So this isn’t my first rodeo. I played a lot of Dungeons & Dragons in my teens. But I played the OG D&D (remember that weird time when Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings were classes, not races?), The TSR stuff. I played B/X, the Basic D&D boxed set, the Expert D&D boxed set, BECMI (Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, and Immortal) the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia, some 1st Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, and some 2nd Edition Dungeons & Dragons… And I loved it! Hell, I Still do!
But then life happened. It got harder and harder to find time to play a session, let alone prep for one! Everyone was busy, everyone had new responsibilities… No one–including me–had time for dungeon delving anymore. The Orcs were slain, the Lich was defeated, and the magic was fading in that part of our lives.
Cut to 2015, and the release of Dungeons & Dragons 5e (Technically 2014, but it was December, and I didn’t hear about it until January…so… Semantics. Anyway where was I?) which, mechanically, drew heavily on prior editions (including my beloved OG material), while introducing some very cool new mechanics (think advantage and disadvantage, inspiration, and backgrounds) which simplified and streamlined play. Suddenly everyone was talking about D&D again!
And then 2019 happened. I went through a lot in 2019… I lost my job. I started a new business. I went through some health issues with some family members. I went through some health issues with some pets. I had a lot of stress, and a lot of heartache, and a lot of tears, but a lot of new doors opened up as well, and I feel like I’m at a point now where I’m ready to come back and devote real time and effort to you folks again!
With that in mind I don’t know necessarily that the blog is going to be exactly the same going forward. What I mean by that is, we will still be talking about, RPG products and RPG games. There will still be D&D and RPG reviews. There will still be un-boxings. There will still be all of the things that you know this blog, and this channel for. But, I don’t know that it’s just going to be Dungeons & Dragons 5e focused, and I kind of want to talk about that a little bit with you and be completely open and honest with you so that you can make the determination as to whether you still want to follow this blog, or my YouTube channel.
Don’t get me wrong. I love D&D 5e. Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition is phenomenal! it’s what brought me back to the game. It’s what reignited my love for Dungeons & Dragons. Fifth edition is a fantastic addition and if you’re playing it, I’m sure that you’re enjoying it as much as I do.
I don’t want you to misunderstand what I’m saying. It’s not that I don’t enjoy Fifth Edition, I do! The thing is I don’t know that the Fifth Edition of Dungeons & Dragons is the only game for me.
I found myself longing for a more narrative style. I found myself longing for the style of game that I grew up with. The game that I played in my late teens and early 20’s. I find myself drawn back to that game, and whether that means being drawn back to B/X D&D, or Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, I find myself being drawn back to the games that initially ignited my love for role-playing games, and this feeling has evolved into a love and passion for OSR style games!
I’m sure everybody out there knows what an OSR game is but if you’re not familiar with OSR it refers to the old-school revival, or the old-school renaissance which really harkens back to or throws back to the style of play that I enjoy, that I find myself drawn to again.
I mean, you are drawn to whatever you’re drawn to. The style of game that you prefer is the style of game that you should play. I’m not advocating that you should play OSR games. I’m simply saying that I am drawn to OSR style games: OSR products, OSR settings etc. While I’ll still be reviewing D&D 5e products as they roll out, I’ll also be mixing in a lot of discussion around OSR products, some reviews of OSR products, and reviews of old-school modules. Modules that are from my heyday.
I want to start reviewing old school D&D modules. The modules that I grew up with. Modules that I played through to give you my experience as well as the tips and tricks that I use to either make them run better, or to play through them better. but I also don’t want to focus on old school modules that are not available any longer, things that are out of print, or things that are only available if you were to purchase on eBay for an arm and a leg.
I also want to start reviewing newer OSR products. Products that are tributes to, and re-workings of those original D&D rule styles. There’s a lot of great retro-clones out there right now! Think Old School Essentials, think Basic Fantasy, think Dungeon Crawl Classics! These are really phenomenal products, and they take that old-school feel and they tweak it to fit a more modern play style. It makes that old-school style game easier for you to understand, easier for you to implement at your table and easier to convince your players that that they should be playing it, or they should at least give it a try, and they should! That’s the whole point, right? I mean the point is you should at least give it a try see if you like it.
I think that somewhere along the way the spirit, or the soul of D&D was lost, and Fifth Edition D&D went a long way towards bringing the soul of the game back, but it still doesn’t truly embrace what it was or what I feel it should be. Again, this is my opinion, right? What I feel it should be, and I really want to explore not only the roots of the game. So, the actual rule systems where it all began, but I also want to explore and investigate newer products, OSR products that keep (in my opinion) the soul of the game alive! Games that truly represent what the game, the magic and what caused me to love D&D to begin with! I’d like to see those types of products take off because I’d really like to see that game style come back.
Don’t get me wrong, there is room in this hobby for all sorts of game styles, for all sorts of interpretations of game styles, and game play. Role-playing is open to everyone. It is inclusive! But I think that everyone has a particular style that they like and love. Just because something is different, or something is not what you’re used to, doesn’t necessarily make it a bad thing. So, I want to introduce you to new styles of play, introduce you to new products, products that perhaps you haven’t heard of before. Because all of this is really about you!
I know what my game style is.
I know what my preferred play style is.
And you know, I feel like I’ve made that very clear.
I want to know what your preferred play style is. I want to know what your game style is. So, hit me up in the comments below and let me know if there are there any OSR products that perhaps you’re interested in, or that you’d like to see a review of. Are there any old-school modules that you’d like to see me review, or get my take on?
Because here’s the thing about old-school modules… Some of them were amazing, and some of them were not! As always you can trust me to be completely honest with my reviews and certainly with my opinions and my advice. So, hit me up in the comments.
And as always, may the dice roll ever in your favor!
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