Hey everyone.

I’m going to start something new here, since it’s been a minute.

I won’t deep dive explanations - I’m just going to show you. Some will appreciate the look into my solo play journal and sketchbooks, others will complain they can’t read my handwriting…

But for most of you, I figure the reason you’re here is for some analog, old school, flavorful and highly aesthetic fantasy roleplaying stuff.

Well, here’s what I’m working on.

After bouncing around between a few different solo games (always running a game of ODND, these days with Chainmail exclusively, no “alternate combat system” at all, and of course, my own redheaded stepchild, Kal-Arath), I decided - enough.

I’m gonna grab my trusty home-print, toddler redecorated (sorry Danny Cruz and sorry Warduke) copy of Moldvay Basic, a few of my house rules (I’ll get into these if it sticks), fountain pens, dice, and, when I’m playing at home in my office, my typewriter.

Combine these with some watercolor maps and setting stuff I’d been fooling around with a few months ago, and I’m just gonna wing the rest using the reaction roll (2d6 to determine positive/negative outcome), my tables where necessary made fast and on the fly, and run an old-school, by god, (mostly) by the book game of traditional Dungeons and Dragons.

Haughty Elves. Surly Dwarves. Corrupt Magic Users. Idealistic Clerics. Fighting…Fighting Men!

I gave myself zero time to get stuck in prep and world building, my greatest downfall solo or group (I’m sure some of you forever DMs can relate!) - after swearing off too much worldbuilding following the demise of my ODND “Callastor” campaign of last year. (You can check out play reports of that in my more recent posts.)

Town: Thorp.

Dungeon: Just a league away (about one wandering encounter roll each trip.)

Dungeon generation: right outta the book - rooms are either monsters, traps, special, or empty. I made my own rules on the spot for number of doors, and when stairs occur and that sort of thing just cobbling together basic d6 rolls.

I was ready to play.

I typed up one cover sheet to hint at the general feel and dove right in.

And had a great time.

I've just finished session three, and I’ll post all of them in the next few days, along with related art I’m doing between sessions.

Some of these pages are typed. Others printed. Others, as you’ll see, are handwritten, and rely on my own codes and arrows to follow - like a dungeon map. You’ll get the hang of it if you care enough to stick around.

Feel free to screen cap and use the dungeons and other things for your own game. Hopefully this turns into a nice color zine sometime in the not too distant future.

Enjoy, and keep your blades sharp.

PS: I rolled the highest possible stat AND the lowest possible stat and gave them to the party fighter and party dwarf, respectively. Goddamn, can Bjorn swing a sword, and Korrack ruin a reaction check!

First, the party introduction:

Now - here’s session one.

That’s all for session one.

See you next time.