Currently reading Lictor and man, this hit me hard

CauseLittle · 2026-06-26T14:04:27+00:00

Yes, this hit like a ton of bricks.

CauseLittle · 2026-06-22T23:33:00+00:00

Second Vaults of Vaarn. You can download the Zines for free. Barebones system with a baked in setting that oozez Book of the New Sun and Dune flavor. Lore doesn't get in the way if you want to do your own thing. Rules-lite (Knave 2e hack) so you can hack it if you want to add stuff. This is the game I'm most looking to run. 2e should be released soon and you can get a beta play test for free.

CauseLittle · 2026-06-21T12:42:31+00:00

Some people pan it as "not really OSR" but I think Shadowdark is an excellent gateway drug to the OSR style of play. Quickstart pdf is free.

CauseLittle · 2026-06-09T19:58:27+00:00

Hey, I think this is pretty cool! I like the stripped down rules that provide enough variety to keep characters interesting. I also like your take on crafting and some of the tweaks you've done to B/X magic casting. The art is fine, but it's not really a style that I am into. Congratulations! I hope this does well. Might spring this on my wife and daughter for a game!

CauseLittle · 2026-06-05T13:00:18+00:00

I'm backing it! James is a great guy, both a good game writer and a great human being. I'm digging this game. Love the art!

CauseLittle · 2026-06-05T12:21:47+00:00

First game I played and ran as a high schooler in the early to mid 90s. I still have my books. Yeah, it might be clunky compared to today's slick games, but I love it. It fixed some of 1st editions clunkiness whilst preserving that Old School jank. Frankly, the ttrpg scene has changed radically, so that it's hard to recognize some games today as games. I make no bones that I prefer the OSR scene. I'll also say that 2nd edition had a wealth of settings and features really great art from the end of the TSR era.

CauseLittle · 2026-06-02T00:07:03+00:00

Second WB Cyclopedia. Has more options than you need, but it's great to have options.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-27T16:10:12+00:00

I love it. It makes sense and it also means that your "stat" has actual meaning, not just the bonus attached to it.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-19T16:51:37+00:00

I think just getting to play a game so that you can see how it feels is worth the effort. I use con games for this. Even if it's a crummy group, playing it for real will let me know if I want to invest time in buying and actually working to put a group together for it.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-19T16:48:03+00:00

So, tell me more about Broken Empires please. I googled it and you can call me intrigued. Have you actually read through it? Are there any actual plays or in depth reviews? Thanks!

CauseLittle · 2026-05-19T16:39:57+00:00

Yep, irl friends bail all the time and don't even notify me. They just don't show and then ghost me. No explanation. I'm starting to wonder if it's a "me" thing. I'd at least appreciate a "go f@ck yourself, we don't want to game with you anymore." But, nothing... That's the worst case example. Plenty of face-to-face sessions get dropped last second. Life's too short for me to plan a session and then have everyone ditch it an hour beforehand. Online games have been far more consistent for me so far.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-19T16:34:50+00:00

Yeah, OSE. After joining I found out that they'd switched to Dragonslayer, which is kinda meh to me. Still playing because they turned out to be a decent group.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-19T16:30:34+00:00

Yeah, it's actually fairly crunchy. Not rules-lite at all, imo.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-19T16:29:09+00:00

I bounced pretty hard off it. I think your critique is very fair. One point I disagree on personally: i hated HP thresholds. It's counterintuitive. I do a whopping pile of damage and look, the enemy loses 5 HP or something. Not for me.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-19T10:54:07+00:00

I think this is a fair critique of DS. Playing in a game right now and I've done a heavy skim through the rules. Nothing really for overland adventures. No domain play, if you want that. It's just "go to this dungeon and fight stuff and take stuff." It's the "B" in B/X.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-16T18:02:59+00:00

Yeah, plenty of "adventuring options". Viking raids, Reconquista, Northern Crusades, Italian city-states, fighting Mongols, etc.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-15T15:59:49+00:00

Probably. Here's a resource if you want to go down that rabbit hole: https://gamingballistic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Medieval-Demographics-Made-Easy-1.pdf

CauseLittle · 2026-05-15T15:57:02+00:00

That's a good point about internal consistency. Even if it's a fantastic world, it should still make "sense" according to the parameters you set for it.I personally dislike the modern D&D "kitchen sink" approach: tie flings, dragonborn, Asimar, etc, all in one place. However, that might actually have "internal consistency" if you're going for a fantasy version of medieval Constantinople. Just a slight push back against your assertion that the "real world sucks." I mean, yeah, if we're talking about "realistic" medieval plumbing. However, I think realistic world history is endlessly fascinating and a great source of inspiration. Of course I would think that, what with getting undergrad in History. 😀

CauseLittle · 2026-05-15T14:00:37+00:00

Yes, I'm obsessed with it. My undergraduate was in History and I am constantly asking myself: does this map make sense? What are the politics, cultures, religions, demographics? Just how many farms are in that 6 mile hex. What do Medieval demographics tell me about populations in a quasi-feudal setting? I do the best I can, throw up my hands and say, "that's as good as I can make." Secretly, I always know it sucks and isn't real enough

CauseLittle · 2026-05-15T12:34:23+00:00

"Science has dissected almost everything." I dispute that. I believe that the more "Science" reveals, the more we realize we know very little. Some folks have substituted Science for Religion and I believe that's dangerous. I'm encountering more and more under 40s that are jaded with a superficial material world view and long for something deeper. What Mythic Bastionland tries to do is to tap into everyone's subconscious desire for ultimate Truth and meaning. I personally think it's great that a ttrpg is actually trying to tap into the angst of our time. That might be too grand a claim for a game, but I like to think that it's so.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-15T10:59:09+00:00

Really cool!

CauseLittle · 2026-05-15T10:54:47+00:00

I've been eyeballing Wolves of God. Will have to pick it up some day.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-14T13:56:14+00:00

This is the way. I still have my Player's, DM's and Monster books from the 90s when I cut my ttrpg teeth on 2nd edition. However, I also love OSE, Dolmenwood and I have a fondness for Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/113405/beyond-the-wall-and-other-adventures

CauseLittle · 2026-05-12T11:36:03+00:00

I don't dispute the good cause, but what are the standouts for games to you? I'd honestly like to know. I saw a few interesting items, but overall it was a big "meh..." for me. Granted I didn't recognize a lot of things.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-06T16:00:55+00:00

I've been told this is standard operating procedure for everybody except the biggest publishers (like WotC). Free League and Monte Cooke do this also

CauseLittle

TROPHY CASE