Me and the DMG

[Malrex]

I encourage @squeen to post a new thread of his art to share.
"EOTB has repeatedly cautioned me on the futility of trying to sway folks to your way of thinking."
EOTB is like the Yoda of the OSR community...very wise and I'd do well to follow his advice as well.
But don't be mad when my next adventure has a NPC named Squeen the Paladin.....I JEST! I JEST!!!!

I'm hoping to post more but been super busy too. Kickstarter, some of us are talking about doing Zinequest in February, helping Prince with layout for his contest (should be done soon!), and ya, got a little exhausted myself of some of the debates here that I helped start.

After months of training and planning, I just joined the random allotment for a Pacific Crest Trail permit. They only allow 35 people per day from March to May...and have another running in January for 15 people per day. But I was probably one of the last 10 people to get a spot...May 29th. I'm thankful that I put it in and should get it (its still pending review), but I really wanted to start April 1st...starting that lay in May, I may die from the heat in the desert section (700 miles). But I'm excited for my adventure and will probably disappear from here for 5-6 months. I'm hiking with a waterproof graph paper notebook so I can do maps/notes for adventures--its worth the weight to me.

 

[Osrnoob]

Make it so

 

[EOTB]

It seems like the useful locus of energy of good gaming discussions is a perpetually moving target.

Prince has a good thing going on his blog, but he's cultivated it for years, and his writing and mannerisms have changed a lot in that time. Lots of great talks over there (and some shitposting of course). His contest was a good example. These things take a lot of work - and it is easy for some area of discussion to fall into the same old fights about editions, rule 0 or weapon vs. AC. I'd rather play Russian Roulette, thanks!! If you wanna talk gaming *usefully*, it takes work to do it well - and some times people just run out of new things to say to each other. The balance between 'we need new blood' and fighting the same old battles every fucking time is... a task left up to those more socially ept than myself.

C'mon EOTB... let's see a blog post about the Six Basic Forum Conversations.

You're right, there is good stuff happening in Prince's blog discussions.

I don't mean to imply all D&D conversation is fruitless, but once you have a solid sense of what works for you and don't have any questions about the rules, forums (in particular) are of lesser utility. They have an indirect utility of imparting your own experience to others, but "others" are made up of at least three groups:

1) people with little experience asking questions in good faith

2) people who're not likely to ever run the game, but enjoy considering the game rules abstractly. And they're essentially asking the crowd why game X doesn't match their personal platonic ideal for what the questioner thinks game X should be.

3) Sock puppets purposefully asking controversial topics as if no one's wondered how spell casting in melee works before, because they enjoy forum bloodsport as entertainment (there's a couple of notorious sock puppeteers in the old school community who've dozens if not hundreds of semi-dormant accounts on old-school forums. The only forum I've seen shut it down is RPGsite, because they instituted controls where you can't log in from VPNs)

So, IDK. I'm all for creative sharing though. It's once of the reasons I'm still on K&KA. I can watch Squeen improve daily in learning how to draw, and people still post up original creative material.

 

[squeen]

So, IDK. I'm all for creative sharing though. It's once of the reasons I'm still on K&KA. I can watch Squeen improve daily in learning how to draw, and people still post up original creative material.

Ditto and thanks. When you can get free art tips and feedback there from artists the likes of Peter Mullen, Juju, Axe Mental, and Hawk --- that's hugely helpful. It's been great. Focusing on creativity and with no eye for the mass market...making plans for future endeavors at a leisurely pace...all that suits me just fine.

 

[TerribleSorcery]

I don't mean to imply all D&D conversation is fruitless...

Oh I agree. Like you say, once you find what works for you, a great deal of forum-ing becomes superfluous.

I think the best forum material is to be found in that creative sharing: artists posting up their work, long-running campaign play reports (some of those old Dragonsfoot ones are pure magic - look at the original Fomalhaut ones by Premier).

Or the better threads on here wherein folks would try to take apart others' work and see what worked about it & what didn't. Instead of lofty theory, it was nuts & bolts of "this is good, that could be improved."

 

[Osrnoob]

la Bete

 

[The1True]

What is left to post about is the great lessons Bryce teaches us about writing --- I used to think he was talking about D&D, but I've come to realize it's really far more universal than that. Really the next big effort for me will be polishing up an Adventure and getting it out the door, i.e. trying to apply all of the Brycian lessons in the concrete. With work still in high gear, that's too much for me to handle for now...so it sits on the back burner. Hopefully the stars align and I can finally engage in the next contest.

Well written! I support this 100%!

I was surprised when DP left

He didn't leave he was unceremoniously and arbitrarily booted and then he didn't come back. (why would he?) I'm not going to nitpick over the arbitrariness; he was going to get himself booted one way or the other eventually. We're nerds, average age 40ish. All of us had to put up with some pretty problematic individuals in our immediate friend-groups growing up. I don't think I'm alone in this assertion. Being a geek in the 80's was not easy and you couldn't always choose your friends. Often, getting rid of that guy was death to the group. If we all agree all the time, there's nothing to talk about.

Another future adventure for me might be to try and run an on-line campaign (with adults!). Fall/Winter 2022? Also, finishing up my mass combat simulator.

I 100% support this as well! I offer you no ill will when I say I think this may be an eye-opening experience for you brother. Keep your mind open!

I've been feeling a great deal of D&D discussion exhaustion myself. After having been on forums for 15+ years now, I add the six basic forum conversations to the six basic plots as archetypes.

Yes, this article needs to be written! Make sure it offends absolutely everyone!!!

One day you realize that D&D was even better before online discussion.

D&D was better when I could play from 10 AM Saturday morning til 2 AM, collapse on my buddy's couch, wake up at 10 and play another 6 hrs while his mom brought us cookies and sammidges all day. Those days aren't coming back til our kids lock us up in the DnD Nursing Home (TM). The OSR is about trying to recapture a time and a place that is gone forever. It is a noble and worthy pursuit.

and it is easy for some area of discussion to fall into the same old fights about editions, rule 0 or weapon vs. AC. I'd rather play Russian Roulette, thanks!! If you wanna talk gaming *usefully*, it takes work to do it well - and some times people just run out of new things to say to each other. The balance between 'we need new blood' and fighting the same old battles every fucking time is... a task left up to those more socially ept than myself.

Well said! I think we had a number of debates here that went for pages and pages without acrimony; so it CAN be done. Some people just rub each other the wrong way and eventually it gets personal. That's where moderation should cool things down, not stoke the fires. I'm afraid the bloody infighting (which must've looked pretty petty from the outside) turned a lot of the 'new-blood' off, which is too bad. There are a lot of creative and knowledgeable people who frequent this forum. Newbies should feel encouraged to ask questions and seek opinions and feedback. Adventure Design and Reviews, man. It's all there in the title.

But I'm excited for my adventure and will probably disappear from here for 5-6 months.

We'll miss ya bro! Pretty exciting though...

 

[Osrnoob]

I am anti boot

The rubber industry has grown strong in the age of house McDonalds created

Then left in fear

To turn one sided in conversation for fear of the beasts thy wrought

Are they clouds
of heavenly fragrance?
As they swell
and roar round me,
shall I breathe them,
shall I listen to them?
Shall I sip them,
plunge beneath them,
to expire in sweet perfume?
In the surging swell,
in the ringing sound,
in the vast wave
of the world's breath –
to drown,
to sink
unconscious –
supreme bliss!

 

[The1True]

dude. you and me should smoke some trees one of these days...

 

[squeen]

I 100% support this as well! I offer you no ill will when I say I think this may be an eye-opening experience for you brother. Keep your mind open!

Thanks for the warning, but I think if playing with old farts is very much worse than playing with 20-year-olds, then I'll pull the plug on it pretty quickly. Hopefully that won't be the case.

 

[The1True]

I guess if you look for groups that play AD&D 1e RAW, you won't run into houserules/styles of play that conflict with your own. Otherwise, you may have to adjust to something new in order to make new friends and have a good time.

I've definitely been out in the D&D group wilderness. I'd literally rather be back to online dating. At least I got a mediocre lay out of that once in a while...

 

[squeen]

Oh! Sorry. To be clear, I was thinking to play-test something I wrote --- i.e. running it on-line for willing players.

 

[The1True]

Same deal. You'll be looking for a group of adults willing to put up with your DM style/who's play style doesn't drive you crazy.

 

[Beoric]

ME: Have you seen my Dungeon Master's Guide?

Kid (points at bookshelf): Isn't it over there? Really, you have D&D books everywhere.

ME: That's my fifth edition Dungeon Master's Guide. I don't need my second edition Dungeon Master's Guide, or my fourth edition Dungeon Master's Guide, or my fifth edition Dungeon Master's Guide, I need my first edition Dungeon Master's Guide.

Kid: There are way too many editions. How many editions are there?

ME: Well, that depends on how you count them...

 

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[Osrnoob]

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

OH GOLLY

CERILIC

WHY

PLEASE NO

HELP ME

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ANYONE PLEASE

I NEED A HERO

I NEED A HERO
IN THE

MORNING LIGHT