• Musings on the OSR

    calendar Jun 6, 2024 · 3 min read · OSR Mechanics

    I love the notion of OSR books - the bare minimalism, the daring reinvention and questioning of schemas and tropes. So here are my musings on some OSR-style mechanics.1

    Goals

    • like old D&D
    • don't fill the character sheet with 1,000 special skills
    • short rules
    • lethal game-play, forcing players to be clever

    Why HP?

    If …


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  • I Want Fewer RPG Systems

    calendar Aug 4, 2023 · 3 min read · Prattle OSR
    The cost of learning a new RPG system is...well just the cost of learning a system. Even for those who like the process, it takes time, and it limits those who can play the game. Ask a regular gaming group of four people to try 'FISHBLADE: The Diceless RPG', and chances are high that at least one will veto the …
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  • What the RPG Community Should Steal from FOSS

    calendar Mar 17, 2023 · 3 min read · FOSS OSR Development

    Software engineers regularly jump into others' open source, and help out, but the RPG community do not do the same, because they do not have the right tools.

    Look throughout the history of any number of software projects and you'll find a slew of apparently random people, unknown to the software's creator, jumping in …


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  • Finding the OSR

    calendar Jul 22, 2022 · 4 min read · OSR Theory

    My recent background-watching videos covered the Old School Renaissance ('OSR'), which looks to revive a lot of old-school D&D-style play.

    I started with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, so a renaissance intrigued me.

    Strange Premises

    While I've not heard of some of the more egregious rules returning (thieves …


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