We have some solitaire games and GM-less games, advice and thoughts about designing games, a lot of OSR content (sandbox, material for the AD&D Referee, etc.), an update of the Medieval City Generator, and indie and crowdfunding news. And more. Bookkeeping Notes: I may get commissions made through links in this post.
Solitaire and GM-Less
Alex Scarborough recommended the free rules-lite 3 Dice Dungeon, A Solitaire Dungeon Crawl Game by Brent Newhall. Miso RPG, my freeform lightweight solo engine, got house-rules for rolling crits by Dan Davis. Dungeonlords by Brian Reynolds is a modular set of dungeon adventures without a Game Master:
Functioning a lot like Perilous Wilds, it’ll basically be a big modular collection of tables for rolling on (at my table we may even keep a copy of PW on hand). Players roll for the weather, what they find, monsters, NPC temperaments, treasures, what happens as a hard or soft move – with the narrative freedom to limit actions to what makes fictional sense, of course.
It’s not complete yet, but playable.
Designing Games
This is gold! Matt Finch explains the Open Game Licence (OGL). The OGL is the licence that powers a lot of games, especially D&D and derived products.
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Matt Finch is the mastermind behind Swords & Wizardry. Awesome Action vs. Tangible Obstacles by Michael Prescott is a worthwhile read about design challenges and mechanics for different play styles (aka Dungeon World vs. old school D&D). And while you’re at it, check out the excellent one-page adventures.
OSR
Skerples released Monster Menu-All Part 2: Veins of the Earth Edition: PDF Version. This requires the Veins of the Earth setting sourcebook. My Axioms of Sandbox Campaigns by Rob Conley helps you to get up and running with your fantasy sandbox. The Classic Dungeon Designer Series is a free set of PDFs for AD&D Dungeon Masters. (Thanks, Gerald Williams for posting this on G+). And here is a video about Theorems & Thaumaturgy Revised Edition which includes over 160 new spells, 24 new magic items, and 16 new monsters for Labyrinth Lord and other old-school fantasy games:
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Gavin Norman, one of the guys behind the Dolmenwood zine, is the author. The video review is by Ben Milton, creator of Maze Rats.
Tools
The Medieval Fantasy City Generator now comes with an export function.
Indie
Weekly Indie RPG & Storygame Review Weeks 32 & 33, 2017 by Tina Trillitzsch is always a must-read. I particularly enjoyed the advice on RPG reviews by Lowell Francis.
Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding Collection #50 by Jennifer Fuss is my address for staying up to date. I might back RPG WorldBuilder. The project wants to fund an Android world-building app. Vanagard, a storytelling game, also looks alluring.