three years gone

By: Unknown on 08:16

Previously on March 4th I would re-post a list of thing you can do to keep Gary's name alive.  You can go check it out here if you'd like.  This morning it seems that perhaps yesterday's post was motivated at least as much by maudlin sentimentality as anything else.  However, I'd like to clarify a few points based upon the comments here and elsewhere in the blogosphere:

• I'm not proposing anybody write, publish, sell or run a game called "Ampersand", "OSR", "The Joyous Game" or anything else.  If you're already happy with the rules you're using, please stick with 'em.  If not, there are already a multitude of options available.
• Nor am I proposing we start using any of these terms in casual conversation in the game store or anywhere else.  That would just be arch.
• What I would like is a handy term that means "OD&D, its direct descendants, clones of those games and new games based upon them mechanically or thematically", which I would gladly call simply "D&D" except that the folks who own the term D&D clear think about the term differently than I do.  I woud like such a handy term so that when I'm on the internet everybody will know what the crap I am talking about without having to do a little dance every time and probably annoying fans of WotC editions in the process.

I'm not paying the Joesky tax on this post because on this day of the year you should be making up your damn stuff rather than using anybody else's.  In fact, I'm going to assign homework to everyone reading this instead: Start with a core set of rules, the older and crappier the better.  You can use an RPG but some half-baked wargame works even better.  Produce a two or three page document with suggestions for improving the rules/adapting them for RPG play and an outline for a campaign.  Expand this to a 50-100 page book.  Use the latter document as the basis for all your campaigns for the next decade or three.  Run one to six  games a week, refining your work as necessary.  Publishing any of it is entirely optional.