Wednesday 21 December 2011

1983 & Beyond: Defending Basic Dungeons & Dragons

This excellent article at Grognardia convinced me to finally get round to writing brief defence of, what to me is, the original Dungeons and Dragons.

 
The 1983 set's focus on self-teaching and simple language probably made sense from a marketing standpoint. Given how well the set supposedly sold, I can't really fault TSR for going in this direction. At the same time, though, there was clearly a shift happening, away from adults and teenagers as the target audience and away from initiation as the means of entering the hobby. Likewise, the adoption of a unified esthetic (all Elmore and Easley artwork) that, while attractive, seemed to narrow rather than broaden the scope of the game. In short, the 1983 Basic Set marked a definite change from what had gone before. (James Maliszewski)

 

I briefly discussed my initiation in D&D here. In short as a person in my very early teens I got the red box Basic Dungeons & Dragons after reading an advert at the back of Proteus magazine. Fighting Fantasy for me was my gateway drug to nerd heaven.

 

[caption id="attachment_544" align="aligncenter" width="439" caption="D&D Basic Set (Source The Acaeum http://www.acaeum.com/)"]D&D Basic Set (Source The Acaeum http://www.acaeum.com/)[/caption]

Monday 19 December 2011

My Appendix N

D&D had an appendix N, even Runequest had one. They are both excellent lists and I have read many of the books listed on both. Most of them seem to be aimed at people a bit older than myself.

I thought I would do my bit and make my own Appendix N: The Doug List.

Hopefully this will point some people towards forgotten classics, leading to prices going through the roof on eBay, giving me the opportunity to make a killing with my old copies.

Appendix N: The Doug List


Fake Factual


Steven Cadlwell, The Terran Trade Authority books

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terran_Trade_Authority

http://www.khantazi.org/Rec/TTABooks/TTABooks.html

http://www.digitalwaterfalls.co.uk/ttabooks.html

 

Sunday 4 December 2011

RPG Breakout: Pa[CENSORED]ia RPG

The computer is your friend. Everything is fine. Every version of Paranoia is perfect and could not be improved. Knowledge of other versions than the computer approved version is treasonous. Indicating knowledge of other editions is treasonous. What is an edition? The computer is your friend. Have a nice daycycle.

Paranoia


[caption id="attachment_890" align="aligncenter" width="475" caption="Paranoia RPG"]Paranoia RPG[/caption]

The Role Playing Game


Current Publisher: http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpgs/paranoia.html

RPG Geek: http://rpggeek.com/rpgfamily/378/paranoia

RPG Net: http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=2217

RPG Net: http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?mainid=755

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranoia_(role-playing_game)

There is but one version of this game, the current one. Previous editions that do not exist include the 1st, 2nd and 5th. Knowledge of the 5th edition is considered more treasonous than normal (*). This game is a creation of the computer, your friend.

Friday 2 December 2011

RPG Breakout: Mutant Chronicles

Everybody loves mutants. Mutants and guns. Here is a brief summary of the influence a not quite forgotten Scandinavian RPG has had.

Mutant Chronicles RPG


[caption id="attachment_880" align="aligncenter" width="417" caption="Mutant Chronicles RPG (1st Edition)"]Mutant Chronicles RPG (1st Edition)[/caption]

 Roleplaying Game:


RPG Geek Link: http://rpggeek.com/rpg/513/mutant-chronicles-1st-2nd-editions

Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutant_Chronicles
"Mutant" is one of the three first seminal Swedish role playing games, together with Drakar och Demoner and Chock.

The original Mutant was based on Basic Roleplaying System and was released in 1984. It was set in a post-apocalyptic future where most of the human race had been eliminated by a disease. The survivors hid away in subterranean enclaves and genetically experimented on humans and animals and sent them up above ground to see if they could survive. A following nuclear war between the enclaves eradicated humanity more thoroughly, technology was forgotten, and the only survivors were these humanoid mutants and humans in cryo-sleep. The country has now broken down into smaller societies, technology has been forgotten and is now on pre-industrial revolution level. But there are still the "forbidden zones", where lost technology still lies untouched but where the radiation levels are lethal.

"Mutant 2" was released as an expansion in 1986, and changed the die rolling rules to reflect those of Drakar och Demoner Expert, where the designers left Basic Roleplay and changed into a system based on icosahedric dice.

In 1989, "Mutant 2089", or "Nya Mutant" was released. Not only were there several rules changes, inspired by the cyberpunk wave, the setting was changed from a pre-industrial revolution technology society to large mega-cities, controlled by huge corporations. Designers suggested that the old Mutant setting existed in between these cities.

Mutant R.Y.M.D. in 1992 took another step from the basic setting and was more a space-travel science fiction roleplaying game. The ruleset was very similar to Mutant 2089 and the settings were officially compatible. This version was short-lived, though, as it soon was transformed into Mutant Chronicles.

Mutant Chronicles further enhanced the setting of Mutant RYMD, but added creatures and other ideas from the successful horror RPG "Kult".

In 2002, when Target Games has ceased to exist, another publisher called Järnringen published "Mutant - Undergångens arvtagare" (The Inheritors of the Apocalypse). With this, they reverted back into the first setting with a pre-industrial revolution setting populated by mutants and mutated animals. "Järnringen" (Iron Ring) was also the title of one of the very first scenario modules for the first "Mutant".

Järnringen ceased publication of "Mutant - undergångens arvtagare" in 2008, while continuing with their space travel RPG "Coriolis". (from RPG Geek)

Friday 25 November 2011

Top N Computer Pen & Paper RPG Games

Not including the Dungeon and Dragons games. Apart from maybe one or two.

Dungeon Hack


http://www.mobygames.com/game/dungeon-hack

[caption id="attachment_845" align="aligncenter" width="232" caption="Dungeon Hack Cover"]Dungeon Hack Cover[/caption]

For my first game I am going to break the no D&D rule.

This is a graphical cross between nethack type games and second edition AD&D. The best version of AD&D for my money, but I did miss ount everything between 2nd and 4th edition.

Sunday 13 November 2011

The Other Appendix N (Runequest)

[POST STILL IN PRODUCTION]

I know this has been done already. AD&D had an appendix N that listed sources of inspiration for Gary Gygax. Runequest (at least my second edition) had the same. I thought fabulous I will post a copy of that and it will be an easy post.

[caption id="attachment_823" align="aligncenter" width="180" caption="The Other Appendix N"]The Other Appendix N[/caption]

Only to find it had been done.

I am going to do it anyway and add links. Woo! I have just copied and pasted the text from the above blog post. I will check to make sure it tallies with mine. Any errors are mine alone.

Saturday 5 November 2011

Free Science Fiction RPGs

A brief list of science fiction pen & paper roleplaying games.

Finding games for my retro clone post suggested that most of the free games out there were based on classic fantasy archetypes. Thankfully some people out there are producing games with a science fiction twist for those what would rather fight space aliens instead of dragons. Some will be clones of older systems, others will be inspired by older systems. If you are willing to pay a little there are many more classic style science fiction RPGs that can be purchased for a pittance.

Mutant Future


[caption id="attachment_747" align="aligncenter" width="309" caption="Mutant Future Cover"]Mutant Future Cover[/caption]

Homepagehttp://www.goblinoidgames.com/mutantfuture.html

Inspired By: Gamma World

Clone: Not quite. Uses the Labyrinth Lord rules as a base. I think the original was based on Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.

Free Download: Yes

Reviewhttp://grognardia.blogspot.com/2008/06/review-mutant-future.html

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Return to RPGs VI: Everything Retro Is New Again

I have had a bit of a splurge on some retro clone games recently. Yes I have spent actual money on PDFs that I can legally download for free.  The first one I got was Dark Dungeons, mainly as it was a restatement of the all in one rules for a basic version of the worlds greatest fantasy roleplaying game :) Then I got the Basic Fantasy RPG by way of comparison, also I had some good money off codes for Lulu :)

I will discuss these together.

Sunday 2 October 2011

UK Vodafone Carrier Billing: With Proof!

Looks like it is finally up and running. At least it has just let me buy Bejewelled 2 on my Galaxy S Plus. VAT is not included in the price. As far as I can tell the usual 15 nanosecond refund option is available.

For my son I downloaded the most annoying app on my phone: Talking Tom Cat 2

[caption id="attachment_767" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="01. Pick the Market"]01. Pick the Market[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_768" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="02. Find Your Paid For App"]02. Find Your Paid For App[/caption]

Sunday 18 September 2011

RPG: Retro Clone Comparison Post

My list of retro clones and games of a similar nature.

Despite the name some of the games are not clones, they are reimaginings or creations of systems that almost were. I have tried to indicate this with the Inspired by / Clone headings. This is not helped by the fact that some of the games steal ideas from all edition of the most popular fantasy role playing game ever. Not all the games are free, but most allow you to download a section of their rules at least.

Games I missed out from the main list are at the bottom.

Further links of interest are also lurking in the deeps.

I am especially interested in any retro clones or remakes of systems that are not inspired by the greatest fantasy role playing game ever.

Last update 30 Mar '13.

Douglas

Labyrinth Lord


Labyrinth Lord


Homepagehttp://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.html

Inspired By: Basic Dungeons and Dragons B/X (1981)

Clone: Yes. The Advanced Edition Companion brings in concepts from Advanced D&D in a way that is compatible with the core rules.

Free Download: Yes

Reviewhttp://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/13/13377.phtml


Saturday 17 September 2011

RPG: Retro Clones, Interpretations

While I was writing my Return to RPGs series of posts I kept thinking about my old D&D gaming sessions through rose tinted memory filters. I have been looking for something to fill in the D&D shaped hole in my mind.

The D&D I originally played was the Basic game 1983 Revision red Box edition and it's following rule books (expert, companion etc). These books I now know tend to be referred to as Dungeons and Dragons BECMI as edited by Frank Mentzer. This was evidently a follow up to the Dungeon and Dragons B/X rule books by Tom Moldvay and David Cook.

Way back then I did have a look at 2 Edtion AD&D but felt there were too many tables and too much fluff :) Trying 4th Edtion AD&D was a bit of a shock. It is a fun game but I have missed far too many generations of the game to work out quite what has happened. I still spend time trying to work out my THAC0#. I saw mention of the huge change between 4th Edtion and 3.5 so had a look at Pathfinder.

Pathfinder is really nice. I like it a lot. But it still has far too many bells and whistles.

For me the best and purest system was the Mentzer D&D with the rules system from the Gazetteers.

Turned out on the wonderful world of the internet I was not the only person to have this itch to scratch. There was a whole world of stuff!

It turns out game rules can not be copyrighted:
Copyright does not protect the idea for a game, its name or title, or the method or methods for playing it. Nor does copyright protect any idea, system, method, device, or trademark material involved in developing, merchandising, or playing a game. Once a game has been made public, nothing in the copyright law prevents others from developing another game based on similar principles. Copyright protects only the particular manner of an author’s expression in literary, artistic, or musical form.

At least in the U.S. I believe it is similar in Europe. This means  some enterprising people with far too much wonderful time on their hands have recreated or reinterpreted old gaming systems. They are known by the collective title of retro clones. All seem to be very careful about avoiding naming the system they are inspired by and only concentrating on no longer commercially exploited versions. A few minutes of Googling will find much more complete lists than the one that follows. Most of the retro clones have made slight or significant tweaks to the core rules, often these are the more popular house rules that people used or additions from published supplements. Sometimes ideas from later versions are backported.

Best of all most of these games are free to download with print versions on offer from Print on Demand stores.

Here is my rough list of what I found and liked the look of..

Sunday 11 September 2011

Metacreator: How To Create A New Savage World

I am not a rules lawyer :) Nor am I an expert with the Metacreator software (link), something I primarily got to help me make characters quickly and easily. Something it excels at. My experience is limited to using it with Savage Worlds (link).

Eventually I got to the stage where I needed to expand what was available. In the old days I would have just used endless reams of paper stolen from school. Today W.H. Smiths take a dim view of grown adults, probably kids too, nicking endless pads of paper. I need to create a new world. The help system is excellent:



But it did take me some time to get my head round it. Here is my attempt to help others as slow as myself. For the purposes of this example the world I create will be based on my unused campaign idea "The Hollow Apocalypse" when the entities lurking in the Hollow Earth invade the surface in the early twentieth century.

Monday 5 September 2011

Anno Dracula: Not A Review

Anno Dracula

It looks like the long awaited Johnny Alucard is about to see print. Which makes me very happy.

In 1993, I was a tender 21 years old, a book came out by an author called Kim Newman (whose work I knew from Interzone) which became one of my favourite books of all time. It still remains so, despite me losing my paperback copy many years ago and fearing I would never get to read it again.

[caption id="attachment_699" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Anno Dracula (1993)"]Anno Dracula (1993)[/caption]

 

Browsing round Waterstones I came across a new edition.

Sunday 4 September 2011

Public Domain: Old Newspapers at the Library of Congress

Here is my very rough guide about searching for newspapers at the Library of Congress. Everything used is either public domain (US) or for non-profit educational purposes. Rights may vary in other countries.

The Library of Congress

The American Library of Congress, online, is a wonderful place to be. The treasure contained within and freely shared are an example on how these things should be done, how they should be done right.  Included in their treasures is a section called Chronicling America, which is a large collection of old scanned newspapers. From their own site:
Chronicling America is a Website providing access to information about historic newspapers and select digitized newspaper pages, and is produced by the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP). NDNP, a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Library of Congress (LC), is a long-term effort to develop an Internet-based, searchable database of U.S. newspapers with descriptive information and select digitization of historic pages. Supported by NEH, this rich digital resource will be developed and permanently maintained at the Library of Congress. An NEH award program will fund the contribution of content from, eventually, all U.S. states and territories.

This is akin to saying the Sistine Chapel  is a bit of Dulux (tm) slapped on the ceiling.

The long way there is to go here: http://www.loc.gov/library/libarch-digital.html

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="800" caption="http://www.loc.gov/library/libarch-digital.html"]http://www.loc.gov/library/libarch-digital.html[/caption]

Saturday 3 September 2011

Return to RPGs V: Optimistically Seeking Nerdvana

Real life I took over.

Despite my journeys up and down the country I never met anyone who said to me:
"Yes Doug I would like to hear more exciting tales about when you used to play roleplaying games. D&D sounds like so much fun."

Playing About On The Internet

For some reason I never really used the Internet for RPGs. Most searches were limited to searching for solutions for Jap RPGs. By this time I had given up all hope of finding a gaming group in the backwoods of Scotland. Also many of the gaming clubs with presences on the internet seemed to be connected to Universities. Students in marge numbers did not appeal.

Friday 26 August 2011

Thursday 11 August 2011

McDougall's Good Stories for Children: Dinosaur


Public domain story from a an old paper. Please see links at the end. Slightly better formatted more errorful version can be found at my Scribd page.



[caption id="attachment_622" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Dinosaur Story"]Dinosaur Story[/caption]


HARRY RAMSDELL sat on the steps reading, and his little brother Gardiner sat beside him watching the antics of seven small puppies that, rolling over their mother, gnawing her stumpy tail and otherwise disturbing her rest, seemed to be having the time of their lives. After i space, Gardiner spoke:

"Ain't they funny said he. "Say, Harry, do all little animals have fun like that?"

"Most of them," replied Harry, looking very wise, as he always did when his small brother asked questions, for Harry was twelve and very learned, indeed.

"Do turtles?" asked Gardiner. "I'd like to see a litter of turtles cutting up."

"Aw, turtles come from eggs," said his brother, scornfully. "They don't have any fun. The mother turtle just leaves the eggs in the sand and they hatch out: that's all. Sun does it, I guess."

"That's funny." cried Gardiner. "I'd like to see them in the turtle's nest."

"Oh, golly," cried Harry. "They don't make any nest, I tell you just dig a hole in the sand; that's all.”

"I thought only birds laid eggs," added the little fellow.

"All reptiles – turtles, snakes, frogs, lizards – as well as insects, lay eggs," said the wise brother. "Some of them make a sort of nest, that is. the insects do, but not the lizards and things. I guess they are hatched out by the sun's heat. I've seen an ant's nest. It's fine."

"I wonder," mused Gardiner, "if you found some turtle's eggs somewhere and brought 'em home would they hatch out by the stove?”

"Why, I suppose so, but I guess it would be pretty hard to find 'em,” replied Harry, and then he sat thinking instead of reading, for the question had aroused interest in such a search. He decided to make an effort to find some turtle's eggs and try the experiment for himself before the summer came.

Tuesday 9 August 2011

Return to RPGs IV: My Love For Sheena Easton's Tail.

Sheena Is A Punk Rocker

Well not really. What do we know about Sheena? Wikipediarrrr!
Sheena Easton (born Sheena Shirley Orr; 27 April 1959) is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records. Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop hits "9 to 5" — known as "Morning Train" in the United States — and "For Your Eyes Only", "Strut", "Sugar Walls", "U Got the Look" with Prince, and "The Lover in Me". She went on to become successful in the United States and Japan, working with prominent vocalists and producers, such as Prince, Christopher Neil, Kenny Rogers, Luis Miguel, L.A. Reid and Babyface, and Nile Rodgers.

No. That is not what she is famous for.

This is what she is famous for;

Saturday 6 August 2011

Friday 5 August 2011

Return To RPGs III: From Boyz To Older Boyz

A New World

Over the following years until I left High School roleplaying games played a huge part of my life. Being geeky and unsocial I developed a great love of poring over the rule books and trying to work out what would happen if a wizard made a demon divide by zero. On the critical fumble table I made up very bad things happened. Very, very bad things. By this stage we had moved on up the role playing ladder to the giddy heights of the companion and the master set.

[caption id="attachment_545" align="aligncenter" width="439" caption="D&D Companion Set (Source The Acaeum http://www.acaeum.com/)"]D&D Companion Set (Source The Acaeum http://www.acaeum.com/)[/caption]

Thing A Day: Dundee and Dragons

To go with the RPG theme.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Dundee Dragon"]Dundee Dragon[/caption]

http://hortonsfolly.blogspot.com/2007/07/dundee-dragon.html


http://www.dundee.com/dundeeplaces-interest/arts-design.html

Thursday 4 August 2011

Return to RPGs II: Idiocy and Fat Club

Big Red Box Of Social Exile

So there I was with a big red box of RPG fun. I had no idea what to do with it and the solo adventure they had included looked fairly slim.

The books said that there were two kinds of people involved in a game of Dungeons and Dragons. The players who undertook exciting adventures and the dungeon master who set the scene and did everything else. I didn't know any dungeon masters to let me become a player.

For that matter I didn't know any players. D&D did not look like it would be much fun as a solitary activity.

Back then geeks, not that we were called that, tended to clump together at my school.

Things A Day: Old Man vs. Children

Taken from Adventures Into Darkness. Thanks to the great work by the team at the Digital Comic Museum.

 

[ipaper id=56278235]

Thing A Day: Product Plug - Brain In A Mug

I made this :) With the help of the public domain.

Wednesday 3 August 2011

Return to RPGs: Appendix 1 - Pathfinder

Odd. I have not finished my series on my return to RPG gaming and here I am writing the appendix already.  In essays I always used to write my conclusion first so I knew what research I wanted to cite :) The reason I am doing a quick appendix is because of this:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="800" caption="Pathfinder RPG Core, Cover"]Pathfinder RPG Core, Cover[/caption]

I have just got this through the post today.

During my return to roleplaying I tried to find out what had happened in the many, many years I was away. I learned that TSR was gone and some card gaming company had eaten it and done something potentially nasty to AD&D. Which initially did not bother me till I realised that AD&D was all that was left.

Monday 1 August 2011

Return To RPGs I: Back To Mystara

Currently I am hurtling toward 40 years old with all the grace of an enraged warthog. Time for a mid-life crisis I thought, get a fancy red car and a younger wife. The problem being I am unable to drive, due to not knowing how,  and already have a younger wife.

Then I realised I was already having my crisis and it started over a year ago. I was returning to my youth by rediscovering the joy of roleplaying games. Something I had been thinking about for years.  I thought back to my first RPG and came up with this:

[caption id="attachment_544" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="D&D Basic Set (Source The Acaeum http://www.acaeum.com/)"]D&D Basic Set (Source The Acaeum http://www.acaeum.com/)[/caption]

Then I thought. No. That's not right it goes back further. Join me if you like. Or not.

Sunday 31 July 2011

PS3 Multi Region DVD Player?

I have no idea if I am just lucky but my PS3 just played a region 1 disc quick happily. Didn't even make a sad noise.

Saturday 30 July 2011

Thunderbirds Review

[caption id="attachment_520" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Thunderbirds 2004 Movie Poster"]Thunderbirds (2004)[/caption]

Why Now?

Why am I reviewing a movie from 2004 that is currently running at 4.0 out of 10 at IMDb. Two reasons:

  1. It can now be found very cheaply in bargain buckets up and down the land. Watching a bad movie at the cinema for a lot of money is quite different from watching a bad £1.99 DVD at home.

  2. I have been made it watch it at least weekly by my four year old son weekly for what feels like the last 23 years, fnord!


Dawkinsosaurus

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="504" caption="Just For Fun"]Dawkinsosaurus[/caption]

 

Thursday 28 July 2011

Guitar Hero Warriors Import Problem

Quick post here. Thanks to the forum member at the main Guitar Hero site that pointed out the blindingly obvious. The shop for my Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rawwk! Rock (PS3) has been offline. Leaving me unable (I thought) to import my songs from Guitar Hero 5.  Now despite the fact the songs I imported from Band Hero to GH5 showed up in GHWOR the solution still did not occur to me. Instead of repeatedly trying to import GH5 into GH:WOR all I had to do was import my GH5 songs into Band Hero.

It never occurred to me that I could import the songs from what I perceived as the main game into one of the adjunct games. From the looks of the site the games that support imported, and importing, songs are GH5/ Band Hero (basically the same game) and GH:WOR. Songs can not be imported down a gaming generation, so GH:WOR can not be imported into anything but GH:WOR can easily read songs that have been imported into earlier games.

The generations seem to be:
1st Gen: Guitar Hero World Tour. (Can be imported into GH5/BH)

2cd Gen: Smash Hits, Metallica, GH5/ Band Hero. (Songs from SH and Metallica can be exported into GH5/BH, GH5 and BH can import into one another)

3rd Gen: GH:Warriors of Rock. (Accepts imports from all earlier games)

The stores for GH5 and Band Hero still seem to be working fine alowing easy purchase of the import licenses. Also Band Hero can be picked up new for less than the second hand price.

Hopefully this will help someone who has been as daft as myself.

 

Wednesday 27 July 2011

Zombiaki 2: Attack On Moscow Review [BGG]

Zombiaki 2: Attack On Moscow Review

This is my first review for BGG and is based on about four plays of the game with my better half.

Introduction

Zombiaki II Attack On Moscow is a two player strategic card game between zombies and humans. One player plays the defending humans the other the attacking zombies. The human player wins by stopping the zombies from overcoming their defences. The zombie player wins by overcoming the human defences before dawn.