Poets & Writers of Adventure take heed

Nexus Gates in Arduin

It has been too long since I last visited Arduin, certainly one of the most magikal places in our adventure gaming multiverse. 

Arduin is everywhere. (It says so in the book!)

The possibilities are limited only by what you can imagine.

It's been no secret to anyone that my enthusiasm for the hobby has been flagging o' these recent months. The OSR, once a bright spot for me has gone dark, having succumbed to the usual "differences of opinion". It seems to plague every aspect of our current culture - online and otherwise. As for the corporate side of the hobby, well the less said these days, the better. 

And then there is my disagreement with friends over "stuff" - everything from "what system to play" to who is, or is not, to blame for whatever ills we personally put front and center in our "talking points" (anger is not a fun emotion to experience or witness). Ho-Hum, and a sad sigh of despair...

I find myself casting about, searching for something to bring me cheer.

Enter Arduin...the off-the-rails imaginings of a free-spirited gamemaster first published 40 years ago, yet the words always seem fresh and full of excitement for its multitude of possibilities that are brought into our hobby through its "gates". A quick perusal of even one volume will reveal many ideas that first appear in the pages of Arduin's "Grimoires" and have later reappeared in the wider hobby.

Arduin began life as the personal game world of David Hargrave during the early days of the hobby, before there was an attempt to codify and control how people played the game. It is an artifact of its time, yet it remains relevant today. The publications have evolved and content has been added to by others inspired by the creativity of Mr. Hargrave. I consider myself fortunate - I have entered the nexus gates through the pages of Arduin many times. 

I have yet to find the outer limits of the creative imaginings contained therein. Each journey to Arduin reveals new territory and is a fantastic discovery. Casting about online, I know this is not an experience unique to me. If you would journey forth through the gates to Arduin, you will find it is only a click or two away. Many of the grimoires remain available, kept alive by a devoted following.

Each time I delve into Arduin I find it to be renewing, it is energizing, and it is captivating. The genius of David Hargrave bleeds forth across the multiverse and seems timeless. What a gift!