tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post3404950169573714046..comments2024-03-29T00:32:33.920-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Like the Back of My HandJames Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-67805063747027226072023-02-28T17:47:40.003-05:002023-02-28T17:47:40.003-05:00How could I forget to add the 'Old World' ...How could I forget to add the 'Old World' and 'The Imperium'!Gwarhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15245346128436771591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-72047141852408536672023-02-28T17:46:29.155-05:002023-02-28T17:46:29.155-05:00For me it's also Traveller/3rd Imperium, but a...For me it's also Traveller/3rd Imperium, but also Harn, Greyhawk, and the Inner-Sphere of Battletech.<br /><br />I mean I 'know' none of them are real, but their histories and geography are as real to a part of my brain as Medieval Britain or Ancient Rome (also a big History buff).Gwarhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15245346128436771591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-59609987400059907182022-09-21T19:23:05.718-04:002022-09-21T19:23:05.718-04:00I probably know Dark Sun best, although it's n...I probably know Dark Sun best, although it's not as deep. Followed by Battletech and Fading Suns.Will Arnoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03698278637449036933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-76979233194454603922022-09-12T12:52:22.028-04:002022-09-12T12:52:22.028-04:00Surprised that nobody has mentioned Warhammer (bot...Surprised that nobody has mentioned Warhammer (both pre-AoS Fantasy and 40K)<br /><br />I know dozens of people who wouldn't play those games if you paid them but still revel in the lore, tie-in fiction and so forth, treating the arrival of every new Gaunt's Ghosts installment like the discovery of a lost Faulkner novel.Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04318747914084595927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-81529048918027985412022-08-23T17:13:06.978-04:002022-08-23T17:13:06.978-04:00I'll try to make a post about it in the coming...I'll try to make a post about it in the coming weeks.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-74584049201551081132022-08-23T17:00:12.631-04:002022-08-23T17:00:12.631-04:00James, please write about Traveller New Era in gen...James, please write about Traveller New Era in general and the work you did specifically. It's my favorite setting, which makes me an outcast among other Traveller fans. I'd love to get your take on things and memories of playing it. The strengths and weaknesses of the setting, how you regard your contribution with the hindsight of decades. Please!seasparrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14925842749845605556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-39303871225003244472022-08-20T22:23:55.237-04:002022-08-20T22:23:55.237-04:00In my case, the BattleTech setting, up to the Jiha...In my case, the BattleTech setting, up to the Jihad story line (3081). I've still got a fairly extensive collection, and I've prepared a heavily seat of my pantsable 3052 campaign for my gaming group.Michael Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07499151284629030483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-27726883193038092482022-08-20T10:35:20.590-04:002022-08-20T10:35:20.590-04:00It feels like this was partly the cause of the ant...It feels like this was partly the cause of the antagonism between historical wargamers and roleplayers from the ‘70’s and into the ‘90’s. <br />Wargamers were conscious that the wider public viewed them with some disdain for being grown adults who played with toy soldiers, so they used their knowledge of history and the chess-like formality of their rules to project a sense of validity and seriousness around their hobby. The roleplayers, with their looser rule systems governed by GM fiat and based on niche fiction, threatened to undermine the veneer of respectability (some of) the wargamers had striven hard to generate*.<br />The origins of the divide could be traced back to the early ‘70’s when David Wesley joined the army leaving Dave Arneson the freedom, when refereeing ‘Strategos N’ type games, to favour player inclusivity and story drama over historical rigour and studied tactics, resulting in a split with the more ‘traditional’ wargamers in the Twin Cities group.<br /><br />*Both Mark Barrowcliffe (in The Elfish Gene) and Harry Pearson (in Achtung Schweinehund!) recount personal tales of this divide in the UK (as did a fair few letters to the UK wargaming magazines during this period).<br />Krhysdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10584640780539225554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-7609735171320192442022-08-20T09:09:46.305-04:002022-08-20T09:09:46.305-04:00Aside to the main point, I have been thinking late...Aside to the main point, I have been thinking lately that the Psionic Suppressions era is overdue to be fleshed out in detail. The glimpses of it we've seen in a very few places make it seem like it would be an era of extreme interest and adventure possibilities.<br /><br />It is interesting that we invest so much mental effort toward fictional settings. I know more about Glorantha, for example, than I do about West Africa. I can close my eyes and visualize the world of Barsoom in more detail than Russia. I know more about Hârn than I do about Madagascar, despite both being about the same nominal size. In some sense, the fictional places have more reality in my experience than the "real" places. I've never experienced West Africa beyond a few photos and some brief history information, after all, but I've "walked" in the streets of New Pavis more than once.faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-19265502227549664312022-08-20T06:05:55.784-04:002022-08-20T06:05:55.784-04:00On your last point, I think that that is a big ele...On your last point, I think that that is a big element of it. That the fantasy roleplaying and gamebook worlds are hazardous and random but within known limits. The real world certainly over the last 6-7y seems very much more hazardous and rigged so that we can't control anything really.Jacob72https://www.blogger.com/profile/17268402292420473229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-91332028735349586242022-08-20T03:35:58.758-04:002022-08-20T03:35:58.758-04:00It is the Way. :-) I know way too much about the F...It is the Way. :-) I know way too much about the Fighting Fantasy world of Titan, the Dragon Warriors world of Legend and the Fabled Lands gamebooks world as well, plus a bunch of my own homebrews. Places of comfort when the real world gets a bit too crappy, perhaps?fantasygamebookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05240994072742026340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-51417776607968562442022-08-19T21:39:12.942-04:002022-08-19T21:39:12.942-04:00I've learned & memorized a lot of historic...I've learned & memorized a lot of historical names and places, so the fact that I also know a lot about the Birthright world and the Star Fleet Universe, plus a lot of different rules sets doesn't feel off to me.Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13103472744612438430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-6002264305199167392022-08-19T19:19:54.330-04:002022-08-19T19:19:54.330-04:00yeah, I have felt exactly the same about my noggin...yeah, I have felt exactly the same about my noggin encylopedia of 3025 Battletech, which edges out my real knowledge of my favorite wargaming eras; the 7YW,the ACW, and the SpanAm. and even wierder, I know more FASA 3025 minutiae than I know my own Ornria Imagi-Nation campaign world...Brianne, You may call me Mistressynesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00855760861411516801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-71540638713063407902022-08-19T19:18:15.775-04:002022-08-19T19:18:15.775-04:00The worlds (and the RPGs linked to them) that I kn...The worlds (and the RPGs linked to them) that I know best are:<br />Glorantha - RQ<br />The Young Kingdoms - Stormbringer<br />The British Isles - Pendragon/Prince Valiant<br />Middle Earth - MERP/Rolemaster<br /><br />My knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos is also pretty good but that could be seen as a facet of the real-world in the 1920s.John E. Boylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02424841103552780730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-84310871011844373682022-08-19T16:36:35.009-04:002022-08-19T16:36:35.009-04:00I am fairly knowledgeable about Mystara and at one...I am fairly knowledgeable about Mystara and at one time had a similar knowledge of the Forgotten Realms. I've at various points also been familiar with several literary worlds (Wheel of Time's word, Midkemia, and so forth).<br /><br />So I guess that's all to say, I don't find it weird at all.Granger44https://www.blogger.com/profile/18310421413290986780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-370704104912551002022-08-19T16:34:57.560-04:002022-08-19T16:34:57.560-04:00I had a similar cognitive wobble years ago. I rea...I had a similar cognitive wobble years ago. I realised that I knew lots of the places in the imaginary world Midnight from the old computer game The Lords of Midnight, despite it being completely made up. I also remember my Mum being really puzzled at 14yo me reading the appendices in Lord of the the Rings as she couldn't understand why someone would go to the bother of writing a fake history.<br /><br />I do think that it is a bit odd, but as others say above, it gives us all pleasure, so go with the flow.Jacob72https://www.blogger.com/profile/17268402292420473229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-22873927368910675712022-08-19T15:46:37.226-04:002022-08-19T15:46:37.226-04:00I'm am embarrassed to say that I am more famil...I'm am embarrassed to say that I am more familiar with the Shadow World (I.C.E.) timeline than my vague recollections of real ancient history. It covers 110,000+ years of history and takes up 33 pages in the source book. BriHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14152966795952071108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-66692804042820908712022-08-19T15:42:33.513-04:002022-08-19T15:42:33.513-04:00There's this great Dork Tower strip where Ken ...There's this great Dork Tower strip where Ken can't remember anything in daily, normal life, but then can quote game rules page, chapter, and verse. Similarly there's the old story about the guy who got into a discussion with people about pole arms, and they were amazed at his breadth and depth of knowledge right up until he admitted he had learned it all through Dungeons & Dragons.<br /><br />My own memory has always been notoriously bad, short term, long term, whatever. "Like Swiss cheese " one might say. But there are some gaming things I know better and can recall better than anything of the more mundane world. <br /><br />I know more about the Wilderlands and Mystara than I know about neighboring states. I can remember more details idpf the game campaigns I was in and ran in High School than of anything else I ever did, altogether, in those four years.<br /><br />It's not weird, it is perfectly normal. We concentrate on and remember things we spend time on, care about, and love.James Mishlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03510782553325944558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-66942269266529794732022-08-19T15:40:50.366-04:002022-08-19T15:40:50.366-04:00I know the feeling; it's what held me back fro...I know the feeling; it's what held me back from too much role playing. I've also felt the need to "rebalance" when I got too involved in any one game system. So, that sense of "weird" prevented me from becoming an expert on anything.Always the Rangerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452185849452309294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-38838046173507424572022-08-19T14:55:17.421-04:002022-08-19T14:55:17.421-04:00Absolutely weird, but also apparently at the same ...Absolutely weird, but also apparently at the same time normal. I know way too much about Eberron lore, or the Marvel and DC universes. Middle earth occupies more head space than it should. And my son has a nearly encyclopedic knowledge of the multiple Gundam timelines...Jason Langloishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02507550527211520786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-15764518351003798822022-08-19T13:30:29.252-04:002022-08-19T13:30:29.252-04:00I have an encyclopedic knowledge of Karameikos and...I have an encyclopedic knowledge of Karameikos and the "Known World" from the basic set. I absorbed those gazetteers were great sources of joy for me and I really took them to heart. I still run my 5E games in this setting because I can bring a lot of life to my game and it really shines through for the players.<br /><br />I also have the same type of knowledge of Marvel comic books circa 1980 to 1995. This helps me to run Marvel Superheroes RPG. I'm running a Marvel game right now set in 1986. Players ask me about other heroes and I know that "they're in space right now", "he's in Europe around this time", "he doesn't have that power yet". . Mandevillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15878218840122224331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-81891293303028756732022-08-19T12:29:10.112-04:002022-08-19T12:29:10.112-04:00I did...once upon a time. I got in on the ground f...I did...once upon a time. I got in on the ground floor of D&D 3.5 (buying the books soon after their release, my first D&D books since Basic/Expert, 1981) and the setting that followed soon thereafter, Eberron. <br /><br />I knew the houses, the leaders, the major players, the sites, the scenes, the history, until I eventually stopped playing/GMing in the setting around 2008. With each passing year, I forget a little bit more about it. Now, of course, I can't recall much about it other than a tidbit here and there, a stray name that I undoubtedly misplace, an event that I attribute things to incorrectly, etc., etc., etc. radnoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11006466605445207729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-70568447299299174352022-08-19T11:37:40.052-04:002022-08-19T11:37:40.052-04:00I don't know, if you're weird, then so are...I don't know, if you're weird, then so are the Brontë siblings. ;)<br /><br />(Literary experts can argue about whether that's a good example or not!)thekelvingreenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01928260185408072124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-34113879756597055082022-08-19T11:09:38.077-04:002022-08-19T11:09:38.077-04:00Seems like a Tolkien Scholar except you probably h...Seems like a Tolkien Scholar except you probably had a ton more fun learning the nitty-gritty details along with friends.Ruprechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139664977453444000noreply@blogger.com