Be Good to Yourself

Play the game you want!

I am increasingly convinced that what we play, how we play, and who we play with matters.

We play games for the enjoyment it brings. Enjoyment naturally involves a number of factors and is individualistic. What is enjoyable to one person, may not be to another.

Throughout the decades, games have been a social thing for me and group play constituted my preferred way to participate in this hobby. This is one of the reasons why I have only dabbled infrequently into the video and computer RPGs, but I never really devoted myself to that aspect of the gaming pastime. It's also a contributing factor to my hesitation around playing online. I honestly prefer the comradery and interpersonal interaction associated with in-person play around a physical table.

However...

There comes a time when not everyone can agree on the system to play, on the schedule of game-day or time, or on one or more of any of the myriad of other factors upon which modern humans find reasons to disagree. 

I currently find myself faced with a choice of playing at a game that I don't enjoy, one that centers on a style of play I find less than appealing, and is published by a corporation that seems intent on alienating a segment of the FRP gaming hobby as they brand their way to success, or of my going my separate way from friends who are uninterested in the style of play or the systems I prefer, so as to continue to enjoy the hobby. 

I also find that as a result I have nearly lost my interest in this hobby. 

Nearly, mind you. (I have pulled back from it for a time as I re-examine what it all means to me.)

I am somewhat comforted by the knowledge that I am not completely alone in experiencing this alienation. I know there are others who also enjoy the style of play I prefer. There are gamers who play the systems that I find interesting and appealing. I know all this because I read their blogs and watch their videos. I also see that some of them play games solo, either occasionally to complement their group play or exclusively solo as a preference.

I have played solo TTRPGs as part of my hobby enjoyment for many years. I don't recall now whether my first foray into solo play was via a Tunnels & Trolls solo adventure such as Buffalo Castle or perhaps playing the Death Test MicroQuest using Melee and Wizard (all published by Metagaming Concepts). I have fond memories of both game systems and have frequently revisited them over the subsequent years. Finding enjoyment in these early solo adventures, I have been encouraged to sample various solo friendly products from a variety of publishers. At this point, my collection of solo and solo-friendly materials allows me quite a variety in gaming choices without the need for gathering a group.

Feeling comfortable is a good thing. So is compromise. Adaptability is often a necessity, as is patience.

And when I find myself alone, there are still many ways to enjoy the hobby.

The Black Hack

 

An OSR First Edition Hack

If The Black Hack (1e or 2e) has escaped your attention and if you are a fan of do-it-yourself tabletop role-playing, then The Black Hack written by David Black (hence the title) is something I highly recommend taking a look at. I am a fan of the World's First Role-Playing Game and a devotee of making any game my own by adding rulings, customization and my own setting materials, and The Black Hack is among my favorite published products. 

This slim black booklet has been around long enough to generate a second (larger) edition and as a quick web search will reveal, loads of independent "hacks" that use The Black Hack as their basis while adding more specialized and genre specific materials to create variant games. 

The first edition is presented (straight from the creative imagination of David Black, I suppose), as a game that is streamlined, rules lite and a FRP system featuring player facing dice-rolls implicitly in a classic fantasy milieu as players take the role of Warrior, Thief, Cleric or Conjurer exploring and fighting their way through whatever setting the DM comes up with (which may or may not resemble something similar to Middle-earth). 

The Black Hack seems to be an introduction to many popular modern concepts such as the "usage dice" chain (at least it's the first time I recall seeing this mechanic used). In The Black Hack (and in some more recent systems) Expendable Resources are rolled for using a usage die rather than being strictly tracked in the inventory. The Resource, such as rations, torches or arrows, is initially assigned a starting usage die which can be any of the popular polyhedrons. As the resource is used the die is rolled. A rolled value of of a 1 or 2 drops the resource to the next lower die in the descending chain, thus a d6 becomes a d4. Once a 1 or 2 is rolled on the smallest die, (d4), the resource is exhausted. 

The Black Hack has the player make most of the die rolls in The Black Hack including when the PC is attacking and defending. The DM may roll a die for damage inflicted if the player misses the defense roll for their character. Otherwise, the dice are in the player's control.

As I look about my collection with an eye to making the most of the best games I have available, The Black Hack has come to the top of my list. Mechanically The Black Hack differs significantly from the original little brown books, but when I consider the principles upon which the original game was conceived, The Black Hack seems a very suitable successor to Volume 1, Men & Magic.

Dragonslayer

It's Here!

This print-on-demand traditional tabletop role-playing adventure game just arrived at my desk. 

Cover art by Jeff Easley

and the name seems to describe the author's intent.

here's an Excerpt: 

The League of Ordinary Gentlemen: Player characters are not superheroes born with extraordinary powers. Rather they are ordinary people thrust into extraordinary

circumstances. What does this mean? It means that you must bring your intellect, ingenuity, guile, and craftiness to each character you play. The secrets do not rest on your character sheet, they rest in your ability to problemsolve unique situations and role-play at the table.

and finally I will offer a Warning: This Tome contains Old School Attitude.