Ethereal Games

This blog is a departure from the solo adventure I was working on for Olde House Rules' Gaming Primitive RPG, but I think it will interest those who like 0e inspired, rules lighter RPGs. For this post I briefly discuss the Warriors of the Red Plane RPG, and post some house rules I've had kicking around on my hard drive for a while. While the Warriors of the Red Planet (WotRP) 0e inspired sword & planet RPG put out by Al Krombach & Thomas Denmark at Night Owl Workshop is excellent, this game in particular is destined to have some great House Rules. Night Owl Workshop already released an extra Princess Class, and rules for Social Standing for WotRP. Gunslinger, another Night Owl Workshop RPG, will be a companion book and full game in its own right when fully released. And, there is also Terje Nordin's wonderful WotRP house rules with his Swords and Super-Science of Xuhlan supplement, which adds much to the game. If you have not checked out WotRP yet, or other Nigh...

It is wrong to say that old school table top RPGs and the original old edition games were and are poor simulations that chart players on a course to some pretentious make believe journey because they are based on poorly researched quasi-medieval settings. Role playing games run deeper than that, and here's how.  The original edition of the most popular RPG was largely inspired by literature. You've got Tolkien in there with other human "races" such as Elves and Dwarves and others, you've got Burroughs references to creatures in an alternate universe where Mars is habitable, you've got a Vancian style world where powerful magic is possible, you've got magical beasts thrown in helter skelter from various traditions and literature, and so on. These writer's who inspired the original D&D were themselves inspired by other story tellers, and even the world of Icelandic myths is seen directly in Tolkien. Burroughs does as well - although often the sources...