Old Skulling

Characters in Old School D&D and in others OSR games begin as nobodies. They are usually common people without significant past deeds that would make them noticeable or famous. I like that. It sets the stage so that the really special events happen during the game. If the PCs are to become famous, gather a reputation, this will be due things they do in their adventures. There are many games out there that have a system for fame, reputation, renown and such things. I am sure they all work according to their own logic and serve the purpose of the games they are linked to. However, I do not want to add another layer of bookkeeping to my games. Having to track Renown Points or a separate stat to evaluate how famous or recognizable a character is just adds more complexity to the game. At least how I see it. But I still would like a simple way to evaluate if a guard or traveller the PCs come across have heard about them. To solve this problem, I’ve come up with what I call a Level T...

I love how Old School RPGs don’t just solve everything with a roll of the dice but actually wants players to make meaningful choices and interact with the setting to get most out of the game. I remember may days playing 3.X and 4e when players would come up on a room and just say “I search the room. I rolled 23, what did I find?”. I may have been playing wrong, mind you, but I hated that. I hated the lack of involvement and interaction. It was just a mechanical activity. Since I’ve read the Quick Primer for Old School Gaming by Matt Finch, I realized it didn’t have to be like that, and it wasn’t like that, in OSR games. People had to describe what they are doing to search the room, where they are searching, how they are doing that and everything. In many cases, depending on how specific the players description is, and how spot on they say they are looking, no rolls are made and they find the thing they are searching for. Simple as that. But sometimes, this isn’t that certain. ...

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...

So… The Ennies are here again! It’s like the biggest popularity contest of the RPG Industry. Who cares about that right? We care. The OSR should care about it. It gives visibility for our favorite games and publishers. It earns recognition for our hobby and out community and style of play. And yes, it gives more money to authors and producers, which will allow them to produce more stuff and hire more people! And you know… It’s always fun to see people who hate the OSR see how we are slowly taking more and more nominations and prizes each here! So let’s see all the OSR stuff we have running for the Ennies this year! If I forget something, please let me know so I can add it to the list! Make sure to vote for them! Best Adventure: The Dark of Hot Spring Islands Best Aid/Accessory: Hex Kit Best Art, Interior: Frostbitten and Mutilated Best Cartography: The Midderlands – An OSR Setting & Bestiary Best Electronic Book: Scenario from Ontario Best Free Product: Vag...

Limited Edition cover artwork by Dan Ramos Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells IndieGoGo campaign ended about a month ago. It was my first crowdfunding campaign by my own (we made one for the Brazilian version of Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells to pay for a print run and some other stuff), and so far I am really happy with it (even though the currency exchange is quite bad for me, as I receive less for the dollar than I pay for it). Anyway, one of the last goals of the project was to release a artless version of the game for free too, to make the game more accessible and easy to use. So why not share the current draft of the rules here too with character sheets to go with it. This way you all can play the game while we wait for it to be ready! So grab the complete Draft Text of Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells RPG here! It takes some time to load all the content, but it's worth it, I promise you! Grab the Character Sheets here , and here ! If you don’t know what exac...