A blog post I wrote on tools to promote longevity in minimalist games by borrowing principles from the OSR movement and Powered by the Apocalypse Games. ICRPG and this forum both get mentions.
Against Progress: Minimalist RPGs and the Big Picture
Runehammer
#2
Oh wow, really cool how he baited and switched his thesis there!!! No sarcasmā¦that was a good little read.
Haha - thanks. I thought a lot about how and if I should include ICRPG because of the use of loot as a measure of progress - which could be construed as every bit a novelty/dopamine reward as a feat in D&D. However, itās been my experience that the loot rewards are cues to build the world, not just the PC.
In any case, thank you for creating a game that has proven to be much, much deeper than it appears at first glance. Managing to combine simplicity, depth, and a distinctly DIY spirit is an impressive accomplishment.
Runehammer
#4
Thanks man! Really kind words!
I have been hearing a LOT from 5e players these past few weeks that 5e has bummed them out on progression, even though on the surface it boasts depth. Strange times!
I think so many players are looking to books or systems for āprogressionā or āmoodā even though those live exclusively in the table, GM, and playersā imaginationsā¦ at least the way I see it!
I think itās that dissatisfaction that can lead to liberty. Once gamers learn to let go of the expectations theyāve been sold (see my post on the suffocating weight of 5e) and learn that they can determine what progress means, well, gaming becomes a very wide canvas - and they become co-creators.
Hexeter
#7
That is about where I am in my Hobby leanings as well these days. I outgrew the āSupplement Crazeā that began with 2nd Edition D&D and itās āComplete Handbookā Line and decided that I was done buying other peoples ideas of how MY game should be played. I like small things now, Inspire me and let me do my own thing.
Too many Games now have lofty Introductions written by industry veterans claiming that the game is yours to do with as you wish! etc etc. But they have built their business model on continuing to feed you their specific way of playing the game. In many cases it is the Supplements they release that you need to buy in order to have the most current Rules Set.
I am done with all of that. Give me my ICRPG and this lovely Shield Wall of Creativity and I am happy Gamer.
Also give me beer. 
Khan
#8
Just to āsupplementā (he he) Hexeter hereā¦
Many big and popular games are created and sustained in Game as a Businessā¢ model. Naturally, D&D is the gorilla of this movement. The primary engineering goal behind these games isnāt fun, it is the business. As @Alex has put it so nicely a few days ago, the books and supplements are āwordy attempts at cash grabā. They arenāt entirely useless of course but they are so inefficient when you want to put anything in them on the table.
Consider creating a new class from scratch in D&D. It is so much headache. There are so many variables to adjust, so many things to consider and so many things to keep in mind. And the worst thing is it isnāt worth it. Classes donāt give enough depth. Depth and variety in D&D is an illusion. Classes are very rigid and they are purposefully so.
Having said all that, Iād like to stress Iām not dissing people and companies for trying to make money but Iām not interested in what they are producing because they are producing the wrong thing from my point of view. Iām not supporting them, Iām supporting @Runehammer because heās putting the game first before anything else.
Play whatever you like. It is a game and a hobby afterall.
So, game on!
THIS. I was sold on whole ICRPG concept by one tiny event at my table - it was first time when i introduced it to my players. We started yet another fantasy campaign, and at the beggining i said ālisten up guys, you can play any character you can imagine, go wildā. There was a brief silence among them. Finally one player said āSoooā¦ can i play BLAH?ā āSure!ā, and BAM! 5 minutes after the character was ready for playing. Rest of the party (you should see their faces) was like - āwait a minute! Can he play such a cool half-demonic bad-ass? I want some too!ā. That was most bizzare party iāve ever run, but they played shit out of their chars. That was the night, when they left mainstream for good :).
Alex
#11
Great read. Hereās a bit of my story, so you can appreciate why the article resonates with me: I have never fully played games as written. Especially when it came to D&D, I was always keeping the parts I liked and throwing out the parts I didnāt like. I never understood why DMs liked giant stat blocks for monsters. I would always grab one or two key stats and abilities and chuck the rest. I just needed enough for the flavor. But hereās the kicker. I always felt broken in a way for doing that. I felt ālessā than these other players who were so invested in every little shred of crunch. And for all of my skill in using only the tools I liked in gaming and getting rid of the rest, it never occurred to me to take a balcony level view of what I was doing.
And then Hank came along. Not only was he doing the same things I was instinctively doing, but he had codified it. He boiled it down to its barest essence and then packaged it as a useful tool. But most importantly: he told me (and everyone else) it was okay. He completely validated everything I had been doing and feeling as a DM for years. His message was simple: if you want to homebrew it, go for it! Thereās no patent on fun.
Iāve been on the Runehammer train for a long time now, largely because I finally feel at home in my gaming pursuits. ICRPG is the system I was playing all those years; I just wasnāt smart enough to realize it. And so, I love this system. It allows me to do what I want a system to do: give me enough rules to get going and then get out of the way so that we can focus on the story and fun as DMs and players.
What I find from other systems is that there is no customer service or hospitality mindset in terms of delivering content to busy readers and players. Thereās a writerās conceit which says, āif I wrote all this lore I find fascinating, other people will want to read it.ā Hereās a tip: I donāt. As a busy DM/player/husband/father/worker/son/ homeowner/neighbor, thereās a premium on my time. And so, the question I feel like game companies need to be asking is, āwhat can I do to help DMs and players get sessions to their table as fast and easily as possible?ā So far, Hank is one of the few creators I have met that keeps this question as a polar star.
Finally, with regard to campaigns, I can only say that there is no limit on running a rules-lite system in a long campaign. They can progress for as long or short as you want, as long as from a story-telling perspective you keep the world compelling enough (whether or not you use fronts or any other tool to help you do this) and the players want to continue.
Wildstar
#12
Wordpress lives~!
@TheyCallMeDeans I really dig your blog! The art on your posts is amazing!
Iāve read a few of the posts so far and look forward to catching up on more.
TheyCallMeDeans
#13
Thank you! Itās all public domain art that Iāve scrounged. I try to keep a weekly posting schedule - look for something new every Friday.
Monkeybarsix
#14
Thread necromancy here, just saw the post. Iām trying to view the blog, but Iām getting some kinda spam thing.
Ragnobash
#16
Any possibly to posting again here or a PDF? It sounded something right up everyone interest.
Thanks!
Oh no! 
Why? Is there a way we can help keep it running? Or maybe youāll rewrite your articles as a book or something?
TheyCallMeDeans
#18
Hmm. Putting together a PDF of the ICRPG content is a pretty good idea. There are just a few pieces and a setting.
Shutting down the blog was a mental health decision. I find being online very challenging outside of smaller communities like this one. Lord knows Iāve created and shut down at least a dozen social media and blog accounts.
Iām sorry to read that, and I understand. Iām an attention seeker so I sometimes get to bully peeps a bit for the spotlightā¦ 
Donāt feel bad, social media can be draining and emotional! Weāre with you! 
And thank you for the chance to read your stuff, Iām pretty excited!
TheyCallMeDeans
#20
So Iāve compiled the posts I wrote about ICRPG, as well as the Full Metal Fists setting into a single (amateurishly formatted) document.
Buuuuut I have no idea how to post it here. Not super keen on Google Docs.
Anyone know a way I can get it into your hands?