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My comment about rambling on this subject was haha only serious at the time, but why not? I could probably use some navel-gazing atm (lol) and in a sea of 236453784357456856+ retroclones and bespoke systems, why another one -- and why that one?
It actually took a while to talk myself into committing to it because of those 236453784357456856+ others; and also/even more because of my own already-written projects, like the Blue Lotus Hack (and it's still-unfinished CRACK! rewrite) and the multiple rpgs/settings using my "pocketrpg", because brain weasels are like that. And that's even after months and ages of thinking I should do it ...
... because waaay back last spring or so I started tinkering with a program that will arrange my zine pages, and I discovered the 16-page minizine setting and promptly fell in love with it. Like a pocketmod! But open, so 16 pages instead of 8! *omgomg* Teeny tiny zines!
I wanted to put a wee rpg setting in one, and even have/had some ideas in that direction. (still want to.) But then I started thinking that if stats of some kind eeled in, well, what kind? And wouldn't it be weird to have a tiny setting zine for a bigger rules zine or book?
"Why not make a minizine of an rpg and then write stuff for it? Like the original Jewel Moons and its iterations ...", said my brain.
Then the brainweasels swarmed because
- I did already have those and they were even smaller! And then I made bigger versions! Why am I wanting to write another rules-light BD&Dish variant?
- I was already writing things for CRACK! and adapting Blue Lotus! CRACK! is a fine little system! Why am I wanting to write another rules-light BD&Dish variant? Use that one! But don't use that one because don't do this while the Lotus project is hanging!
... etc etc. (the last year has suuuuuucked and brainweasels feed on Teh Suck let me tell you.)
But throughout all this, you see, and throughout 2023 and all the fuckery going on, I was also working on Dungeon23 every week -- and as I went, my usual messy rules shorthand (which was already some flavour of BD&Dish) firmed up pretty well. And I realized, you know, working back from my critter shorthand and I have a skeleton for ... a tiny rpg.
I did put actual Armour Class in instead of "as chainmail", etc, of course (and then left the armour descriptions vague instead, so it can be anything, lol). And added a handful of the very basic stuff I like to remind myself of, like panicked guidelines for dungeon room stocking and also reaction/morale because I like those rules. Some of the things that kept seeping through in the Dungeon23 entries -- like ratfolk and a hint of my (current) take on orcs -- even made it into Lindwyrm Lockbox afterwards.
But, yeah, in the end, it was my Dungeon23 scribblings that prompted me; that and, well, just wanting to squinch a game into a minizine format that appeals to me.
(and now I'm one "supplement" in and wondering about others even if that brings the brainweasels sniffing around again; and I still want to make a setting minizine. maybe more than one. and at least one tiny dungeon if I can get my shit togetherI am very bad at writing dungeons or at least feel bad at it)
I'm glad I did it though. I really enjoyed making it -- and some folks really like/d Lindwyrm and I'm glad I was able to make something that others enjoyed.
Take that, brainweasels.
It actually took a while to talk myself into committing to it because of those 236453784357456856+ others; and also/even more because of my own already-written projects, like the Blue Lotus Hack (and it's still-unfinished CRACK! rewrite) and the multiple rpgs/settings using my "pocketrpg", because brain weasels are like that. And that's even after months and ages of thinking I should do it ...
... because waaay back last spring or so I started tinkering with a program that will arrange my zine pages, and I discovered the 16-page minizine setting and promptly fell in love with it. Like a pocketmod! But open, so 16 pages instead of 8! *omgomg* Teeny tiny zines!
I wanted to put a wee rpg setting in one, and even have/had some ideas in that direction. (still want to.) But then I started thinking that if stats of some kind eeled in, well, what kind? And wouldn't it be weird to have a tiny setting zine for a bigger rules zine or book?
"Why not make a minizine of an rpg and then write stuff for it? Like the original Jewel Moons and its iterations ...", said my brain.
Then the brainweasels swarmed because
- I did already have those and they were even smaller! And then I made bigger versions! Why am I wanting to write another rules-light BD&Dish variant?
- I was already writing things for CRACK! and adapting Blue Lotus! CRACK! is a fine little system! Why am I wanting to write another rules-light BD&Dish variant? Use that one! But don't use that one because don't do this while the Lotus project is hanging!
... etc etc. (the last year has suuuuuucked and brainweasels feed on Teh Suck let me tell you.)
But throughout all this, you see, and throughout 2023 and all the fuckery going on, I was also working on Dungeon23 every week -- and as I went, my usual messy rules shorthand (which was already some flavour of BD&Dish) firmed up pretty well. And I realized, you know, working back from my critter shorthand and I have a skeleton for ... a tiny rpg.
I did put actual Armour Class in instead of "as chainmail", etc, of course (and then left the armour descriptions vague instead, so it can be anything, lol). And added a handful of the very basic stuff I like to remind myself of, like panicked guidelines for dungeon room stocking and also reaction/morale because I like those rules. Some of the things that kept seeping through in the Dungeon23 entries -- like ratfolk and a hint of my (current) take on orcs -- even made it into Lindwyrm Lockbox afterwards.
But, yeah, in the end, it was my Dungeon23 scribblings that prompted me; that and, well, just wanting to squinch a game into a minizine format that appeals to me.
(and now I'm one "supplement" in and wondering about others even if that brings the brainweasels sniffing around again; and I still want to make a setting minizine. maybe more than one. and at least one tiny dungeon if I can get my shit together
I'm glad I did it though. I really enjoyed making it -- and some folks really like/d Lindwyrm and I'm glad I was able to make something that others enjoyed.
Take that, brainweasels.