TORCHES (6): A RPG Microblog Collection 4

 

The "TORCHES (6)" posts are basically my bit of microblogging when I spot something I like but don't really have a deep opinion beyond "Look at this good thing!". Its also a little bit my effort to read and promote more blog stuff.

INJURIES FOR YOUR DEATH & DISMEMBERMENT TABLES: I really like this table of injuries from Swamp of Monsters! I find such tables lead to PCs living longer but sometimes lack a little lasting bite. This table rectifies that and helps save deciding to actual injury until in a downtime mode. Also can't deny that Nick L at Papers And Pencils has a really nice short table as well.

DUNGEON GODS: dungeon dolls is a fantastic new blogger tackling their own OD&D homebrew one post at a time. Here is an example of the fine work being wrought: a post on dungeon gods that could easily be dropped into almost any megadungeon campaign. And something must be in the water because Nothic's Eye also has some demi-gods of the dungeon underworld.

And stay on the blog to check out Alice's Hagfish Hall play reports!

10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOUR DUNGEON: The dododecohedron nails what most people get wrong about adventures. Its a really nice numbers #1 and #3 are certainly elements I strive for.

FROM 5E TO DOLMENWOOD D&D: It looks like the OSR is not dead after all, and converts may be found through its various avatars. Here is one such example from Patchwork Paladin in moving their 5e game to Dolmenwood. This seems to support another commenter's idea that people might not realize they are in the "OSR" camp because they come through a particular ruleset and so just know what they play a "Mothership" or "Dolmenwood" or "Shadowdark".

AND MORE BROADLY, HOW TO COMMUNICATE OLD-SCHOOL PLAY TO 5E: Over a New School Revolution, Yochai of Cairn fame discusses aspects of OSR play, but frames them if a group is coming coming from 5e. I particularly think this one might be key (also sorta explains why save throws exist):

Know when to ignore mechanics and just do what makes sense in the fiction. If a PC gets a boulder dropped on their head, armor doesn't really come into the picture: They're just dead.

FIRST THE X-IN-6 THIEF, NOW THE X-IN-6 FIGHTING MAN: I was thinking about implementing some of the push/pull/trip mechanics I toyed with long ago in the Battle for the Ruby Skull. In a recent post at Fallen Constellation, a Fighter X-in-6 maneuver mechanism is discussed. Instead of assigning X-in-6 to each type of maneuver, I might just do a base 2-in-6 for all maneuvers that increase with level.