Welcomes and Introductions---Start here! 👋

[PaulCzege]

Hi, I’m Paul.

If you know me it’s probably as the designer of My Life with Master. Or possibly as the designer of Bacchanal, which Michele Gelli adapted (into a card based game) as Bacchanalia. Or maybe from me running the #Threeforged game design challenge in 2015.

I really like your stated Wynwerod focus on actual play, and that’s why I created an account. It was always the best part of The Forge.

For the past two years I’ve been way deep into journaling games. I’ve played dozens of them and wrote a zine for Zine Quest this year called The Ink That Bleeds that’s about playing them. I have a collection on itch.io here of all the ones I’ve played, but I’ll put the most recent ones in a matrix below. (The matrixes are great.)

I’ve also been playing (as a player, not GM) my own game The Clay That Woke with an online group, and having a good time. It’s so awesome to get to play your own game, not run it. We’re five or six sessions into it as an ongoing game.

And I recently ran my own game A Viricorne Guide for the first time and had a really good time. I designed and wrote and did graphics and layout and published A Viricorne Guide in a week for the #RPGenesis jam in 2019 while my wife and son were away visiting relatives. 5000 words in a week. Doing it was like a fever dream.

I moved across the country, from the suburbs of Detroit to Denver, Colorado, in November 2018, and in the years between then and now I ran occasional playtests and iterated a couple of games I was working on, but they never really came together for me and I never published them. But then running A Viricorne Guide for the first time a couple of weeks ago really restored my faith in my design instincts. It was so easy to run, and everyone had so much fun.

Anyway, here’s that matrix of what I’ve played lately (and one I plan to play soon). I’m glad to talk about any of them.

[Paul_T (Paul Taliesin)]

Very cool, Paul! Welcome. It was nice to meet you a few years back, when we were playtesting your vaguely OSR-ish game. Great to have you here as well.

I’ve been curious about The Clay that Woke for years now, and I’m still hoping to find an opportunity to play it sometime.

[Judd]

Hi, I’m Judd. I’ve got a blog and a podcast about gaming.

Lately, I’ve been playing lots of Classic Traveller, a game that I’ve just become acquainted with. On Thursdays I’ve been playing Trophy Gold, 5 Torches Deep, then 5e and now Godbound.

[forlorn1 (Jeffrey Collyer)]

Hi, I’m Jeff. I started back in the day with AD&D, Rolemaster, Traveller in the little box. I took a break from games after college for a while, but Savage Worlds brought me back. I’ve run lots of Indie games over the years. I’ve had a good many games of PrimeTime Adventures. I’ve drifted Monsterhearts to Vikings with a scenario I called “Dirty Sexy Eddas”. Particularly proud of that name :). Lately I’ve been running Public Access for my online group. Also Tales from the Loop, and we had a 6 month game of Wanderhome that was magical. My next project is to run DIE. Which I think is where the snake eats its own tail and we roleplay player of a AD&D game.

[Froggy (Claudio)]

Alright, I got back to it finally!

Welcome, @thebrand, @DavidBerg, @LordPersi, @wlonk, @PaulCzege, @Judd, and @forlorn1!

This reminds me I still have to play The Clay That Woke.

[Froggy (Claudio)]

@randylubin

I’ll gladly try just about any type of game – I’m always hungry to learn more design patterns and see what makes different approaches sing. That extends beyond tabletop and larp to a love of immersive theater – ultimately I think of all of it as experience design and to that end think anyone can be (and often is) a game designer.

I need to make a few things clear regarding experience design for transparency’s sake. This is going into the manifesto that I’m writing, so it’s as important as it gets.

The name Wynwerod and the second paragraph of the intro frame some of the values that I want to impart to this place, which in my mind are diametrically opposed to the ones expressed by the notion of experience design (something I’m deeply familiar with), which comes directly from the idea of a game as a crafted experience received by the player.

You can see my off-the-cuff remarks as I came to this realization in this post on Adept Play, which I should probably add to The Vault : Should a guitar play itself? – Adept Play. In particular I deeply disagree with the notion that a game is a singular experience that can be designed. If a game is a valid instrument, then it will be producing many different experiences (plural) every time it’s played, highly dependent on the humans involved, in ways that cannot be predicted or controlled.

Particularly, I see a worrying trend as this mindset as has become subordinate to play itself as a form of self-expression for the humans at the table. For me, the game-maker is an artisan similar to Leo Fender—he makes my guitar, but he doesn’t make my music. Here, we’re interested in discussing play above design, with the understanding that as we get better at playing, the ways we can shape our instruments will become clearer and clearer to us.

I don’t think you should be using this as a place to pick up “design patterns” or learn to be a better designer—notice that I never use the word design once in the introduction. I’m not shooing you off, just making sure you understand where I’m coming from. You seem open-minded—all I ask is that when you post here you try to take on a different mindset from what you’re used to. If you’re interested in sharing reflections on play—not games!—and improving your understanding of it, then you’re welcome to stay.

I’m happy to work through the details if you don’t get what I’m saying, but this is sort of a line-in-the-sand value that I want this place to have to distinguish it from everywhere else on the internet—that’s why it’s named the way it’s named—and I’m not that interested in public debate about it. I think the value in this will be self-evident with time.

Edit: Me and @randylubin have clarified our values in private. All is good.

[jmstar (J.M.)]

Hi I’m Jason; lovely to see so many friends here! I have a feeling this place may not be for me since design and play are inextricable to me. I can’t really think about one without the other, but I can try. Most of what I have been playing recently are playtests, for example, which are linked tightly to the design process and aren’t really “playing to play”.

In any case I’ve been gaming a long time, I am part of Bully Pulpit Games, I co-founded the Golden Cobra Challenge and Larp Shack, and used to be a regular GM at Games on Demand at Origins and Gen Con.

My favorite TTRPG is Matthijs Holter’s Archipelago III and my favorite larp is Maria & Jeppe Bergmann Hamming’s Deranged.

[Froggy (Claudio)]

Hello Jason and welcome!

I think as long as you’re interested in the main activity of the forum, which should be reflecting on play, then we’ll be fine. You’re free to disagree with any part of my mindset as long as that doesn’t interfere with the stated goals of this space.

That said, you’re misunderstanding me if you think I don’t agree with “design and play being inextricably linked”— it’s similar to what I said in the agenda.

@Froggy

• Promote the making of games and play material, with the understanding that games can only get better as a by-product of great play.

It should be clear I’m in no way opposed to game-making, especially in the context of playing what you make.

In any case, I’m happy to chat about the details of what that means. Let’s see where it goes, and if it’s not for you, that’s O.K.

Edit: And also, same thing I asked to others: what have you been playing recently? What are you planning to play?

[Nickwedig]

Hi, I’m Nick. I have been playing RPGs for decades now, starting with D&D but also many other games like Champions and The Morrow Project and TMNT & Other Strangeness. From there, it was a series of progressively weirder, more obscure games (Over the Edge, Unknown Armies, Nobilis, My Life With Master, Ganakagok) to the point where most of the games I play now are indie story game type things like Dialect, The Skeletons, For the Queen, etc.

I make a lot of small weird games and occasionally release them on the internet. If you’ve seen any of them, it’s probably The Devil, John Moulton or Rusałka.

[Froggy (Claudio)]

Welcome, @Nickwedig.

Can I ask what editions of Champions did you play?

[Nickwedig]

It’s been so long that I don’t know for sure, but given the timing in the late 80s or early 90s it’s probably 3rd or 4th edition.

[yoshi (Yoshi (he/him))]

Hi all, I’m Yoshi.

I started playing back with AD&D in the 80s, played through the mid 90s and took a break till the 2010s. Ultimately what drew me back in was the plethora of smaller press games doing stuff I wasn’t used to. Fudge & Fate, Apocalypse World, Monsterhearts, Dungeon World, etc etc.

I’ve learned that the part of tabletop role playing that I am most interested in is character centered stories. I need to empathize with the protagonists, and I want to see them change and develop. To me, a lot of setting and “plot” are secondary or entirely incidental to what I care about.

So some of my recent and upcoming games are: Dialect, Wise Women, To Tread the Spiral Path, and Drifters.

[Paul_T (Paul Taliesin)]

It’s great to see some familiar faces here - @yoshi and @Nickwedig and @jmstar.

And lots of love for Dialect! It’s a very interesting game I’d love to play again. Quite a few of you have played DIE recently - I’d love to hear more about it, if anyone is willing to start a thread about that.

[Froggy (Claudio)]

Welcome, @yoshi —I hope you find this place valuable!

[Benjamin_T (Benjamin R. Terry)]

Hello, my name is Ben.

I’m from mid-Michigan, started playing back around '89 I believe. I think my first played game was TMNT & OS, followed by the TSR Marvel Super Heroes, then eventually AD&D 1e. I’ve played pretty continuously since then, with the same people being in the mix, but also now up to a group of about 12-15 of us. Our group has 2 primary GMs, though about 10 of us have GM’d something or other. Our current incarnation firmed up around 2011 and we have a Google Spreadsheet documenting every session we’ve played. It’s pretty great. Anyone can run anything they want, and they are guaranteed to get at least a 3 players for a run of at least 3 sessions if they really wanna try something out.

Anyways, my preferences run towards modern action (from birth of the automobile through to “near future”-ish) in genre. I have other preferences and opinions about RPGs too, but it’s more fun to just make a grid of games like people have been posting. As for what I’m playing in most recently this year: Street Fighter: The Storytelling Game (White Wolf), DC Heroes (Mayfair), and The Fantasy Trip (the current SJG incarnation). The latter 2 are what are currently swapping back and forth every other week in my RP life.

As for what I’d like to play/run… Hmm, I kinda wanna try out some classics in my library like James Bond 007, Star Ace, Golden Heroes, or even Flashing Blades.

Here’s my matrix of recent plays, favs, and wanna plays…

Recent/Current Plays

Contenders for wanting to run/play next:

Loveable classics

[LordPersi (Alessio Persichetti)]

Hello Benjamin and welcome! I’m happy than someone appreciates as well Heavy Gear.

[BillyH (Billy H from Ottawa)]

Hello there! I’m Billy (sometimes known as Vivificient on other websites).

I’ve mainly played D&D and similar games. I started out on D&D 3.0, then later moved to Pathfinder (playing and DM-ing) and to 5e (mainly DM-ing - for about a year I ran a 5e version of Stonehell Megadungeon). Along the way I discovered the OSR blogosphere and became quite interested in the more procedural and principled style of play espoused there. I’ve dabbled here and there, playing a bit of Maze Rats, BX, AD&D, OD&D, and various retroclones, though never for a really extended period of time.

Two of the largest D&D inspirations for me have been Ben Robbins’ writings about his West Marches game, and Sandra Snan’s writings about what she calls the Blorb principles. For about the last three years I’ve been running a game closely modelled on Ben’s West Marches, using my own hacked up version of D&D 3.0. This has been my largest RPG project, about 150 sessions. There have been about 25 different players involved at one time or another, though the vast majority of play has been about 8 key people.

A side project for me has been running timed tournament scenarios. The idea is to let several teams play the same dungeon on different nights, and compete for the highest score. Last year I ran one for four teams in a homebrew dungeon - a full 10-floor dungeon with about 150 keyed rooms, with 8th level characters based on OD&D rules, to be completed in a 4-hour time limit. I love these games since they force quick thinking and aggressive play, with lots of player skill on a strategic (rather than tactical) level. The best part is the discussions afterwards as the different teams compare their strategies and experiences.

Apart from D&D and D&D-likes, I’ve played some Dungeon World (12 sessions, in a friend’s campaign; not my favourite game) and some Paranoia (various one-shots, always enjoyable).

A big driver of interest for me in RPGs is when the game world and setting feels “real” to me (believable, natural, consistent, verisimilar). I won’t pretend I can pin this down exactly, but it’s generally some mix of emergent outcomes, impartial refereeing, and rules that closely match my intuitions about the setting.

[Froggy (Claudio)]

Welcome @Benjamin_T and @BillyH!

@BillyH

A big driver of interest for me in RPGs is when the game world and setting feels “real” to me (believable, natural, consistent, verisimilar). I won’t pretend I can pin this down exactly, but it’s generally some mix of emergent outcomes, impartial refereeing, and rules that closely match my intuitions about the setting.

I think I get the feeling. For me, it’s similar to the “chain of consequences” phenomenon I described here.

@Froggy

My goal as a player is always to achieve authenticity without control — no illusions, no guiding, no negotiating, no storyboarding — just producing the unexpected by everyone doing their thing and playing their role. I love the feeling of looking back at a chain of game events and saying “oh, wow, because I did that a while back, this happened!”.

When that happens I get a strong sense of belief in the characters and world, as if they really existed somewhere.

[Karaburan (Adriano)]

Hi everyone, my name is Adriano; like others who have introduced themselves before me, I come from the Italian forum of “La Locanda dei Gdr” by @Froggy ; I also frequent Adept Play from time to time.

My experience with role-playing games started in the early 2000s (2008, I think? my memory is foggy), with Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 and an Italian role-playing game called Lex Arcana. Thanks mostly to the latter, I fell in love with mythological creatures and strange magic; but like many in Italy, the experience with these manuals was more that of an oral tradition passed awkwardly than serious reading of the rules and attention to the participants at the table. In practice, as a Gm, so many roles-the entertainer, the organizer, the rules connoisseur-were expected to fall on the shoulders of one person…often me! Eventually, the stress convinced me that I had nothing to do with this hobby.

I started again in 2016, going through various forums, and was able to recognize how much the way we played is fortunately a subset of a vast set of healthy behaviors at the table. The weight of certain stressful expectations is very hard to scratch off, but I am enjoying many new experiences, especially having recently discovered solo role-playing games; if I really wanted to design a game someday, I would like to develop that curiosity further. Other than that, my immediate goal I’m looking forward to is knowing new people and possibly experiencing more games outside the comfort zone of my own native language: with the exception of a “The Pool dungeon crawl” one shot and a short campaign of The Whispering Vault I’ve always played with Italian members of the community.

Here’s the matrix of my games:

A special place in my hearth:

Currently playing/next in line:

Would like to try, sooner or later:

[LordPersi (Alessio Persichetti)]

Adriano, so glad that you are here! (He’s my friend and I was one of the players in the Whispering Vault’s campaign). I’m going to play Runequest Classic with @Froggy and him from September (now, we’ll enjoy our summar vacation ).