Current Interests

So in my first entry I detailed a general outline of my RPG history. That entry was getting pretty long so I thought I’d talk about where some of my interests are right now for a follow up entry.
Here it is!

I’ve certainly developed a bit of a “wandering eye” for games in the last few years. Whereas for a long time I’d only played a few games in the last five or six years I’ve played lots and lots of different games, and I’ve been introduced to even more that I haven’t had a chance to play yet!

I’m pretty open to different kinds of gaming. I love every version of D&D I’ve played (for different reasons, but I honestly enjoy all of them). I’ve enjoyed playing a lot of smaller “indie” games and story games, and bigger more complicated tactical games. I’m open to all sorts of genre’s and settings. I’ve enjoyed games that were high fantasy, games set in Manhattan in 1890, games set in space, post-apocalyptic games, super hero games, and all sorts of other games. I’m interested in just about anything else you can think of that might lead to Adventure!; if someone wants to run a game I’m probably interested in trying it out!

That being said a number of games have been particularly grabbing my eye lately and I hope to have a chance to try them out soon.
A lot of my interest has been in more “old-school” style gaming lately. I haven’t actually been playing anything terribly old school, other than a short session of the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG, but I’ve been reading about such games for a while and have picked up a few to read through.

I think part of it is the history major in me, just wanting to learn a bit more about the roots of the hobby, and the other part is just wanting to try out some styles of gaming I haven’t really had much experience with.

I started with 2nd Edition and while that is I think a reasonably old school system (or can be played that way) I don’t think we really played it in what most would call an old school style. The game was basically us following a (mostly improvised if I remember correctly) story that our DM was telling. There’s nothing wrong with this way of playing at all of course! I had a great time! But it wasn’t exactly a sand-box sort of game where the story emerged from our actions more than from the story our DM wanted to tell.

I’ve been reading through Adventurer Conqueror King, and reading reviews of the system and I have to say I’d love to give it a try some time. I also backed the Dwimmermount Kickstarter and I’m eagerly awaiting the final product (I’ve been enjoying the previews so far!). I grabbed the 1st Edition reprints when they came out and I’ve been enjoying reading through them as well. I also have the previously mentioned Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG and I’m very excited to keep trying that out. I like the simpler more rules lite approach most old school games have, it’s a bit of a breath of fresh air after playing a lot of 3rd and 4th Edition D&D (not that I don’t still enjoy both of those games!).

I think what I’m most intrigued by is the idea of adventures and games that are simply locations or situations, rather than a part of an ongoing pre-scripted story. I like the idea of stories that emerge from what the players do. A world that simply exists and reacts to the player characters rather than the other way around. I’ve really come to appreciate what old school gaming was and is about, and I’d like to give it more of a try.
This isn’t to say that I’m not also interested in plenty of other games or other kinds of games! I’m loving our Apocalypse World / Traveller hack, and there are plenty of very different kinds of games I hope to try out soon as well!

What has grabbed your interest lately? Any particular games you’re itching to try? Any new games you’re playing now? Let me know!

- Good gaming!
The Duke of Brandonshire

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