I agree! 

BTW, I occasionally think about a new version of this game. I wouldn't change it much. I would likely add a stack of poker chips to represent "level" and introduce stunts - which would be sorcerous things you have done in the fiction before and for which you are automatically an expert. The levels would start at 3 and increase by 1, up to a max of 10 or 12. Each level would represent one "hurt" you could take before going out of action (not hit points at all, but rather fictional conditions representing harm).

yes and yes!

If you ever feel like riffing on it and putting out an edition with your own art ... well ... that would be bonkers-awesome. :)

How bizarre. I thought I uploaded an Italian translation. I have removed it and will go looking to see if I just linked the wrong file. Thank you! Hmmmm. Solo. My wheels are turning. Of course it's a Creative Commons license, so you could make such a supplement too/instead!!

I do. I get notifications anyway. :) I don't really have any strong thoughts on solo play in general, but for insights I guess you have to - from the character's standpoint - think about what it would be useful to know. Then ask the question. Then maybe roll a d6. On a 1-3 you find out something that isn't particularly useful or good/bad. On a 4-5 you find out something useful, but it complicates the situation. On a 6 it's useful and makes everything easier. Example: You are fighting a creature and can't seem to hurt it. You get an insight though. On a 1-3 you might learn that it is a creature from a cold climate. On a 4-5 you might learn that it's hide is impervious to mundane weapons. On a 6 you might learn that it has an instinctual fear of fire. Remix the odds as they seem good to you. :)

I’m just now catching up to your messages. A Russian translation is super cool. Do you still need some kind of raw text file? I’m guessing not. The original is an accordion fold in four columns. Fold it back and forth and at the end fold it over once in the horizontal axis to get the cover on one side and char sheet in the back. Perhaps not an ideal format. 

New translation! Clemens Meier has this to say about his effort in converting the doc. "I stayed with your accordion fold layout, but since translation into German blows up the text by about 25%, I've had to reduce the font size a bit and switch around parts of enumerations where I thought I could get away with it to make it fit the line breaks better. Then I put it on A3 paper (11.7×16.5 inches) and I think it looks fine."

LOVED it. (I waited on the physical copy to read it.) I just released a review of it on my garage style podcast - Talking Codex R, an unusual bestiary/setting with a kaleidoscopic totalitarian vibe.

https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/embed/episodes/304-Codex-R-e16hru9/a-a68ueoo

NM. Found it. I bought it at Rooks Press. https://www.rookspress.com/products/hex-drive

This is an excellent little zine. I bought a physical copy but now I don't know where I bought it from and want to mention it on my podcast. Were you selling it through Spear Witch or Exalted Funeral before?

When I saw the art for this, I literally jerked my head backwards in impressed reaction! So cool looking. I can't wait to read it. 

Now available in Italian!
https://ita-translation-alliance.itch.io/la-sfida-gygax-75

Hell yeah! Thanks for taking this project to another level/language!

100% ok. Feel free to link the result here.

This game has been getting some love online lately. A question came about what happens when you roll "on" your number. The person asking the question noted that L&F treats it as a success. I was like "it does!?" I looked at the latest version online and it does indeed say that. Then I looked at my saved copy from a few years ago and it does NOT. So that is a recent addition by John Harper. I disagree; I prefer it to be insight only. If someone would happen to roll only one die, and get insight only, and chooses not to re-roll (and seriously, how often is THAT going to happen) I would treat it as a failure. After all, in Lovecraftian tales insight often empowers/enlightens, but it rarely is a "good" thing! Chances are, the character is in for a mythos check. 

You made my day! Thanks for the kind words and I'm glad you discovered these zines. :) 

Nice! I've heard a number of groups having good experiences with it. There is a pretty nice intro on the Spikepit podcast: 333 Pit Stop - There and Bac… 

Oh, one other thing. The booklets once printed fit nicely in the pocket in the back of the smallest Moleskine (or similar notebook). Might be a nice way to give them out with a little golf pencil or something. :) Or maybe the booklet would fit curved up in one of the bigger shaker bubbles? Hmmmm. I may have to experiment.

Just search for vending machine capsules. But pay attention to size comparative to the size of the dice you want to use. 

Neat! I just got them off Amazon. Little ones (link below) but they require TEENY TINY dice and aren't incredibly clear. My bigger one which holds small d6s with lots of room to spare I got out ouf a vending machine. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07M6DWN82/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?i...

Twists happen at the scene level, events within a scene. In other words, when you start a new scene you check for a twist based on the current stability factor. Once you are in the scene only events will happen, and those are geared toward shading/pushing the yes/no dice rolls. The only guidance for twists is in the "Concepts" section. It is a minimalist process for sure, relying a lot on users to make it their own. That being said, I think it's fairly clear. "add, remove, or alter one of the key elements: character, time, tone, events in motion, etc. You might even try a flashback..."

Say you want a scene where your hero is negotiating with the orc chieftain of the bloodclaw tribe. You roll a twist. Here are some things you might do:
Character - add a wily shaman who will counsel the chieftain however you want him to -- but there is a cost
Time - this negotiation happened before the events of the "now" so you already know it goes south. You are playing the scene to see how.
Tone - you had something super serious in mind. Turns out the orcs are a wild bunch and you must party with them as their guest. How you handle yourself may have an influence on your morning-after discussion with the chieftain.
Events in Motion - the orcs have developed a super weapon you knew nothing about, the negotiation is about the terms of your surrender only, there is no chance they will accept peace thinking they have superiority. Your goal for the scene may be just to try and find out something about the weapon.

The file doesn’t mention her name. Just the description above. I think. Now I need to check. 

Also, while I fixed it in the description, I don't really know protocol in these instances. Since print editions will still say Tom, should I indicate that too somehow? 

Fixed. Thank you! I didn't know.

Thanks. It fits perfectly in a small Moleskine for playing anywhere. :)

The simple answer is I am working from my understanding of Sword & Sorcery fiction (pre D&D). Sorcery comes from a dark and wild place, not from an intellectual breakdown of alchemy, physics, leylines, etc. And while some people like to think swords are geared toward emotion, I would argue that's nonsense. Swordplay is physical and relies on training, expertise, and equipment. Yes, emotion plays a role. So if a barbarian raged, I would give them the "prepared" die on their attacks (if they successfully take a Sorcery action to pscyhe themselves up), but they would use the Swords die pole when executing attacks. I explain it some in a recent podcast: https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/episodes/148-Sorcerers--Sellswords-with-Spikepi...

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing. 

Anyone interested in a world-builder jam? I'm thinking of picking a month and seeing what people can come up with using this toolset. Winners would be shared through itch.io obviously.

Awesome. Let me know how it goes

The booklet has everything. Not sure what you mean. I just downloaded it and checked ... 22 pages of 2-page spreads compared to the screen's 44 pages of 1-ups. Also all the page numbers are there. I think you are confused by the fact that the  booklet is made for printing/stapling, so the page order in the PDF is all 'jumbled.' The last page of the booklet PDF would be the center. 

Also, hav eyou printed any? I would buy a dozen copies or so to share around.

This is an outstanding little business card game. Well done. Obviously it's hard to put a complete system on a business card (w/art!). I think the two biggest things you leave up to the gamer are a) how to work stress/damage to a character and b) what to do with ships and their tags. I would handle the former fictionally, and perhaps by taking away a die or two from rolls for major stress until it is healed/relieved.  Ships I guess I would just treat like characters and consequences are relative. (Same is true for dealing with alien monsters.) All rolls player-facing, I'm assuming. So if you (or your ship) is being chased by a giant alien (dreadnaught) you roll as normal (no dice penalties for being outclassed). Since you are being chased and (let's assume) your goal is to get away, a character would roll maneuver, and a ship would roll dice for "sleek" and "nimble" and "fast." On a loss the consequences would be worse because it's a large alien/dreadnaught rather than a voracious squirrel or alien scout boat. How far off is that from how you would play it?

Oh good lord! Thank you. Should be fixed now.

My friend and I recorded our week by week conversations as we playtested the first version of this workbook (link below). 

https://plundergrounds.blogspot.com/search/label/Gygax%2075%20Challenge

Now that the book is revised, I'm releasing the week 4 and 5 discussions over the next week.

Good rule!

Honestly, no. However, I know Lasers & Feelings inside and out, so this was a quick remix of that with the goal of using Unknown Armies style fear triggers over the insanity death spiral of CoC, which in my opinion engenders a very specific and for me problematic style of play. To be specific, I get tired of playing with people who seem to be more interested in going insane, and comedically playing insanity, than they are interested in experiencing horror or solving a mystery or exploring the unknown. 

Yeah, we do. I still love this game. :)

This is a great, small, classic fantasy adventure game! I found myself nodding along with the mechanics as things I have considered many times. I recently bought the 2nd ed on DriveThruRPG.com. Largely it just seems better formatted. Were there any major changes?