levelonewonk

[levelonewonk]

"Moreau Vazh wrote an excellent post on their blog Taskerland, entitled “System Matters, Explicit Mechanics Less So”. Framing the debate on rules density historically, the post points out that gaming groups end up behaving in patterns similarly seen in many groups of people who have come together to do something creative. Of course, given that the norms of roleplaying are a great deal younger than, say, the social conventions of playing music in a group (an activity which is highly delineated and has many, many titles associated with said groups), there’s still a lot of push and pull in terms of figuring out how everyone actually wants to roleplay. Many of the norms we do have were developed either from prior art (often wargames) or came up simply because they were written into D&D back in 1974 (or perhaps a few years later, depending on the actual rule). Either way, these norms are still evolving, and as Vazh correctly points out, the hobby spends way more time agonizing over mechanics than attempting to understand the social dynamics which lead to game preferences and styles of play. And this leads to the core thesis of the Taskerland post, that ‘system’ is so wrapped up in the social norms and conflict resolution approaches of a group that the way a group plays games often transcends mechanics." - @levelonewonk

[levelonewonk]

The second wave of TTRPG zines from ZineQuest/Zine Month is upon us, and as is tradition @levelonewonk has trawled for the choicest offerings presented to you now in the month's second, very special, Crowdfunding Carnival!

[levelonewonk]

"Roleplaying games provide a singular experience combining mechanics of play with elements of narrative. It is the interaction of play and narrative that provides the unique experience; wanting one or the other generally means you’re best served by a different sort of game or different sort of media. This interaction, though, can be done in a million different ways and it can be done well or poorly. When we talk about diegesis and mimesis in games, we’re talking about the linkages, the elements that let you play with narrative and narrate your play." - @levelonewonk

[levelonewonk]

The @levelonewonk stays on the right side of the playwall when reading Triangle Agency... so what does it mean to engage with a TTRPG book that doesn't want you to read a chunk of it before you play it?

[levelonewonk]

The @levelonewonk stays on the right side of the playwall when reading Triangle Agency... so what does it mean to engage with a TTRPG book that doesn't want you to read a chunk of it before you play it?

[levelonewonk]

From @levelonewonk:

"It’s another new year, and I am once again asking, in one form or another, the same question I’ve asked myself in January for several years now: Why am I here? Why do I want to be here, writing about roleplaying games? Now, I’m not asking this question because the spark is gone or it feels futile (it does some of the time, but hell if that’s going to stop me). Instead, I’m checking in on myself. What am I trying to do? Am I succeeding in that?

This year, I’m also asking: Why are you here? I don’t necessarily mean at this site specifically, but why are you reading about RPGs online? More specifically, why are you reading RPG reviews? I know for a fact that the reason many go to read reviews is not exactly aligned with the reason I write them, and that’s likely why I felt the need to discuss the intent of RPG reviews."

[levelonewonk]

Eight Years of Cannibal Halflings

80% of a decade down, and things are about to get decidedly enneadic around here! 2024 has certainly been one of the years of all time, but how did we do around here and what might the future hold? Continue reading Eight Years of Cannibal Halflings

[levelonewonk]

"Yarrow,

Koriko is an amazing place, and I’ve met so many people already. A former mayor and great artist have already made my acquaintance. Aurora, the artist, even helped me find a place to stay, a room in a loft shared with artists and authors. It is a wonderful place to work and learn.

Out of all the lessons you taught me, spirit calling is the one that is becoming my strength. So many people are looking for guidance, and I have already been called to provide it.

The city moves so much faster than Brod, and I only hope I can keep up. I have been swept along and up into its brightest stars but I don’t know how long I can follow. My only hopes are that I make more friends and remember your lessons as best I can.

Lapis"

@levelonewonk starts a Solitaire Storytelling with Koriko: A Magical Year!

[levelonewonk]

Another Weekend, another update! DrivethruRPG best sellers, Mothership Month, a System Split between Death in Space and Mothership, and the dramatic potential of roleplaying games!

[levelonewonk]

"There are few direct network effects or switching costs involved with the act of playing a game: You find a group of your friends who are willing to play (and maybe learn) the game, then you play it. If you want to play something else, you put it down. For better or worse, though, roleplaying games are a hobby which involves multiple points of interaction and modes of social signaling. And while the hobby may not have switching costs, it does have barriers to entry. These are both real barriers, like finding a group of people you play well with, scheduling multiple game sessions, and spending a fair amount of time prepping campaigns and characters, as well as imaginary ones, like the amount of effort it takes to learn the next new system, and the risk of playing the ‘wrong game’. It’s important to acknowledge perceived barriers to entry because that’s where network effects within the hobby begin to affect your behavior; specifically, indirect network effects are quietly encouraging you to play D&D." - @levelonewonk

[levelonewonk]

"Zombie World is both flexible and fast, and from my experience playing I can say it handily takes the zombie horror crown away from incumbents like All Flesh Must Be Eaten. Even if the physical copy is required, Zombie World provides both smart game design and an intense game experience that will make many horror fans very happy." - @levelonewonk

[levelonewonk]

"Zombie World is both flexible and fast, and from my experience playing I can say it handily takes the zombie horror crown away from incumbents like All Flesh Must Be Eaten. Even if the physical copy is required, Zombie World provides both smart game design and an intense game experience that will make many horror fans very happy." - @levelonewonk

[levelonewonk]

"Where people want to go in their escapes will always be different, but gaming has a way of inspiring the imagination." - @LevelOneWonk

[levelonewonk]

"Sweden is the home of Free League and Denmark is the origin country of LARP camp, so of course I couldn’t take a trip like this one without visiting some gaming stores. What I experienced was quite a bit different than the norm in the US…and to be honest, better in a lot of ways. Given that I had just gone over the landscape of RPG retail maybe a month before, this seemed like a perfect opportunity to bring the Guide for the Perplexed series to Scandinavia for a little bonus." - @levelonewonk

[levelonewonk]

"October continues to be a good month! We’ve got tactics, we’ve got tarot, we’ve got an ill-considered podcast adaptation, we even have a fantasy heartbreaker that just might break my heart with what it’s promising. It’s a good time to be a Kickstarter aficionado and, with all of these interesting games poking their heads out after the collective hangover of the D&D 2024 release, it may even be a good time to be a gamer as well." - @levelonewonk

[levelonewonk]

Weekend Update: 9/21/2024

Welcome to the Cannibal Halfling Weekend Update! Start your weekend with a chunk of RPG news from the past week. We have the week’s top sellers, industry news stories, something from the archives, and discussions from elsewhere online. Continue reading Weekend Update: 9/21/2024

[levelonewonk]

"Welcome to the second installment of Guide for the Perplexed! Last time I introduced three of the largest RPGs that aren’t D&D, games with long enough histories and big enough communities that they’re easy to get into and find players. Now I’m going to talk about a different angle for finding games and finding players: The places you go to shop for games.

I’ll be the first to admit that it’s a lot easier to find games online; between DriveThruRPG and itch.io virtually every game imaginable is one click away (and the two publishers that don’t use these sites are huge and have their own). That said, the ‘friendly local gaming store’ can not only give you access to games, but also advice and even networking. Admittedly the reputation of the game store has been pretty negative for a lot of the hobby’s history; game stores were historically seen as unfriendly to women and minorities and the progenitor of many horror stories as a result. Luckily this is changing, and as even D&D itself is aiming to become more welcoming and accessible, few stores are going to stay in business without putting some effort into the ‘friendly’ part of the moniker.

There are other places to buy games besides a dedicated hobby store, namely bookstores. I’m lucky enough to have an independent used bookstore near me that has a few used RPGs pass through their shelves, and I’ll make some purchases there. Most bookstores that carry RPGs, though, are going to be large ones, the remaining chains like Barnes and Noble. Shopping for RPGs at a mass-market bookstore isn’t going to be the best experience, but if it’s all that’s near you, it still presents an opportunity to find a couple well-financed games that, thanks to either popularity or a popular license, you should be able to find nerds who want to play." - @levelonewonk