tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617677799085549365.post1748317268955670196..comments2024-03-12T22:45:16.936+01:00Comments on The Disoriented Ranger: A look into the old school module The Dreams of Ruin (sort of a review)Jens D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18394303166081684904noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617677799085549365.post-8931228192808831482016-05-23T19:28:17.349+02:002016-05-23T19:28:17.349+02:00And here I was, thinking White Wolf had banned it ...And here I was, thinking White Wolf had banned it from the tables or something :D Sorry. I know what you mean, of course. Uncomplete and barely understandable rules will do that for you ...<br /><br />You are doing something for Stars Without Numbers? But that is great news! And very much OSR, I'd say. I'm looking forward to your next publication, then. You are right, with an open and active DIY community like we have here for the old editions, it is great to create and very much possible to have an impact with your own ideas. Good stuff. Thanks a lot!<br /><br />Well, the only other thing I could imagine doing (would be happy to do, actually), would be interviewing you for the blog, talk a bit about your thoughts and decisions. If you are interested, that is. From what I read in your comments, it'd make for lots of interesting insights ...Jens D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18394303166081684904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617677799085549365.post-48127554457992050382016-05-23T02:20:54.681+02:002016-05-23T02:20:54.681+02:00***So yeah, this needs to be spread and get into a...***So yeah, this needs to be spread and get into as many hands as possible, in my opinion.***<br /><br />Please. My intention was to be of service to the community, feel free to talk it up / spread it around.<br /><br />As for Nausicaä, yeah, I just saw it a couple months ago and was struck by how clearly it had deeply affected me when I saw it subbed on HBO as a kid. The part with Lord Yupa discovering the now-ruined house at the beginning was something I had forgotten, but clearly not all the way.<br /><br />***That's why I said I didn't see it.***<br /><br />It's all good.<br /><br />***Well, best of luck with The Dreams! And I hope this wasn't your last entry into the world of retro-clones!*** <br /><br />No, I have several projects I am working on now -- one for Kevin's space game, and a couple free-standing ones. But! I am also studying for some advanced certifications and so I do not want to mess around too with writing. It's not incredibly lucrative to write for OSR, so it pays for my to put my attention elsewhere. It will have to wait a few years until the value proposition makes more sense. There will probably be some stuff that circulates in public before then, but I am not going to do a full book with art and tables and so forth for at least another 24-36 months, I don't *think*.<br /><br />***Can't get over that "forbidden" comment ... Sounds like a story I'd be very interested in.***<br /><br />Well, back in the day, they really strictly controlled the material. I read that stuff like bibles as a kid but a) I hated Gary's rules and b) I hated I couldn't do anything with it. <br /><br />That all got fixed and it's awesome to play with the material now, and take it in directions that are truly my own -- and then give it to the community. My primary desire is that I execute a bunch of designs that add significantly to the conceptual edifice, because I think that's a really lasting contribution I can make.Geoffrey C. Grabowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05581580495806604567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617677799085549365.post-29038505562126695482016-05-21T20:40:07.338+02:002016-05-21T20:40:07.338+02:00You are very welcome! Yes, I like the Dreams a lot...You are very welcome! Yes, I like the Dreams a lot. Not only for what they are (not kidding about loving Nausicaä) but also a lot for what they do (as in giving a great example for what an end game should be). I think it's a rare thing to have and PWYW is not to beat as a concept, as people can check it out for free and come back to leave something ... So yeah, this needs to be spread and get into as many hands as possible, in my opinion.<br /><br />I see what you mean about the adult material and I agree, this could be hard to process and use in a game. Well, I mentioned it because it might concern some people, so all is good. I don't know if you are aware of Lamentations of the Flame Princess (take a look into Better Than Any Man if you don't, it's very good stuff). They raise a pretty high bar in that regard, often with the art to underline it. That's why I said I didn't see it. Words are always way more difficult to judge like that ...<br /><br />Well, best of luck with The Dreams! And I hope this wasn't your last entry into the world of retro-clones! Can't get over that "forbidden" comment ... Sounds like a story I'd be very interested in.<br /><br />And thanks for taking the time to comment here! Made my day :)Jens D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18394303166081684904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617677799085549365.post-47424476000947615622016-05-21T19:55:01.822+02:002016-05-21T19:55:01.822+02:00Thanks! It was such a blast to write. I'm very...Thanks! It was such a blast to write. I'm very happy to write in the Labyrinth Lord system -- the license is free and open and I can't say how much I appreciate that. That stuff that I got to play with was *SO* forbidden for so long. I feel like that helped establish a lot of assumptions and shared understandings, but the material is also ripe for re-examination and re-invention.<br /><br />Kevin offered lots of fantastic, earnest advice, most of which I ignored. I was doing my own thing according to my own agenda -- I was mostly interested in executing the book as a form of kinetic information sculpture -- but I would suggest anyone planning a serious OSR project talk it over with him.<br /><br />I feel like Dreams of Ruin really occupies a pretty singular place. There's not a lot of stuff like it, so I think it's natural people will discover it, which was intentional to its design. I'm glad you like it! There's a lot of material in the special encounters section that I urge people to examine closely.<br /><br />As for the adult material thing -- that's all the special encounters. IMO the night hag and the devil swine are both off-the-chain childhood trauma reading. But in general, there's a lot going on there, and I think it's definitely for mature readers overall. Writing about the dreams are in a lot of ways a complex reaction on my part to studying the antipattern of violence and civil instability that wracks weak states after a period of prolonged conflict and illegitimacy. I'm writing for a global audience across decades or centuries. For a lot of people in this world, the servants of ruin really did kill your dad.<br /><br />Anyway! Thanks for reading my stuff and apparently liking it!Geoffrey C. Grabowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05581580495806604567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617677799085549365.post-83624247909430750462016-05-21T17:22:00.114+02:002016-05-21T17:22:00.114+02:00This comment has been removed by the author.Geoffrey C. Grabowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05581580495806604567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617677799085549365.post-35766480696053107322016-05-02T22:03:20.956+02:002016-05-02T22:03:20.956+02:00Thanks guys. I'm glad I could help getting thi...Thanks guys. I'm glad I could help getting this into some more hands. It's well worth taking a closer look, I think.<br /><br />Red Tide is a good example, with it's obvious leaning towards anime. And Grabowski being the main man behind Edxalted and Kevin Crawford actually being in the credits as adviser (at least he was consulted?), it's a good fit for some reason, I'd say. But I saw this after a Dwimmermount or Stonehell campaign. When all is settling down and getting quite and peaceful, this stuff creeps in and starts some trouble. The shift should really help bringing some new impulses into the game ...Jens D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18394303166081684904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617677799085549365.post-41779481672749590682016-05-02T19:51:23.606+02:002016-05-02T19:51:23.606+02:00Huh. That sounds really cool. Never heard of it ...Huh. That sounds really cool. Never heard of it before so thanks for pointing it out. I got a bit of a Red Tide vibe from your description. I bet it would work well with that setting.DHBoggshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02170439175265397893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617677799085549365.post-50471166321426662712016-05-02T14:02:18.903+02:002016-05-02T14:02:18.903+02:00Thanks for pointing this one out. Definitely will ...Thanks for pointing this one out. Definitely will check it out.Forrest Aguirrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05531127358059851571noreply@blogger.com