Old Skulling

Today is Gary Gygax Day! Gary Gygax was one of the creators of the first, most played and best-known RPGs of all time, Dungeons & Dragons. But he was not only the creator of one of the most influential games of all time. He was a great referee, storyteller and active member of a community of RPG players. He may have had his flaws too, and no one is immune to that. And although we have to keep these in mind too, that should not stop us from learning from what he could teach us. Even though he is one of the biggest names in the RPG game industry, Gygax was always available to chat, answer questions and even play with fans and admirers. It was not uncommon for him to invite people to come and play with him at his home, and he did not fail to help, give tips and talk about RPG with anyone who approached him. He was the archetypal DM, a teacher, a creator, a real master. It is not surprising that his birthday is honored until this day, and hundreds of websites, publishers and stores rel...

Some months ago I wrote a post about 1 0 Quick Unpretentious Tips for Writing RPG Material and promised to elaborate more on each tip. Well, I started doing that, so here it goes! 1. If you want to write RPG material, just do it! Don’t wait for inspiration! Inspiration is fleeting. It comes and goes. You can, and should, write down every idea inspiration brings you, but that won’t be enough. Set Goals The most important thing is to sit down and write. Write everyday. Put goals for your writing. Star small. 200 words per day. 300 words. 500. A thousand! And keep at it. Make it a routine. A game. Everyday you clear your goal, mark an X on your calendar. Physical Imagination Writing, putting ideas on paper, will kickstart your imagination to have new ideas. The first words you write don't need to be great. They probably won’t be. That’s fine. Nobody’s first work is a best seller. As you write, as you put your writing muscles to use, they will kickstart your imagination. Maybe you wil...

So, Zak S. (author of Vornheim, A Red and Pleasant Land, Frostbitten and Mutilated and Demon City among other things) came up with this small questionnaire about out own impressions and experiences within the OSR. I thought it was kinda neat and here I am answering it. Feel free to do the same if you like it. 1. One article or blog entry that exemplifies the best of the Old School Renaissance for me: http://pitsperilous.blogspot.com/2016/04/minimalist-gaming-doesnt-exist.html 2. My favorite piece of OSR wisdom/advice/snark: Challenge the player, not his character sheet. 3. Best OSR module/supplement: Vornheim ( http://www.lotfp.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=67 ). 4. My favorite house rule (by someone else): The carousing rules by Jeff Rients ( http://jrients.blogspot.com/2011/09/carousing-in-wessex.html ). 5. How I found out about the OSR: Through Goodman Games modules for 3rd and 4th Edition. I was searching for more of them and saw they made...

I know I am not the most successful RPG author out there. Far from it. But I’ve learned a lot (at least in my point of view) and I want to share whatever knowledge I may have. I might not have all the answers, but sharing this might help someone, and may even help me if someone points out my mistakes and where can I get better. Sharing helps everyone, so it’s a win/win thing! 1. Don’t wait for inspiration or a great idea. Just write! The real difference isn’t between the people who write bad stuff and the people who write great material. It’s between the ones who do and the ones who doesn’t (assuming they want to write, obviously). Don’t wait for a magical moment to arrive or the greatest idea ever (it’s very likely that idea isn’t that great either), just sit and write. Create stuff, even boring stuff. After you’ve started, you can get better. You will get better, as long as you do it. Inspiration can help sometimes, but ask anyone doing good work and they will tell you it onl...