Well bloomin'eck, it's the end of 2023. Where has that year gone? Doesn't seem that long ago that I was writing a 2022 review. It's been a busy year yet again; turns out that job I quite liked wasn't for me and so I have another new job that I really like which hopefully will be for me. There has been a little less gaming and more time with friends and family. And the RPG fatigue I talked about seems to have faded away, I've been getting a bit more focus as the year has gone on - which I think may have been because there have been some big gaps between game sessions, giving more time to think and prep.
What happened to my 2023 Gaming Plan?
The most GMd and played game was Worlds Without Number, used as the ruleset for the Freeport Trilogy. With two groups we have cracked through Death in Freeport, Terror in Freeport, and for one of the groups moved on to Terror in Freeport. I've enjoyed many of the elements of Worlds Without Number, but apart from the OSR chassis, it doesn't feel that much like an OSR game to me. Still, it plays well at the table and the players seem to like it. I have found the linear nature of the Freeport Trilogy to be challenging at times, although I also appreciate the detail and direction given, but I won't be in a rush to run an adventure like this again.
I did play through some more Tales from Wilderland with The One Ring 2e. One group finished the second adventure Of Leaves & Stewed Hobbit, the other the first Don't Leave the Path, so there is still loads to play through, but it's stalled for now. Maybe one to pick up in 2024.
After reading Talisman Adventures and planning an adventure for it, it just didn't grab me the way I hoped and it was relegated back to the archives.
I squeezed in two Cairn adventures in, one at Owlbear & Wizard's Staff con, converting my LotFP adventure The Greater Share of Honour to Cairn. I was hoping that a lighter system would speed up the game as I'd always struggled to run it in a 3.5 hour con slot, but in the end it didn't help that much. However, I felt Cairn was a great choice, and with Cairn 2e due out in 2024 I'm sure I'll revisit it again. I also ran Demon Driven to the Maw for The Raspy Raven's OSR season, this gem once again proving a popular adventure and a lot of fun.
Surprisingly I only ran a single session of Old School Essentials, taking the old Imagine Magazine adventure For the Honour of the Tribe out for a spin at the Friday afternoon Grogfringe OSR session at Grogmeet 2023. I had a TPK which was fun.
Space 1889 didn't feature at all. Although I like the Ubiquity rules system (Leagues of Adventure uses it), I found the Space 1889 rulebook dull and uninspiring.
Forbidden Lands and Vaesen didn't make it to the table, although I played both in 2023.
As I expected Barbarians of Lemuria did take a backseat, I didn't run or play it once. However, with a new edition coming out, it may inspire me to restart my stalled campaign in 2024.
The expected events all came about and were enjoyed. While Go Play Manchester came to an end, it was replaced by the Manchester Occasional Roleplaying Con aka MORPCon, and I was able to attend a couple of those.
Stats
I'm still tracking games played, a habit I started in 2021. As seems to be the trend, I've had less gaming this year, but still I'm really enjoying them all and compared to many gamers still get plenty of hours in.
427 hours played (454 in 2022 and 614.5 in 2021)
174 sessions (176 in 2022 and 224 in 2021)
An average session length of 2 hours 25 minutes (2 hours 35 minutes in 2022 and 2 hours 45 minutes in 2021). I've noticed a trend towards shorter sessions, around the 2 to 2.5 hour mark with the occasional longer session, which suits me.
Number of systems played: 29 (33 in 2022 and 2021)
Number of systems GMd: 5 (7 in 2022 and 6 in 2021)
Most sessions as GM: 27 of World's Without Number (compared to 29 of Whitehack in 2022 and 41 of Old School Essentials in 2021)
Most sessions as player: 23 of Call of Cthulhu (compared to 30 of Call of Cthulhu in 2022 and 21 of RuneQuest in 2021). This makes Call of Cthulhu the game I have played more than any other by a significant margin since the start of 2021 (64 sessions vs 36 sessions for RuneQuest).
Game played the most (player and GM): World's Without Number with 27 sessions
The Games of 2023
Against the Darkmaster
We played four sessions set during the Kin-strife period of Middle-Earth's Third Age in May/June with GM Maestro Orlanth Vex, using the old MERP module. Loads of flavour and MERPish goodness, but a crunchy FoundryVTT module took a bit to figure out. Like many games it takes a few sessions to get into the swing of things. Hoping we can play more of this in 2024.
Agon
A one shot as part of The big Tolkien/Moorcock weekender with Grogmeister Dirk the Dice running us through an Eternal Champion extravaganza chasing down a big bad leaving a trail of destruction. I'm happy to have tried Agon, but I won't be chomping at the bit to play it again (just too story gamey for my tastes).
Aliens
A single session played at Grogten 2023 with Lord of Tenby Bagpuss Grognard leading us through a tale of alien infestation and misplaced distrust of leadership. Great stuff, would happily play Alien again.
Cairn
Ran this for The Raspy Raven and Owlbear & Wizard's Staff 2023. Top game, the perfect amount of system and depth. I've yet to experience it as a player (hint hint).
Call of Cthulhu
We continued the magnificent Masks of Nyarlathotep with Bagpuss Grognard in the early months of the year, following the trail across the globe and should be picking this up again in February/March 2024. I'd better get reading my notes. This is the one game it is hardest to avoid spoilers for; for anyone who has played it/ran it or is further along in the adventure than I am, please no more spoilers!
Twenty of the 23 Call of Cthulhu sessions were playing Arjen Poutsma's rather fantastic home-brew campaign Black Lancers. Starting in the summer of 2022, we've been through quite a bit, following the arc of early WW2 while encountering lots of Lovecraftian horror. Great stuff. I believe the campaign is drawing to a close and we should finish it in 2024.
Conan 2d20
Started late in 2022, we've continued our journey through Shadow of the Sorcerer across 9 sessions with Dirk the Dice as GM, for our once monthly session. I'm enjoying the system, it does heroic action well and the adventure has had plenty of exciting moments and twists and turns. Another adventure we are coming to an end with.
Dead of Night
A one shot at Grogten 2023 with "Sous Chef" Jeremy as GM. A cracking adventure of apocalyptic heroism and a tidy system. Another game I'd like to play again.
Delta Green
Starting in February, we have played 18 sessions of Impossible Landscapes with my old pal TonyB as GM. I've said it before, I can see why Delta Green is such a popular game, it works so well at the table. Really enjoyed playing this, creepy, dark and chilling, it's rather brilliant, and I believe we still have some way to go, so I look forward to continuing this well into 2024.
Elric!
The final game at UK Games Expo 2023, another great one shot from Dirk the Dice. We teamed up with Elric, much to our regret, but a great adventure with lots of dark humour and great scenes.
Forbidden Lands
I've enjoyed exploring the Ravenlands with GM Orlanth Vex across 9 sessions. Initially we were playing every fortnight, but the game really took off once moved to weekly sessions. Seems everyone in the Ravenlands is an arsehole and everywhere we turn there's trouble, but we can handle it!
Helvéczia
We've hex crawled our way over 5 sessions with picaresque GM Chris Sharp across the fictional land of Helvéczia, as our sins mount up and our tale grows. Great stuff, looking forward to more of this in 2024.
Index Card RPG
A new game to me that piqued my curiosity this year. As everyone says, it's a terrible name for a game and doesn't do it justice. Having ran eight one shot sessions of it, I can see why it has a lot of fans and a growing community, with its fast paced action and easy to understand rules.
I've run three different scenarios: The Curse of Ravenhold Castle, a traditional fantasy adventure with ICRPG stying that proved deadly each time I ran it it, and The Last Voyage of Finigan's Pride, a published piratical adventure with a sad tale and epic ending. Both of these had test runs online, and outings at UK Games Expo 2023, with The Curse of Ravenhold Castle making a showing at Virtual Grogmeet 2023 and the latter appearing at MORPCon in August. I was drawn to the systemless Bearcats setting by the same published, so I ran that online and at Grogmeet 2023, with a bit of conversion help from the ICRPG community.
At some point I'd like to run a campaign with ICRPG, following the advised "prepare one session at a time" approach, but if it features in 2024, it'll probably be as a one shot.
Jackals
Another game on the Grogten 2023 roster, with GM Bagpuss Grognard taking us on a heroic adventure in a bronze age fantasy setting.
Lex Arcana
An Owlbear & Wizard's Staff 2023 one shot, GMd with military efficiency by Of Dice and Men. In the same mould as Jackals, this fantasy Roman Empire RPG had a clever resolution mechanic that produced quick and exciting results. I was impressed with the game overall and would consider grabbing it if my shelves weren't already overcrowded. As a bonus all players received a laurel wreath with a centurions helmet for the best player!
Liminal
This one shot at Grogmeet 2023, set in Manchester by top Liminal GM Jonathan. Liminal is one of those systems that does just what it needs to do, then gets out of the way. I want to avoid spoilers, but if you get a chance to play this with Jonathan you should.
Maskwitches of Forgotten Doggerland
An interesting one shot at Grogten 2023 GMd by Orlanth Vex, set in a dark pre-history where we played mystical Maskwitches that travel the land solving problems for spirit haunted villagers. Like most storytelling games it is bound by procedures and had some clever tricks which I quite enjoyed (like failures building up points that trigger events). Glad to have tried it out to see how the other half live.
Mythic Bastionland
Having recently backed this on Kickstarter I was keen to play it when the opportunity came up at MORPCon at the tail end of Grogmeet 2023. GMd by The Raspy Raven's host jwmuk, it had all the stuff I love; a great hex-crawl with emerging threads to explore, interesting characters and environments and a fast moving, flavourful combat system. I can't wait to get my hands on this in 2024, it's on my con list of games to run.
Old School Essentials
As much as I love this game, I only ran it once, at Grogmeet 2023. However, I am playing in a Dark Sun adventure GMd by Orlanth Vex, with 6 sessions this year continuing into 2024. Really enjoying the setting and old school vibe, this has reinvigorated my passion for OSE.
Pendragon
Really Pendragon variants masterfully crafted by GM Sam0Vail. The first game was a day long adventure at Grogten 2023 set in Mythic Greece, a setting we've explored a few times and I've always enjoyed. Then at Owlbear & Wizard's Staff 2023, I played The Palmer Papers, using the Agents of Excalibur variant (1960's espionage with magic, fey and evil nazis), where we undertook a brain twisting, time bending adventure. Great stuff.
Shadowdark
The OSR darling of 2023, I was tempted to back this, but having resisted at least want to play it at Virtual Grogmeet 2023. Run by GM Shannon F, I could see why there has been so much interest in this game, the adventure felt gritty and old school, with opportunities for creative play and exploiting the environment. While I'm not sure if I'd buy and run this game, I'd happily play it any time.
Soulbound
The weird world of Soulbound, where our godlike heroes frequently had their asses handed to them. Loved playing this game with GM Orlanth Vex across 12 sessions, the system is simple and with some neat mechanical gubbins, and the setting was big and colourful, even though the lore is a bit overwhelming. However, it felt like a game with an old school vibe, exploring dungeons and strange wildernesses. I believe there's more of this on the way in 2024.
The Expanse
Having enjoyed the TV show, I was pleased to grab a space on this with prolific GM Orlanth Vex. We started with an introductory adventure which gave us a flavour of the setting and system before moving on to the Abzu's Bounty campaign - 14 sessions in all. It's a great SF setting, and despite some initial reservations about the AGE System (which is simple enough until you get to stunts which really slows things down) the adventure was very good, with lots of faction play, twists and turns.
The One Ring 2e
A favourite of Orlanth Vex and our group, we continued The Laughter of Dragons across 8 sessions, culminating in an epic finale at The big Tolkien/Moorcock weekender versus a super evil big bad, bringing to an end the 22 session campaign started 12 months earlier. I'm excited we'll be restarting The One Ring this year and hopefully venturing into Moria.
Traveller
In May our fortnightly Friday group started the Skandersvik campaign with The Traveller GM Viscount Jonkeer leading us through the space lanes as viking themed traders. We've reached a natural break which I'm hoping we can pick up from in 2024.
Tunnels & Trolls
Played across two sessions in August when our regular GM was on break, GM Neil Hopkins took this fantasy classic out for a run. Tunnels & Trolls was my first ever RPG so it was great to play it again after 40+ years (my only other experience was when I ran it for 1 player as a green 16 year old GM and it was a disaster). Pleased to say the adventure was very enjoyable, with a mischievous magician, a nasty troll and some useful miniaturisation. The system still strikes me as odd, how combat is resolved, but it's great fun.
Vaesen
A one shot at Grogmeet 2023 in the Friday evening slot. I love this time as we have the whole weekend ahead of us. The adventure The Haunted Man is a very fine home-brew of GM MikeW; I'd not played in Mike's games before and was keen to try one. It was a great Victorian style adventure set in and around London with a clever plot aided with fantastic handouts. I have quite a bit of Vaesen stuff, the rules, Mythic Britain & Ireland, and Seasons of Mystery but it's just not made it onto my list of games to GM. I read or heard somewhere that you should only read the rules if you really intend to run the game as that can lessen the player experience.
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
Featuring later in the year with the fortnightly Friday evening group, I'm always keen to play a bit of WFRP. Run by old-hand WFRP GM Jeremy, we played the Hell Rides to Hallt across three sessions. This felt like a classic WFRP adventure, strange goings on a small town with great NPCs and an adversary. Fingers crossed I will get to play more WFRP in 2024.
Weird Frontiers
When I saw Dungeon Crawl Classics obsessed GM Joolz Hayley running this at UK Games Expo 2023, I knew I had to get on it. It's a game I've heard so much about, but I've always been put off by the weighty tome and implied reading and crunch that comes with it (and to be honest I still am), but I really enjoyed this adventure The Trading Post at Five Points, based on The Inn at Five Points for Dungeon Crawl Classics. As a bonus there were some raffled items and I know have a load of Weird Frontiers digital swag, great stuff!
Worlds Without Number
The system I ran The Freeport Trilogy with 27 sessions across two groups this year. The system is ok, but with so much else to run I doubt I'll be returning to it any time soon, if ever.
The Cons of 2023
Grogten (January)
What can I add that I've not already said about Grogten. A fantastic weekend with amazing gaming folk in Tenby, hosted by one of the nicest people you could ever wish to meet Bagpuss Grognard.
The Tolkien/Moorcock weekender (March)
A twist on the usual The One Ring Roadtrip, we were infested by a chaos horde of Moorcock aficionados and had two groups running Tolkien and Moorcock based games.
The big Tolkien/Moorcock weekender
Virtual Grogmeet (April)
A now traditional part of the gaming calendar, it's an opportunity to play with a wider group of Grognards from the comfort of your own armchair.
UK Games Expo (June)
Another great year at Expo with plenty of cash spent and good times had. I did quite a bit more walking this time though, with my hotel being a bit further away, but all in a great weekend.
Owlbear and Wizards Staff (September)
Ah, I love OBaWS so much, it's a lovely, friendly event at the right time of year. Traditions were upheld and a great time was had by all.
Owlbear and Wizards Staff Con 2023
Grogmeet
With some venue changes, this Grogmeet proved to be the best yet, the perfect combination of gaming, drinking, food and great company.
MORPCon
An occasional (mostly monthly) friendly RPG con held in Fanboy 3 in Manchester, neatly organised by Roderick "Berkhard Spengler" Hamilton, I was able to attend the August event where I ran The Last Voyage of Finigan's Pride with ICRPG and play Mythic Bastionland in the post Grogmeet 2023 event. I'd like to get to some more of these in 2024.
The VTTs of 2023
FoundryVTT
The king of VTTs and my go to VTT. While it can require a bit of techie nouse to get the best from it, there are easier non-tech options like The Forge. For me it's the VTT that can do it all; it has a simple interface like Roll20's (one could say it is heavily based on Roll20's interface), it has great system support and a ton of modules that add all kinds of features. You can pretty much do whatever you want with it, or keep it stripped back and simple.
Perhaps the only criticism is the development cycle, with a team looking to continually add new features resulting in more releases. While these bigger releases are less frequent it can cause issues with key modules not working with the latest version, and modules that are not maintained become unusable. I would like to see a much more stable API with better legacy support to reduce this friction.
Roll20
Ok, so you might argue this is the king of VTTs and you may be right. It is probably still the most popular, with a generous free option, but I've found the interface to be clunky and problematic. I haven't ran any games on Roll20 since moving to FoundryVTT and I'm really happy to keep it that way. If I ever became fed up with FoundryVTT I'd probably look at something lighter like Owlbear Rodeo.
I believe there is an improved version coming out soon where much of the legacy code has been refactored, rewritten and improved, so who knows, it may become too good to ignore in future, but it would take a lot to get me away from FoundryVTT.
Role
I only played Tunnels & Trolls on this, it's very light system wise with a neat dice roller, cutting through much of the complexity of bigger VTTs. One of the selling points is integrated voice and video, which did work really well and added to the play experience. I did read recently that video functionality would end soon as their video provider is shutting down services, but it sounds like they have some other cool features including Owlbear Rodeo integration, so it might be one to keep an eye on.
The 2024 Gaming Plan
I want to simplify my gaming and get back to basics in 2024, which means a big focus on Old School Essentials and perhaps one or two other games. My plans as they stand are:
Complete Madness in Freeport and The Freeport Trilogy for both Monday and Tuesday night groups. Then I'll move Worlds Without Number to the archive shelves
Run Nightmare over Ragged Hollow with OSE, I have much of it already set up in FoundryVTT. I'd like to run this weekly to keep up momentum.
Start a Dolmenwood campaign, there's already enough in the PDFs released so far, I just need to get stuck in to setting it up on FoundryVTT.
More OSE... maybe another run through of Night's Dark Terror or one of the many other adventures and hex crawls I have.
Get a few sessions of Mythic Bastionland up and running, either at cons or maybe a short series. Cairn 2e is due out in 2024, so that may feature as well.
A recent announcement that there is a new edition of Barbarians of Lemuria and loads of supporting content due soon is making me think about resurrecting my stalled campaign. Along similar lines, a conversation about Pulp adventures on The Grognard Files Discord has me thinking about the Barbarians of Lemuria based pulp system Dicey Tales.
Maybe, if time allows, I'll run some The One Ring 2e, just because it's a fantastic game.
An itch I've had for a while that I may scratch is trying to run a PBP game, I'm looking into some options for that, it may or may not happen.
And of course there are the cons and events, Grogten, The One Ring Roadtrip, UK Games Expo (although it may be just a one day event for me in 2024), Owlbear & Wizard's Staff and Grogmeet. Lots to look forward to!
So a simpler plan than last year, one with a bit more focus and some stuff I'm really looking forward to starting.
Last but by no means least, a big thank you to the GMs who've run the one shot and regular games I've enjoyed and the great players in my games, long may the fun continue!
And to all my gaming pals and anyone who reads this, Happy New Year, I hope you have a fantastic 2024!