My Life in Roleplaying Games: 2024 and 2025

As we head into 2025, here are some brief reflections on my role-playing activities in the recent past and near future.

I've been really enjoying running two Against the Darkmaster (VsD) campaigns, one in Middle-earth (“Against the Witch-King”), and one in my homebrew "Ukrasia" setting (“Against the Court of Urdor”). Both will continue into 2025, although I expect that the Middle-earth one will wrap up sometime this summer (but perhaps not, as these things are difficult to predict, at least for me).

Many of my fondest gaming memories are of the Middle-earth Roleplaying (MERP) and (to a lesser extent) Rolemaster adventures that I ran back in the day. These were mainly in high-school during the mid-late 1980s, but with sporadic sessions later, eventually petering out completely around 2000 (after a brief campaign that was aborted due to a problematic player). In recent decades, my collection largely sat on my shelves or in storage, although I would regularly flip through the books to mine for ideas or simply for the sake of nostalgia.

As I’ve explained before here, Against the Darkmaster plays a lot like a modified and updated MERP, especially with its vivid critical hits and its complex but immersive combat system. VsD streamlines some of MERP’s clunkier mechanics (especially regarding skills, combat, and experience) and introduces “drive points,” all changes I that like and hence my use of it instead of MERP. Nonetheless, the two systems are close enough that it’s easy to use MERP material for VsD. 

This experience made me realize that I was foolish to have ever shelved the original game simply because it was out-of-print. (That’s not to say that there aren’t new games that I like a lot and want to try out – but obviously that doesn't preclude cherishing and playing the older games as well.) My recent experience with VsD reminds me of how I felt almost two decades ago, when the “Old School Renaissance” (OSR) was really getting going, and I realized that it was perfectly fine to prefer “Gygaxian” Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (and “Basic/Expert” D&D) over the then-in-print 3rd edition, despite the widely touted “improvements” of the more recent version. After running two 3e campaigns and finding them to be slogs, especially once the player characters reached fifth level or so, this realization was liberating and exciting. (My recent experience running a 5th edition campaign made me decide never to do so again. If I run “D&D” in the future, I’ll likely just employ a tweaked version of good old Swords & Wizardry. Wanting to share my house rules for S&W is what inspired me to start this blog in the first place, almost fourteen years ago.)

So Against the Darkmaster has made me happy to be a Game Master again. I'm enjoying it enormously and look forward to seeing how things unfold this year!

Outside of my role as GM, I'm always excited to play Mythras, and look forward to (probably) doing more of that later this year. (Last summer I played in Mythic Greece and Lyonesse “one shot” sessions and had a blast. And last year one of my groups wrapped up a long-running Mythras adaptation of the Beyond the Mountains of Madness campaign.)

More generally, beyond the particular games I’m playing at the moment, I very much appreciate the two gaming groups I’m in and am grateful to have the friends who participate in them. I also delight in the ways that players’ decisions can make the role-playing games go off in entirely unanticipated, novel directions – that’s not something you can find in any other hobby of which I'm aware, and it can be magical!

Happy 2025 and some pictures from Scotland

Happy 2025! I hope you all have a year filled with thrilling adventures. 

As I mentioned last September (in my post on the Kirkyard of St. Cuthbert), I spent a few weeks in Scotland last August. Here are a few more pictures from that trip to begin the new year. I think that some of them could be used as visual aids in a fantasy role-playing campaign.

[Eilean Donan]

[Battle of Culloden monument]

[Some ruins of Urquhart Castle overlooking Loch Ness]

[A wall of Urquhart Castle overlooking Loch Ness]

[A hill on the Isle of Skye]

[Mealt falls on the Isle of Skye]

[Some Skye locals]

[A rare picture of the Akratic Wizard (in Plockton)]

Role-playing Games mystify those who have never played them

I think that this article, “The Most Dangerous Game: At 50, Dungeons & Dragons is more popular than ever — and still misunderstood” by Andrea Long Chu, is quite good. It’s really about role-playing games in general (which, for most people who don’t play them, and also — sadly — many who play only D&D, is synonymous with D&D). It does a solid job in explaining why the activity is so inscrutable to those who never try it. Next time some “normie” asks me about this crazy hobby of mine, I might just send them this article.

Mythras Miscellany

I thought that I would mention two cool things for Mythras that might be of some interest.

The first is the Unearthed Companion for Mythras Classic Fantasy. Here’s the blurb from the Design Mechanism folks: 

Delve deeper than ever before, with the Classic Fantasy: Unearthed Companion, the highly anticipated expansion for Mythras Classic Fantasy! 

Classic Fantasy has become a popular branch of the Mythras family, blending the Mythras rules with traditional dungeoneering adventure mechanics. The Classic Fantasy core book presented everything needed for Ranks 1 to 3. This volume, long in the making, expands Classic Fantasy to Ranks 4 and 5, with updates and expansions to certain rules, but more importantly providing the additional magic, monsters and treasure for higher Rank characters and adventures. 

Unearthed Companion is compatible with Classic Fantasy core, and Classic Fantasy Imperative.  

More information here.

Classic Fantasy provides rules and guidelines for running Mythras games with the flavour of “Gygaxian” Dungeons & Dragons (i.e., first edition AD&D). Why do this? Perhaps you like the ethos and adventures of early TSR-era D&D/AD&D – but like combat to be interesting.

I have yet to play Classic Fantasy myself. But I’d be interested in running a short campaign using it someday, perhaps focused on an adapted version of a classic AD&D or D&D module (like Tom Moldvay’s The Lost City or the Saltmarsh series).

The second item is something that hopefully will be coming out in 2025: Mythic Armorica.

I assume that this will be a supplement for Mythic Britain (but am not certain about that).

Anyhow, Happy Boxing Day!

Fight On! has a new website

FYI: The original Old School Renaissance fanzine Fight On! has a new website.

Against the Court of Urdor - Part 4

The Broken Temple, the Dread Wolves, the Tower of the Morning Star, and Soggy Fields.

February 1000 2AH (Second Age of Humanity): 1st – 12th. 

(A recap of the adventure so far.)

In Part 1 of this saga, our protagonists – Einar Quicksilver, the Green Elf scout of Koronande, and Kiren Hammerstone, the Dwarf animist of the Halls of Pale Steel – were captured and compelled by the Tantûraki wizard Zepheus to infiltrate the barrow of the Green Elf Prince Berethil. The ghost of Berethil, however, helped to free the adventurers from Zepheus’s control. In return, Einar and Kiren swore an oath to return the White Crown of northern Taaliraan to the prince’s sister, Queen Blàithnaid.  

In Part 2, after Einar and Kiren fled the spider-infested jungle of the Weblands and entered the Cursed Lands, they encountered three of the members of the Company of the Morningstar: the Kirani ranger Karos, the Hathorian wizard Evrix, and the Tantûraki scout Zephyr. Einar and Kiren then travelled to Korlax’s Haven. There they agreed to help the bard Blarth recover his silver harp from a vile band of redcaps. Alas, poor Blarth was slain by a ghoul in the process, but the heroes freed two prisoners: the half-orc Krumm and the pixie Neriss.  

In Part 3, the duo, now accompanied by Neriss in the guise of a young elf, travelled to Triumvir Town, where they met Jabbo “Far Walker” and Xerric the Loremaster, among others. They then journeyed to the village of Dawnfell, where Neriss was taken captive by the town’s ruler Brynjar. Using the pixie as a hostage, Brynjar demanded that Einar and Kiren recover the village’s protective artifact, the “Dawnchime” – which has the power to repel trolls – from the elves of the Crystal Glade. At the Crystal Glade, Einar delivered his aunt Yvenna’s necklace to his cousin Nuriel, leader of the elvish enclave. The two adventurers also learned that the elves do not have the Dawnchime, and that their own protective artifact, the “Dragon’s Eye,” had been taken by troll raiders only a few days earlier. From Agandis, a human (Kirani) prisoner of the elves, Einer, Kiren, and Nuriel learned that a deal had been arranged between a band of brigands named the “Dread Wolves” and the trolls. The bandits had agreed to steal the Dawnchime, using their spy in the town, Hamrick Tallowfoot. In return, the trolls agreed to take the Dragon’s Eye. The deal had been arranged by none other than the vile magician Zepheus, who seeks the elvish artifact for his own dark plans! 

[Map of the Cursed Lands]

February 1000 2AH: the 13th day.  

Accompanied by the Wyrdwood guardian Aleisa and the intelligent macaw Quiss, the adventurers journey through the jungle to the Broken Temple, which lies only a mile and a half to the north of the Crystal Glade. En route Kiren chats amiably with the bird, while Einar and Aleisa exchange furtive glances. As they near the temple, Kiren notices that the group is being followed by a large gorcrow. Aleisa fires at it but misses, and the gorcrow flies away to the northwest.

[Aleisa]

Near the Broken Temple the band comes across an abandoned cart. Einer discerns that the tracks came from the east-southeast. Consulting the regional map that they had found the previous day at the wood gatherer’s cabin, the heroes infer that the cart likely had come from Dawnfell. The Green Elf also finds troll and human footprints around the cart.

[Dawnfell region]

The party investigates the Broken Temple. They are immediately attacked by a panther and two trolls! The panther is quickly dispatched by the trio, but the trolls hurl great stones at them from within the temple. Using his soul soothing magic, Kiren calms the trolls momentarily. While trying to flee, the leader Urgusk is savagely killed by the Dwarf, whereas the other troll, Prugg, is granted mercy by Einar. The Green Elf of Koronande convinces Prugg to reveal the treasure they seek. The troll helps the adventurers evade a trap involving Darkshrike spores. The group then loads the Dawnchime onto the cart that they had located earlier. They learn from Prugg that the Dread Wolves had recently exchanged the Dragon’s Eye for the Dawnchime, and that the former item likely is still with the brigands. The troll also explains that the gorcrows are used as spies by the brigands. (The adventurers infer that this is no doubt a “gift” from their nemesis Zepheus.) In return for his help, Prugg is granted his freedom – but only after he spends the rest of the day in stone form. Exposing himself to a ray of light that breaks through the jungle canopy, the troll is petrified until nighttime.

[Urgusk the troll]

The group explores the ruined temple. Einar recognizes statues devoted to four deities of the Solar Court: Amithos (God of the sun and justice; ruler of the Solar Court), Ulrika (Goddess of war and strategy), Vanimos (God of knowledge and secrets), and Zerrick (God of discipline and control). The Green Elf also recognizes a painting of the dreaded Autarch N’veldar and his legions. It depicts a battle from the final years of the First Age of Humanity. Kiren burns the painting in disgust. The group also comes across a great hide used by the trolls as a rug. Kiren identifies the hide as belonging to one of the Uvag-Aak, a terrible race of vampiric apes that dwell deep within the jungles and forest around the Ûsakan Bay. 

The party travels back to the Crystal Glade with the Dawnchime. There the trio consults with Nuriel. The leader of the Crystal Glade recommends that Kiren and Einar travel to Dawnfell and negotiate with Brynjar. She also suggests that the Green Elf Orin accompany them, as he is fluent in both the Hathorian and Kirani tongues, and used to interact regularly with the humans of Dawnfell before the two peoples became estranged. Orin is keen to return to the human settlement after so many decades, as he craves the substance known as “cheese,” which (tragically, in his opinion) elves do not create. Aleisa will lead a band of Green Elf archers to the bandit camp and lie in wait for the party there.

After a brief rest the group travels to Dawnfell. There the group meets with Brynjar. Einar explains what happened with respect to the Dawnchime; he is backed up by the charming Orin. Impressed by the return of the Dawnchime and the elves’ harrowing tale, Brynjar releases Neriss and agrees to work with the Crystal Glade to recover the Dragon’s Eye from the Dread Wolves. The thane also decides to send five soldiers from the village to aid in the recovery mission. 

Einar, Kiren, Orin, and Neriss retire to Hathor’s Staff inn. There they relax and Orin consumes a wheel of cheese. He then tells the adventurers a saucy tale involving a pixie queen and an elf knight. Neriss turns bright red and looks longingly at poor Einar.

February 1000 2AH: the 14th day.  

Before the sun rises, the party heads north with the five soldiers from Dawnfell. To his profound irritation, Einar notices that a gorcrow is following the party.

When the party reaches the bandit camp a Green Elf scout updates the party. Elves from the Crystal Glade stand guard hidden in the trees around the campsite. 

The leader of the Dawnfell soldiers, Güntar, demands the surrender of the Dread Wolves. The hidden elves fire several arrows into the camp area to unnerve the bandits. Vargas emerges cautiously from his hiding place and demands an oath from Güntar that the bandits’ lives will be spared if they surrender. Reluctantly, the warrior agrees. Vargas then explains everything he knows about the involvement of Zepheus and the deal with the trolls. He also confirms that the bandits’ spy in the village is the farmer Hamrick Tallowfoot. It was Hamrick who stole the Dawnchime for the bandits and brought it to the trolls. The adventurers also recover a map and note from Vargus. The note is from Zepheus and offers the bandits one-thousand jade pieces and a blade of “black ice” in exchange for the Dragon’s Eye. As Vargus conveys these items and information, Kiren notices a gorcrow spying on the campsite. A Green Elf fires at the gorcrow but misses; the malevolent corvid flies away.

[Vargus, leader of the Dread Wolves]

The elves depart, returning to the Crystal Glade with the Dragon’s Eye. Taking the bandits as prisoners, the adventurers and men return to Dawnfell. There, Brynjar pronounces his punishment. The bandits’ lives are to be spared – as promised by Güntar – but their ability to cause mischief will be thwarted by the removal of their left eyes. In addition, the members of the Dread Wolves are to serve the village as labourers for ten years. Bynjar lets the heroes keep Vargus’s magical pendant as a reward for their aid and offers a reward for the return of the traitor Hamrick.  

[Hamrick the traitor]

With the assistance of Güntar and Neriss, the adventurers track down Hamrick. After slaying a wolf and another bandit, the group returns to Dawnfell with Hamrick as their prisoner, whom they turn over to Brynjar. As rewards for their services, the thane gives Neriss a superior short bow, Einar a superior leather helm (specially designed so as to impose no perception penalty), and a trained falcon named Miranda to Kiren. 

The party then retires to the Hathor’s Staff inn to deliberate about what to do next. While enjoying their drinks, the dwarf animist casts “Animal Companion” on the falcon and the two become bonded. Kiren is delighted with his new feathered friend.

February 1000 2AH: the 15th day.  

The party returns to the Crystal Glade with Orin – now filled with human-made cheese. Nuriel greets them warmly and promises them accommodation within the settlement anytime they need it (the Crystal Glade is forever a “safe haven” for the group). 

Grizzy the gnome urges Nerris to return to the secret Faerie Mound (located near the Crystal Glade) as her brother Nerro wishes her back. After some gentle nudging from Einar, who tires of the pixie’s childlike infatuation with him, she agrees. But she gives the Green Elf her magic whistle – when blown, Nerris will hear it and know where Einar was located when he used it. She promises to find him if he ever uses it. The pixie then departs for the Faerie Mound, tears in her fey emerald eyes.

[Neriss]

February 1000 2AH: the 16th and 17th days.  

Grizzy teaches the spell lore “Mastery of Plants” to Kiren. Meanwhile, Einar pursues less intellectual endeavours, and enjoys the gratitude and company of Aleisa.

February 1000 2AH: the 18th and 19th days.

The duo leaves the Crystal Glade. They return to Dawnfell and then go to Triumvir Town. While in Triumvir Town, Einar and Kiren meet with the Arsilonian scholar Xerric, and tell him about their recent adventures. Impressed, Xerric sells his magical backpack to Kiren for a reduced price. Back at the Evening Feast Inn, Jabbo “Far Walker” congratulates the adventurers on taking out the bandits, and Kiren introduces his falcon to Marda the innkeeper.

February 1000 2AH: the 20th and 21st days.

Einar and Kiren journey north to the Tower of the Morning Star. They reach it as evening falls and stay at the tower’s inn, The Evening Star. There the party learns from the innkeeper Daileen that one member of the Company, Zephyr, was recently killed. The duo also speak with the Hathorian bard Lena. She recalls poor Blarth and is sad to learn of his death. 

[Daileen]

The next day the party meets with several members of the Company of the Morning Star: 

Bleys, the Hathorian wizard (and apprentice to Evrix).

Karos, the Kirani ranger (whom the adventurers had met before). 

Ketta, the Halfling scout and spy.

Onshay, the Dwarf “intelligence master” of the Company.

Ulxor, a Tantûraki herbalist and scholar.

Wyland, a Blue Elf warrior.

Karos explains that after meeting with the two adventures just over two weeks ago (February 5th and 6th), he, Evrix, and Zephyr launched an assault on the encampment of the vile Zepheus. While most of the necromancer’s warriors were easily dispatched, one turned out to be a vampire which slew Zephyr. While Karos and Evrix dealt with the loathsome demon, Zepheus managed to escape. Hence the attack was a failure. The ranger also tells the duo that Evrix subsequently travelled south to Taaliraan in order to consult with the wise and powerful Blue Elf lord Laurre Menelrana. The wizard Bleys cautions the party to avoid vampires if at all possible. Contrary to common folklore, vampires are not “undead” but rather powerful demons.

While partaking of the Company’s high-quality wine and bread, Kiren and Einer relate their recent activities, including helping to heal the rift between the villages of Dawnfell and the Crystal Glade, and uncovering the involvement of Zepheus in the troubles there. They also reveal the location of Zepheus’s base in the Wilder Woods to the west of the Cursed Lands. The Company is suitably impressed by all this information – and by Kiren’s charmingly earnest desire to help all “good people work together.” 

The adventurers then mention their plan to travel to Misty Vale in order to return the white branch crown to Queen Blàithnaid, whom they believe is magically hidden on an island within the lake near the town. The Company tells them that a friend of theirs – Nevynn “the Wise” – lives in Misty Vale, and that the party should seek his counsel if possible. Ulxor writes a letter of introduction for the party. And with that, the council ends. 

Shortly afterwards, Einar and Kiren leave the Tower of the Morning Star and spend a few hours walking to the town of Soggy Fields. Most of the townsfolk are Tantûraki. Indeed, the duo learns that the town was settled three centuries ago by six wealthy families that had fled Tantûrak due to their opposition to the “Magician.” The townsfolk later were joined by a tribe of halflings from Dûshera. Soggy Fields is now one of the larger towns in the Cursed Lands. It is governed by a ruling council of six Tantûraki and one halfling (“The Council of Seven”).   

Reaching the town in the late afternoon, the duo encounters a priest named Zedric within the main square. The priest is imploring the townsfolk to rejoin the Church of the Solar Court. However, as committed members of the Church of the Free Sun, the people of Soggy Fields ignore the bellicose proselytizer.

[Zedric]

The duo wander about town for a while, visiting the Last Drop Inn. There they chat with a roguish one-eyed halfling publican named Zhurlo, who is saddened to learn of Blarth’s death. The adventurers then visit the Chapel to Amithos and Fiona. There they speak with Hierarch Staven and learn more about the conflict between the Church of the Solar Court and the Church of the Free Sun (Staven belongs to the latter). Both Churches are devoted to the deities of the Solar Court, but the Church of the Free Sun broke away from the Church of the Solar Court in the 2105th year of the First Age of Humanity, after the Autarch N’veldar proclaimed the Rylindar Imperium. The Hierarch worries that religious strife may be coming to the Cursed Lands due to increased meddling by Tantûrak.

 

Finally, Einar and Kiren retire to the Blazing Hearth Inn.

Notes:

The master page for the World of Ukrasia and this campaign is here. (Links to other log posts can be found on the master page.)

The “Court of Urdor” setting (including the central part of the island) draws upon – but significantly modifies – ICE’s 1981 Court of Ardor campaign module by Terry Amthor. The map of the “Cursed Lands” is from the module’s main map, by Peter Fenlon. (I added a number of new locations to the “Cursed Lands” map – it should be obvious which ones are not part of the original map.)

Queen Blàithnaid is from the Against the Darkmaster core book. Nuriel, Brynjar, and other materials concerning Dawnfell and the Crystal Glade are from the Silence of Dawnfell adventure for VsD. The pictures of Urgusk and Vargas also are from that adventure. I have extensively modified both adventures for this setting and campaign. The map of the Dawnfell region is my own but draws upon the version found in the book.

The picture of Karos is from the Baldur’s Gate II Enhanced Edition CRPG. The other colour portraits are from various fan-made mods for that CRPG.

Open Ended Games 2024 Q&A

I’m currently running two campaigns using the Against the Darkmaster ("VsD") fantasy role-playing game, one set in my homebrew setting of Ukrasia, the other in Middle-earth (for both, I am making use of some of my old ICE Middle-earth Roleplaying material, which is easy to do, given that VsD draws heavily upon MERP). So, I’m obviously a big fan of the game!

Hence, I was interested to watch the "Question-and-Answer" episode for 2024 with Open Ended Games (the folks behind VsD). It can be found on YouTube here.  

A few interesting announcements were made by OEG:

• The most significant is that a space-based version of VsD will be coming out at some point, called Against the Star Master. (The mention of “star blades” makes me think that it will resemble Star Wars in some ways.) It looks like the playtest “quick start” rules should be available sometime in 2025, although the full game likely will not be finalized for a while.
• A companion to cover higher-level (“mythic”) characters is going to be produced at some point (although almost certainly not in 2025).
• A couple of new adventures will be coming out for VsD (probably available in 2025).
• A new “deluxe edition” version of the core rules – with a new (hopefully sturdier) GM screen – will be coming out soon-ish.

I’m glad that VsD is doing well. It’s tied with Mythras as my favourite RPG these days. I look forward to all these future products.  

Trail of Cthulhu 2e and Broken Empires

I try not to back funding projects (on Kickstarter and the like) that often these days. This is because I backed a few in recent years that I now kind of regret (e.g., Shadowdark, Dolmenwood, Old School Essentials, a bestiary from Goodman Games, and a couple of other things, the details of which I've already largely forgotten).  As they trickle in (many of my recent "regrets" still linger in the ether somewhere) I find myself sighing and -- after briefly flipping through them -- putting the print products on my shelf and the PDFs into my ever-expanding dropbox of RPGs. 

To be clear, the products themselves might be fine or even quite good. For instance, Shadowdark certainly has some interesting mechanics, some of which I'm on the fence about (but which, I concede, very well may be vindicated in practice). But the cold hard truth of the matter is that I just don't see using this game that much (if at all) in the near future, as well as the other RPG products that have trickled in over the past few years (e.g., OSE). 

Having said all that, there are two funding projects that I have decided to back, albeit at a reasonably scaled back level (for me). 

The first is the second edition of Trail of Cthulhu. Now, I already have a surfeit of Cthulhu Mythos material (including ToC, but mostly Call of Cthulhu books, some 7th edition but mainly material for earlier editions). However, I've played a couple of ToC scenarios and thought quite highly of them. Indeed, one was probably the best "one shot" horror scenario I've ever gone through. So I will be backing the current Trail of Cthulhu 2e funding campaign because of its innovative treatment of the setting and the high quality of the scenarios. I also love the ToC art. (Plus, I had a distinctly unpleasant "experience" with some of the "new Chaosium" folk around 2016-2017 -- no one involved with 7e CoC but rather the Moon Design folks -- which has put me off their products ever since. Hence, I'm happy to go elsewhere for new Cthulhu material.) 

If you're curious about Trail of Cthulhu, check out the 2e Quickstart.

The other project that I'm backing is the Broken Empires FRPG (albeit, again, at a lower level than I have backed projects in the past). I'm curious about the system, as Mythras is one of its main influences, and it aims to be a "sim-lite" game. This means, roughly, that the game falls within the "simulationist" camp -- that is, it is a game in the mold of Mythras, RuneQuest, Harnmaster, Rolemaster, Middle-earth Roleplaying, Against the Darkmaster, and the like. These kinds of games (which generally belong to the "d100" BRP and RM "families") vividly and precisely describe, via their mechanics, what happens in the game world, with hit locations (in Mythras and related systems) or critical hits (in Rolemaster, MERP, VsD, etc.), different levels of success for skill rolls, and so forth. My tastes, I've (re)discovered in recent years, definitely lie in the simulationist region of RPGs. But Broken Empires also claims to be "lite" by achieving a high degree of "simulation" with fewer mechanics, dice rolls, and calculations. I'm frankly a little sceptical about the latter claim, but the game overall looks interesting enough for me to want to include it in my collection. I'm especially intrigued by the "free form" magic system (roughly, there are no "spells," but instead spell-casters describe what effects they are trying to realize, and they draw upon their relevant skills in order to do so).  

These are somewhat niche RPG interests, I suppose, but I thought that I would mention these projects in case others might be interested in them.

The Tome of Worldbuilding from Mythmere Games

I thought I’d mention that Mythmere Games is running another kickstarter. This one is for a volume entitled The Tome of Worldbuilding. The title pretty much sums up what the book is about: “The Tome of World Building is written by ENNIE-award winning author Matt Finch, author of the critically-acclaimed Tome of Adventure Design. Using the Tome of World Building, you can create fantasy worlds quickly and fill them out with a wealth of detail from the random-generation tables in this book.”

While Mythmere Games is known primarily for its Swords & Wizardry retro-clone – my favourite game of the “Old School Renaissance” and the one that motivated me to start this blog over fifteen years ago – The Tome of Worldbuilding is system-neutral. This also is the case for the other book that is part of this kickstarter, The Nomicon, which provides “new tables for name generation.”

More information about the kickstarter is available here.

The art samples look really great. I’m especially impressed by the pictures by Kennon James, which evoke the style of the late great Dave Trampier, while still being original.

Mythmere Games does great work. Check it out!

Sale on issues 1-14 of Fight On!

As recently announced here, the Old School Renaissance fanzine Fight On! has returned to publication after a long sabbatical.

If you are missing PDF versions of the first run, issues 1-14, they currently are available in a bundle at Drivethru RPG for 50 percent off (34.99 USD). The sale will run until this Saturday (12 October 2024).

It’s great to have Fight On! back with us … and fighting on!