New Beginnings
Welcome to my new blog/website focused on rules light RPGs of all types. Originally, I was planning to restart my RetroRoleplaying Blog and switch its focus from rules-light old school games to rules light games in general. After some thought, however, I decided make a clean start with a new web site and a new blog. The RetroRoleplaying site will continue to host my old blog with its posts on old school games and all the RPGs I’ve designed in the last 12-14 years, while this new site will focus on news and articles about rules light RPGs in general.
I stopped posting much on the old RetroRoleplaying blog because I lacked the time and because all the politics the OSR field often descends into turned me off. Due to my wife’s MS, I still don’t have a lot of spare time as I’m her 24/7 caregiver, but I’ve retired now and with all the medical bills from her oral cancer back in the 2000s paid, I no longer have to churn out games to pay bills. This will — hopefully — allow me to write at least 4 or 5 blog posts a month. As for RPG politics, I now avoid RPG politics like the plague it is. Rules Light RPGs will be a (recent) real world politics free site. This will be better for my aging heart and my mental health.
This new site will also consolidate two of my other web sites (microlite20.org and microlite74.com). I’ve moved the Microlite20 Nexus forum to this site and renamed it The Forum @ Rules Light RPGs. As that all there really was at the Microlite Nexus site any more, the microlite20.org site will soon become a single page site with info on Microlite20 and pointers to where to gets copies of Microlite20 and its many variants. It will also redirect links to the old Microlite20 Nexus forum the to its new home here. In fact, this part should be working now. The Microlite74 site will likely be shutdown when its domain next comes up for renewal. I’ve never really used it for anything.
Posts/article here will generally focus on the “play” aspect of rules light RPGs rather than musings on theory or design aspects. Expect to see house rules, new monsters and magic items, etc. for those rules light RPGs I’m most interested in and some short reviews of rules light RPG material in general. While I’m firmly in the old school camp and the traditional RPG camp, I’m not going to limit posts and forum discussion to just old school, traditional RPGs of the rules light variety.
While this site is still “under construction”, I can’t wait to get started. Therefore while the site may be changing somewhat in the background over the next few weeks, I’m going to be posting. I hope at least some of what I post will interest you.
I really like the new site and greatly appreciate the games you have made available freely. I’m looking for a very, very light set of simple rules I can use but slowly expand and build on to make a D&D style campaign to play with my kids. Which set of rules/system do you suggest I start with? Any campaign suggestions for a total newbie DM and player? Best wishes to you and your family.
Unfortunately, this is a hard question to answer — even if one limits the suggestions to games you can download here — without knowing more about your situation. For example: How old are your children? What type of RPG/GM experience do you have? Do you want suggestions limited to free games?
My son is 16, my daughter 13. I have no DM experience beyond a couple of cyberpunk sessions with my son. I’d like to keep suggestions limited to the wealth of games you have here as I am really keen to try out some of the material you have. I’m looking forward to donating a few coffees your way when I buy something on Drive Thru.
Given what the above info I’d suggest taking a look at Microlite81 Complete as it has simple rules but complete descriptions of spells, monsters, and treasure. The latter are most of the 120 page book. For a free starter adventure, I’d consider Chaotic Caves and/or Tales from the Laughing Dragon. Both are for Basic Fantasy, another game based off the 1981 (B/X) edition but will work just fine with Microlite81 (as should any adventure for any set of rules based on B/X)..