iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

I somehow only discovered Senet magazine last month at #UKGamesExpo. The display of past issues with their striking covers caught my eye, the articles looked interesting (and the interior visual design and overall "feel" was elegant) so I picked up the latest issue and finding it a good read so far.

Collection of Senet magazine covers from https://senetmagazine.com/products/complete-collection

163

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

I remember those books fondly, along with the Usborne "Spy's Guidebook". Perhaps all nice tradecraft sources for a pre-teen-1970s-UK setting for Bubblegumshoe (@evilhat.bsky.social) or Kids on Bikes (@huntersent.bsky.social)? :-)

100

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

The "Everway" RPG (1995) and its freeform character generation was designed thinking of a player who'd wanted to play a princess and found that traditional RPGs didn't support it (according to @jonathantweet.bsky.social's designer's notes article in Interactive Fantasy #4)

Everway: Designer's Notes
Jonathan Tweet discusses some of the whys are wherefores of his latest role-playing game

Melissa wanted to be a princess, a beautiful princess. We, an all-guy group, were playing a fantasy/SF/post-holocaust game. Melissa was joining us for the first time. She was - can you guess? - the girlfriend of one of the players. We were mutated, magic-wielding, ass-kicking mercenaries in a ruined world. And Melissa wanted to be a beautiful princess.

Insert awkward pause here.

This home-brew game, you see, had statistics for strength, hit points, damage bonuses, and magical power. But looks? Status? The referee hadn’t bothered to include rules for those. It would have been unfair for Melissa to play a beautiful princess because her character would have advantages (good looks and status) that she hadn’t got by rolling dice. In an effort to make her happy, we suggested she play a sorceress, about the closest thing to a princess that fitted the rules.

She played, she left, she never returned.

I designed Everway with Melissa in mind. Everway uses freeform character generation so that you can play an ass-kicking mercenary or a beautiful princess. More to the point, you can play characters that I never would have thought of. You’re limited by your imagination, not by mine.

(From Interactive Fantasy #4, 1995)

2125

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Indeed - the "Best of White Dwarf Articles III" did re-print this guide from Lew Pulsipher along with Paul Vernon's "Designing a Quasi-Medieval Society for D&D". (And the Monstermark system had already apparently appeared in the first "Best of..." - but that was before my time...)

Contents of "Best of White Dwarf Articles III", including "A Guide to Dungeon Mastering" by Lew Pulsipher and "Designing a Quasi-Medieval Society for D&D" by Paul Vernon.

120

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

Indeed! (Recognising similar perceptions of conflicted interests, White Dwarf's "Open Box" review column became up-front about its future approach to Games Workshop products in April 1987.)

Quote fron White Dwarf 88 (Apr 1987): "So we are going to stop printing traditional reviews of GW products. The question of whether the game is good or bad doesn't enter into the fact that it is mentioned in Open Box. The fact that the game is available means we think it's good. Read the 'reviews' in OB thogh. They will explain why we think it's good, and what makes the game worthwhile.

Other company's products are still going to be reviewed, of course. But we'll still be biased.

Biased in favour of quality."

010

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

Now listening to discussion of AD&D module "Castle Greyhawk" (1988) on "Role Playing Public Radio" after mention from @rosspayton.bsky.social. I'd got the module after reading what might be the most positive review it ended up with (Dragon #135). afterhours.roleplayingpublicradio.com/2022/05/afte...

Review of "Castle Greyhawk" from Dragon 135. "This is what dungeon-bashing is all about: "The Random Monster Generator, located on the lowest level of the dungeon, is running on Full Automatic..."

110

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

I first heard of Paranoia RPG in the May 1985 White Dwarf review. Back then, I'd thought "proper role-playing" was "supposed" to be about serious, long-running, continuity-heavy campaign, rather different from Paranoia. Happily my tastes broadened in the years since then...

Quotation from White Dwarf review of Paranoia: "I like Paranoia, but I'm not sure that I'd want to run it as a prolonged campaign. It's the sort of concept which works well as light relief from a "serious" RPG campaign, and will definitely appeal to "hack and slay" merchants. Dedicated rule lawyers and wargamers will hate it."

010

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

I'd got my copy of "Yellow Clearance Black Box Blues" in GW's "Double Paranoia" edition. Younger me had fun with Paranoia in late 80s/early 90s (with the second, officially Even More Perfect, edition), although as James suggests, some of the US cultural references may have passed me by.

Cover of "Double Paranoid: Vapours Don't Shoot Back + Yellow Clearance Black Box Blues" (West End Games / Games Workshop)

110

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

"The King is Dead" shares themes from "Game of Thrones", but when I think of scheming royals, my mind first goes to Roger Zelazny's infinite realities "Amber" stories - the 1991 Amber Diceless RPG, with all its quirks, showed me a very different approach to RPGs from traditional games of the day.

110

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

Played and enjoyed "The King is Dead" (Meguey and Vincent Baker) for the first time - a GM-less RPG of princes and princesses of royal houses vying for the throne (e.g. through "Intrigue and Muster", "War") alongside other pursuits (e.g. "Conversation over Food", "A Dance") of noble society.

1121

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

"I recognise that one as the cover of a Games Workshop catalogue too"... "That's a random back issue I once picked up"... "That one is *great*" (no.42 by John Blanche)... "And this is the run where, after getting my first D&D set, I was buying White Dwarf every month!"

Cover of White Dwarf 42 by John Blanche: a painting of a fantasy city.

040

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Idly thought of running British-police-urban-fantasy RPG since reading some "Rivers of London" & @paulcornell.bsky.social "London Falling" books - so have gathered @robindlaws.bsky.social's Gumshoe "Esoterrorists", @thetweedmeister.bsky.social's beautiful "Liminal", & now official "Rivers..." game.

082

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Pleased to book next month into playing the "Rivers of London" RPG (from @lynneahardy.bsky.social, @paulfricker.bsky.social et al.) based on the @benaaronovitch.bsky.social novels. Good prompt to actually *read* the signed copy I'd picked up at Dragonmeet in 2023... :-)

140

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

I couldn't resist checking Good Society to see if it had folkloric Regency figures in the place of Rosewood Abbey mentions of Pope Joan and Eilmer of Malmesbury, but no... (First example I recall seeing of tool to get group on the same page was Champions 4E, but emphasis was different then..)

Champions Fourth Edition - Campaign Ground Rules Sheet. A questionnaire about a campaign, including general description, importance of the PCs, campaign tone, chaarcter building guidelines, and the rules options in the campaign.

111

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

Or would I treat strict historical accuracy as "Unimportant", and open our stories to the "folkloric, but decidedly not supernatural realms" of the likes of Eilmer of Malmesbury, *said* to have flown 200 metres from the summit of a tower, his arms strapped to Daedalean wings?

Illustration of Eilmer of Malmesbury in flight by T.S. LaFontaine, an artist who lived in Malmesbury and drew this illustration for the Athelstan Museum: https://www.athelstanmuseum.org.uk/malmesbury-history/people/eilmer-the-flying-monk/

141

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

Reading Rosewood Abbey, @rolistespod.itch.io's RPG of medieval monastic mysteries (think "The Name of the Rose" & Cadfael). Many neat ideas, including one item on the collaboration sheet - agreeing upfront as a group "How important is actual history?" in the game. drive.google.com/file/d/1NH5H...

Section from Rosewood Abbey "Collaboration Sheet" with the question "How important is actual history?" and presenting options of "Unimportant", "Middling", and "Important".

172

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 04/01/2025

On archetypal orcs - one in addition to D&D, Tolkien, and Warhammer (at least for a certain generation of gamer) may be Russ Nicholson's depiction of the first monster in the first Fighting Fantasy book - a sleeping orc sentry near the entrance to Firetop Mountain (Test Your Luck to sneak past!)

Illustration by Russ Nicholson of a sleeping orc sentry from the first Fighting Fantasy gamebook, "The Warlock of Firetop Mountain".

121

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 24/12/2024

On poems "The Tough Guide to Fantasyland" notes "SONGS in Fantasyland perform the same function as LEGENDS. If you are made to attend to the words of a Song, this is because they contain KNOWLEDGE you need. The tune is not important." (Opinions may vary on whether true of *all* Tolkien's verses.)

Cover to "The Tough Guide to Fantasyland" by Diana Wynne Jones.

010

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

And finally, "Dice Men": the origin story of Games Workshop by Ian Livingstone with Steve Jackson, which I was pleased to have signed by Ian - their Fighting Fantasy books, and White Dwarf back when it did RPGs, were a big influence on my early days with the hobby. unbound.com/books/games-...

Cover of "Dice Men: The Origin Story of Games Workshop"

000

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

"See Issue X": a story game driven by a standard deck of cards - you "tell the story of a superhero (or several) and also stand in the shoes of the writer as you struggle with their ever-more-unwieldy backstory" (which I may also plunder for superhero tropes)... www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/4...

110

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

"Tiny Tome 1": a neat collection of 50 single-page RPGs. "Players will... steal trash for their furry family, escape to glorious freedom (and avoid being turned into a toaster), battle their monstrous inner demons, and so, so much more..." www.retrofixgames.com/products/tin...

100

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Some highlights picked up in the trade halls included "Odd Jobs": a collection of eleven micro-settings, each with a mini system-neutral campaign "from magical ancient Rome to surreal post-apocalyptic psychoscape"... www.macguffinandcompany.com/products/odd...

100

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

I'd been long interested in "Monster of the Week" (PbtA RPG slaying modern-day monsters, in style of Buffy/X-Files), so seized chance to actually play - & our party of Divine being, grizzled Expert, monastic Initiate, and journalistic Snoop scraped through in keeping London safe, that week at least!

Cover of "Monster of the Week" RPG - a monster with many arms fights a group of characters.

110

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 23/11/2024

Played "For the Queen" for first time - card-based storytelling game where players are the members of a Queen's retinue travelling to another land. Players take turns answering questions about their characters dealt from the cards - and build up the world, the Queen, and some story along the way.

Game box for "For the Queen" on a background of cards from the game.

100

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 30/10/2024

Sounds fun! Reminded of two very different game cookbooks... Dragonlance heroine Tika's recipes in eclectic AD&D supplement "Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home" (1987). And I'd never imagined "Catan: The Official Cookbook" (2023) with "Robber's Discard Delight", "Rocky Road Cookies" and more...

110