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...

 Well, we're back from Gary Con and I've had a couple days to recover. Now the con crud is setting in and I'd forgotten how miserable that is. No worries; no COVID here. Just your usual with the body going, "YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE EXPOSED TO THAT MUCH CRAP AT ONCE!!!" convention yuck. But you didn't come here for that. You came here fro the post-convention report. Back in the Saddle: New Faces and Old Friends So, after 2 years of "virtual," or "ethereal" Gary Cons (Gods, I hate that sheer concept, of "virtual" conventions and gatherings), we're back in person again, full force. Despite some very weird masking requirements and woefully inconsistent enforcing, the convention was outstanding. In the end, the masking stuff was your typical politicization on both sides, everyone soapboxing, and just a very minor irritant in what overall was just a great time top to bottom. It was so nice to get to put some faces to names and...

The core combat system as presented in Spellcraft and Swordplay is based off of the Man to Man rules in the original miniatures game that spawned the World's Most Famous RPG. In the second edition (coming someday to a game store near you), The combat system will be revised to eschew the requirement for consulting tables in man to man combat, replacing them with a simple addition formula that allows for speeding up combat significantly.  Cerebus Art Pack purchased at DrivethruRPG Basic Calculation The basic calculation for combat using the alternate system is as follows: 2d6 + Strength (or Dexterity) bonus + Weapon Class + Opponent's AC > 14 Characters still gain multiple attacks based on their level, so level does not factor into the hit probability. Strength and Dexterity bonus are as determined during character creation. Strength is used for melee; Dexterity is used for ranged attacks.  Boxcars and Snake-eyes A result of boxcars (unmodified 12) always hits, and a result...

 The first example of a "specialist" wizard in old-school gaming comes in the form of the Illusionist in the player's guide for the Advanced edition of the worlds's most famous role playing game. This class, presented as a "sub class" of the Magic User, really just substitutes typical spells with an entire spell list that is designed for this class. It doesn't really focus on any abilities that create a specialized magic user. It was only in later editions (a few ideas presented in various magazine articles, and later as "Kits" in the Second Edition of that game) that the idea really began to take shape, and in 3rd edition we started to really see "School Specialization" as part of the core rules of the game.  It's true that character classes in older school games (pre-2e) are intended to be very abstracted and wide open to interpretation, and the designers as such shied away from such detail--after all, if you wanted your wizard ...