Solo Gaming in Pandemic Times

The covid-19 coronavirus seems like something from the intro to a post-apocalyptic roleplaying game. Or a night playing Pandemic. Anxiety remains high, especially with our 24/7 information highway overload and a problematic centralized federal government preparation and response. Hopefully everyone employs good hygiene practices and uses “self isolation” to whatever degree possible (I realize not everyone can engage in it, especially first responders and medical workers, but also those who have little choice but to report to work lest they lose paychecks and jobs). We need entertaining diversions to occupy our inflammably anxious minds and provide some positive, imaginative experiences. Solo gaming to the rescue!

Game Reviews in the Internet Age

“In a world where everyone is a publisher, no one is an editor.

And that is the danger that we face today.”

– Scott Pelley

A game designer I greatly admire recently lamented the lack of quality game reviews. With the explosion of roleplaying game publishers thanks to the internet and Open Game License (OGL) one might naturally expect a concurrent explosion of online punditry would include blogs, podcasts, forums, and other outlets with intelligent opinions of game product. But their quality and critical approach has always varied so greatly...and toward the less-than-satisfying end. So where does one go for intelligent, carefully considered reviews of game product across the seemingly infinite and ever-changing expanse of the internet? Rather than trust the old outlets with some vestiges of authority today’s consumer must become an internet-savvy editor of their own review sources, finding, evaluating, and choosing those they personally find most useful from among the seemingly infinite internet landscape.

The internet has moved our society from more insular, intimate communities toward larger, more inclusive communities of casual acquaintances and strangers. While this broadened the scope of information available to us, it has also exponentially increased the volume of content and hence diluted the quality of content we see. Where once we trusted game magazine editors, local hobby store employees, and our gaming buddies to curate our game experience (including reviews), we must now ingest and evaluate a vast flood of game and review content from innumerable sources. The ease of the internet encourages everyone with an opinion to post it (unfortunately a practice not limited to gaming), even enabling consumers to casually and often anonymously rate products with little inkling as to their critical concerns.

Certainly reviews in the past had their issues, but it seemed easier to navigate given the more limited content to peruse; today the sheer flood of material, despite offering “more options” on the surface, threatens to overwhelm those seeking quality game reviews.

The Way It Was....

Where did we find game reviews back in the Golden Age of Roleplaying (the early 1980s) and the years before the internet?

Magazines: Periodicals provided my primary source for game reviews before the internet. The long-lamented Dragon Magazine provided me with plenty of intelligence about new games that might interest me; over the years I read other magazines for reviews, but few managed to cover the scope of Dragon. For years it not only provided game reviews but brief evaluations of fantasy and science fiction novels. Although one might raise concerns about corporate bias, most reviews covered a host of other publisher’s product. The advertisements in magazines could also pique one’s interest about upcoming games, showcasing their amazing artwork and tempting us with the potential for future game sessions.

Hobby Stores: Hanging out at the local hobby store (or book store, or game store, which seemed rare back in the early days) one could not only peruse the latest releases and judge for ourselves, but we could ask sometimes-knowledgeable staff for opinions or talk with fellow gamers we met there. Here we might also read magazine reviews without having to purchase the periodicals themselves; on one of my earliest purchases (the Dungeons & Dragons Expert boxed set) the clerk tossed in an outdated copy of Adventure Gaming magazine, which contained a comprehensive look at Chaosium’s Thieves’ World box, which quickly rose to the top of my gaming with list.

Friends: Game table chatter with buddies often veered toward product...what folks heard about, what they wanted, what they’d bought and were showing off. Their recommendations mattered because these players shared the same tastes in gaming. Their interest in a particular game indicated a potential new pursuit to bring to the table, one with seemingly guaranteed players.

Conventions: In my youth I rarely attended conventions. GenCon was too far an too expensive, an the only local convention. PointCon, at the West Point Military Academy, focused more on wargames. Still, over the years conventions have offered me a chance to check out new games first-hand, often beyond simply perusing the rules through chats with designers and occasional demo games. While these weren’t reviews or recommendations from other consumers, they gave me a firsthand look at potential purchases.

Were these always reliable, satisfying, and useful reviews? Of course not. But they served us well in their own way, offered us a reasonable number of resources to evaluate and make educated decisions on whether particular products were right for us. Like a good reviewer, a cautious consumer knows what they like content-wise and can discern a reviewer’s biases and critical failings. In most cases those offering reviews were accountable to others or face-to-face to the consumer. Those writing for magazines answered to an editor, who represented a publisher. Store clerks, gaming friends, and even those hawking games at conventions had an in-person relationship with potential consumers who could easily return if the review proved incorrect. This accountability – to whatever degree – imbued reviews with some semblance of authority or trust...something often lacking in the Internet Age’s easy anonymity and lack of accountability.

The Here and Now....

The internet enabled an explosion of creative minds who could publish whatever they wanted, all without the infrastructure of a traditional analog publishing house...including editors who could evaluate, revise, and even reject work that seemed unacceptable. Some view editors as “gate-keepers” who limited one’s freedom to produce whatever they wanted of whatever varied subject and quality. One naturally assumes the great material would float to the top of the internet deluge while the dreck settled to the murky layers below. Editors used to help with that job...now it’s determined by internet mobs sending things “viral,” clustering around products and producers like rabid cultists, fueling the ever-ephemeral immediacy of the internet before something else bursts into the public consciousness and knocks much of what came before into forgotten oblivion.

The deluge of content also let loose a similar torrent of commentary about that content. With little accountability to an editor or publisher and beholden only and directly to their media consumers, reviewers share their opinions across a multitude of platforms. Just like the roleplaying game publishing scene, traditional avenues for reviews have faded in the face of an onslaught of content – forums, websites, blogs, videos, podcasts – all offering widely varying formats, depth, coverage, and quality in their reviews. Instead of relying on trusted publishers, each consumer’s responsible for finding and evaluating internet “influencers” offering reviews. Individual gamers must now serve as their own curators of the review experience...and indeed of their overall experience on the internet.

One might think I’m rather angry with the internet – I’ll admit at time various aspects of it frustrate me – but I believe it’s enabled more positive changes than negative ones in the adventure gaming community. Even in the move from established review publishers to the onslaught of online reviewers I find something positive: where once we trusted someone else’s opinion and choice of review subject (and their authority in publishing it) we must now cultivate our own critical eye while scanning the vast, turbulent ocean of content. We ourselves must each be our own “editor” in the absence of competent editors holding reviewers to quality standards of criticism.

Where Do I Find My Reviews?

I rely on my “Internet Radar,” a combination of websites I monitor, some social media platforms, a forum or two, and particular resources catering to my interests. Not all of these provide reviews – many simply inform me of new products – but they’re enough to make a quick decision whether a new game piques my interest and deserves greater consideration for purchase. After the demise of Google Plus someone recommended consolidating my website browsing through an aggregator for my web browser, primarily filled with bookmarks from my gaming links. It’s proven a great time-saver and gets me the latest updates in a timely, easily digestible format. I also rely on the occasional personal recommendation, though these remain rare in these times of limited online engagement in the post-Google Plus era.

When examining my sources for reviews, several sites come to mind:

BoardGameGeek: Along with its roleplaying game sister site RPGGeek BGG provides a treasure trove of useful information about games, including images of components, reviews, and files for rules, alternate rules, quick reference sheets, and other resources. I can’t bring myself to sift through the aggregated news and announcements, but if I know what I’m looking for I can easily find it with the search function. Most reviews skew toward the comprehensive, higher-quality end of the spectrum; many include actual play reports to enhance comprehensive commentary on rules and gameplay. Note: I primarily check BGG over RPGGeek given how few roleplaying game products I purchase these days.

Tabletop Gaming News: Perhaps my most useful source for new product information, TGN offers material submitted from numerous gaming companies about new releases, including links to the company website. It covers the full range of board games, roleplaying games, an miniature wargames (hitting most of my gaming interests). Granted, this is more a line into my “Internet Radar” but it serves as starting point hearing about and evaluating new products. Most posts appearing in my aggregator I gloss over since product doesn’t fit any of my genres of interest, but some tempt me enough to read and pursue.

Game Nite Magazine: TGN always announces new issues of this online PDF magazine devoted primarily to board and card games. In-depth reviews last several pages each, provide excellent photography of components, and offer succinct recommendations at the end.

Amazon: Assuming Amazon offers a gaming product I’m considering I check it for a preview (if available), more details on the content and author, and, of course, reviews. Despite the notoriety of online reviews of any platform I find I glean the most useful information from Amazon reviews. I usually start with the worst ones, discounting any dismissing a product because it wasn’t what the buyer expected or it arrived damaged and couldn’t be replaced easily. Beyond that I look for clues that reveal critical positive and negative points, compared to my own expectations and gaming style.

Left by the Wayside: I have numerous websites I used to visit seeking product reviews that, alas, no longer satisfy me (if they’re around at all). I mourn the passing of two in particular. I still occasionally check the reviews at RPGNet, but their trickling pace of release and limited scope (rarely covering games that interest me) pales in comparison with review materials other online venues offer. The Dreams of Mythic Fantasy website compiled news of Old School Renaissance (OSR) resources every week; alas, James A. Smith, Jr., who worked so hard collecting, organizing, and presenting all that information, passed away on April 10, 2019. Other sites offer relatively comprehensive and sometimes overtly biased roundups of OSR content, but James was both comprehensive and objective. I will miss his contribution to my gaming radar and his services to OSR gamers. I’m afraid I have little time or patience for video and podcast reviews. I might turn to video reviews I find if I’m seriously on the fence about a product, but my love of print runs deep, being better able to scan and digest it.

Organizing the Deluge of Gaming Goodness

Back in the “Golden Age of Roleplaying” (for me the early-mid 1980s) organizing all the wondrous little bits of gaming goodness seemed so easy. Materials came to us in easily digestible bits that fit into conventional containers: bookshelves, folders, binders, boxes. But today’s gamers face a veritable deluge of useful content thanks to the connectivity of the interwebzes. How do we – can we – organize all the relevant gaming materials we purchase, download, view, and create ourselves in this Electronic Age where everyone’s a creator and nobody’s an editor?

Evolving Periodical Content

“In a world where everyone is a publisher, no one is an editor.

And that is the danger that we face today.”

– Scott Pelley

The announcement of Google+’s eventual demise prompted many users to migrate to other social media platforms, a movement I explored in my last Hobby Games Recce post. Some have re-dedicated themselves to blogs – some faithfully maintained, others neglected over time – instead of or in addition to their engagement in social media. Part of my satisfaction with Google+ came from others sharing links to blogs to further inspire my own interest in adventure gaming. I likened my Google+ feed to old-style gaming magazines, like Dragon or Challenge, beloved print publications whose passing I frequently lament. Although I’m still building and exploring contacts through my MeWe presence, I find the platform lacking in providing easily noticed updates to my old favorites and interesting possibilities for new ones to follow (understandable in this period of nascent gamer communities there). So I’m focusing on re-evaluating my current browser bookmark folder for game blogs, combing my old Google+ feeds for interesting blogs to add, and reorganizing it for more efficient access.

(Re-)Forging Gamer Communities

“We fear change.”

– Garth, Wayne’s World

The announcement that Google is shutting down Google+ by August 2019 has sent shock waves through the gaming communities that found refuge and flourished there in recent years. Many users are migrating to other platforms – MeWe seems to stand out for me, and I’ve joined – but others seek to retreat to their blogs and no doubt some might withdraw from this kind of social media engagement altogether (goodness knows I’ve considered it). Amid all the social media turmoil I look back and examine how essential platforms like Google+ have been in forming gamer communities that share inspiration, give us voices, and connect us through a common hobby.

Attracting Newcomers to Roleplaying Games

The recent discussion over at Tenkar’s Tavern and blog posts like Sword Peddler’s about the effectiveness of Free RPG Day started me thinking once again about how we as gamers, designers, and publishers can draw newcomers into the adventure gaming hobby. It’s a tricky gambit considering roleplaying games are still a very niche hobby, despite popular culture’s general acceptance of Dungeons & Dragons as a permissible geeky pursuit. Most people still associate roleplaying game exclusively with D&D without realizing how many amazing games exist from both established publishers and innovative individuals, in game stores and online, for sale and for free. How can we do a better job of sharing our hobby with curious newcomers?

Free RPG Day is an organized event meant to promote roleplaying games. Since it’s run by a game distributor it has the understandable bias of supporting sales at brick-and-mortar Friendly Local Game Stores (FLGS) that give them business anyway. Just as a distributor can’t force a store to conduct business a certain way, it can only offer unenforceable guidelines on what to do with the “free” loot provided for this event. Free RPG Day is, as its organizers freely admit, no longer about introducing newcomers to the hobby but more about rewarding the hobby’s ardent supporters with free gaming materials. This effort remains highly dependent on the FLGS whose facilities and enthusiasm in hosting these events vary immensely (as well as publishers providing appropriate material). I’ve heard of stores charging for the free items, hoarding them for later sale or giveaways, and not participating at all (like the two closest to me). I’ve also heard great reports of stores with busy play areas, gatherings of avid fans, and attempts at introducing newcomers to the hobby with demo games.

Basic RPG Game Engines

In my gradual shift from huge roleplaying game tomes to short-and-sweet mechanics I’ve come across a few very basic systems that appeal to me. They might not have the depth of complexity many other games offer – both simple and comprehensive – but they provide a core task resolution system with potential for expansion and an ease of adapting to various settings.

Since the dawn of roleplaying games in the 1970s gamers have tended to take existing systems and modify them to reflect their personal play style and expectations from the mechanics. Initially this came from deficiencies gamers found in the earliest versions of Dungeons & Dragons, classes, monsters, and other rules they felt the original rulebooks lacked (as Jon Peterson documents in Playing at the World). Wargamers had already been “modding” rules for years, creating new scenarios and variants for their favorite titles. The trend continued throughout roleplaying games’ further development. Some variations remained “house rules” among small groups, while others found momentum and support to become original games for publication. While I enjoy playing and house-ruling games to reflect my own expectations for established games, I find intuitive, basic core mechanics engage my urges toward more simplified systems to adapt to appealing settings.

Although the game systems that caught my eye recently have their merits (as outlined below), this trend toward basic mechanics with further adaptability isn’t new. S. John Ross accomplished this in Risus: The Anything RPG way back in the 1990s with its system of die pools assigned to broad (and often humorous) clichés; it remains one of the most elegantly intuitive roleplaying game systems with the potential to expand the core mechanic and ability to adapt to any setting. The system works well in both group and solitaire play, with the free solo adventure Ring of Thieves masterfully demonstrating the solo potential. The basic Fighting Fantasy system from the eponymous solitaire game books also provided a basic framework with its Skill, Stamina, and Luck stats, each working in their own way to determine attacks, absorb damage, and modify rolls. (The Sorcery! series also factored in a basic, memorization-based spell system). The mechanics worked well for the solitaire adventures, though the self-regulated combat often devolved into back-and-forth die-rolling contests between the hero and monsters. An ambitious gamer could easily adapt either system from its original form and modify it for a deeper complexity and specific setting (though Risus remains solid on its own without much system modification and encourages adaptability to any genre).

Changing Game Buying Habits

The local game store not 10 minutes from my house closed suddenly back in December after a wonderfully entertaining run of just over one year. I’m still bitter about the abrupt closing, the circumstances of which I’ve heard are surrounded in controversy, opportunism, and betrayal. I’m perhaps most upset by the loss of a place where I could hang out and play games with friends, check out the latest game releases, and enjoy hobby-specific events. I did not buy more than I usually would from a game store – one or two Godzilla comics a month for the Little Guy, an odd game here and there, some X-wing miniatures, and one special ordered Wings of Glory plane (also for the Little Guy) – about the dollar amount and game volume I’d normally do from a brick-and-mortar game store in a year (more, actually, if you include the comics). Being so close to home it also served as a great place to gather with fellow gamers, most notably for weekly X-wing miniatures games and an occasional tournament; I also enjoyed spending International Tabletop Day there trying out new games.

Despite this loss of a Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS) my game buying has somehow increased during the past few months...perhaps not in total dollar amount, but certainly in numbers of product. In taking a general look where I spend my adventure gaming hobby money, I find some interesting voluntary shifts that had little to do with the involuntary loss of the FLGS.


Game Stores: I still frequent the other FLGS (“local” in the sense it’s almost an hour’s drive away) and usually pick up some miniatures, terrain, or other, not-too-expensive bit, just to do my small part. Occasionally I make a pilgrimage to a game store I’ve heard about a farther drive away, or if we’re traveling and I happen to scout out a potential store to visit. Unfortunately even the closest FLGS remains far enough away that a casual visit isn’t a consideration; I have to plan for a trip, usually combined with other errands, and rarely have the time I’d like to even browse, let alone join in a game or event. They’re often quite helpful in special ordering hard-to-find items, though I’m finding internet venues far more fulfilling and cost-effective for specific games (see below). Given the distance involved, however, the FLGS has diminished in its role providing me with game materials – a regret since I value actual locations that offer both shopping opportunities and spaces to gather and spend time with other gamers – but that doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped supporting brick-and-mortar establishments altogether.

Creators & Communities

My current reading of Jon Peterson’s Playing at the World – particularly about early wargaming clubs, newsletters, and rules – and the recent phenomenal and well-deserved success of James Spahn’s White Star Swords & Wizardry-compatible sci-fi roleplaying game demonstrate the importance of game creators setting out to do their own thing and forging enthusiastic communities around their creations.

In the earliest pages of Playing at the World, Peterson discusses how members of early wargaming clubs – both traditional chit-and-board games and those using miniatures – published their own newsletters, hosted their own (admittedly small) conventions, and shared ideas for creating game variants or developing new games, ones often distributed within the newsletters or in amateurish mimeographed copies. Clubs and newsletters (the primary means of finding opponents) brought people together not simply to play games but to talk about them, discuss evolving ideas, and share new interests in historical periods. All this engagement fueled the development of new games, including the groundbreaking rules called Dungeons & Dragons....

Dyson Logos Offers Free Commercial Map License

I don’t really cover “news” as such too often here at Hobby Games Recce. Other websites compile the deluge of relevant adventure gaming developments in a far more timely and comprehensive manner. But I still occasionally find “breaking news” that grabs my attention. Dyson Logos’ recent announcement deserves note: he’s releasing every map that hits the $300 level on his Patreon site under a free commercial license for use by anyone in a for-profit project.

Cool Map by Dyson Logos

The prolific and talented mapmaker already allows individuals to use his maps in their personal, free materials with the proper attribution. Several times each week his Dyson’s Dodecahedron blog releases new maps, each with enough adventure hook notes to suggest how to populate them and use interesting features he’s packed into each creation. Many other talented artists produce maps and map-based game materials online – Tim Shorts, Matt Jackson, and Simon Forster remain among my favorites – and while I like their contributions to the collective map-making community, Dyson’s style really connects with my ideals for how dungeon maps should look: black-and-white line art, crosshatching (with some nice embellishments), intuitive secret door notation, and a solid feel for imbuing the graphic map with elements suggesting their specific and more general purpose.

I’m excited about this news for two primary reasons: it provides free maps for publishers and it reinforces the effectiveness of the Patreon model.

Game Material by Subscription

In the early days of roleplaying games – the mid-1970s to early 1980s – new releases of official rulebooks, supplements, and adventures seemed few and far between. Magazines served to provide a steady stream of new material to inspire gamers: insight and direction from designers, rules questions and clarifications, debates on game issues, gamemaster tips, and a host of new scenarios, settings, classes, equipment, monsters, and spells. While the pillars of print magazines that supported early roleplaying games have crumbled in the face of advances into the Internet Age, their descendents still provide inspiration for gamers across the globe and offer an different outlet for designers to bring their work to publication.

Reading Shannon Appelcline’s Designers & Dragons 1970s history of roleplaying game companies (and the trials that beset and often vanquished them) reveals an interesting trend: in the earliest days of roleplaying magazines provided the most regular flow of new content for most game lines, including TSR’s Dungeons & Dragons. Some focused exclusively on the publisher’s own games (“house organs”) while others provided news and material for a range of roleplaying games. But reading Judges Guild’s history offers yet another interesting perspective: releasing supplemental game material in a subscription format. While not technically a magazine, the subscription provided a collection of setting information and adventures to fill in the dearth of such material from official Dungeons & Dragons publisher TSR, whose executives, according to Designers & Dragons, apparently laughed at the idea of producing such material; they expected players to create their own worlds and scenarios, feeling the publisher’s role was to produce rules (at the time TSR was focusing its efforts on revising D&D rules into the classic trilogy of rulebooks, ultimately released in hardcover format one each year).

Short & Sweet RPG Source Material

Every so often I’m possessed by the urge to ramble on about my growing preference for short yet substantive roleplaying game materials...so before proceeding down that perilous path yet again I’ll beg the pardon of those who’ve already suffered through previous musings here and here (and the most recent one about the One Page Dungeon Contest here). In my middle age, with family and house responsibilities consuming my time, focus, and energy, I prefer keeping things simple in my gaming, particularly roleplaying games. I’ve recently been exploring and enjoying a design movement – intentional in some cases, fortuitous in others – in which creators present useful game material in concise yet meaningful format.

I like to see concise yet intuitive mechanics, books that don’t range much past 32 pages, and settings that don’t require a thorough reading to understand the key points and tone. Sure, I’ve occasionally indulged and immersed myself in some particularly enticing games and worlds – most notably Wicked North Games’ Westward (to which I also contributed) and Monte Cook’s groundbreaking and award-winning Numenera – but I rarely have the time or focus to sit down and digest a 300-page rulebook or even a 96-page adventure. I want the enjoyment of reading (and possibly prepping and playing) an engaging scenario with brief encounter descriptions without all the blow-by-blow details with a rules engine that doesn’t require me to constantly consult the rulebook tome.

So I’ve happily indulged in a wealth of short yet substantive material available for fantasy roleplaying games, primarily those that might garner the label of “retro-clone” or “Old School Renaissance.” I’m not looking for terribly epic storylines or expansive location and character descriptions. I want a juicy tidbit that offers some original, entertaining game value and that, incidentally, I can drop into my own game setting or campaign. Some even inspire me in content and format. Here are a few worthwhile projects (some more current than others) I’ve found that really hit that sweet spot for my inner gamer who really prefers concise yet fulfilling material:

Dyson’s Dodecahedron: Dyson Logos’ website offers a wealth of resources for fantasy roleplaying games, primarily in the form of his wonderfully rendered maps, but also in short adventures, zines, and the Dyson’s Delves books. The maps, many adventures, and zines remain free downloads (or pay what you want on RPGNow.com); those willing to contribute to Dyson’s endeavors can pay for one of the extremely useful Dyson’s Delves books (in print or PDF) or contribute to his Patreon campaign to support his creation of new maps that eventually make their way to the Dodecahedron website. The adventures he offers on the site and in the Delves books demonstrate how – with one of his maps – one can easily craft an engaging dungeon-delving scenario with brief descriptions. I recently bought Dyson’s Delves II in PDF for the principle reason of having ready-to-print scenario materials; set up the print preferences properly and you can generate a one-page scenario with the map on one side and a lined space for handwritten notes on the other.

Micro Adventures: Tim Shorts, who blogs over at Gothridge Manor and produces The Manor zine, refined the concept of the “micro adventure” and as set out on a mission to produce several each month. In Tim’s own words:

A Micro Adventure is a small adventure made up of a few encounter areas and maybe one or two battles or problems. Micro Adventures set up other adventures. Or they can be used between or during larger quests. Micro Adventures are generic enough to fit into your campaign world with little to no adjustments.

Tim’s Micro Adventures fulfill my search for short and engaging game material to drop into a fantasy roleplaying setting. Need a side trip on the way to a larger adventure? Looking for an incident as a hook to something more substantial? Need a brief encounter to introduce new players to the concepts behind fantasy roleplaying games? Look no farther. Like many creators today Tim’s offering his Micro Adventures for free online through his Gothridge Manor blog and is seeking supporters to contribute financially to his efforts on Patreon.

OSR Zines: In my recent exploration of OSR zines I discovered a few brief adventures that appealed to my preferences for short game material. The printed zine format – limited to a finite number of pages for production purposes – forces scenario-writers to stick to a shorter format than, say, a rambling PDF with no restrictions on page count. Some zines expand on adventure elements in related articles, such as new character classes, locations, monsters, and treasures...all kept tight and tidy with the small page count.

One Page Dungeon Contest: I’ve already featured this growing, annual contest inspiring and highlighting perhaps the quintessential “short and sweet” roleplaying game scenario format. The contest gives newcomers and veterans the chance to offer a single-page adventure; while the quality of maps, writing, and content varies, the contest’s esteemed judges help showcase the best entries. A compendium of all entries from the current year provides a substantial collection of scenarios from which to choose...and the organizers are working to compile past years’ entries in similar volumes offered for free/pay what you want.

This commentary is in no way meant as a comprehensive survey of short game materials currently available; I’m highlighting short, substantive game resources I’ve encountered in my internet wanderings.

Like a good short story, writing short adventures presents some challenges to authors. They must impart a unique sense of setting and tone through concise textual notes. Each encounter should last only a few sentences yet must impart essential setting and gaming details as well as advance the action toward the climax. The short form eliminates some of the more verbose language readers frequently come to expect in published adventures and cuts to the chase: a brief introduction of hook, concise location descriptions, short monster stat listings, usually keyed to a small map. The format leaves little room for anything terribly epic in the writing, yet offers gamemasters and players ready-to-play scenarios requiring little preparation.

I surprised myself recently on the “short and sweet” game material front when drafting my recent“Gaming Artifacts: Islands in the Sea of Dread” blog post. The revision of a bland island setting I’d created in high school gave me a fulfilling sense of satisfaction. I had fun designing a map, briefly describing a few locations, and pulling together a “chance encounter” table. It came in at about 1,400 words – not quite as “short and sweet” as I’d like as a reader – but would probably run three or four pages if I took the time to lay it out, drop in some illustrations and the map, and turn it into a PDF. I suppose part of the pleasant surprise came from the feeling of writing something useful and thematic; yet, in the context of my preference for “short and sweet” material, I realize I not only like consuming this kind of game information but also enjoy creating it.

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The One Page Dungeon Contest: Short & Sweet

I’m an advocate for brevity (though my writing rarely demonstrates that). I prefer game rules (both in mechanics and presentation) on the short and simplistic end of the spectrum given my lack of time and focus in a hectic life – a subject I’ve previously discussed here – though I have in my more than 30-year history of gaming indulged in “tome” games for both reading pleasure and actual play. So I’ve watched the past few years’ One Page Dungeon Contests with great delight because they not only showcase some outstanding, system-neutral short adventures but generate a host of free material for the gaming community every year.

I love short scenario material, whether a full-fledged dungeon crawl or some in-universe source prop with adventure hooks. Way back during the 2nd edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons days TSR released several Deck of Encounters sets, boxes filled with oversized cards containing brief adventure elements keyed by location and difficulty level; I actually used one during solo play when the gaming scene in my life seemed slow. Some TSR boxed sets also contained one-page scenarios or adventure hooks with related player handout props. R. Talsorian’s Cyberpunk 2020 contained a section of adventure hooks with a “screamsheet” on one side – a one-sheet fax newspaper reporting on key events in the Night City setting, typical of what characters might find – with related scenario ideas on the other. The company used another concise strategy with its Castle Falkenstein game, offering one-page adventure outlines providing the extreme basics of set-up and plot along with brief stats for key allies and adversaries.

I’ve admired the One Page Dungeon Contest from afar for years, though I’ve never entered. I’ve tried to craft an interesting dungeon experience on one page; it’s quite a formidable challenge. The best I’ve managed – combining an adequate adventure with the constraints of one page – ended up being a whopping two pages: Labyrinth of Set, a Pulp Egypt scenario available for free/pay-what-you-want at DriveThruRPG. Creating an adventure with an engaging concept, enticing introduction, and challenging encounters in one page (including a map) seems a daunting exercise in clear, concise writing and tight game design. The contest entries, of course, range across a wide spectrum of quality, theme, presentation style, artistic finesse, and layout. It takes a lot of courage to submit one’s work, whatever it’s comparative quality, to such a very public forum. The contest offers a good opportunity for aspiring game writers to “get published” and gain some recognition for their work.

An esteemed panel of judges determines the most outstanding of all the entries, but all submissions receive recognition and online publication thanks to a creative commons license. This year’s judges include such game-industry notables as Ernie Gygax, Martin Thomas, Steve Winter, and Sean K. Reynolds as well as several others from online communities and the blogosphere. Winners in a variety of categories can receive prizes from a host of supporting sponsors. All entries eventually find a home on the One Page Dungeon Contest website so readers can view or download the PDFs and decide for themselves which ones they like best. Previous years’ entries remain archived on the One Page Dungeon Contest website to peruse and download. They offer a broad spectrum of adventures enterprising gamemasters can customize for game system, genre, play style, and character level.

I admire anyone who enters the contest: they accept the daunting challenge of fitting an engaging adventure (map and all) on one page; they have the courage to share their work in public; and they contribute to a greater body of work available to everyone seeking inspiration for a short adventure.

Don’t miss the April 30 deadline for submissions to the 2014 One Page Dungeon Contest. Develop an interesting premise, sketch out a map, and write some encounters...it can’t take forever because it’s only one page!

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Competing Game Sources: FLGS vs. Online Retailers

Where do you buy your games? That’s one of the contentious questions that can easily fragment the broad gamer community. Do you buy exclusively from your Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS) or from online retailers; and do you back Kickstarter game products? In discussions we often veer toward extremes to make our point. Some folks loyally shop only at their FLGS while others assert online vendors offer better deals and a greater range of available product. Although Kickstarter provides some unique opportunities for new games across genres and styles, it certainly can’t cover all of a gamer’s needs, though it might siphon off money otherwise destined for the other two sources. What’s best for gamers and what’s best for the game sources?

It’s a challenging balancing act between three sources and the diverse interests of gamers. On one hand you have retailers (and creators/publishers in the case of Kickstarter) trying to survive and succeed financially. On the other you have consumers trying to satisfy their gaming needs for the best price…or at any price to loyally support their sources. All considerations have their merits.

FLGS: Local establishments offer great incentives for gamers, including in-store gaming space, a face-to-face gamer community, a chance to physically examine games (sometimes even offering demo copies to try), the opportunity to purchase and possess an item without delay, and discounts for frequent customers. While they might not stock every item gamers want, most seem willing to make an effort to special order particular items for customers. They can’t always offer the deep discounts some online retailers provide, but they make the most of their physical location as a community hub for gamers -- game space, copies for review, special events, friendly staff and customers -- all of which contribute to the overall play experience of the games customers buy.

Online Retailers: Ordering merchandise online offers more convenience and discounts to many modern shoppers, and gamers are no exception. The internet helps expedite finding products, comparing prices, and ordering, though this alternative often includes additional shipping charges and a wait time for delivery. But not everyone has a FLGS within reasonable travel distance, nor is the local game store always the supportive, friendly place gamers expect. Some material -- particularly PDF gaming product -- is only available through online venues like DriveThruRPG.com. Online retailers are part of the free market competition inherent in our economy, though some claim a sale online takes money away from the FLGS.

Kickstarter: This model throws an odd wrench into the debate between online and FLGS sales. Individuals pledge to back projects in development, paying only after the campaign has raised the requisite funds (and not paying if it doesn’t reach its goal). Stretch goals and add-ons offer more goodies should a project exceed its funding expectations. While management claims customers are backing projects and not “purchasing” items, per se, project developers are essentially marketing product directly to consumers. In some cases Kickstarter-funded games remain exclusive and unavailable through the general retail stream (online or FLGS); but most use Kickstarter to fund an initial run of a game (including set-up costs), offering backers an early copy of the game before general distribution to the public. Kickstarter projects cater to a very narrow spectrum of gamers; matching gamer interest with affordable backer levels keeps these games from breaking too far into the mainstream…but they still siphon off money gamers might otherwise spend on either online or FLGS purchases.

I sometimes see some pretty intense animosity between advocates of one particular game source. Understandably the FLGS, being a brick-and-mortar entity, might see online retailers and Kickstarter games as taking money from customers who might otherwise support their store with those dollars. Gamers buying through online vendors might argue such websites offer deeper discounts than they might find at the FLGS. Proponents of Kickstarter projects enjoy many benefits from backing projects they like, including purchasing the newest and shiniest games before they’re available elsewhere (if at all) and supporting creators and publishers directly, with all the interactive experience Kickstarter offers.

As a gamer I spread my dollars primarily between my FLGS (two stores, since one just opened within 10 minutes of my home) and interesting Kickstarter game projects. I sometimes save up to purchase from vendors at conventions I attend, though I consider this an extension of the FLGS model. I rarely use online retailers; although I maintain a wish list on Amazon.com, I do so more for the benefit of friends and family members looking for gifts and to remind myself of games I’d like to acquire. I back game-related Kickstarter projects that combine interesting subjects, engaging gameplay suitable to my style, and an affordable price point to acquire a physical copy of the game. This isn’t a detailed financial analysis of my game spending habits, but I’d ballpark my game spending at about 80% FLGS and 20% Kickstarter.

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The Role of Publishers in A DIY Hobby

The adventure gaming hobby -- particularly roleplaying games -- encourages a great deal of creativity in people beyond the professionals publishing mainstream game lines. Roleplaying games first emerged among talented, passionate wargamers and fantasy enthusiasts who typed rules, mimeographed them, and passed them around to friends. The very nature of such games requires creativity on the part of both players and gamemaster. The game publishing industry has long offered venues for established and up-and-coming authors to showcase their creations in magazines, contests, and products. The widely available publishing technology of the Internet Age has not only enabled numerous gamers to produce and share their projects but provided new venues for established publishers. But at a time when seemingly everyone can cobble together a game scenario or rules set and upload it on the internet -- often for free -- what role to established publishers play?

Grounded in DIY

The adventure gaming hobby emerged from a proud history of “amateurs” creating their own games. The roleplaying gaming hobby began with enthusiasts from the wargaming hobby seeking a different kind of play experience focusing more on individual heroes than massed formations of soldiers. The wargaming hobby began with another, more renown amateur seeking game-oriented entertainment, the “father of wargaming,” visionary writer H.G. Wells and his groundbreaking Little Wars, a codification of conventions for more structured play with toy soldiers and terrain (a more “beginner-friendly” interpretation of the Prussian Kriegspiel which was less a game and more a martial academic exercise).

The adventure gaming “industry” is rife with lore, apocryphal or otherwise, about gamers who got into business and found some degree of success creating games that interested them or that capitalized on their vision for games. No doubt everyone’s heard how Richard Garfield created Magic: The Gathering and convinced Peter Adkison to produce it, a phenomenon that gave birth to the collectible card game craze and propelled Wizards of the Coast to dominate the adventure gaming industry. I always enjoyed hearing the then-owner of West End Games tell us how -- before he founded the company -- nobody was publishing the kinds of wargames he wanted to play, so he went into business to produce his own designs. Even my own early experience focuses on the do-it-yourself aspect of the hobby. After seeing some neighborhood kids playing Dungeons & Dragons, I went home and devised my own game based on what I’d witnessed. Months before I acquired my own copy of the Basic D&D boxed set I’d already created a functional game with several pages of rules and a few scenarios. (It became Creatures & Caverns, available today as a free PDF download.) As I delved into roleplaying games -- focusing primarily on D&D but also exposed to other aspects of the hobby -- I began creating my own (admittedly poorly designed) board and card games to entertain friends.

DIY in the Internet Age

The dawn of technology enabling the average, tech-savvy gamer to publish their work online -- freely or for pay -- revolutionized the way gamers get new material, exponentially increasing the offerings beyond the already innumerable products from professional publishers. Certainly some publishers quickly adapted to this new marketplace, using the internet as a promotional tool to build their audience, promote their game lines, and offer PDF product and free materials; but the basic ability to produce, PDF, upload, and share game material now rests in the hands of anyone with access to a computer and relevant software, whether they have the innovative ideas, graphic design capabilities, and talent to produce truly engaging gaming product.

Way back in my high school days I produced a small gaming fanzine modeled after TSR’s venerable and late Dragon Magazine (in the spirit that imitation is the greatest form of flattery). I read it today and realize how amazingly terrible it was, but it served as my means of gathering and sharing interesting gaming ideas among friends with similar interests in roleplaying games. Such print magazines as Dragon and a handful of others regularly fueled gamers with new ideas and news from the industry between major game releases.

Today gamers turn to numerous online resources to get their gaming fix -- whether that’s basic inspiration, gamemaster tips, setting material, or adventures -- from publisher websites, community forums, blogs, fan sites, and social networking circles, most of which offer free content. Even a basic web search can reveal enough generic or specific material suitable for a particular game that an industrious gamemaster doesn’t have to purchase any additional books to run a rich and lengthy campaign. One can even find entire game lines with supplements for numerous genres offered as free PDFs, providing momentary diversion from the usual game or even the basis for a complete game campaign. Free material for board, card, and wargames abounds, enabling players at little expense to print and play a full game or variants and add-ons for ones they already own.

Granted the quality of this material varies from extremely amateur to highly professional. A game’s provenance from a long-established professional or game industry personality usually offers the only guarantee of quality; everything else falls under the aegis of caveat emptor (assuming people pay for the material instead of downloading free versions). Consumers know what they like, however, and can easily pick and choose even among the flood of free material available to suit their tastes.

Are Publishers Still Relevant?

I’ll argue that publishers remain relevant to the survival and evolution of the adventure gaming hobby. For purposes of this discussion, I’m defining “publisher” as a corporate entity with supporting infrastructure: a physical business location, editorial, art, and marketing departments, significant budgets and revenues, and typically (but not always) a warehouse with shipping department. I’m not including sole proprietorship efforts or small operations no matter how professional they might appear (and many are quite professional with high-quality products). “Publishers” exist primarily a money-making enterprises; others (myself included) create what they love and make a little money on the side, and many “fan” creators produce material to share freely on the web. “Publisher” encompasses the highest tiers of companies in the adventure gaming hobby: TSR, Steve Jackson Games, Wizards of the Coast, Paizo Publishing, Days of Wonder, Fantasy Flight Games, even the late, lamented West End Games in its heyday (all listed in no particular order of size, success, or significance).

So why do publishers remain relevant when so many people -- indeed dedicated and imaginative gamers themselves -- create so much and such diverse gaming material available for free online?

Support Existing Game Lines: Many gamers maintain deep loyalty and fondness for particular games, whether ones with which they especially identify or those reminding them of the nostalgic games of their youth. Publishers producing material for these game lines tap into an existing and fiercely devoted market to fulfill these needs for classic reprints as well as new material to keep the game world fresh. I can think of several game lines or licenses that have seen occasional resurgences (to varying degrees of success), frequently under the auspices of different publishers who picked up the licensing rights from the original creators: Shadowrun, Space 1889, Traveller, and any Star Wars roleplaying game. The entire retro-clone Old School Renaissance -- in which independent designers re-created classic D&D-style gameplay in their own image in games for free or for pay -- may have inspired Wizards of the Coast to finally offer PDFs of classic D&D adventure modules and supplements for sale to tap into this renewed nostalgia market.

Provide Inspiration: There’s a lot of creativity in the adventure gaming hobby from the professional publisher end all the way to devoted fans; but professional publishers have the resources to produce amazing products and give them the visibility and distribution to reach every corner of the market. Certainly publishers produce materials for those without the time and creativity to craft their own gaming resources, but these also offer inspiration with fresh ideas for settings, innovative mechanics, and different means of presenting game information (often with high production values). Gamers remain notorious for taking established rules or settings and putting their own spin on things, whether creating house rules to facilitate certain styles of play or devising new settings for favorite game systems. Nobody creates within a vacuum…they’re constantly influenced by the work of others. Game publishers still represent the professional and marketing face of the adventure gaming hobby, especially as they’ve embraced internet and social media technology to reach fans and new customers just as the Internet Age has allowed those without publishing infrastructure to produce and disseminate their own creations.

Publishers still take the lead in setting the style and standards for games; but increasingly innovative superstars emerging from the ranks of creative gamers make their mark and influence others with their groundbreaking game materials. It’s a natural evolution in an adventure gaming hobby like roleplaying games, which actively encourages all participants to create new characters, settings, and game elements to enhance and expand the experience set forth in rule- and sourcebooks. The evolution, however, does not push publishers toward the realm of extinction; rather it works in an unintentional partnership, with each inspired to build on the other’s innovations.

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Learning by Example

As the father of a three year-old I’m always amazed at how and what he learns. Much of it comes from observing others. He picks up words and phrases by listening to others and repeating them (sometimes to his parents chagrin…). He learns to throw and kick balls by watching his parents do it. He’s too young to read for himself, but he has a healthy sense of curiosity, imitates others, and asks questions about things he doesn’t understand…much like humans of all ages learn to play hobby adventure games.

Gamers use various resources on their own to learn how to play new games: PDF rulebooks available freely from publisher websites; online video reviews and tutorials; even sitting down on their own with the game and trying it solitaire. None of these offer the hands-on, instant gratification of the play experience one gets from sitting down with others and playing the game, whether engaging in a shared exercise in unboxing, reading rules, setting up, and slowly testing a brand-new game or under the tutelage of someone who’s played it before. They don’t offer the experience of learning from actual play and from the example of others teaching the rules.

Hobby adventure games of various stripes -- roleplaying games, board and card games, even miniature wargames -- remain somewhat esoteric pastimes with often complex rules. By their very nature most analog games rely on face-to-face interaction with other players to complete the game experience, players who can help each other learn and understand new games. Unlike the standard board games of casual youth -- Candyland, Battleship, even Scrabble and Monopoly -- modern, sophisticated games don’t have rules concise enough to fit inside the boardgame box cover, nor do they draw on the collective consciousness of standard family games in American popular culture. Many Euro-style games and high-production-value American board games include slick, full-color rules booklets and even player aids to facilitate gameplay. Roleplaying games have long relied on thick tomes to impart rules governing numerous possibilities for characters, combat, and exploration within the game as well as its unique campaign setting. Miniature wargames (and their board-and-chit cousins) often rely on host moderators to set up the game, explain rules, and shepherd participants through the intricacies of movement and combat each turn (as well as bring along their hordes of painted miniatures and fantastic terrain with which people can play).

Deciphering intricate rules systems for any game on our own takes a lot of time, focus, and effort. It rarely provides us with more than a textbook understanding of how the practicalities of the game function without the level of unpredictability of other live players contributing to the game and learning experience. I recall as a 12 year-old I spent an entire weekend secluded in my bedroom reading and trying to comprehend the Basic Dungeons & Dragons boxed set (rulebook and the infamous B2: The Keep on the Borderlands module) only to gain a vague understanding of the game’s innumerable intricacies. When Magic: The Gathering first appeared 20 years ago, I remember buying a few packs from Wizards of the Coast’s humble two-booth space at GenCon, marveling at the cards, and scratching my head trying to make sense of the rules. It wasn’t until I played the game with friends at a convention that I really grasped the rules.

As a counterpoint to these fumbling learning experiences, I point to others where people shepherded me through games. I’ve discussed my own early Dungeons & Dragons experiences, watching two neighborhood kids play the Basic D&D module B2: The Keep on the Borderlands and using observations of that experience to create my own roleplaying game (Creatures & Caverns, revised and polished for free/pay-what-you-want publication at DriveThruRPG.com). I’ve enjoyed learning new games with groups who’d never seen them and trying new games with others who’ve played them many times before. I’ve even participated in game demonstrations at conventions which, while ultimately trying to sell participants on the game, serve as excellent exercises in quickly and clearly teaching the game essentials to as many people as possible. I continue to admire Wil Wheaton’s TableTop show on the Geek & Sundry YouTube channel; it offers a chance to learn the game while watching others play it (with the help of handy graphic rules explanations).

In today’s “Internet Age” players have more opportunities to learn how to play games on their own and publishers have more tools and venues to reach players and demonstrate their products. These include free PDFs of the rules available online, videos and tutorials, and frequently asked questions, plus a host of gamer-oriented online communities and forums (as outlined in an earlier Hobby Games Recce post). Finding like-minded game enthusiasts remains difficult in our insulated society where many of our leisure-time interactions occur over the internet. Online interaction, however, also enables us to find other gamers through meet-up sites, social networking links, and regional game events and venues.

What venues actively advocate learning new games with others?

Gaming Friends: Gathering with friends for games remains the best way to learn new games, especially if everyone approaches the experience with open-mindedness to try new things. This approach works when one player obtains a copy of the newest, shiniest game and wants to share, or if others have specific titles in someone else’s possession they’d like to explore. Finding and maintaining a friendly, regular gaming group like this -- for whatever style of adventure game one prefers -- remains a great challenge for many people.

Regional Gaming Conventions: These events (including regional media conventions with gaming tracks, something becoming increasingly rare these days) bring together like-minded fans for both hardcore gaming for experienced players and introductory and demonstration games for those looking to indulge their casual interests. I particularly enjoy cons with open gaming areas and libraries of games (usually board games) con-goers can check out like at a library and play…a great way to unbox a game and test drive it without paying a premium price first. Of course these conventions also offer opportunities to meet and establish friendships with other players in the region for future gaming endeavors.

Public Libraries: Many public libraries offer gaming programs for teens or Scrabble leagues, fantastic places for young people to meet and learn about games, but of little help to adult gamers unless they’re interesting in volunteering to run these events (if library staff accept and approve such volunteers…). Few offer programs such as family games expos (which I’ve discussed before) or adult board game nights. Despite a movement in recent years to transform public libraries into “community hubs” catering to a broad spectrum of patrons and non-traditional library activities, visitors (and many librarians) still cling to the hallowed dogma of libraries as sacred temples to silence (and learning) with no place for such things as pedestrian as…shudder…games. And certainly games have no place in even a non-circulating reference collection to make them more available to patrons. Thus gaming events remain relegated to distant programming rooms for occasional teen events, hiding them from normal library patrons and leaving interested adults (and even pre-teens) woefully underserved. (Apologies to Friendly Librarians of my acquaintance; I’ll freely admit I’ve had a love/hate relationship with libraries throughout my life….)

Friendly Local Game Store: One of the best places to learn about new games remains the place where you can buy them. The best set aside space for players, both those involved in tournaments and other organized events and those simply hanging out checking out new purchases or chatting with friends. Many offer demo copies to check out in-store, and some host demo days or regular gaming events welcoming newcomers. My friendly local game store maintains a library of demo copies of many current board games patrons can check out to examine and play in store, or borrow to take home with a small deposit. The store has also maintained a 20%-off sale for all board games for something like two years now…not that I’m complaining.

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Resources for Game Purchase Research

When I hear about a new roleplaying game, board game, or miniatures wargame rules set I turn to several online resources to gather intelligence to better inform my decision whether to purchase a game. In days of yore, before the Internet Age, gamers depended on print magazines, friends, and their Friendly Local Game Store to learn about new games and whether they wanted to purchase them; sometimes the less timid of us discovered new games at conventions. With the vast resources of the internet available everyone -- from publishers and scholars to gaming aficionados and average gamers -- can share their opinions of their favorite, or most hated, games.

Everyone has different criteria when researching and deciding to purchase new games. Some folks bound from one brand-new release to the next (what I call the “new and shiny” syndrome) while others invest themselves in a few games for the long haul; most gamers balance the two extremes. Given the increased production values and the corresponding rising cost of games, making certain gamers know what they’re getting at all levels -- components, content, theme, game play, replay value -- remains paramount.

Research helps gather information gamers can use to evaluate whether a game purchase is right for them. Everyone has their preferred research venues; here are a few of my own:

Publisher Websites: My initial quest for game information often takes me right to the source. Game publishers’ websites often have the expected sales pitch and back-of-the-box sales copy, but also lists of components and high-quality photos of them, artwork previews, and promotional and instructional videos. Many board game publishers include free PDF downloads of the rules to peruse or print out extras for a game. Other free support materials might include additional scenarios and game variants. Beyond the basic information on the game, I can find out if the title is part of an existing or planned game line, what the publisher plans on doing with that line, and whether I’d have interest buying into the extended game or might simply satisfy myself with the initial offering.

Online Gaming Communities: BoardGameGeek.com remains the epitome of a good game community site. It has parallels in the roleplaying and wargaming fields, notably RPG.net and a host of wargaming sites reflecting that aspect of the hobby’s vast diversity. Don’t forget other elated forums, including fan websites, general gaming forums, and even publisher message boards. Readers beware; while it’s important to survey what the gaming community says about a game, sometimes immature opinions often clutter up the threads of intelligent discussion. Discerning buyers can filter through the hasty critics and hateful naysayers, but the noise-to-data ration can be high, overwhelming, and discouraging. Find a well-moderated online community and bookmark it; many also offer resources, rules translations, and other useful materials.

Online Video Features: The access to digital video cameras and sites like YouTube to disseminate videos has enabled everyone -- including game reviewers -- to voice their opinion online. Perhaps the most famous board game review videos remain those by Professor Scott Nicholson at Board Games with Scott. Although Nicholson has since moved on to more interesting game-related academic endeavors, but keeps his archive of video reviews online for interested parties. The award for most entertaining game presentation video goes to Wil Wheaton’s TableTop show on YouTube’s Geek & Sundry channel. Wheaton and his geek-celebrity guests play a new game every episode, primarily board games but also an occasional roleplaying game. The gameplay includes Wheaton’s quick rules summary, slick graphics to help illustrate game concepts, and competitive-geek inspired banter to make for an entertaining yet informative game feature. (I’ve featured TableTop before….) A good internet search can reveal a host of video reviews from from game publishers to average gamers who broadcast their subjective opinions, play experiences, and even “unboxing” reports (where the videographer goes piece-by-piece through a new game).

The phenomenon of games funded by Kickstarter remains quite appealing, with patron backers providing money in advance for production of a yet-to-release game (one that quite often finds its way into the mainstream gaming market). These might seem difficult to gauge beforehand at the backing stage, but internet communities -- from social networking sites, gaming interest sites like GeekDad, and other news and discussion venues -- as well as production promotions and updates from the Kickstarter project creator can help one evaluate whether an interesting game seems worth the purchase price. (I’ve also pondered the Kickstarter phenomenon here….)

The old analog methods of evaluating games before the Internet Age still prove worthwhile if one can find good venues for such face-to-face activities. Gatherings with gaming friends, at home, at clubs, and library events offers the chance to talk about new and interesting finds, check out components first-hand, and try new games with experienced players and newcomers. Friendly Local Game Stores remain good community hubs where one can check out games, ask for recommendations, examine store demo copies, join others in tournaments or open game days, and even find some good deals. (My friendly local game store offers some products at a discount, whether for loyal customers or on certain items, including the “20% off all board games” sale has lasted about two years or so….)

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A Wealth of Maps

Roleplaying gamers today enjoy a wealth of maps due in greater part to the Internet Age enabling many creative individuals to share their work.

Dyson Logos sets the bar for "old-school" style maps.

In the old days -- particularly during the “Golden Age of Roleplaying” (the early 1980s) -- gamers used to wait every month for a new map from either the latest adventure module or the pages of one’s favorite gaming magazine, a field dominated by the venerable, late, and lamented Dragon Magazine. Most came attached to a ready-made scenario, though unstocked dungeon geomorphs also existed. Many gamers created their own maps by hand in an age before PhotoShop, cell phone cameras, and scanners (or personal computers, for that matter), though these rarely went farther than their local group of players. Gamers relied on publishers for their map fix.

In today’s Internet Age talented individuals -- regardless of formal graphic arts pedigrees -- generate a multitude of interesting, exceptional maps, many designed specifically for gamers to download and stock for their own game campaign dungeons. (This stands as one of the great achievements of the Internet Age: enabling individuals to share their creations among a vast, world-wide community of like-minded people.)

Although I prefer rendering my own maps in my particular style for my own projects, I admire and wish I had the talent and time to emulate others posting free map resources on the internet:

Doug Anderson over at the Blue Box Rebellion blog provides some fantastic graphic offerings on a number of levels, from geomorphs and city maps to character and equipment sketches (most geared toward the free Dungeonteller game he’s working to upgrade). His recently posted cutaway dungeon maps not only serve as diagrams of dungeon locations but artfully communicate a sense of atmosphere with minute details and textures; they are absolutely amazing works of art and fully functional dungeon maps. Don’t miss the wonderfully rendered, top-down dungeon geomorphs as well as a host of other free resources in the blog sidebar.

Dyson Logos has rocketed to the forefront of the online dungeon map scene with weekly (at least) posts of personal maps he’s drawn, scanned, and posted at his Dyson’s Dodecahedron blog. His style -- solid lines, hand-rendered cross-hatching, intuitive dungeon symbols -- most mirrors my own cartography. Aside from admiring his artistic talent, I hold him in high esteem for the amazing output of maps he generates and his generosity in posting them for free online for gamemasters to stock with monsters, traps, and challenges for their own dungeon adventures. His Dyson’s Delve books combine a map on one page with a fill-in-the-blank location key on the facing page, a novel means of encouraging gamemasters to create their own adventures and customize their print gaming books.

Billiam Babble over at the Inked Adventures blog -- and through his e-storefront at DriveThruRPG and its affiliates -- offers some amazing top-down dungeon geomorphs, many free from his site, with a more complete catalog of affordable sets at DriveThruRPG. The print-and-play nature of these nicely rendered materials means gamemasters can print and trim what they need and lay out a visually appealing dungeon map with a three-dimensional feeling. They’re ideal for use with miniatures, though at a smaller print scale they could generate professional-looking map layouts, too.

Matt Jackson’s Lapsus Calumni blog features many useful gaming resources, particularly his Moleskin Maps. Jackson’s style ranges from basic scans of his notebook maps to carefully finessed final pieces with a more polished, noticeably more computer-assisted sheen. His PDF Moleskin Map publications use the maps with fill-in location key format, quite useful in that one can print out new maps and keys as needed. He’s rendered maps professional for several game publishers, including Chubby Monster Games, of which he’s a co-founder.

Gus L’s posts at Dungeon of Signs frequently include map elements, many keyed for adventures or intriguing locations. The maps often reflect a quite organically grotesque and borderline Lovecraftian style. Of particular interest are his “tourist” maps of general dungeon regions or sections of the innovative HMS Appolyon setting, “a miles long demon and monster haunted cruise ship that travels between worlds and frequently 'rescues' individuals from the seas it traverses.” His numerous PDF scenarios include maps and artwork in a similar organically spontaneous style.

John Carr’s Age of Ruins blog features a weekly “Saturday Morning Maps” post primarily populated by his original maps. His cross-hatching method -- alternating diagonals filling individual graph paper squares -- isn’t quite as organic as freehand crosshatching like Dyson Logos employs, but lends maps an almost mesmerizing quality.

Stonewerk’s Blog offers a slew of maps and geomorphs with a nice professional polish, all inspired by the old school renaissance blog scene and the phenomenal maps of Dyson Logos (see above). Besides the maps and standard top-down geomorphs, it offers a selection of “vertical” geomorphs for an elevational perspective on a dungeon. It’s also a good source of map-related news and links (as are the blog rolls of any of these blogs).

I’m sure I’m missing many worthy cartographers and their fine work, but these came to my attention online and continue to garner my interest as they update websites and blogs with new work to inspire gamemasters and keep the craft of roleplaying game mapmaking alive. Browsing any of the blog rolls on these websites can lead to a lot of wasted time but a wealth of information on maps and old-school renaissance-style games.

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The Blog Annual

Among the host of blogs I regularly read several stand out as frequently delivering original gaming content worthy of future reference. I often find myself wishing the outstanding, really useful blog entries might coalesce into a PDF game supplement allowing for further refinement, better graphic presentation, and ultimately easier, more “permanent” reference.

Collecting the best articles from periodicals has long been a practice in the publishing industry. Sometimes they served as a “best of” review of the past year’s material; other times they compiled articles on a similar theme to appeal to a particular audience. Certainly longtime gamers recall the Best of Dragon Magazine compilations. I myself am guilty of a Best of the Star Wars Adventure Journal collection during my time editing that periodical at West End Games. “Best of” editions for print magazines often made more sense for those casually interested in a publication than regular readers who religiously kept all their back issues; but they still served to highlight the most outstanding material among all the articles that made it through to acceptance, revision, and publication.

Although blogs don’t often share the same editorial standards as the stodgy old professional publishing field, some -- culled from the seemingly infinite masses on the blogosphere -- reflect an extraordinary degree of creativity, originality, and refinement. Few of these collect useful blog entries in themed PDFs for download and future reference. A PDF publication downloaded to a computer, laptop, or pad device is still a more accessible reference (whether printed or electronic) than searching numerous blogs for something within a specific and prolific blog, especially when much of the fluid internet can change, disappear, or otherwise mutate into other forms without any warning, sending an entry or even an entire blog into etheric oblivion.

Sometimes blogs include a button allowing readers to print or create a PDF of an entry. Although this provides an option for saving relevant game material one post at a time, it puts the editorial responsibility and power in the hands of the reader. PDFs generated in this way offer haphazard and rarely professional-looking layout and save only single articles for which readers must find some means of categorizing and organizing on their computers or print binders.

Not every quality, inspiring gaming blog contains material worth compiling into a PDF “best of” collection. In some cases blogs offer news with fleeting interest and little nostalgic or reference value. Others, such as Hobby Games Recce, provide more commentary than practical game source material. Blogs frequently focusing on game design elements -- such as Doug Anderson’s inspiring Blue Boxer Rebellion, Daniel Solis’ eponymous blog, or my own Game Design Journal -- use the websites for presentation and discussion of game concepts for future publication as gaming products in other venues and thus rarely lend themselves to compilations of the best gaming source material.

Certainly some bloggers already compile relevant game material in PDFs available at their websites or use their blog sites to host links to other, related works -- Hack & Slash’s comprehensive offerings of “Old School Resources” and Dungeon of Signs come to mind (though the prolific creator Dyson Logos collected many of his maps and scenarios in a print-only offering yet to see PDF publication) -- but the percentage of bloggers creating interesting material and collecting it in more easily referenced PDFs remains low.

A PDF compilation of high-quality blog entries can not only provide readers with a somewhat permanent collection of useful gaming material but encourage bloggers to evaluate the past year’s work, gathering and revising it for what some might consider a more refined form of publication with a greater degree of permanence and usefulness. (And while I’d love to publish a “best of” annual from across the wide expanse of the gaming blogosphere, the task remains beyond my limited scope of blog-reading and covers a disparate range of topics, even within the realm of adventure gaming.) Websites offering PDF freebies -- especially gaming-themed sites -- can use these downloads to generate interest in the blog, promote the site by generating newsworthy releases, and garner more followers.

Here’s my very short list of blogs from which I’d like to see “best of” compilations in PDF. Most offer source material in the “old-school renaissance” or “retro-clone” category, games emulating the experience of early Dungeons & Dragons. Given my limited blog reading and the exponential growth of blogs in just the adventure gaming field, I could probably find more if I set my heart to it. These represent only a few of the really quality gaming blogs that might benefit from producing a PDF annual:

The Riders of Lohan: This campaign blog for an online Basic/Expert D&D game offers some clever ideas to port into similar games, from locations and magic items to secret organizations, in-game maps, and useful character enhancement tables. Since these really useful source bits remain intermingled with game reports and other practical gameplay logistics on the blog, it might benefit from an annual, edited PDF compilation.

The Dungeon Dozen: Several times a week this blog offers a random table based on the much-neglected d12. Readers can find tables for almost any occasion, from stocking dungeon levels to providing original background motivation for different character classes. Although the site offers a few PDFs of adventures or locations with the same humorous and often gonzo feel (such as Secret Party House of the Hill Giant Playboy…), I’d love to see a collection of the best tables, especially along certain themes, such as those related to characters and non-player characters, ones to inspire settings and campaigns, and encounter-related tables.

Dyson’s Dodecahedron: I’ve mentioned Dyson Logos before…his blog serves as a platform to present his prolific, old-school-style, hand-drawn maps, often with short backgrounds to inspire the stocking of said maps or, in some cases, completely furnished dungeons. He recently compiled several maps and adventures into a print publication, Dyson’s Delves (available in soft- and hard-cover). I’m guilty of saving his maps to my computer for future inspiration and of copying/pasting some of his inspired dungeon-delving adventures into document files for future reference. I wouldn’t expect him to offer too many finished pieces as free PDF downloads, but I’d love to see Dyson’s Delves and future compilations for sale in handy PDF format.

In drafting this blog entry I realize I’ve opined on aspects of this subject before -- in last year’s “The Vast Internet Versus Edited Periodicals” entry -- but my yearning for the soon-to-be-extinct ways of doing things before the internet usurped print publication persists.