While I had been watching the BROSR for some years, it wasn't until a little less than a year ago that I decided to step forward and get involved. It started with BrozerDiceless, and I was later invited to the BROXT, a veritable training ground for Bros and means of continuing to build from the legacy of Jeffro et al. At that same time, I snuck into the Living Urf Gaming Club when a certain someone posted the link publicly. Whether it was Appendix N Reports, Wargaming for friends' Campaigns, or posting After Action Reports, I've had more fun this last year compared to all but a handful of years gaming in the past. I've barely scratched the surface, and as many others before me, I deal with my own ego and struggle to learn.
Reading
I've said before, but much of my reading is done during downtime at work (if I have any). I've discovered that this lends itself to simpler or more straightforward writers.
I am still expanding my collection via used bookstores, but have barely scratched the surface of Appendix N's offerings. This became more apparent after I joined the Living Urf because of how varied their games are; from AD&D in a viking milieu to NotAmber to Traveller and the Wild West in Boothill. The energy level is enormous and I frankly cannot keep up with everything. It is nonetheless wonderful to know I've got a group I can lean on to discover new things.
Gaming
Since I joined the Living Urf Gaming Club, all of my tabletop time has been spent on games within the club. It started with 0e D&D with Chainmail and a Boot Hill Braunstein (Norazona), and soon spread out to AD&D in Bloodfall and Svarthold (now Svartalfheim). These games became the source of my write-ups for the recent BROmerican tournament within the BROXT; but what stands out most are the lessons I've learned.
I've said in the past that ACKS II hits my sweet spot, but it is easy to get stuck in the weeds. As I play and learn more about AD&D (slow as I am), I discover how different the design ethos really is. Other Bros, especially Bdubs, are way ahead! For myself, I am seeing the benefit to maintaining certain things in the abstract, alongside the value of weekly or monthly management. I've learned that Playing the Game is by far the most important factor in all of this, and the more everyone gets bogged down in minutia, the less game there is to play. Perhaps that is phrased incorrectly so let me try again: Scalability is important, especially in a Clubhouse and moreso for Real D&D. I have faith that this can be done within the ACKS framework, but how much work would it take?
Beyond the systems conflict, there is something I want to see come to fruition in the future: The Real Clubhouse. It is one thing to talk about many tables playing in the same world, news from various parties spreading and a Living World in which many actors compete under a fog of war (Braunstein!). It is another to execute on it. The Living Urf Gaming Club fills me with hope, and the work everyone is putting in only makes me more excited to see where things are in the coming year.
I recently wrote an AAR with thank yous to a pair of game masters I've been playing under, but I want to extend that to everyone I've played with this year. Thank you for running great games, for pushing the bounds and educating me, and most of all for creating a space for a simple man like me.