Just a quick entry to list a few thoughts now I’ve reviewed the books for current games that I got between Christmas and now. Just taking a moment to assess things, how the blog’s going and what I plan to do with it going forward, and just some random thoughts.
First thing I have to mention is doing this has reminded me how enjoyable I find writing. For various reasons I’ve been without a creative outlet for a while now, and finding one again is such a good feeling. Engaging my brain for a bit, reading, and finding ways of expressing my opinion on the stuff I’ve read has put something back into my life I didn’t know I was missing.
Hopefully, my writing is getting better. I think it is, but it may take a few more months for me to be comfortable judging that. I am definitely getting faster though. Whilst there was a gap recently due to illness, each individual entry is taking les time to type as the words come easier.
And if anyone reads any of this I hope my words help them.
I did consider the idea of scores at the end of reviews but decided against it. I find they tempt people to skip to the end and miss a lot of what is said. I find commenting on each section of the book more my thing, how well written or laid out is it? Does it achieve what it set out to?
So what’s next? Well, I’ll continue with the read throughs and reviews. Though these will probably slow a little, depending on what books I can afford. That is unless anyone wants to send me any free stuff.
I have Vecna: Eve of Ruin pre-ordered, so that’ll be a little after release day i get something up here. I’ll also, as mentioned in an earlier entry, start looking through my older books. To start I think I’ll go through the AD&D 1st Edition Dungeon Masters Guide I picked up a few months ago.
I’ll also be branching out into other stuff.
Weird little guys from the AD&D DMG converted to 5e, as I did with that one monster entry in January.
Character creation for various games when something occurs to me.
Running the Numbers, where I look at probabilities and just how likely something is to work. The first of these, that I’m working on now, is looking at hit probabilities in Cyberpunk Red.
And just whatever random bullshit that floats between my ears.
Speaking of random bullshit, one thing I noticed recently is the inconsistency in what our hobby is called. Is it Roleplaying, Role Playing, or Role-playing? Whilst the single word “Roleplaying” is the most prevalent now, but it is not unanimous. Hyphenated “Role-Playing” seems to be more archaic, being used in early editions of D&D, now it is still in use in a few places, such as the Marvel Multiverse game. The two word “Role Playing” is probably the least common, but still pops up here and there.
The weirdest place I noticed this is with Modiphius. For most games they use “Roleplaying”, but with Dune: Adventures in the imperium the use “Role Playing” most companies are consistent across their games.
Of course, this means absolutely nothing, but I have the kind of brain that notices patterns and it stood out.
Oh yeah, and I’ve set up a couple of social media accounts to support this blog.
I can be found on Bluesky HERE, and over on Twitter HERE.
Stay safe, and have fun!
Three Kobolds With A Trench Gun 