My Top-5 Roleplaying Games of All Time

Over at the “RPG Pub” there is a thread asking people to post their top-five favourite role-playing games of all time.

Here’s my list. Reflecting on the role-playing games that I’ve played over the past forty-five years or so, I’d say that my top five have to be the following:

Middle-earth Roleplaying (MERP)/Against the Darkmaster (VsD)

My first “real” campaign involved MERP and ICE’s beautiful maps and detailed campaign modules. MERP – and its descendant VsD – captures what I like the most about Rolemaster – the flexible class-based character development system; the detailed, vivid critical hit charts; the overall coherent rules framework – but without the large volume of charts and details that (IME) bogged down RM in actual play.

Some of my fondest memories of playing RPGs involve MERP and my two favourite campaigns of all time as GM (one still ongoing) use VsD.

Mythras 

I started playing this in 2011 – back when it was still being published by Mongoose and was called RuneQuest II (i.e., MRQII) – and haven’t stopped since. I’ve played in campaigns set in the Young Kingdoms (“Elric”), Mythic Britain, Mythic Babylon, Beyond the Mountains of Madness (the CoC campaign adapted to Mythras), and now Lyonesse, as well as in several “one-shots” or short campaigns (Mythic Greece, Luther Arkwright, Meeros, etc.). A really excellent system overall.

Call of Cthulhu

I haven’t played CoC since 2017 and I’m in no rush to do so again soon. But I’ve run a lot of CoC over the years – almost always as GM (er, “Keeper”) – and I’ve always really enjoyed it. I’m pretty sure it’s the game I’ve run the third most often (after MERP/VsD and AD&D). The scenarios are generally excellent (although some needed work). My only regret is that I have yet to run one of the “classic” campaigns for it (although I did play through BMoM using Mythras).

Dungeons & Dragons/Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (TSR era)

Like most RPGers, I started with D&D and spent a lot of my early gaming days (the early 1980s) playing and running AD&D (and I’ve returned to it from time to time since then). Reading Gygax’s hardbound volumes not only improved my vocabulary as a wee lad, but also sparked my imagination. They were the works of a disorganized creative genius. I still treasure the classic modules from that era as well. Although aspects of the system never failed to frustrate me, the game will always have a special place in my heart.

Stormbringer/Elric!/Hawkmoon/Corum 

(i.e., BRP “Eternal Champions” games)

I don’t really have any interest in running these BRP RPGs now – Mythras has largely filled that space for me – but I still have these books and really enjoyed these (closely related) games back in the day. 

There are other games that I like and other games I hope to try – but these are the games that I consider my all-time favourites.

Feel free to post your "top-5" lists in the comments, if you like. I'd be curious to learn what games have stood "the test of time" for you.

Against the Court of Urdor – Part 6

The Return to Prince Berethil’s Barrow and the Journey to Taaliraan

Our protagonists – Einar Quicksilver, the Green Elf rogue of Koronande, and Kiren Hammerstone, the Dwarf animist from the Halls of Pale Steel – have accomplished many things in the past month:

• The two adventurers were magically coerced by the vile Tantûraki necromancer Zepheus to raid the Barrow of the Elf Prince Berethil – only to escape with the help of Berethil’s ghost. The ghost asked the duo to return the crown of Queen Blàithnaid – which the prince had stolen from his older sister a thousand years ago – to her in the northern Cursed Lands. They agree and take the crown made of entwined white branches with them. (Part 1.)

• Einar and Kiren encountered the Company of the Morning Star, travelled to Korlax’s Haven, and helped the bard Blarth recover his harp from some fiendish redcaps – but at the cost of poor Blarth’s life. In the process, the two adventurers liberated the half-orc Krumm and the pixie Neriss. (Part 2.)

• The duo travelled through the Cursed Lands with Neriss, eventually arriving at the town of Dawnfell. There Neriss was taken hostage by the town’s leader, Brynjar, who demanded that Einar and Kiren recover the town’s protective artifact, the Dawnchime. The adventurers then went to the elvish village Crystal Glade, where Einar met his cousin Nuriel, the village’s leader. An important artifact of the village, the Dragon’s Eye, had recently been taken by raiding trolls. From a prisoner, the group learns that the trolls are working with a band of human brigands, the “Dread Wolves,” all under the guidance of the vile Zepheus. (Part 3.)

• With the help of the Wyrdwood guardian Aleisa and an intelligent macaw Quiss, the adventurers recovered the Dawnchime from some trolls holed up in a ruined Tantûraki temple. Returning the Dawnchime to Brynjar, the party then helped the elves of Crystal Glade and the men of Dawnfell capture the “Dread Wolves” and recover the Dragon’s Eye. At the urging of the gnome “Grizzy,” Neriss then decided to return to her Faerie Mound. Kiren acquired a falcon companion named Miranda. Having successfully reconciled the Crystal Glade and Dawnfell, Einar and Kiren travelled to the Tower of the Morning Star where they met with some members of the Company of the Morning Star, including the ranger Karos. The adventures then journeyed on to the Tantûraki town of Soggy Fields. (Part 4.)

• Einar and Kiren travelled to Misty Vale. While there, they solved the mystery of the “Beast of the Lake,” helped (and was helped by) the herbwife Eileen, discovered that the village’s leader Wulfric is secretly in league with Zepheus, who seeks the legendary “Elfstone,” and recovered the true Warden’s pendant from the Warden’s Mound south of the village. Most impressively, the adventurers travelled to the Isle of the Lake of Mists, which they learned is a fragment from the plane of Faerie. There, they returned the white crown to Queen Blàithnaid. Moved by this act, she lifted the curse on her brother, and gave the Elfstone and a mighty enchanted blade, the “Queen’s Thorn,” to the adventurers. Her spirit then passed onto Fairie, her body transforming into a thicket with flowering white roses. (Part 5.)

[The Cursed Lands] 

27th February 1000 2AH (Second Age of Humanity): 

While at the Tower of the Morning Star, Kiren and Einar meet with Bleys, Karos, and Onshay of the Company of the Morning Star. The duo relates their recent adventures in Misty Vale and the various things that they learned there about the machinations of Zepheus. (Kiren, however, is careful to gloss over the “flaming outhouse” incident, as he is somewhat ashamed of what happened there.) The members of the Company are most impressed! Karos decides to lead a group of fifteen soldiers to drive Wulfric and his henchmen out of the vale and discover the fate of his friend Nevynn the Wise. Kiren and Einar give Karos the Medallion of the Warden to give to Eileen while there. 

[Misty Vale]

In recognition of their impressive deeds, Karos declares the two adventurers “Friends of the Company” and they are given permanent private quarters in the tower. Kiren and Einar mention their forthcoming plans: to go to Prince Berethil’s barrow to inform the ghost that his curse has been lifted, and then to journey to the elven port of Tilvirin to give the Elfstone of Queen Blàithnaid to Prince Eldanar. Karos recommends that they go to the Manor of the Elf Lord Laurre Menelrana for counsel before proceeding to Tilvirin.

[Karos]

28th February 1000 2AH: 

While enjoying their new permanent quarters in the tower, the halfling servant Cora tells Einar and Kiren that there are some “rather strange” travellers staying in the Evening Star inn looking for them. Within one of the inn’s booths the duo encounters three faeries: their pixie friend Neriss, her brother Nervo, and the gnarly gnome Grizzy. Neriss explains that she came looking for the adventurers when she heard her magic whistle blown three days ago.

[Neriss]

The adventurers chat with the wee fey folk. Grizzy is intrigued by the connection of the Isle of the Lake of Mists to the plane of Faerie. The gnome encourages the pixies to accompany him to the island to explore the possibility of moving their faerie settlement there. Grizzy also advises Kiren in the ways of animist magic. The dwarf tells the fairies that Eileen and Padraig are trustworthy folk within the mannish settlement near the lake. 

[Grizzy]

1st March 1000 2AH:

Grizzy, Neriss, and Nervo depart the Tower of the Morning Star for the Lake of Mists.

2nd – 6th March 1000 2AH:

Einar and Kiren rest, recover, and reflect at the tower. 

[Kiren]

7th March 1000 2AH:

Karos departs from the tower with fifteen mounted soldiers to rid Misty Vale of the malevolent presence of Wulfric and his lackies.

Kiren and Einar travel south to Triumvir Town. There, at the Evening Song inn, Kiren tells Marda the innkeeper and Jabbo “the Far-Walker” about the fight with the ghouls back at the Warden’s Mound. Alas, his attempt is an abject failure: the two do not belief the dwarf. Fortunately, Einar salvages the awkward social situation with some smooth talking. 

[Einar]

8th March 1000 2AH:

While in Triumvir Town, the duo visits their friend Xerric. The Arsilonian scholar is most impressed by the tale related to him, especially the role of Einar and Kiren in returning the white crown to Queen Blàithnaid and thereby ending the curse on Prince Berethil. In return for this news, Xerric gives the adventurers a golden quill. The quill is magical: if tapped three times an unending supply of ink will be provided at its tip; if tapped once the ink will disappear. 

[Xerric]

Later the same day, taking advantage of the pleasant weather, the adventurers travel to Korlax’s Haven. They reach the small settlement just before dusk. Einar impresses the gruff dwarven guards with the tale of Blarth. Aethelia the herbalist greets the two adventurers warmly and is told of their exploits since their last meeting, four weeks earlier. She is in awe of the two’s daring and bravery, and agrees to accompany them to Tilvirin, where she is from. But first she must properly store her herbs, unguents, potions, and other supplies, which will take a few days.

9th – 11th March 1000 2AH:

The party rests in Korlax’s Haven for a couple of days.

12th March 1000 2AH:

Einar and Kiren head east. By late afternoon a fog has descended. Nonetheless, by the end of the afternoon, the party successfully reaches the pentagon where they first met Karos, Evrix, and Zephyr just over a month ago. The adventurers cannot believe that so little time has passed since that fateful encounter!

13th March 1000 2AH:

The duo heads into the jungle. After a day of difficult travel, they make camp. Chittering and other disturbing noises are heard off in the darkness.

14th March 1000 2AH:

The jungle air is thick and damp as the duo reaches the site of Prince Berethil’s barrow. An eldritch black cloud hovers over the barrow. Sensing great danger within the cloud, the two adventurers sneak up to the doorway. Einar opens the door by placing his elvish hands on it and the two enter. The ghost of Prince Berethil greets the party and thanks them profusely for bringing about an end to his thousand-year curse. He releases the Tantûraki undead from his service. Before he departs for Faerie, the ghost gives his white Elbrinth wood armour and sword to the duo. The skeletal remains of Prince Berethil then collapse into dust. 

After recovering the dice from the now immobile skeleton guards, Einar and Kiren deliberate about what to do next. They go to the preservation chamber and find shattered urns. It appears that Prince Berethil’s heart and brain have been stolen! The adventurers take the tapestry of Faerie. Kiren uses the Elfstone to travel with Einar back to the Tower of the Morning Star via the Ethereal realm. (They actually appear a few miles south of the tower, but are unscathed if weary.)

By dusk Einar and Kiren are in the common room of the inn of the Evening Star where they enjoy a brisk drink together. Kiren retires for the night while the elf lingers, listening to the comely Hathorian minstrel Lena sing “The Ballad of Blarth the Bard.” Moved, Einar tells Lena of his adventurers since their last encounter. A spark is lit between the two and a night of passion follows. 

[Lena]

15th March 1000 2AH:

The duo meets with Bleys, Wylane, and Onshay of the Company of the Morning Star. Bleys reacts with alarm to the news that Prince Berethil’s brain and heart have been taken. He also suspects that a demon of some kind has been bound to the barrow. He and Onshay praise the adventurers on their clever escape using the Elfstone. Einar and Kiren agree to accompany Onshay on her journey to the village of Green Shields, in the south of the Cursed Lands, where she is to meet up with Evrix and deliver weapons to the village’s leader, Lord Vilm.

[Bleys]

16th March 1000 2AH:

Kiren and Einar relax and prepare for their journey in the Tower of the Morning Star.

17th March 1000 2AH:

The three travellers head south to Triumvir Town where they obtain lodging at the Evening Song inn. While in town, the duo meets again with Xerric the loremaster. Xerric examines the Elbrinth wood sword and explains that it is capable of taking different forms: those of a scimitar, a longsword, and a greatsword. Moreover, he notes that the enchanted wood is harder than steel and will never dull. 

18th March 1000 2AH:

The group travels to Korlax’s Haven. There Kiren and Einar are reuninted with Aethelia, whom they update on their adventure at the Prince Berethil’s barrow. They give her the prince’s Elbrinth sword in gratitude for her willingness to accompany them to Tilvirin.

[Aethelia]

While relaxing at the Storm’s End inn, both adventurers notice that they are being observed by a well-dressed Arsilonian. Einar chats with the fellow, who introduces himself as “Torth.” Kiren cases a spell and discerns that Torth is in fact a servant of darkness! The dwarf confronts the Arsilonian; the latter reacts negatively and storms out of the inn in irritation. The party learns from the innkeeper Wakkim that Torth visits the hamlet occasionally. Disturbed by the encounter, the party rests for the night.

19th March 1000 2AH:

The party of four – Einar, Kiren, Onshay, and Aethelia – departs Korlax’s Haven. Kiren instructs his falcon Miranda to fly about, keeping her eyes out for any sign of Torth. 

Halfway to Green Shields the group is attacked by a bomb-throwing dwergar, a murder of gorcrows, the vile sorcerer Torth, and a faceless demon! The fight is difficult: Aethelia’s hand is broken by one of the dwergar’s explosions, one of the horses is slain, and Onshay’s hand is badly damaged while grappling with the demon. While the dwergar, demon, and gorcrows eventually are vanquished, Torth transforms into a great black hawk and flees from the ambush site. Athelia and Onshay are partially healed by the ancient elvish wine that Einar and Kiren had obtained from Prince Berethil’s barrow. Kiren heals the surviving horse. 

[Faceless demon]

Hours later the battered band reach Green Shields. Onshay, Kiren, and Einar go to see Lord Vilm and Evrix at the town’s manor house while Aethelia rests at the Soothing Songs inn.  Recent developments are discussed by the group, and Lord Vilm invites the travellers to stay the night. A magnificent dinner is enjoyed by all (except Aethelia, who remains at the inn). That evening, Onshay boldly knocks on Kiren’s bedroom door, and the two dwarves enjoy a lustful night involving little sleep.

[Onshay]

20th – 26th March 1000 2AH:

Evrix and Onshay depart Green Shields to head north back to the Tower of the Morning Star. Einar, Kiren, and Aethelia stay in the small town while Aethelia’s wrist mends. 

27th March – 3rd April 1000 2AH:

The trio travels south. Kiren spots a giant eagle with a rider flying high above. Aethelia reassures the dwarf that it is an eagle rider of Taaliraan, patrolling the northern boundary of the elvish realm. Soon after, the travellers reach the great elvish fortress, The Eye of Taaliraan. They stay at the Gentle Breeze inn, which is near the fortress.

The next day the party enters the realm of Taaliraan. They travel to the village of Maethling, where they stay at the Silver Harp inn. Then they continue southwards, leaving the jungle behind and entering the rolling hills and vineyards that constitute the heart of the realm. Aethelia seems happy to be back in her homeland and relates some of its history to her companions.

By mid-morning of the third day of April, the group reaches the Vale of Tumlinde, the location of the manor of the ancient and mighty Lord Laurre Menelrana. 

------------------------------------------

HEREIN ENDS THE FIRST BOOK OF AGAINST THE COURT OF URDOR: TALES OF THE CURSED LANDS.

THE NEXT BOOK: MISSIONS FOR THE GUILD OF ELEMENTS.

------------------------------------------

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.)

I drew the map of Misty Vale; many of its locations are from the adventure included in the Against the Darkmaster core rulebook.

The picture of Grizzy is from the book Secrets of the Golden Throne from Open Ended Games. The picture of the faceless demon is from the Against the Darkmaster core book (also from Open Ended Games). The picture of Aethelia is by Stephanie Brown (found on the web). The pictures of Karos and Kiren are from the Baldur’s Gate II Enhanced Edition CRPG. The pictures of Einar and Onshay are from the Neverwinter Nights Enhanced Edition CRPG. The other portraits are from a “mod” for BGIIEE (found on the web – I don’t know where they’re originally from, unfortunately). 

Yes I am still alive. And Happy Canada Day!

The first half of 2026 was a bit overwhelming as I frequently had piles of (soul crushingly boring) administrative work to do. (Sorry for mentioning this again – I know that I’ve whined about this here before and promise that this will be the last time.)

 
I hope that things will be a bit more manageable for the second half of the year. And while blogging has been sparse, I have managed to maintain a more-or-less regular gaming schedule. Both of the campaigns with which I’m involved – the Against the Darkmaster campaign that I’m running and the Lyonesse campaign that I’m playing in – have managed to meet one to three times every month (usually twice). 

Now that it’s summer, I’m really hoping to update my logs (adventure summaries) for my Ukrasia and Middle-earth campaigns (the latter one is now on hiatus), as well as write up a conclusion and final overview for my Greyhawk campaign (which ended, *gulp*, almost three years ago!). 

To celebrate the end of our terms, my wife and I just spent a little time in Montreal, enjoying some good food, company, a museum visit, and a couple of long walks.

Below are two photos from that visit:

The view from Le Réservoir, where I always get a few pints when in town. 

A picture of me with a Cthulhu-ish octopus in the Pointe-à-Callière Museum.  

I hope that all is well with you, that you’re enjoying the World Cup, some fun role-playing games, pints of decent ale, sunsets at a cottage, or whatever brings you joy.

And Happy Canada Day eh! 

🇨🇦

Lords of Chaos! Free League also producing a Stormbringer game?

Well this is a bit confusing. Just two days ago I mentioned that Goodman Games announced that they will be producing material based upon Michael Moorcock’s “Elric” novels for the Dungeon Crawl Classics and 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons role-playing games.

Now it looks like the Free League also will be getting in on the Eternal Champion multiverse action, with Legends of Stormbringer, based upon their Dragonbane system. (Hat tip to Todd S for alerting me to this in his comment on my previous post.)

“Today, we are thrilled to announce Legends of Stormbringer, a new officially licensed tabletop roleplaying game based on the iconic fantasy works of Michael Moorcock, planned for release in 2027.

Legends of Stormbringer will carry you into the Young Kingdoms – a world of dying empires, warring gods, and doomed heroes – and bring Moorcock’s richly imagined setting to the tabletop using rules mechanics based on our award-winning Dragonbane RPG. The game will feature the same accessible, dynamic, and deadly approach that has made Dragonbane one of our most celebrated titles.

Returning to the Young Kingdoms as setting writer is Richard Watts, whose work on previous Stormbringer RPGs helped define how generations of roleplayers have experienced Moorcock’s world.”

This announcement is a lot more interesting and appealing to me than the one from Goodman Games, given Watts’s involvement and the use of Dragonbane instead of DCC or 5e D&D. I have yet to actually play Dragonbane, but I own and have read it. My overall impression of the game is quite positive. Moreover, since Dragonbane is descended from the Basic Roleplaying System – just as were Chaosium’s various editions of Stormbringer – there is greater continuity here with previous Eternal Champion role-playing material than there is with Good Games’ projects. This continuity is reinforced with Watts’s involvement.  

But I have to confess that I’m a bit confused by these multiple announcements! Given the setting in question, though, I suppose that this kind of Chaos is appropriate. 

By Arioch!

The return of Elric?

It looks like the multiverse of the Eternal Champion Elric will be returning to the world of in-print role-playing games thanks to Goodman Games:

“Goodman Games is thrilled to announce a licensing agreement to publish official tabletop role-playing material based on Elric of Melniboné, the iconic sword & sorcery character and setting created by legendary author Michael Moorcock! 

The Classic Era of Elric will include a line of sourcebooks, adventures, maps, and additional supplements, all designed for compatibility with both Fifth Edition and Dungeon Crawl Classics role-playing game systems. The project is scheduled to launch via crowdfunding in 2027. Products will be released following the successful campaign and will be available at game stores worldwide.”

Despite the influence that the early Elric stories had on me (and I remain fond of them to this day), I have to confess that I’m not all that excited about this. One reason is that the setting will use 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons and Dungeon Crawl Classics – two systems about which I have decidedly cool feelings. DCC was a poor fit for another cherished fictional setting – Jack Vance’s Dying Earth – and I doubt that it will be appropriate for Elric (at least not without some heavy reworking). 

A second – more decisive – reason is that I already own a lot of "Elric" role-playing books: three editions of Chaosium’s Stormbringer (including Elric!, which is the same system as 5th edition Stormbringer), and a lot of supplemental books for those editions, as well as all the Elric of Melniboné books that were published for Mongoose’s Runequest II (MRQII) system. (MRQII, as many readers no doubt know, eventually evolved into Mythras.) So I already have more than enough Elric material – as well as some Hawkmoon and Corum material – to run multiple campaigns, all using RPG systems that I much prefer to both 5e D&D and DCC.

But who knows – maybe the new material will be good! Time (and funds) permitting, I may check out what Goodman Games produces for everyone’s favourite melancholy albino. 

Top 10 Science Fiction Films

In honour of "May Fourth" ("May the Force Be With You") -- and even though "Star Wars" is not "science fiction" (but rather "science fantasy") -- here are my top 10 sci fi films:

Blade Runner

The Thing

Alien

Children of Men

Aliens

The Road Warrior (Mad Max 2)

Fury Road (Mad Max 4)

12 Monkeys

2001

Looper

Honourable mention: Dune 1 and Dune 2.

(Perhaps I would end up with a slightly different list if I thought about this for a few hours -- but I'm sure that nothing in the "top 5" would change.)

As for Star Wars, my favourite two films are The Empire Strikes Back and Rogue One. I regard the "Andor" series -- Andor seasons one and two, and Rogue One -- to be the best thing out of the Star Wars universe (and not really like anything else in it).

Have a good May 4th!

Thanks for your replies!

I can’t believe that two months have passed since my last post! I’ve been insanely busy at work – and, sadly, mostly with various soul-crushing “admin” tasks. But I really shouldn’t complain, as I like my job overall. And while I have a stack of tasks to get through over the next few months, my schedule will be a bit more flexible over the summer.  

Anyhow, I wanted to thank those of you who took the time to post replies to my questions: “What roleplaying games are you playing now? What games do you want to play?” I enjoyed reading them all.

I was especially impressed by the wide variety of games mentioned. (And I was heartened to learn that there is a MERP campaign going!) 

The replies reminded me that I would like to try Ars Magica someday. One of the guys in my “large” group has run it before and has expressed interest in running it again sometime in the future, so hopefully this will happen at some point. 

What roleplaying games are you playing now? What games do you want to play?

I've been writing this blog for almost seventeen years now. Yet I've rarely addressed any questions to you, the human beings who look at these posts from time to time. But I'm curious about who actually visits this place (aside from the bots). I'm interested to know what game(s) you play. 

As I explained in my previous post, the roleplaying games that I've been playing have shifted over the past two decades. Early on, I was focused primarily on "Old School Renaissance" games like Swords and Wizardry (and developed some house rules for it, many of which were later integrated into Crypts & Things, which I also played back in the day) and 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons/OSRIC. I also occasionally ran Call of Cthulhu. 

Then, in spring 2011, I started playing in a "Young Kingdoms campaign" that used the Runequest II (MRQII) rules. (How could I refuse? The Gamemaster was one of the co-authors of the system!) This started a long period -- continuing to this day with Lyonesse -- of playing versions of the game that is now called Mythras (MRQII and Runequest 6 were the immediate ancestors of Mythras -- all written by Lawrence Whitaker and Pete Nash). I also continued to run Call of Cthulhu from time to time (winding up a sporadic campaign in 2017). And in 2017-2018 I ran an Adventures in Middle-earth campaign.

For a few years I ran a campaign using Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition in the "Gygax version" of the World of Greyhawk. (I eventually switched to the 5e-based Into the Unknown system, but ItU is close enough to 5e that I regard the whole campaign as my "5e" one.) I wanted to properly "try out" the current version of D&D and we ended up continuing until the characters reached 6th level. While that campaign was fun, I realized by the end of it that I had no desire to ever run 5e D&D again, at least for an extended period of time (I did run a couple of sessions of 5e for some kids last fall -- one of my few "charitable acts" as a RPGer).

Over the past few years, as GM, I've primarily run Against the Darkmaster. One campaign, set in Middle-earth, wrapped up a few months ago (although I have a "epilogue" set of adventures planned for the same characters sometime in the future). The other, set in my homebrew world of "Ukrasia," is still going strong. 

So these days, I mainly GM Against the Darkmaster and I mainly play Mythras (I'm leaving out various "one shots" of different systems here). I would like to try out Dragonbane sometime, as it strikes me as similar to Mythras in many ways but is much "lighter" in terms of both rules and tone (the similarity shouldn't be that surprising, since both games are descendants of the "Basic Roleplaying" system created by Chaosium almost five decades ago). 

What about you? What games do you play these days, either as GM or player? What game(s) do you want to play?

There and Back Again: My Circular Role-playing Journey

I’ve talked about my personal history with the ‘Old School Renaissance’ or ‘Old School Revival’ (OSR) in the past at this blog (e.g., see this post from 2022). But some reflection on the games that I’ve been playing in recent years has prompted me to scribble some further thoughts. (My apologies for being a bit self-indulgent here …)

[Saruman by Angus McBride]

It’s been an interesting journey. I was ‘floating around’ at various role-playing games fora during the early days of the OSR over two decades ago. Disappointment with 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons – and nostalgia for my early days of gaming – led me to dig out (and in some cases repurchase) my old Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Basic/Expert Dungeons & Dragons, Rules Cyclopaedia D&D, and other out-of-print RPG books. I was excited – and later disappointed – by Castles & Crusades in its early days. (I wrote positive reviews at RPG.net of both the C&C box set and Players’ Handbook, but eventually came to find the atrocious editing by Troll Lord Games intolerable.)  

I started this blog in 2009 in order to post some rules ideas for Swords & Wizardry (S&W). Some of my ‘swords and sorcery’ house rules for S&W appeared in early issues of Fight On! and Knockspell. Eventually, many of those rules were incorporated into Crypts and Things. So I guess that I contributed – albeit in a small way – to the creation of OSR “stuff,” at least early on. 

But I haven’t really been that engaged with the OSR for about a decade now. I still follow it to some extent. I mean, I have Dolmenwood and Shadowdark, as well as the more recent versions of S&W, and a few other things. I’ve backed the forthcoming ‘3rd edition’ of OSRIC (the original “retro-clone,” in this case of 1980 AD&D). While I regret some of my purchases, overall I find that there are still interesting things being produced. But I don’t really use any OSR (by which I mean here ‘TSR D&D-derived’) systems anymore, and haven’t for years. They just don’t appeal to me that much these days. I think that, given my tastes, there are superior alternatives available. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by this. I sort of thought the same thing about AD&D/D&D around 1985.

Almost all my gaming these days involve either Mythras or Against the Darkmaster (but sometimes my groups will play ‘one shots’ of other things, e.g., Mothership or Delta Green, and I’d like to run some Dragonbane someday). I find these systems more satisfying overall than any version of D&D (TSR, OSR, 3e, 5e, whatever). I guess I’m not a ‘rules lite’ person after all. In retrospect, I think that I thought that about myself only because I found running 3e D&D to be such a tedious chore. 

Of course, both Mythras and Against the Darkmaster are descendants of other ‘old school’ systems: Chaosium’s Basic Roleplaying (Runequest, Stormbringer, and the like) in the case of Mythras, and Iron Crown Enterprise’s Middle-earth Roleplaying (itself a simplified version of 2nd edition Rolemaster), in the case of Against the Darkmaster. So, I guess they're kind of ‘OSR’ systems as well (but not if we adhere to the “OSR = derived from TSR AD&D/D&D” definition). 

I can’t help but be struck by the extent to which my personal gaming history has repeated itself: dissatisfaction with AD&D/D&D led me to move to Middle-earth Roleplaying (MERP) and Basic Roleplaying (BRP), including Call of Cthulhu, Hawkmoon, and Stormbringer, in the mid-late 1980s. And about three decades later the same thing happened with OSR D&D and 5e D&D. Hopefully I've learned my lesson and won’t go through this cycle again.

As an aside, one thing that makes me think of the old MERP campaign modules as "old school" in nature is that – whatever their other faults – they were effectively “sandboxes” (as I explain here). They described a number of locations, some in detail, and provided advice for GMs on how to provide "hooks" for players. There were a few “adventure modules” for MERP – books with 3 adventures (usually aimed at levels, 1, 3, and 5) – but even those were pretty loose for the most part (generally they provided a setting and a situation), not “railroad” adventures. So, after my first several years with AD&D, a lot of my GMing involved using and running Middle-earth “sandbox” campaigns, although of course that term was not used in those days (at least to my knowledge). Indeed, I vividly recall comparing my MERP modules to TSR's Dragonlance series around 1986 or 1987, and noting how little room for improvisation or player freedom the latter allowed.

Anyhow, to the extent I was still involved in the hobby during the 1990s, the games I followed were those that came out earlier, especially MERP and Stormbringer (the latter revised and renamed Elric! during that decade). I remember visiting gaming stores in the 1990s and being a bit baffled and even put off by all the “goth” stuff. I never got into Vampire and the like (just as I never got into the Magic craze.) When D&D 3e came out, I was excited by it because it seemed to “improve” D&D by including certain things from other systems that I liked (e.g., skills). In play, though, I came to loathe the system after two year-long campaigns, and so was primed for the OSR when it happened.

Of course, had I been sensible, I would’ve just kept playing MERP, Call of Cthulhu, Stormbringer, and similar older games – and just ignored the hype around 3e D&D and the “d20” universe in the early 2000s. These days, for the most part, I’m happy to stick with my “d100” games, Mythras and Against the Darkmaster. Wisdom, I hope, comes with age.

May the Dice be Kind to You in 2026

Me, when some of my graduate students tell me that they are into role-playing games:

Me, when it becomes clear that by "role-playing games" they mean exclusively "5th edition Dungeons and Dragons":

Anyhow, 2025 was a pretty garbage year overall, but RPG-wise, it was quite a good one for me. I wrapped up my "Against the Witch-King" campaign in a satisfying way (at least for now; it hopefully will be resumed in the future), my "Against the Court of Urdor" campaign continues to be a blast, and I just started playing in a wonderfully entertaining Lyonesse campaign.

I hope you all have an excellent 2026!