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| My mock-up of KNOCK! magazine from an alternate dimension (illus. by Lucas Korte) |
Cut to my last semester of college where I distinctly remember seeing a bundle of PDFs for OSR-style games that confused me when I read about it. Looking at the cover of Swords & Wizardry, I thought "this isn't D&D, this is... something else. What's the point?"
Cut to present day where I desperately try luring my weekly players into playing one-shots for systems that I have rapidly accumulated: Shadowdark, OSE, Mausritter, Mothership, Knave 2e, etc. I'm always on the lookout for Questing Beast's next video and what's what in the Glatisant. I probably own more things than I don't if it's sold on Exalted Funeral, and I still don't know what the hell happened to my order from L.F. OSR. I'm joining just about every game jam on itch.io and sending in every half-baked article and rule idea to KNOCK! magazine that I'm able to churn out in my waking hours.
The fact of the matter is I am basically all-in on the OSR despite having only really found this obsession in the last few years. That said, when I look around at what many see as the longstanding, venerable blogs of the movement, it becomes readily apparent how much stuff there is to process. Any idea I have to contribute is only a Google search away from being revealed as, like, some of the most well-trodden discussions in the space. Everything from Appendix N booklists to metacommentary on the OSR has already had its time in the sun. I am but a wee lad in his honeymoon phase with the space; everything that is old is new. Every dog-eared, dollar-bin pulp adventure paperback is a hidden gem of literary genius, every new crowdfunding retro-clone is the next D&D killer. I can't help it, I guess. It's just too fun.
However, I want to try to temper myself a little more, and I've been meaning to start a blog, especially after I read "Blogs Leave Ruins" by Warren D. in K!5. I want to think more deeply about these games and why they are interesting to me, hopefully bringing something new to the table while I'm at it.
This is the first in a series of posts I'm calling KNOCK!-off where I'll be going through and responding to everything collected by the Merry Mushmen in their kick-ass little books, even if it ultimately doesn't leave a lasting impact. I won't be talking about any of the content itself in this post, but I will be laying down the ground rules for how I respond to them, ensuring that I am doing my due diligence in downloading the information into the brain-o-center. My tentative rules for these posts will be:
- Start by making an attempt to summarize the piece in a sentence or two.
- Always make an attempt to find original blogposts online and read a few comments.
- Come up with a replacement entry for any of the random tables and explain why I think it works.
- Talk about the pros and cons of implementing any given ruling idea given my experience at the table.
- Identify my favorite room, trap, NPC, magic item, or any noteworthy aspect of each adventure.
