Once More Unto the Breach!: milestones*

Showing posts with label milestones*. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Forever unto the breach, dear friends...

Sorry, I haven't been around. But it's for all the right reasons. My roleplaying card is constantly filled, these days.

I started Once More Unto the Breach to be a vehicle for, and chronicle of, my personal journey back to roleplaying after a hiatus from the hobby. Finding the OSR and all the associated blogs back around 2009 was (as cliche as it sounds) a revelation for me. Through a simple web search, I found a path forward to where I am today, part of a thriving community of gamers that keeps me busy and happy!

So, I guess you could say I am well and truly beyond the breach! And for that, I am grateful! I'm definitely going to keep Once More Unto the Breach up and running, but I'm going to be focusing my energies on my new site, Silverbeard Games. It's where I'm going to be posting about what I'm running and creating in the RPG realm. It's also where I'll talk about the people I meet along the way.

I've grown old(er) in pursuit of this pastime of ours, folks. My beard has indeed become silver, but my enthusiasm for roleplaying has only grown.

Thanks to all of you who have been my companions from back when this blog started out. It's been fun, and it's only getting better! Hope to see you at the table! Game on!

Saturday, December 31, 2022

Chronicles of the Adventures in the Dune Imperium!

Cover art for Dune: Chronicles of the Imperium core rulebook

I have one of the few copies of the Dune: Chronicles of the Imperium core rulebook that were printed in 2001 by the long-defunct Last Unicorn Games. As a perennial, some might say addicted, patron of RPGs, it was one of the many games I own but have never played. But considering that the game was so short-lived (Last Unicorn was purchased by WOTC and the game ceased production) there wasn't much support for the game at any rate.

The Last Unicorn version of the game was the first RPG based on the venerable sci-fi novel, and there wouldn't be another attempt at publishing a Dune RPG until the release of the similarly named Dune: Adventures in the Imperium almost 20 years later.

To be honest, I believe it takes a group of people similarly steeped in the lore of Dune to truly co-create a deep and fulfilling campaign. In 2022, with the proliferation of web-based roleplaying options, I think it is much more feasible to have such an experience than was possible in 2001. I'm considering running such an online game at some point, as I believe the version of the 2D20 system used by the recent Dune game lends itself well to the limitations of online play. In other words, the system seems to be flexible, intuitive, and "light" enough for online play (verses games with more crunch...not that you can't run crunchy games online...I personally don't have the time or patience to do so).

I was going to do my usual end-of-year "artstravaganza" to end 2022 but...I don't feel like I have to do it this year...or maybe ever again. This last year was a good one for me in my never-ending quest to keep the roleplaying spark alive in my life. I may not have chronicled it much here on this old blog that I keep propped up and limping along by the skin of its teeth, but...my gaming situation is good, I'm content, satisfied even. It's a feeling I need to explore and savor more often.

Needless to say I've got a lot on my mind when it comes to life and roleplaying these days. I'm definitely feeling nostalgic, but also simultaneously eager for what the new year ahead will bring. It almost makes me wish I was as prescient as Paul Atreides. On second thought, considering what happened to him...maybe not!

I'm looking forward to gaming in 2023 and beyond, in the world of Dune and elsewhere!

Sunday, October 2, 2022

Barrowmaze OSE Campaign 2022: Session 0

Identities hidden to protect the not-so-innocent!

Last December, I lamented about wanting to run a Barrowmaze campaign, and declared that "someday" I will see the look of apprehension in the faces of players!

That day has arrived! Yes, yes, I know that I've run bits of Barrowmaze before in other campaigns, but now I'm attempting an ongoing, at least once-a-month (twice a month if I can swing it), open-table style campaign. I'll run a session if there's at least two players (who will be able to run multiple characters). That's what happened this weekend: I had two players show up, and they ran two characters each, and also hired three retainers to supplement their numbers.

The players rolled up characters before the session, and I was able to explain some things to them before the session. So it was partly a session zero, which became a session "0.5" of sorts because we got some actual play in. I'll try to do a session recap soon! But in the meantime, I'm celebrating meeting some new players as well as bringing old friends into the mix. I'm also celebrating making my gaming aspirations a reality once again!

Game on!