Or some such thing.  Happy 2025. My blog is 12 years old and I didn't manage to post once a month on here. I don't know what 2025 holds but I'm trying to get back into the habit of expressing myself creatively on here. I really struggled with my interests in RPGs this year. I've been with my Friday group 9 years now and our goals weren't always aligned this year. As a game retailer I'm often angry at whatever antics Wizrds of the Coast is up to and when it comes to my own personal money I often don't want to give it to them. Which means I have resented our DnD Beyond sub and really wasn ..read more

  You can download a PDF here ..read more

Day 13: Evocative Environments - I really work on this but too often when a fight starts that goes out the window. Day 14: Compelling Characters - I try to come up with good backgrounds and goals with my characters, but I've found it can take a couple of months to really nail who the character is. Day 15: Great Character Gear - We mostly play 5E so we usually have some cool stuff. My current character, Hadrian Bluehawk (Human Level 18 Fighter Champion) has some amazing stuff that boosts his Saves, gives me an AC of 25, and I have a damn cool long sword too. Day 16: Quick to Learn - I learn g ..read more

  RPG that is easy to use - Dragonbane by Free League. Its easy to learn, it uses a roll under mechanic, and easy to make characters. RPG with 'good form' - I'm not 100% sure what this represents but I'm going to go with Shadowdark because it is a great blend of modern and old school mechanics and very accessible. An accessory you appreciate - The DnD 5E battle board which is made like the board of a board game and has stone squares on one side and grass scares on the other. An accessory you'd like to see - This is more of a book, but I'd like a Forgotten Realms setting book for DnD 5.5 ..read more

Interesting times is the best way to describe the last year or so for me. When WotC pulled their OGL crap early last year I spent a lot of time looking at an alternative to DnD for my group and my customers and it was all kind of for nought. My group is entrenched in 5E which has caused some issues for us...well me in the ensuing months. Most of the players are roughly 15 years younger and some of them either a) love 5E or b) have no interest in trying other games.  Me? I love RPGs and own a T-O-N! Things have gotten to the point I've spent a lot of time thinking if this group, that I've ..read more

RPG with great writing: Hmmm...Warhammer Fantasy Role Play 2nd Edition. The Bestiary is one of the most fun book I've read ..read more

First RPG bought this year? Bugbears and Borderlands. Most recently played? DnD 5th Edition. Most often played RPG? 5E, again. RPG with great artwork? Deadlands ..read more

As a life-long comics fan and a retailer with a quarter century of experience, I was today years old when I discovered that Buzz Dixon and Chuck Dixon were not the same person. I found Buzz's blog and he talks about working on the Thundarr the Barbarian cartoon and a proposed feature film where it turns out the Sunsword and not a comet was the source of the great cataclysm mentioned in the opening of the show. Apparently it was being fought over by two rival alien species causing it to be hurled toward the Moon, which it splits, before crashing into our planet and destroying the world as we ..read more

Even though my interest in the OSR has waned a bit I still really appreciate the work that Kevin Crawford has down with Stars Without Number, Worlds, Without Number, and Cities Without Number. Ashes Without Number starts crowdfunding in July and is an update and expansion on Other Dust a game about post-apocalyptic worlds and the struggle to survive. If you dig Gamma World, Mutant Future Planet of the Apes, Mad Max, Furious, Rifts, and zombie dead worlds this game has you covered. He's posted the character creation section and like CWN classes are ditched for Edges and includes rules for mutat ..read more

It's been awhile. I've been good and hope all of you have as well. I've spend a lot of time thinking about what this hobby and its industry mean to me. I think I'm at a point in life where finding time for my buddies is more important to me than the games. Further, I'm not sure I like running games anymore. I know I prefer the games I run to have less and less combat and that they resource management of DnD and its many, many clones just don't do it for me. Honestly, the OSR showed me the resource management aspects and I think it's why I don't have much to say about running any of those ..read more