I've done several blogs recently regarding what our games bring to the table, what sets them apart from other games, and what makes them unique. The problem, and, I think, a mistake I made, was focusing on their roots in old school gaming. The truth is, there aren't any games out there in the old school community that really bring anything new to the table on their face. Old school gaming is about looking backwards, and while some folks may find that statement insulting, it's true.  It's also, however, not what Night Shift: VSW or O.G.R.E.S. is about.  I've been doing some self-reflection lately and reflecting on our game, what Tim's and my goal was when we started out, and just felt the need to ramble a bit about what the O.G.R.E.S. system is about, where it's going, where it came from, and what "Powered by O.G.R.E.S.™" Actually means. It's going to affect the way we present ourselves in the future, so I thought I'd put the thoughts out t...

 Ever since it first burst onto the scene in the early 2000s, the OSR (Old School Revolution, Renaissance, Revival, whatever your preferred "R" might be), it's been something of a hotbed of debate. Originally, the debate was just "what does it mean?" and later it got into even more divisive (and tiny) topics like, "What specific editions of D&D does the OSR represent," and even, "Can games besides D&D be part of the OSR?" Now, here we are, in 2022, and the debate has gotten even more violent and filled with vitriol because a certain loud section of people on social media have decided that the OSR are all right-wing bigots. Why? Quite simply, because one or two publishers in the old school scene have espoused right wing beliefs, which clearly then makes the rest of us all right wing, in their eyes.  This level of absolutism, quite frankly, is ridiculous. Let's look at what the OSR is and is not, and hopefully take a step towards du...

 I've said for awhile that the next major release for the O.G.R.E.S. System will be Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age, our flagship swords and sorcery game. It will have an embedded setting, but one that is easily divorced from the mechanic, enabling you to use O.G.R.E.S. to tackle just about any kind of fantasy game you like. I even plan to include an appendix with your classic fantasy races.  I won't lie; development of a full RPG takes awhile, even with an established system. I have to work out new character classes and playtest them (though many will be tweaks on existing classes), add some new mechanics, fully integrate it all, and go through the setting material. So it'll be another year or so, likely, before it hits Kickstarter. I think you all will dig it, though; it's got some unique conceits that most fantasy games don't have.  Until then, however, the question is, can you use the O.G.R.E.S. system as it sits to run traditional fantasy? The answer is yes, you...

Disclaimer:  This has the potential to be a controversial post, so it's important to clarify here that I am not looking to denigrate anyone's choice in how they game. The opinions here apply to me alone and the way I personally game, and are not intended to judge anyone else's choices or tell you that your fun is in some way wrong. If it comes across any other way, I apologize in advance and assure you that is not the intent. The growing relationship between tabletop RPGs and technology is something I've really struggled with for a long time. On one hand, there's no argument that wih the advent of things like VTT platforms, more people than ever have the ability to game. People can now game with friends from all over the world using a slick interface that incorporates everything from dice rollers to digital maps and digital tokens, so much so that when completely, fully used, these things really resemble video games as much as they do a traditional tabletop RPG.  Ev...