Preamble (Update: Feb 19th 2023)

July 11^th, 2022

I’m not entirely certain how to begin so I’ll just hop right in. This is the beginning of my experiment with Low Fantasy Gaming (LFG) and a variety of concepts touted by the BroSR. I ended up down the rabbit hole after watching a stream where Jeffro Johnson (seeming spokesman) explained the ideas behind his original experiment. It had been some years since I’d had the chance to sit down and run a game (my experience being with D&D 5e) and a lot of the concepts sounded great. LFG was a system I had discovered some time ago after having various conflicts with the power curve of 5e and the tone I wanted to set for the world, but never had a chance to sit down and run it until now.

I’m still shaking off the rust and trying to figure out just how each piece is going to fit (and I’m sure if any BroSR types see this I’ll get the “just play RealD&D”), but the fun of an experiment is the opportunity to learn. To that end, I’ve lined up the concepts as I understand them and will be working through mechanics, including but not limited to LFG, to see how this all works out. Disclaimer: If I understand the rabbit hole terminology I’d probably fall under the “storygamer” title so we’ll see how much that is reflected in the experiment.

The concepts:

• Patrons: Typically a high level or powerful character or force in the world controlled by (typically) a non-session player.

• Timekeeping/Downtime: Each day in the real world is one day in the game world in regards to downtime. My understanding of this is you adventure Saturday, get back Tuesday, and spend 3 days hitting up bars, your character will be ready to adventure again by the following Friday/Saturday.

• Domains: I’ve never played nor run a game with proper domain management, but this concept when united with the others sounds fantastic for generating adventure level content.

• Mass Battles: I’ve never been a war gamer and I’ll be frank, I have no idea where to start. LFG has some rules I’m going to try for this, but I’m open to further experimentation.

The goals

• Manage a game at multiple levels, preferably with something streamlined to avoid my getting bogged down in minutia

• Shake off the rust and learn something new, and uncharted territory seems a solid starting point

• Test whether all these systems will work for myself and my group(s), or even with each other (as may be the case when stealing from different eras and systems)

  Update (Feb 19th 2023)

   It's been a little over 6 months since I started my experiment. Since I decided to try this blog thing out, I figure it would be a good time to review the last half-year. My format from the first few sessions has certainly shifted to more of a dry narrative Session Report. Life has had major shifts in the interim, and a quick and dirty train of thought seems to be the most efficient. I apologize for a lack of GM quips or general insight.

   To start, I live in a small town area of no importance. My games are run in-person at my local library and I currently have 3 players (Sa, Sh, and Pa; should I need them). When I first met them, they were playing a 5e game as part of the library's public game program. For all intents and purposes, they're scrubs. While I've run 5e for years, I too am a scrub when it comes to Old-School anything. I am happy to have open-minded players willing to suffer through my experiments and stumbling, and we're all slowly improving. For what it's worth, I have appreciated my time with them and hope things continue.

  I have fallen so many times since my original Preamble write-up. I started with a clip of a map I had from a 5e game and have re-mapped the damn thing some 20+ times. I realized it was far too large a play space, and even recently (using ACKS as the foundation), realized that I lack a real wilderness and true "adventure zone." Nonetheless, the players still find things to get up to.

  Patron play did not work out for a variety of reasons I blame myself for. It is difficult to explain how something works when you yourself have neither experienced it nor run it. I did, however, gain customized pieces to slot into the world. For that I am thankful. Communication is essential for this to work, and I found that there was little interest after the initial couple weeks. I need to sort out a structure and "quickstart" sheet, or perhaps steal one from elsewhere. I also need to try it out for myself. All-in-all, this experiment is a failure.

  Timekeeping and Downtime, on the other hand, have been a huge success. I still need to fiddle with some of the details (LFG Companion time gaps sometimes feel too long), but my players have continued to enjoy the opportunity; and some are considering running using 1:1. I've always wanted to run games that were closer to "living in a fantasy world," and I'd never have known how amazing something as simple as 1:1 could be without the BROsr rabbit hole, blogs, et al. I came in hesitant, and continue to become more and more of a sycophant.

  Sandbox play in general has required a shift in my thinking, and a huge shift in the tools. I use Low Fantasy Gaming for resolution and play, but much of the background pieces are slowly being built with Adventurer, Conqueror, King and AD&D(1e). I also found that I need to spend more time reading, not just classics, but in general. I've been blessed with a good group and I need to elevate myself to suit.