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Post by hengest on Mar 2, 2021 9:16:42 GMT -5
There are people on this board who have a ton of experience reffing, going all the way back to the 70s. The Perilous Dreamer remarked recently (I think) that he wished he had saved every bit of paper and gotten in touch with the people who were there in the mid-60s. Well, I suggest that for another mini-project, we request little essays or reminiscences from people with a lot of experience, collect them, and put them out as a PDF to share the knowledge and skills that these players and refs have developed over the years. I can't say I'm one of these people, but I would try to edit and assist with prompts and shaping the essays if anyone felt that was useful. Of course this overlaps with the fanzine idea on this thread: ruinsofmurkhill.proboards.com/thread/3926/ruins-murkhill-fanzineMaybe this could be folded into that project or a separate one-off. Personally, old-school or no old-school, I think some of the experiences of refs who were reffing practically from the start should be written down and made available going forward. EDIT: Possible prompts or questions below. Do you remember your first time reffing? What was it like? What realia from the time stick in your mind? What was on the walls in the room where you played? What music did you like at the time? How often did you refer to the books you had (if you had any) and why? How many players would you have? Did you do solo play with anyone? What other hobbies were you into at the time? What other interests influenced how you played? What books were you into, fiction or non-fiction? Did you know any couples who got together through your game? What were the backgrounds of your players and general personalities? Into sports, school, gardening, social butterflies, loners, types with a few close friends? If you could see a recording now of one of your games then, what would it look like? Is someone lying on the bed, are people standing or seated, what are they eating, if there are side conversations, what are they about? |
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Post by hengest on Mar 2, 2021 9:29:44 GMT -5
Might be possible to include something from people with good experience as players, too. Slightly different, but why not.
There are so many great forum posts all over the internet (and on this forum) from these people, why not collect a few together and make a "publication" that younger / less experienced players can refer to. Not to imitate slavishly, but to get an idea, a summary of a lifetime of work and play in D&D.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Mar 2, 2021 9:40:19 GMT -5
This all sounds like a really good idea to me. Yeah, I wish I had saved every scrap of paper related to gaming, I have ever generated. Also in The Strategic Review threads I am doing, I noted that there were people doing things that I could have written too and now wish that I had done that. I think about when I lived in Cleveland, OH years ago, Andre Norton was in the phone book and back in those days, it was way different than now. Back then you could have called authors and folks that you liked and thanked them and the vast majority would have taken the call and talked to you, because it didn't happen often enough to be a problem. I never did though and there are a lot of people that I could have called over those years, back when it was OK to do that. For the most part, I am glad I didn't, because I don't like to bother people unless they are at a venue for that purpose, but writing people is different, that I wish I had done.
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Post by hengest on Mar 2, 2021 16:18:34 GMT -5
This would be a way for some of that knowledge to be preserved. Well, if you are interested or you can think of anyone currently active on the board who might be interested, please tag them. I think mao has a lot of experience channeling gonzo ideas into games. Most products are gaming materials of some kind or another, different gaming aids. I guess the idea here is that it's a step away from the game and a step towards the ideas and habits of the ref. |
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Mar 2, 2021 21:36:19 GMT -5
Sounds like a good plan. In know I have made a lot of blog posts that need to be combined and re-written into a pdf.
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Post by The Editor on Mar 3, 2021 1:49:42 GMT -5
There are people on this board who have a ton of experience reffing, going all the way back to the 70s. The Perilous Dreamer remarked recently (I think) that he wished he had saved every bit of paper and gotten in touch with the people who were there in the mid-60s. Well, I suggest that for another mini-project, we request little essays or reminiscences from people with a lot of experience, collect them, and put them out as a PDF to share the knowledge and skills that these players and refs have developed over the years. I can't say I'm one of these people, but I would try to edit and assist with prompts and shaping the essays if anyone felt that was useful. Of course this overlaps with the fanzine idea on this thread: ruinsofmurkhill.proboards.com/thread/3926/ruins-murkhill-fanzineMaybe this could be folded into that project or a separate one-off. Personally, old-school or no old-school, I think some of the experiences of refs who were reffing practically from the start should be written down and made available going forward. Do you have any skills at laying out a document for a pdf? |
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Post by hengest on Mar 7, 2021 17:58:10 GMT -5
There are people on this board who have a ton of experience reffing, going all the way back to the 70s. The Perilous Dreamer remarked recently (I think) that he wished he had saved every bit of paper and gotten in touch with the people who were there in the mid-60s. Well, I suggest that for another mini-project, we request little essays or reminiscences from people with a lot of experience, collect them, and put them out as a PDF to share the knowledge and skills that these players and refs have developed over the years. I can't say I'm one of these people, but I would try to edit and assist with prompts and shaping the essays if anyone felt that was useful. Of course this overlaps with the fanzine idea on this thread: ruinsofmurkhill.proboards.com/thread/3926/ruins-murkhill-fanzineMaybe this could be folded into that project or a separate one-off. Personally, old-school or no old-school, I think some of the experiences of refs who were reffing practically from the start should be written down and made available going forward. Do you have any skills at laying out a document for a pdf? I'm afraid I don't, am sorry to say. |
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Post by Black Dow on Mar 8, 2021 2:10:44 GMT -5
Oh, yeah, this is the information I want to read, how to DM/Ref. Tell me more please.
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Post by Admin Pete on Apr 29, 2021 22:32:12 GMT -5
Oh, yeah, this is the information I want to read, how to DM/Ref. Tell me more please. I think the goal Black Dow, is to do a lot of posting that information. Just takes time and energy to do it. So it is coming, just not as fast as any of us would like. |
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Post by mao on May 17, 2021 11:57:49 GMT -5
This would be a way for some of that knowledge to be preserved. Well, if you are interested or you can think of anyone currently active on the board who might be interested, please tag them. I think mao has a lot of experience channeling gonzo ideas into games. Most products are gaming materials of some kind or another, different gaming aids. I guess the idea here is that it's a step away from the game and a step towards the ideas and habits of the ref. Gonzo is only one of my modes, prob best part of my experience is that I sustained a Killer DM mode that lasted 3 or so years, and I changed without losing my players. |
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on May 21, 2021 18:42:13 GMT -5
This would be a way for some of that knowledge to be preserved. Well, if you are interested or you can think of anyone currently active on the board who might be interested, please tag them. I think mao has a lot of experience channeling gonzo ideas into games. Most products are gaming materials of some kind or another, different gaming aids. I guess the idea here is that it's a step away from the game and a step towards the ideas and habits of the ref. Gonzo is only one of my modes, prob best part of my experience is that I sustained a Killer DM mode that lasted 3 or so years, and I changed without losing my players. The thing about gonzo is that my gonzo is very different from your gonzo. While the term does mean something, it can be hard to pin down what that is. I killed a lot of players (well characters) in the early days and they always kept coming back, but I never considered myself a Killer DM. I have heard and read of TPKs ending a campaign or even the gaming group, that is mind blowing to me. Those are memorable experiences and part of the lore of the campaign. It's not a reason to quit, it is only a reason to play smarter next time. |
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Post by simrion on Feb 6, 2022 16:34:19 GMT -5
Many thanks to Hengest here's some "thread necro" near a year on ;-) So I started gaming/DMing in fall/winter of 1980/81 after getting Moldvay Basic. We didn't necessarily play RAW but we had fun which is the point of the game. Since then I've DM'd far more than I've played simply due the fact I was always willing to DM. As pointed out in other threads I'm a shameless appropriator from pretty much any medium, film, books, real life. I've adapted the indestructable 6 fingered demon hide glove from Eric Van Lustbader's Sunset Warrior books and the Taken (Liches) from Glen Cook's Black Company. I love mixing my fantasy with sci-fi and had characters encounter Gamma World Death Machines, all in good fun of course. If I think it will work and/or keep my players on their toes I'll use it!
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Post by Vladimir, The Dark Prince on Feb 20, 2022 21:07:18 GMT -5
Many thanks to Hengest here's some "thread necro" near a year on ;-) So I started gaming/DMing in fall/winter of 1980/81 after getting Moldvay Basic. We didn't necessarily play RAW but we had fun which is the point of the game. Since then I've DM'd far more than I've played simply due the fact I was always willing to DM. As pointed out in other threads I'm a shameless appropriator from pretty much any medium, film, books, real life. I've adapted the indestructable 6 fingered demon hide glove from Eric Van Lustbader's Sunset Warrior books and the Taken (Liches) from Glen Cook's Black Company. I love mixing my fantasy with sci-fi and had characters encounter Gamma World Death Machines, all in good fun of course. If I think it will work and/or keep my players on their toes I'll use it! You are doing it right, IMO! I take ideas anywhere I can find them. Have an exalt! |
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