I Have the Power, You Can't Take It From Me: An Essay Regarding the OGL

I have the power, you can't take it from me...

Twenty-three years ago the role-playing community was given a gift  by a huge corporation that had acquired the first role playing game ever made, Dungeons & Dragons. Ryan Dancey spearheaded this, with the backing of WOTC at the time. The gift was a gift to both gamers and the corporation. Its purpose was two-fold. It allowed any creator to create content for the version of the game, making more content out there that WOTC would not have to produce themselves, but also requiring people to buy their game to use. In time as the license progressed, ways were found to make other editions of the game using the license. That was great news for those of us who wanted something from the eras before the OGL itself. Everyone could produce something for their favorite version of the game. 

 By the power of believing, The strength of the sword...

Regardless of edition wars, we could all make something for the version of the game we loved! We got new versions of AD&D (OSRIC) and OD&D (Swords & Wizardry) by Matt Finch, first. Others followed. As the 4th edition of the game crept in and WOTC issued it its own license their former magazine publisher Paizo recreated the version of the game that the OGL was intended for 3rd edition was revised to become Pathfinder. We have more than 30 years of D&D all available to create adventures and supplemental rules for! 4th Ed, Pathfinder, the OSR... pick your favorite D&D and create for it. We were given a gift. We were given the power to fulfill our dreams of making contend for Dungeons & Dragons. DMs were given the ability to make their campaigns semi-official by publishing them on their own! It was a dream. It was the beginning of a golden age in the history of Dungeons & Dragons. With the 40th anniversary of D&D and RPGs came the 5th edition of the game, and a show called Stranger Things, that featured the game front and center. D&D became vastly popular and gained a huge following. Live play sessions of games caught on and people that never had access to the game started flocking to it. D&D acted as a gateway to the greater RPG hobby, like never before. WOTC has had great success from it, and the smaller publishing houses have benefited from this success. It has been a great time. To many, we had a great gift given by a corporation. Something that seemed too good to be true.

The resistance of evil, The ripples of words...

You know what they say about all good things. WOTC is a part of a bigger corporation. Hasbro. Now in 2023, almost exactly one year before the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons and roleplaying games they have turned the tables. Anyone reading this likely knows about the draconian license that was leaked and then called a "draft". This was a new draft of the OGL, one that would take most of the rights of the publishers to whom the original was given. It was a terrible piece of corporate greed. It would have devastated some of the larger independent game companies financially, and the way things were worded meant that they could, at some point, charge anyone using the new license. 1.1 was such an affront that the clamor across the internet caused folks to unsubscribe from D&D's moneymaker D&D Beyond. Good. More so with the leak that there would be a more draconian payment plan for that service in the future as well, hurting not just creators, but the fans and consumers as well! This cause WOTC to choose to revise the new OGL. It was still not great. 

Never dreamed I could be someone...

The 1.0A license allowed me to live a dream that I had had since I was 10 years old. I was able to write adventures and material for my favorite version of D&D. We indie folks were able to put out materials that corporations never could. We aren't tied to a bottom line, so we can take older version of the game and say "what could have been if this hadn't been tied to a corporate bottom line?" The worst part about it all, even with a new version of the license being touted (better than the 1.1 but still a raw deal for most) we independent publishers are going to suffer in some way. We have to reword any of our works that we want to use in publishing or else let them sit in purgatory, as is. That would be fine, but some of us are living our dreams and building the universes that we have run our games in for our whole lives. Now we reword what has been published, or not allow it into our future works. It's a raw deal. 

Control of the castle, The rise of a son,

I believe in connection, I believe in the one...

WOTC has proven they cannot be trusted as the custodians of the community. Control and greater competition must rise. The fact that we all need to revise our works if we want to use them in future works and the fact that the new OGLs have NOT been true open licenses for creators to use has caused alliances of other game companies that use the OGL, and may that have their own open licenses to unite under what is being called the ORC License. This is a true open license with an umbrella of game systems under, held by no corporation.  Additionally Matt Finch, who helped many of us out by paving the way for clones and other D&D derived works, is creating a license. Others are releasing material under Creative Commons licenses. This is all making for some unlikely bedfellows under some licenses. But we indie creators must now stand as one.

Don't bury your treasure, Hold back your wealth

Don't play the victim, It's too easy to sell

Now is our time to make a stand. In doing so we must ensure that, not only are their rules we can use for our games and supplements, but that we continue to make those games, and all new games open games, for all to use and create from going forward. This was the promise made to us, and taken away. We must be the new custodians of this promise, and make good on it forever. No more complaining about what WOTC is doing to us. No allowing ourselves to be victims, or giving in and accepting their license, if the do come out with something that is good. We know we cannot trust them. It is time for us to take control. 

Take down the system, That's taking you out...

In the coming months we will all see what options for publishing and re-writing our versions of D&D, and other games will be. What licenses we can use will become clear. WOTC's OGL was the system that we used to make our dreams reality. It's time to take it down. Don't use it. Use any of the new or old alternatives. Band together through new licensing. BECOME the system. It is time for the old to die and make way for the new. We have that power. We thought that they gave it to us, but it was with us the whole time. Now is our time to use that power and usher in a new age for Open Gaming. Now is our time!

I have the power, You can't take it from me

I have the Power in me, It's all that I can be

I Have the Power by Matthew Hussey is quoted here and used as an anthem for this movement. It has been used without permission. You can hear it by following the link. Please share this essay with credit, to all corners of the internet. Make our plight, and our coming rise known! Share this with publishers. Share it with gamers. Share it with people that don't know this is happening! Make it known and gain support!

Creature Companion Pre-Order Store!

 If you missed out on the Creature Companion (formerly Creature Collection) Kickstarter for Old-School Essentials, BX D&D and other OSR games, now is you chance to pre-order at a $10 discount! What's more, you can add on our entire catalog at discounts as well! If that isn't enough, we have the OSE Rules Tomes (Classic AND Advanced) available at discounts as well! So come check it out and take advantage of the pre-order!

Wobblies & Wizards "Gateway to Adventure" Interview

 We have been interviewed on Wobblies & Wizards again! This time we were on discussing our latest Kickstarter Gateway To Adventure Trilogy! Go ahead and give it a listen!

Gateway to Adventure interview on Wobblies & Wizards

Wobblies & Wizards Zine Quest 4 Interview!

We were interviewed by our friends over at Wobblies & Wizards again! This time we talk about what Appendix N Entertainment has in store for Zine Quest 4!

You can listen to the episode here!

You can bookmark the Kickstarter for "Zines With Class for OSE" here!

So go give it a listen and if you like what you hear, get a reminder for the Kickstarter, launching the first week of August 2022!

U-Con 2022 Event Submissions

 It's time to register your games for U-Con 2022!

As you may know, Ryan Thompson is the coordinator for the OSR and Tekumel tracks at U-Con! This year U-Con will be held Oct 7-9th in Ypsilanti, MI! We need all manner of games, but below you will find specifics on what qualifies for the OSR and Tekumel tracks. We hope to see you there! As always, U-Con is an inclusivity focused convention. 

You can read about how to submit and deadlines here: U-Con 2022 Submissions

Also: U-Con COVID-19 2022 Policy

If you are submitting to a specialized track, such as OSR or Tekumel, please not it in the notes to the staff.

What qualifies as an OSR event this year?

Actual Old School Games (examples):

All TSR Era D&D qualifies,

OD&D

AD&D

B/X

BECMI

AD&D 2nd Edition

Rules Cyclopedia

Gamma World (TSR editions)

Boot Hill

Metamorphosis Alpha

Star Frontiers

Gangbusters

Top Secret

Alternity etc.

Arduin

Early Chaosium products (RuneQuest 2nd Edition, Elfquest,  Call of Cthulhu 1st - 3rdetc)

Dragonquest (all editions)

Traveller (early editions)

Chivalry & Sorcery

Pacesetter System Games (Chill, Time Master, Crypt World etc.)

Middle Earth Role Playing (I.C.E.)

Rolemaster

The Complete Warlock

WEG D6 Star Wars

WEG D6 Ghostbusters

007

OSR & NSR:

Old School Essentials

Dungeon Crawl Classics

Mutant Crawl Classics

Troika

Mothership

The Black Hack (and all of the hacks spawned by it) 

Knave

Cairn

Cepheus Engine

Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea

Cryptworld

Labyrinth Lord

Mutant Future

Swords & Wizardry

Blueholme

OSRIC

Castles & Crusades

Primal Quest

Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells

Dark Streets & Darker Secrets

etc.

As always, this list is hardly exhaustive regarding all of the great Old School RPGs in the world. If you have one you want to run and it isn't here, just let me know. Let's make this thing huge. I want to give your favorite Old School game a place to live and breathe.  When you register and OSR game, be sure to note that it is an OSR game in the comment so that we get it registered properly!

What Qualifies for the Tekumel Track?

The Tekumel Track can accommodate ANY game system you choose to run in the Tekumel setting! If you register a Tekumel game, make sure you state it is a Tekumel game in the comments section, to assure it is tagged properly!

Public Release Of Hidden Hand of the Horla, NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

 Hey folks!

I just wanted to get it out there that Hidden Hand of the Horla for Old-School Essentials is now available for purchase as a physical module! The physical copies have a detachable cover with the maps on the inside, just like the old days. The bad news is that it is currently only available for sale in the U.S. I've had some issues with getting international packages returned by the USPS recently, so until that is resolved, I won't be shipping outside of the U.S. 

The good new if you are outside of the U.S. is that we are still selling PDFs on Drivthrurpg.com. 

Additionally, if you missed either of our other OSE releases, Lost Classes: The Arnesonian Classes or Solar Sanctuary of the Cannibal Corpse we still have a small number of first prints available for each. 

You can find links to purchase them all here in the: 

Appendix N Entertainment Catalog

If you want more information, this is what Hidden Hand of the Horla is all about:

A 1st-3rd level adventure for use with Old-School Essentials Classic Fantasy Adventure Game 

Legends tell of the Hand Mage's Tower that once stood at the edge of the realm. Within the Hand Mage experimented and hoarded his magical treasures. The tower stood for many years until one day it mysteriously vanished. Rumors spread that the mage had offended the gods and had been eradicated from existence, or else had made a pact with a demon prince and was now paying his due. Whatever the case, the tales became legend and all but the oldest elves were unsure if the tower had ever existed at all. Now the tower has reappeared where it once stood. Will you dare to enter the ancient tower in search of riches and magical secrets?

So, if your OSE or B/X game needs a fresh adventure, go ahead and pick it up!

Event Submissions Are Open For Virtual U-Con, A PWYW Convention This Year!

 It's event submission time for Virtual U-Con! 

UPDATED DEADLINES

• October 2: Events Due for Pre-Reg

• October 10: Events Preview opens

• October 17: Pre-Reg opens at 11 am ET.

• October 30: GMs need to have their virtual meeting info in the registration system

• Nov 13-15: U-Con Gaming Convention 2020!

U-Con 2020 

November 13-15

Online Everywhere

Back in July U-Con made the announcement that we would be going virtual this year. You can read it right here.

You can check out exactly how Virtual U-Con will work in this post. Note that Virtual U-Con is a PAY WHAT YOU WANT event! This year our GMs will have to pick and post their platform of choice for hosting their games.

Here is a list of dates for event submission and registration.

Please read over all of the articles linked here if you intend to run games or attend the convention. Please also read over our Conduct Policy.

Now, on to my bit of business.

As the OSR Track and Tekumel Track event coordinator I am looking for Referees, Judges and Dungeon Masters to come run old school games and Tekumel games! If your game is going to be on either of these tracks, please say so in the  notes or comments section of your submission. What constitutes "old school" for purposes of convention, you say? Well, let me tell you.

Old School Games are:

Actual Old School Games With OSR sensibility:

B/X D&D

AD&D 1E and 2E

Runequest 2nd Edition

Boot Hill

Gamma World 1st - 3rd

Pacesetter Games (Chill, Timemaster Etc.)

MARVEL Phaserip

Gangbusters

Star Wars D6

Chivalry & Sorcery

Fantasy Wargaming

007

Top Secret

Tunnels & Trolls

Arduin

Spacemaster

Rolemaster

MERP

Alternity

Etc.

Retro Clones:

Old-School Essentials

OSRIC

Cryptworld

Zweihander 

Labyrinth Lord

Dark Dungeons

Delving Deeper

Blueholme

OpenQuest

Against the Dark Master

Etc.

Near Clones: 

Dungeon Crawl Classics

Mutant Crawl Classics

Dark Trails

Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea

Castles & Crusades

Mutant Future

Crypts & Things

The Blackest of Deaths

Dark Places & Demogorgons

Etc.

Post OSR Games:

Mothership

Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells

Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells

Dark Streets & Darker Secrets

The Hero's Journey

Lost in the Fantasy World

Torchbearer

Into the Odd

Neoclassical Geek Revival

SEACAT

Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars

Macchiato Monsters

For Coin & Blood

Knave

The Black Hack (and all of the hacks spawned by it)

Blood & Treasure

Etc.

We’re ready to accept your event submissions. Event submissions must include some information about the software platforms to be used in each game, e.g. Roll20, Zoom, Tabletopia, etc.  If you want to host a game or play in events, please mark your calendars with our key dates and deadlines:

• October 2: Events Due for Pre-Reg

• October 10: Events Preview opens

• October 17: Pre-Reg opens at 11 am ET.

• October 30: GMs need to have their virtual meeting info in the registration system

• Nov 13-15: U-Con Gaming Convention 2020!

U-Con Event Submission Extension! Submit today! Need more Role Playing, OSR and Tekumel Events!

EXTENSION NOTE GM GAMES REGISTRATION FOR U-CON 2017 TO BE INCLUEDE IN PRE-REG WILL CLOSE IN MID SEPTEMBER!! PLEASE HAVE YOUR GAMES SUBMITTED BY THEN! THE DROP DEAD DATE FOR EVENTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON. INFORMATION ON SUBMISSIONS BELOW.

WE NEED MORE RPG, OSR AND TEKUMEL EVENTS!

As the OSR event coordinator I am looking for Referees, Judges and Dungeon Masters to come run old school games! U-Con will be held November 17-19, 2017 at the Marriott Ann Arbor Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest.

Did you also know that U-Con has a Tekumel Track? If you are a fan of Tekumel and want a platform to run at, U-Con is the place! Our Tekumel Track allows for any game system so long as you are running a Tekumel game! Submit your Tekumel events today!

 

What qualifies as an OSR event this year?

 

Official D&D:

All TSR Era D&D qualifies,

OD&D

AD&D

B/X

BECMI

AD&D 2nd Edition

Rules Cyclopedia

 

Other TSR Era Stuff:

Gamma World (TSR editions)

Boot Hill

Metamorphosis Alpha

Star Frontiers

Gangbusters

Top Secret

Alternity etc.

 

Other Early Era RPGs/Supplements:

Arduin

Early Chaosium products (RuneQuest 2nd Edition, Elfquest, Sandy Petersen era Call of Cthulhu etc)

RuneQuest (yes I know I mentioned it before)

Tunnels & Trolls (all editions)

Dragonquest (all editions)

Traveller (early editions)

Chivalry & Sorcery

Pacesetter System Games (Chill, Time Master, Crypt World etc.)

Middle Earth Role Playing (I.C.E.)

Rolemaster

Spacemaster

The Complete Warlock

Rapier & Dagger

Cyborg Commando (Did he really just say Cyborg Commando AGAIN?)

WEG D6 Star Wars

WEG D6 Ghostbusters

The Fantasy Trip

007

Pre 2000s Palladium Games (TMNT, Palladium RPG, early RIFTS etc)

 

If I missed your favorite, contact me and make sure, but it will likely be fine to run.

 

Retro-Clones:

Swords & Wizardry

OSRIC

Cryptworld

Labyrinth Lord

Mutant Future

Dark Dungeons

Delving Deeper

Blueholme

For Gold & Glory

Spellcraft & Swordplay etc.

 

Near Clones:

Dungeon Crawl Classics

Mutant Crawl Classics

Adventurer Conqueror King

Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea

Castles & Crusades

White Star

The Hero's Journey

The Black Hack

Adventures Dark & Deep

Lamentations of the Flame Princess: Weird Fantasy Roleplaying Game etc.

 

As always, this list is hardly exhaustive regarding all of the great Old School RPGs in the world. If you have one you want to run and it isn't here, just let me know. Let's make this thing huge. I want to give your favorite Old School game a place to live and breathe.  When you register and OSR game, be sure to note that it is an OSR game in the comment so that we get it registered properly.

 

Now, here is the official announcement from our website regarding requirements, what you get as a GM, where to submit events etc:

 

Gamemasters

Gamemasters are crucial to the success of U-Con. The games and events you bring are why people show up.  Gamemasters are the creative force behind U-Con. We appreciate your willingness to contribute your time, and we wish to make your convention experience enjoyable!
This page provides information for individual and small-group gamemasters. Other places to look for information include:

• Pathfinder and other organized play gamemasters, please contact us if you need to get in touch with your local organizer for U-Con
• Game manufacturers and other groups please  contact us regarding organized play.
• Event sponsors please contact the event coordinator.
• Please direct all other questions to the event coordinator or other department.
• Important dates and deadlines are found on the Convention Details page.

Event Submission

Online Submission

To join us as a gamemaster, we need to know a few things about you and the games you want to run. We have an online event submission form which takes a few minutes to fill out. If you have multiple events, you may follow the prompts to add them before you complete your submission. Children 12 and under please have a parent or guardian fill out the form.  We ask for:

• Your name and contact information
• Description of the event(s)
• Scheduling preferences, including how much time to reserve for your event(s)

We ask each gamemaster to run at least 6 hours of events in order to receive a gamemaster badge, though we make exceptions for those who organize larger events such as LARPs.
Gamemasters who go above and beyond by running a total of 16 hours of games can earn a Play Games All Weekend Ribbon.  This ribbon grants access to events all weekend long as if you had generics.  Free ribbons will be included in the preregistration materials of those who qualify. Here is the link for registering for a gamemaster badge.
You can use our contact form to request a status update regarding your event(s) or a copy of your schedule at any time. Please also send your event corrections by the contact form. In case of errors or an incomplete submission, we will contact you. If we can’t reach you, we might not be able to accept your event, so it is important you provide us a valid email address. We will do our best to accommodate your requests regarding the schedule. Gamemasters who are running in many slots can provide us a schedule.
We will accept events before the final deadline as long as we have space. Event submission deadlines are listed on the home page of our web site.
Convention related materials can be picked up on site (as described below). We do not mail anything in advance. The gamemaster is responsible for other materials necessary to run the event (e.g. a board game or rpg characters). Any exceptions to this rule of thumb should be mentioned in your event description (e.g. “please bring 4th level characters”).

NEW U-Con Event Submission Extension MONDAY SEPT. 19TH, Plus A Bonus for GMs Putting In Overtime

Gamemasters! U-Con’s event submission deadline is Monday the 19th at 11:59p. Submit your events at: https://www.ucon-gaming.org/reg/gcs/gm/submit.php

As always, Gamemasters earn their badge refund for running 6 hours of events at U-Con. However, now gamemasters who go above and beyond by running a total of 16 hours of games can earn a Play Games All Weekend Ribbon.

We can always use more events on every track, including ConTessa and the OSR track!

Special Announcement For U-Con! We will have ConTessa! Plus a new incentive for ALL U-Con GMs!

This morning +Stacy Dellorfano made a special announcement regarding ConTessa. ConTessa will be coming to U-Con! Yep. It's pretty awesome. So, Stacy will be featured as the OSR Guest of Honor and also be heading up ConTessa. You can read her entire announcement here: ConTessa @ U-Con 2016: Call for GMs. Check it out, then come back here for a bit more...

 

 

Now that you've read Stacy's post you know about registration, which I will repeat here:

 

"Pre-registration event deadline for sign-up is September 15th, so get your games in ASAP! To register, head to the U-Con Event Submission Form, and provide all the information necessary for your event. It'll ask you things like your name, address, and so on, plus a title for your game, description, and how many players you'd like. 

Under the portion that reads 'Comments for event coordinator', let them know that you'd like your game to be added to the ConTessa track. Your game can be part of multiple tracks, so if you see another track it could also belong to, let the coordinator know. 

You'll get three choices for your scheduling preferences. Schedule your game for whatever works best for you, but I'd avoid Saturday morning so you can attend your breakfast!"

 

Now, if you are already registered as a GM this year at U-Con AND identify as female AND want to be tagged on the ConTessa track, email me personally and I will make sure that the change get's made to your events. My email is luxfaust@gmail.com. When you email, include the name you are registered under and events that you have registered to ensure that I can find them and make sure you are part of ConTessa at U-Con!

 

As an additional announcement for ALL U-Con GMs, this year you have a new incentive. If you run 16 hours of events at the convention, you will not only received compensation for your badge to enter U-Con, you will also receive a "Play Games All Weekend" ribbon!

 

So, G&G is an OSR blog, and as you likely know, I organize the OSR events for U-Con. If you can here to find out what qualifies for the OSR Track, check right here: Event Registration and OSR Event Qualifiers.

 

See you at U-Con!

 

 

 

UPDATE: U-Con 2016 Event Registration

I am including my initial post on U-Con event registration below, along with the official message that was sent out to previous U-Con GMs. You can find both below. If you plan to run games at U-Con in November, please do not hesitate to register now.

Dear Gamemasters!

Event submission for U-Con 2016 is underway, and we need your events! 
  Please submit all of your events at:  https://www.ucon-gaming.org/reg/gcs/gm/submit.php

Or you can email us at events2016@ucon-gaming.org with all the events 
you have planned and we will add them to our schedule.

We ask all gamemasters to run 6+ hours of events.  Also note that 
running events for some of our special guests may allow access to 
special events with those guests.

Guest of honor, industry insider, and special guest announcements are 
underway.  See them all as we announce them at  https://www.ucon-gaming.org/program/guest-of-honor/

Pre-registration will open next month, so the earlier we receive your 
events, the better your chances of getting your preferred times AND 
the better your chances of having your events filled.

Thank you, and see you there!

Sincerely,
U-Con 2016 Staff

Well, this is a long over due post. I haven't posted in a solid 2 months. I'll talk about that another time. As for right now, it's time for an announcement.

 

It's announcement time folks! It's official. The OSR Track at U-con in Ypsilanti Michigan is set to go this year! I will, again, be filling the roll of OSR Track Coordinator. 2015 was a tremendous year for the track, and this year is shaping up to be even better! In the coming weeks (post Gen Con) I will be posting info for all of the "VIPs" that we have coming this year. This looks like it could be the biggest year for the track yet, and I'm looking forward to it. That said, we now have event submission open. You can submit your events (OSR or otherwise) right over at the event submission page. Make sure to list which track your game will run on (if it is an OSR game tag it with OSR, if it is a Board Game tag it with Board Game etc.) when submitting you events.

 

Where and when is U-Con this year?

 

 

What qualifies as an OSR event this year?

 

Official D&D:

All TSR Era D&D qualifies,

OD&D

AD&D

B/X

BECMI

AD&D 2nd Edition

Rules Cyclopedia

 

Other TSR Era Stuff:

Gamma World (TSR editions)

Boot Hill

Metamorphosis Alpha

Star Frontiers

Gangbusters

Top Secret

Alternity etc.

 

Other Early Era RPGs/Supplements:

Arduin

Early Chaosium products (RuneQuest 2nd Edition, Elfquest, Sandy Petersen era Call of Cthulhu etc)

RuneQuest (yes I know I mentioned it before)

Tunnels & Trolls (all editions)

Dragonquest (all editions)

Traveller

Chivalry & Sorcery

Pacesetter System Games (Chill, Time Master, Crypt World etc.)

Middle Earth Role Playing (I.C.E.)

Rolemaster

Spacemaster

The Complete Warlock

Rapier & Dagger

Cyborg Commando (Did he really just say Cyborg Commando?)

WEG D6 Star Wars

WEG D6 Ghostbusters

The Fantasy Trip

007

Pre 2000s Palladium Games (TMNT, Palladium RPG, early RIFTS etc)

 

If I missed your favorite, contact me and make sure, but it will likely be fine to run.

 

Retro-Clones:

Swords & Wizardry

OSRIC

Cryptworld

Labyrinth Lord

Mutant Future

Dark Dungeons

Delving Deeper

Blueholme

For Gold & Glory

Spellcraft & Swordplay etc.

 

Near Clones:

Dungeon Crawl Classics

Adventurer Conqueror King

Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea

Castles & Crusades

White Star

The Hero's Journey

The Black Hack

Adventures Dark & Deep

Lamentations of the Flame Princess: Weird Fantasy Roleplaying Game etc.

 

As always, this list is hardly exhaustive regarding all of the great Old School RPGs in the world. If you have one you want to run and it isn't here, just let me know. Let's make this thing huge. I want to give your favorite Old School game a place to live and breathe.

 

Special Request:

 

This year is the 40th Anniversary of Judges Guild! With that said, I would like to request that we run some classic JG products in the OSR Track. I myself will be running a "Hangin' In the City State" event along with one other Judges Guild module. In addition to that, I already have confirmation that Bill Webb will be in attendance and running a 20 player foray into Tegel Manor! Come help us celebrate Judge's Guild's 40th anniversary at the U-Con OSR Track.

 

 

 

 

 

Power: A New Attribute For OD&D!

Optional Attribute

Power

My Optional Rules contain several optional attributes that have been created or harvested from various sources and honed to fit the game. Power was chosen to be presented for this work as it is directly related to the nature of magic.

Power

Roll 3d6 for your character's Power score. A high Power level means that your character is in tune with the subtle forces of magic, ley lines, power source and the barriers and veils between the many planes of existence. As an optional attribute it is not the prime attribute of any class. The Power score might also measure the power of the character's mystical aura.

There are several ways in which the Power attribute can be applied in the game. The first of these is as a modifier to Saving Throws vs. Magic, per the Power Table below. This may be because the aura of the character is strong and deflects the magic being used upon her or because the sixth sense of the character picks up on the magic being used, causing other defenses to begin working.

Second, since power measures a character's sensitivity to magic, the referee might rule that an attribute check might be able to be made to determine magical auras, as per the Detect Magic spell. This might only apply to those with a high power score, or it may merely require a check. The way in which such a check is made is up to the referee. It may entail rolling lower than the character's ability score using 3d6 or 1d20. Furthermore, as a house rule in the creation of this attribute, the power of the magic in question is taken into account. The “level” of power of the magic is deducted from the score of the detector and this creates the target number to roll in order to perceive the magic. For example a character with 15 Power has a chance to detect an assassin that has been rendered invisible. Mind you that the character will not innately know that there is an invisible assassin, but will know that something magical is afoot. We will presume that the spell Invisibility was used on the assassin. Invisibility is a 2^nd Level Magic-User spell. Thus the referee subtracts 2 from the character's score of 15. The target number to beat will be 13. The player is told to throw 1d20, but not told why. 13 is rolled on the nose. The character realizes that something magical is afoot, and that roughly where it is, but not exactly what it is.

In the same example we can make things more interesting. The referee might rule that more information is gleaned, via the character's Power for each number below the target number that is rolled. Let us assume that that a 9 is rolled instead of a 13. The referee might now rule that the character is also aware of roughly how powerful the magic at hand is. Presuming that character roles lower, let's go all the way to a natural 1 on the roll, the referee might even give insight as to what spell is afoot!

A referee might also rule that highly sensitive characters, that is to say those with a high Power score, might also suffer in the presence of very powerful magic, if they are not used to it's presence. If this is the case a saving throw might be required when such a character is exposed to magic equivalent to spells above 6^th level. Ill effects for failing such a save may result in anything from being momentarily stunned and unable to act for a round to seizures that might result in the loss of multiple rounds and potential damage.

The third function that Power can be used for is to retrieve a spell that is cast. As is known, arcane magic functions by trapping a spell in the brain of the magic-user. The spell WANTS to be released. When the spell is cast it's effects take place and it is gone from the magic-user's mind. It is possible, using one's power, to retain a spell as it is being cast, allowing it's effects to take place, but effectively pulling it back into the mind of the magic-user.

A spellcaster may attempt to retain a number of spell levels per day equal to her caster level. At the time of the casting the magician must make a Power check less the spell level. If the check is made the spell is retained and may be cast again that day. If the check is failed the spell is lost as normal. If the check is failed the attempt still counts against the casters retaining attempts for that day. To give an example: a 3^rd level sorcerer may attempt to retain three 1^st level spells or one 1^st level spell and one 2^nd level spell.

Gear, Wear,Tear & Repair

Any post from me has been a long time coming. It's been a pretty busy month.

You all know from previous posts that I like my games to have a simple simulationist quality. As of late I find myself thinking about adventuring gear and the wear and tear that it takes. This, of course, includes weapons and armor. I believe that I've come up with a very basic rule that will help to keep things simple while still making them "feel" like they are real and happening. My objective is to bring a simulationist immersion to this part of play, while keeping the rule simple to use. Without further ado, here is a rough sampling of the rules.

The Rules

 

1. All adventuring gear can be in one of four conditions:

 

Good, Worn, Damaged and Ruined

 

This is called the condition track

 

These conditions are self explanatory.

 

2. All types of materials have a base saving throw:

 

Cloth - 15

Wood - 13

Soft Metal (Gold, silver etc) - 10

Durable Metal (Steel) - 7
Stone - 5

Extraordinarily Durable Materials (Mithril, Adamant etc.) - 2

Magic Items (case by case at Referee's discretion - not damaged under normal circumstances)

Referees may give bonuses or penalties depending upon situations or damage caused by specific hazards (i.e. wooden items catching fire) as they see fit.
 

3. To keep gear in good condition, PCs must perform maintenance or upkeep in between adventures/on the road etc. If it is deemed that the PCs possess the skill to upkeep their gear, they can (with proper tools) do so themselves. As a note, if a PC can use a given weapon, they know how to perform basic maintenance of that weapon. The same goes for armor. This include oiling and sharpening blades, oiling and cleaning armor, etc. If whetstone and oil are owned, this can easily be done while camping and on watch. If it is deemed that a PC knows how to upkeep other gear and has the proper implements to do so, that is fine as well, however, this must be kept track of by the Referee for time keeping purposes. It takes a great deal of time to take care of equipment.

Alternatively, players can also have items professionally repaired, replaced etc. while in town for 20% of the value of the PCs total adventuring gear, more at the Referee's discretion if any gear is in Damaged condition. Ruined items cannot be repaired.

4. Normal wear to gear: Gear will naturally deteriorate to lesser conditions if it is not upkept, per point three. Outside of this, all gear that is used during a session must make a saving throw at the end of the session. If the saving throw fails, that piece of gear moves down the condition track by one step.

Gear that specifically takes damage must make a saving throw or move down one or more conditions along the track as well. This is based upon a variety of conditions, catching fire, items specifically targeted or damaged by foes etc.

5. Weapons and armor are subject to the same rules as adventuring gear, but may also be subject to wear and tear from especially hard hits (giving or taking maximum damage etc.) at the Referee's discretion.
 

Octhorrorfest: Possession and Obssession For Your Old School Fantasy and Horror Campaign

Let's get right to it and get into the nitty gritty of these things. The idea of possession has been fairly well understood since the release of The Exorcist in 1973. Possession, of course, is the act of a spirit (demon, ghost, etc.) dominating and controlling an individuals body. Obsession is an attack by a spiritual entity or magical creature from without the individuals body. This is often a form of mind control in which the entity holds sway over the victim. Often the obsessed will become literally "obsessed" with it's attacker, often falling into to cultus of said entity doing the entities bidding by accomplishing tasks that the obssessor cannot accomplish by itself.. This features prominently in many of the Hammer Horror Dracula films. In literature the character R. M. Renfield, from Bram Stoker's Dracula,  is an obsessed follower of Dracula.

Klove, an obsessed servant of Dracula - from Hammer Films Dracula, Prince of Darkness

It has always struck me as odd that these things are so often either neglected in D&D and it's simulacra, or simply cast aside by the use of similar spells (obsession, in the vampiric sense, being typically attributed to a charm person spell.) Here I present you with my house rules for possession and obsession.

 

Possession

Any spirit, demon or devil may attempt to possess a victim. To do so the spirit must first make a saving throw with a penalty of the charisma bonus (if any) of the victim. If the roll is a success the victim is allowed a saving throw to avoid the possession with a penalty equal to the spirit/demon's hit dice. Protection spells already in place may modify these rolls at the referee's discretion. If the possessor succeeds and the victim fails his save, the possession is successful and the spirit has full control of the victim's body. Once per hit die per day the possessed may attempt to stop his body from taking an action attempted by the possessor spirit. This attempt suffers are cumulative penalty of -2 for each week that passes. This does not break the possession. Only an action denoted as an exorcism by the referee may break the possession. The spirit may relinquish control as it sees fit, but after gaining control, may always take control again at any time, presuming that a successful exorcism is not performed.

Obsession

An obsessed vampire cultist helps a new vampire rise - from Hammer Films The Brides of Dracula

Many creatures, from demons to greater vampires and any other entities that the referee deems may cause an individual to become obsessed. Obsession may be attempted in various ways dependent upon the individual entity. In some cases obsession is caused by a gaze, in others telepathic communication (powerful vampires and demon princes have this ability) or something as simple as a touch. An entity attempting for cause obsession in a victim  must first make a saving throw with a penalty of the charisma bonus (if any) of the victim. If the roll is a success the victim is allowed a saving throw to avoid the obsession with a penalty equal to the entities hit dice. Protection spells already in place may modify these rolls at the referee's discretion, just as in the case of possession. If successful the creature causing the obsession gains a telepathic link to the obsessed by which it's suggestions can be made, even over a great distance. In the early stages the obsessed can attempt to fight the suggestions. This is done by making a saving throw, modified by a penalty of the obsessors hit dice. This may be done once per day per hit die of the obsessed. An attempt to break the obsession may be made a number of times per week per hit die of the obsessed. Success is determined in the same manner as attempts to fight suggestions Each failed attempt adds an additional penalty of -1 to the next attempt. If the total penalty reaches the hit dice of the obsessed character, they become an utter thrall of the obsessing entity, unless exorcised.




 

Octhorrorfest; Curing Characters Afflicted With Vampirism For Old School Fantasy and Horror Games

Vampiric Affliction; How It Works

It is well known that those bitten by a vampire, shall rise as a vampire. There is often confusion about how this works. From a folkloric standpoint, the affliction/curse can be transferred from a bite or drinking the blood of a vampire. In many games, especially D&D and it's derivatives, anyone killed by a vampire will become one, under the Master's control. But how do the metaphysics of the affliction actually work?

When a vampire bites someone an unholy "venom" enters into the victim's  bloodstream. If the victim dies while this "venom" is still active, they will rise as a vampire under the control of the vampire who had originally cause the wound. This is what gave rise to the idea that a victim will become a vampire after being bitten a given number of times (typically three.) In these cases the vampire feeds upon the same victim night after night until they are drained of blood and die, then rising as a vampire themselves. Of course, dying in any way while the "venom" is in the victim will cause them to rise as a vampire.

Curing the Affliction

There are at least two ways to cure the affliction, if caught before death. In either case, a saving throw or constitution check (referee's discretion) to overcome the affliction. The first way to remove the affliction is to apply a poultice made of 3 parts garlic to 1 part silver to the wound every hour until the "venom" is neutralized. This would require a save/check each time the poultice is applied.

The second cure requires holy water. This method is demonstrated by Van Helsing in the film "The Brides of Dracula" from Hammer Horror.  First, the bite must be cauterized with hot steel. Following this holy water should be poured over the wound. The holy water instantly removes the affliction when this ritual cure is performed.