First, I have to thank many of you for the feedback, both in and outside of the comments section regarding the little short story I posted. It was a fictionalized version of a walk I actually took.
I have to give you a little background on it. Wednesday, I was let go from my job…three days before my last day which would have been today. It was dumb, petty and, when I left, I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders and re-racked by someone else. Now, I don’t want anyone worrying, I already have another job lined up and I’ve already started. OJT starts on Tuesday and everyone that I’ve talked to that has worked for this employer doesn’t have really anything bad to say about it. They say it’s great. Call it being pessimistic after eight years of working for my former employer but we’ll say two things. I’ll believe it when I see it and I’m very very open to seeing it. The Missouri-Born Louisianian/Northeast Transplant has had more than his fair share of working for cruddy people. I’d love to work for people who aren’t. So don’t stress about me or anything like that, for now, I’m just fine.
I’d taken Friday, the first day we had without rain and planned a hike. I knew where it was going to take me and I went there, realizing my mistake to go through a park with a hiking trail that was muddy, washed out and …well, at least I know which parts are dirt and which are clay. I made my way out to a Barnes & Noble and had a look around and didn’t find anything there, save for a book here or there that interested me but not enough to make me take it to the counter. Fact is, the spirituality section has been amalgamated into The New Age section which has books on conspiracy theories right next to the Tarot cards and books about Astrology and self-actualization books. To say that I was let down, it’s a bit of an understatement. That day, I crushed, well, have a look for yourself…
I did another five or so that night for a grand total of 15 miles. Yesterday, another day at my new job wrapping up my computer training, my left hip was a bit stiff. I’m sure it’s no mystery as to why.
When I decided to write the story, I did so because I’d been walking with my walking staff which probably kept me from going head over ass a few times, I had my bag slung across me and I’m not entirely sure what I hoped to accomplish that day, save for, when I returned home, I didn’t feel like a day had been wasted. Also, think of this in gaming terms. I walked with inadequate footwear across marshy and swampy terrain, I had few supplies, no water (Dumb as hell on my part but I digress) and no food. In fact, my earbuds ran out of power two blocks from home. That’s when I stopped for a bottle of green tea and some chicken bites. Then entire walk, I’d listened to Ben Riggs’ book Slaying The Dragon which detailed TSR’s rise and subsequent fall. Listening to what was going on with TSR was brutal and gut-wrenching. I’m now convinced that there was a disconnection somewhere between corporate executives and creative people and today’s Wizards of The Coast and Hasbro are no exception.
In fact, you can still see many of the same types of mistakes being made today. History may not be repeating but it’s rhyming like this is a rap battle Triple Threat vs. Eminem and Tom MacDonald. It’s absolute insanity. Riggs is also objective in his reporting on TSR’s eventual downfall and sale to Wizards of The Coast, though I think at the current moment, the praise for WoTC is a bit rose-tinted in it’s rear-view. It’s understandable. To try to cover the history up until today, that’s something else.
I just finished this book today and, I have to say, it’s a great read. I think you should pick up a copy whether in Audiobook, eBook or Hardcover. It’s well worth it plus, if you want a history without shelling out $99.99 to Wizards of The Coast, this is it. I don’t know that anyone has done better work to pull away the veil and show us what really went on behind the doors most of us weren’t able to see.
Perhaps I just went out for a long as hell, ten-mile hike. Maybe that was the only thing accomplished on that Friday afternoon and night but what else was there at the time? I didn’t want to sit here chained to my computer and I needed inspiration. I got it.
Let’s keep something else in mind, never once have I ever played a magic-user in D&D or any D&D-alike a day in my life but these days, I find the same magic in nature that I do in those worlds that I get to explore from time to time. I got to hear about legends like Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman, Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson, R.A. Salvatore, Gerald Brom and even Jim Ward, may he rest in peace and play at the Eternal Table.
Hearing the stories of the worlds they created, how celebrated they were by fans and how they were mishandled during Lorraine Williams’ time with TSR was both wonderous and heart-breaking at the same time. I could empathize with all of them to some degree or another. The Lorraine Williams-era of TSR was just chasing trends and trying like hell to push Buck Rogers, which was a property that I don’t think could have been done without some serious updates. The Cynthia Williams-era of WoTC is one about chasing trends and trying like hell to push us all into a walled garden where one could be cast out for the most minor of indiscretions. This isn’t Peter Adkison’s company and hasn’t been since 2001. In 2012, it was reported that D&D sales slumped and no sales figures were ever released. Something in TSR’s history that was also an issue. The same continues today, speculation, sometimes wild but never without base and never without perception from our end. As we know, perception can make reality.
Correlating this with WoTC’s upcoming new books, this was said by Jeremy Crawford last year, according to Polygon when he said,
So, if I already have the 5th Edition Core Rules, why would I need this? Who is it for?
We have a statement from Crawford but let’s go to the source itself and this comes from D&D Beyond’s own website.
In short, if you have the existing books, you don’t need these new ones.
Again, who is this for? What exactly has changed? Wouldn’t a revised version of the core rules constitute a new edition of them? If they’re compatible then how is that going to go when my PHB says something different than that of my players? I don’t think any of those questions have been answered. So far, none of us really knows for sure other than the playtesters and, best believe that most of what someone like myself would love is probably not there. I would hope that it solves some of the problems that D&D 5E may have. At the core, 5th Edition is serviceable, you can homebrew a world around it and play but trying to homebrew the rules…not so much. You’ll start a cascading effect that will eventually end your game. It’s my one problem with 5th Edition.
That’s been my GM style since I played Vampire: The Masquerade all those years ago. Altering the rules in some way to make them a little more accessible to the players is something that, to me, helps usher in new players or allows me to hug a few walls until I get my feet under me with a new system.
I’m getting a little tangential here and it would seem I’ve steered far off my beaten path. Another mistake, Lorraine Williams also wanted to make the focus of D&D the brand, not the game. Cynthia Williams? Same thing.
Couple that with The OGL Scandal, The Pinkertons, etc and we can see that I think Riggs’ book, it may very well have a sequel.
I hope not. It would be a shame to see that happen but, if it does, hopefully a company like Troll Lord Games will be able to buy the brand even if I think Castles & Crusades just does D&D much better. In fact, I’ll say this. If you’re currently playing D&D and you are looking for an alternative, I’ve suggested many and you should look into them. You don’t need to be hung up on a brand in order to enjoy a medieval fantasy whether it’s Sword & Sorcery (my personal favorite) or high-fantasy.
Also, you don’t have to play medieval fantasy at all. There are games of spies and saboteurs, espionage, the cyberpunk aesthetic, mixtures of fantasy and cyberpunk, space travel both fantastic and somewhat realistic and dangerous, urban fantasy, historic settings, post-apocalyptic settings and the list goes on and on and on. Why get stuck?
To bring this all full-circle, ask yourself a question. Have you ever taken a detour? Have you ever taken a different path in your life to find that you liked it more? How about a different place to eat?
I did.
I have never taken a walk out that far. I’ve only ever driven to my local B&N…not that day. I knew the way but it was fraught with a little regret but I stuck with it. I took a different path on the way back though for a bit more sure-footing. I saw buildings that were historic, a couple hundred years old to be exact. We don’t always go out to eat at McDonald’s, Burger King or a five-star restaurant or the same pizzaria all the time, why are we buckling down on just one game at our tabletops. Get out there and experiment. Try some other streaming services, even free ones. Look at your video games? Is there a variety there? Then why not in your tabletop RPGs? It’s a question you can pose even to your group. Do we always eat the same snacks? Then why are we playing the same game? Do we always meet at the same place? Do we always play the same video games? Do we always take the same route to work, do the same exercises? Whatever your question is to them, it should be aimed, not to convince them to try Hostile or Call of Cthulhu…it’s just to make them think. Get those gears turning.
The walk I took was one I didn’t get to do very often and I had to stop myself from wanting to carry equipment to make a video. That would have made me a slave to my computer later. I didn’t want to be a slave to my computer at all. One weight had been lifted off of my shoulders, why replace it?
Being able to listen to Ben Riggs’ book opened my eyes to so much. I got in to the Lorraine Williams-era AD&D. That’s when I finally had permission. I was misty-eyed when he mentioned The Encyclopedia Magica, of which I had three volumes…and lost them in my move.
Most importantly, it forced me to take the rose-tinted glasses off and see the parallels between yesterday and today. It made me thankful there is a seat for every bottom out there and, for once, I can operate without worrying about an algorithm or it’s suppression. That’s a weight off my shoulders. Why replace it with another?
Two people here that I can mention on this platform alone,
and produce excellent material that I do like. Getting some of my friends to give this a try is a totally different issue but here’s the recommendation that I have. Find something that just makes your eyes light up. Something you can get passionate about and share it. If anyone’s telling you your fun is wrong, I don’t even care if it’s Thirsty Sword Lesbians, just shrug and say “Okay.” and leave it at that. What can they do? Bitch and rage at you? What will that solve? Nothing. Nothing at all. Your table will still run as you see fit, whether you play by the rules as written or barely anything resembling the rules. Personally, I recommend playing as close to the rules as possible unless you have good reason for the alteration.Whatever it is you do, try something different. You never know what fantastic stories can come from it. You may also find a weight lifted off of your own shoulders.
Just remember to not replace it with another weight.