuitions.

So here's our Eight Points for Holmes as a complete game:

(1) All characters begin with maximum hit points at 1st level and roll randomly (by class) from 2nd level on.

(2) Should a character die in combat, they permanently lose one level and drop to 1d4 hit points, although these can be subsequently healed (obviously, not beyond their new level).  This represents a serious mortal wound that diminishes the character and reduces their future performance, where applicable.

(3) Any 1st level character who dies is slain...

(4) Characters who lose levels might gain them back through the acquisition of new experience, and this represents the slow process of recovery (and probably a cool scar to show off).

(5) Clerics add +1 per level to all turning attempts, and a 3rd level character can turn mummies and up on a roll of 12 without any bonuses except those from magic items. 

(6) Clerics, elves, and magic users acquire spells on the following, noting that in the absence of levels beyond 3rd, elves simply must be better balanced against human spell casters:

(7) Fighters add +1 to all melee attacks...

(8) Thieves add +25% to all thieving attempts, with additional bonuses for dexterity: 13 or better (+5%), 15 or better (+10%), and any score of 18 (+15%).  This helps keep them relevant.

OPTIONAL: Monsters get a four-sided hit die, except for dragons, introducing other, higher-level fare.

More than anything, this preserves the low-level feel of Holmes, which is doubtless a major part of its charm.  Is it complete or flawless?  Certainly not!  But it's a start, and we fully trust that you, our readers, will have ideas of your own, so keep 'em coming and help keep the Holmes flag flying.  Better still, actually play the game and have fun.  This is what our hobby is all about!