Exploring creativity, Pig Farming, Dreaming plants, and more this week.
Holiday free for those of you not up to it this year.
One of the things that fascinates me beyond anything, when it comes to roleplaying games in general is the potential that exists for unlimited creativity and the fact that so many possibilities exist already as a result of what has already been created. And when someone creates something of this nature, they’ll never know all the stories and adventures that will arise from that action, today, tomorrow and how even years from now. It’s quite fascinating to think that from a single point even a decade later that it’s influence could still be playing itself out. As an artist I would love to see the impact that my work has on someone, to feel from their perspective, to experience what they are experiencing. What made them stop and look? Where they moved, or simply amused? Alas, just as a knife cannot cut itself, it’s not possible for me to know or experience life as someone other than myself and I’m far too introverted to ask them. But it’s also very much like a light switch. I know I can just turn it off, but I think I like the role I’m playing and wanna see where it goes.
However, it’s not just the endless potentiality that I find fascinating. It’s the creative process that is fostered by the seeds of human imagination and wonder. These deeds certainly stem from a deeper aspect of what it means to be alive and while not inherently human, it’s certainly the driving force that weaves the fabric of experience. If an octopus can dream, then most certainly so does a plant, and while we can only assume a yes, no or maybe, the imagination, the force of creativity says, ‘oh yes! Indeed, the plants do dream, some of them talk and frolic, and some will attempt to eat you if you get to close…’
Yes… the answer is actually yes, plants can and do in fact dream, just in case you were wondering.
In other news, the other day I received two packages in the mail, one of which I had forgotten about, the other I bought on a whim, a package from an estate auction a few states over that read simply, “War games” and featured a bag, with obvious looking game markers, but the rest was dark and unreadable. It could have been anything, I took a chance and won, only paid $5 for the lot plus shipping of course. Among the ‘war games’ package were various magazines that also came with games from the 90’s and up into 2012. Namely, Command, Special Ops, and Against the Odds magazines. Nice. I managed to score with this random lot, and everything looks complete.
The other package was a game from www.gallantknightgames.com, Swords of Meropis, which I backed on kick starter and received a coupon for a hardback edition from DriveThru. I opted for the cheapest shipping, which also means that my order goes on the low priority list. No rush, I’ve way more than enough to on the waiting list that’s already here with me. But after several weeks of waiting, it’s finally here. I don’t know about you, but one of the most exciting things about books is the smell. The sweet smell of fresh ink, or the sweet smell of lignin as the paper ages. There is something inherently valuable that I think most everyone recognizes on some level when you open the door to a used bookstore and that vanilla-like smell rushes to greet you. If you’ve not yet experienced this, you’d better hurry. There are not many used bookstores around anymore and the chance is fleeting. I spend many hours in my youth searching through dusty old tomes in the back of darkly lit bookstores, and private back rooms. There’s magic in old books, the kind you don’t find in freshly bound titles.
Legend has it that every time you open an old book, some of the words spill out into the air, get stuck in your hair, your clothes. Sometimes they become a permanent part of you, and you trip over them years down the line when they are more useful, make more sense.
When I initially backed Swords of Meropis I remember seeing the words Solo and Hexcrawl, that alone was enough to entice me. Hexcrawls, be it for war gaming or roleplaying are my favorites, and of course anything ‘indie’ is certainly worth exploring in my opinion. I know there is the ‘tried and true’ mechanics, but I find the there is an amazing amount of hidden talent that has been growing in number and value since the birth of the internet. Personally, I don’t think we’ve seen the the full force of whats possible and will not yet for some time. It’s certainly an interesting time to be alive, depending on your perspective. Alas, I’ll review Swords of Meropis at some point in the future, until then feel free to pick up your own copy and let me know what you think. I’d be lying though, if I said I haven’t tried it out, and to be honest I’m quite enjoying myself so far.
Speaking of things to enjoy, if you’ve not already, Toby Lancaster is up to it again with his latest addition to the 2D6 Dungeon series, this time with 2D6 Realms. It has 9 days left as of this writing, and if you’ve not yet taken a look at the the series, now is a good time to jump in so in my opinion. The system obviously uses 2D6, and it does so generate dungeons and other aspects of the game. It’s also very table heavy, which is just up my alley, but it if it’s not to your liking, you might want to skip this one.
*Trigger Warning* Alcoholism is a thing in this next game. If that’s an issue for you, feel free to skip over the next three paragraphs, down past the giant black and white head…
Enjoy something lighter in mechanics? How about being a pig farmer? Maybe that’s more your thing. I have to admit, I really like pigs, but I’m not the one… That was until I found Swine. The game where you defend your heard of Swine against various different encounters, while using alcohol as your spinach. Swine uses Violence, the rules for which I was able to print on a single sheet of 8.5 x 11” printing paper after some shrinking and editing.
“Speaking of their beautiful heft brings tears to your eyes. Sweet cherubs knowing nothing of the world. The extent of the cruelty man commits is rebuked by their muddy pen. You would die for them - you would absolutely kill for them.”
…and you will! Yes, you will die for them. You’ll also have to defend them and yourself against thieves, witches, hallucinations, bears, and other unique and strange encounters all while trying to maintain your addition to alcohol, which offers a unique way utilizing a dependency mechanic which usually would be food and water.
If you skipped the paragraph above, you didn’t miss anything important other than me mentioning the use of Violence, a light rule set by Luke Gearing. You might find that using Violence is of interest to you. And just in case you came here wondering how my Celery is doing… still no roots, but there’s also no rot hollowing out the base either, so that’s a good thing. The celery of course is doing well, and I’ve been adding a bit of molasses to the water for some nutrients.
Speaking of violence, I know the world has gotten a bit insane and it seems to be getting worse. Try not to spend all your time focusing on and thinking about it. I know that lots of people do so. Stress is harmful and while I don’t condone ignorance, I do condone keeping a sense of reality coupled with a healthy sense of self awareness. Know your tolerance level, take a break (adult language), learn to meditate, go for a walk, spend time working on and getting to know yourself. Surround yourself with things that uplift you instead of ones that drag you down and learn to balance the state of the world some a more tolerable state of mind. Ignorance is the cause of suffering, this includes ignorance of the self.
That being said, I think we’re done for the week. I’m publishing early time so it’s fresh in your inbox Sunday morning, instead of Monday. I’m not up to my usual nonsense and mechanical posts as I’m not really feeling one thing or another right now and instead of fighting it, just letting it happen. Life is life, sometimes it’s better to float with it rather than waste energy fighting against the current. Right now, I’m trying to float, but I can’t swim unless you call making a lot of water come out of the pool swimming. I do, however, enjoy sitting by and listening to the rush of the Arkansas. I just don’t want to be in it.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s post. If you did, consider subscribing, maybe even sharing if you know someone who might enjoy the randomness. And if you have any games, or your making one, let me know about it. I’m most likely interested. Hope your Winter Solstice was amazing, winter is officially here and I hope the rest of your week is amazing as well. Appreciate you very much and hope to see you again next week.
…and once again I don’t get paid for the links and or if you make a purchase from the above links. I’m simply sharing some good games with you. If you’re interesting in having your game reviewed, please let me know in the comments below.