Chess is not about the rules (D&D isn't either) (new substack post)

Already five posts published and there's a shitload of Notes out as well. Just to give you guys an impression what's going on over there. Already more engagement then I have here or on X. All good and positive, so make sure to join the party. My latest post is about what rules are and what the must do in order to work properly. A lot of it is explained via chess, but I'm eventually making my way to D&D and role-playing games in general.

Here's the first paragraph:

Rules are a prerequisite to play. But it is not so much about using the rules to play, it is about playing the game within the restrictions the rules are offering. That is such a key difference that not seeing it will lead to wrong design choices when writing your own rules. Or, a more subtle point, you’ll put the wrong focus when explaining how your game works. This very much applies to role-playing games, but let me explain it using chess first, as it makes the better point without trying too hard.

Link

 

That's four essays linked here in April, including my introduction over there (three proper, then). There's another meaty one for those with at least a free subscription for the Substack. I'll try to have one for paying members up soon, too (they don't exist yet, but will eventually and they will have something to discover).

Among my next essays will be stuff about looting (bad) movies for their content and one with setting up a sandbox for ORWELL, hopefully with some play-reports building on that (it has to come together on the play side, but I'm working on it).

The Substack will focus a lot on my publishing endeavors, but that usually brings up a lot of adjacent topics and the lively community over there will do its own inspiring.

First time in a long time that blogging brings me joy again.

 

 

Brace Yourselves: AI versus Commodity Slop (new Substack)

Here we are again, with my renewed effort to get a blog going ... This third essay is about how AI will impact publishing in general and what we can do about that. Even got a comment and all that good stuff!

Gotta say, I'm happy with what Substack does. And I was surprised (just a little) to find so many familiar faces posting there. It seems to be a somewhat closed ecosystem, but that isn't a bad thing per se, as it allows bundling some different aspects of blogging that don't go together easily in other places. So far it's the closest to what g+ had been, imho. The UI is a bit fickle, but nothing that can't be handled.

This newest essay is also free, and you'll find a link to it just below the picture:

Find it here!

Needless to say, I'd be happy to have you over there, reading what I wrote. Maybe following. Maybe even subscribing. Would mean the world to me.

I'll keep posting the free stuff here for some more time. Subscribers will soon find some more (also free) essays on the site as that's a thing we do. Paying subscribers will find even more content, once that's a thing. Either way, I'm putting in the work AND some more Notes on a regular basis.

 

 

To Lose Your Heart in That Eldritch Sea (Design Post)

Substack is starting to come together for me. Regular Notes, first couple of subscribers and here's the second post. A design post about some ideas I had for a game I'm writing just now: That Eldritch Sea. You'll get an idea what the game is about, how it will work and the details on one little idea I needed to make that game click.

You can find it here (for free):

Click this, please.

 

As I said in the introduction, there's a bit more to discover now. I'll use blogger solely as a sign post from now on, until I think the blog is dead for good. It is for the better. Blogger has run its course and I need a new start of sorts. Substack fits that bill, and I'll be happy to see all those over there who liked my stuff here. As well as making new friends, of course.

Another post will hit Sunday. Meanwhile I'll do a little series of note about all my projects. That's a lot, as you'll find ^^ 

Off we are ... to new frontiers! (this is about me being somewhere else)

Hello, friends and neighbors. Long time no see, right? Well, I was undecided how to move on from blogger. It's just that ... well, the algorithm is an unkind mistress, so we are moving tents to greener pastures. I'll show you the way.

Looky here, a Substack ...

Blogger was good the first couple of years I used it, but when g+ got the boot, it all fizzled away. And the OSR community (of yore) with it. I stayed. I tried. And I never stopped working on the stuff I started. But this isn't the place for it anymore. I barely get traffic from other blogs anyway (AND haven't been doing much here as well).

So I have to move on.

But I'd be happy to take you! So here's where it's at, with a couple of words about what it will be about:
 

Go there, if you will

 

You see? I shift focus a bit. Not so much about the culture and more about me being a publisher and talking about my projects, about the tools of the trade, all that good stuff, and with clear dedication to give this a proper pulse.

I'll update here when I update there until I feel like this blog can rest now.

See you on the other side!