Portrait of the GM as an old man

books
#1

3Tzvz2RdSrKn6pTHqK3Xog_thumb_2630
3Tzvz2RdSrKn6pTHqK3Xog_thumb_2630.jpg756x1039 292 KB

I’ve been collecting TTRPG materials for a long time. In my youth, it was mostly TSR productions (D&D and Star Frontiers). I picked up the Gamma World and Spelljammer boxes at Half Price Books ages ago, and only ever really glanced at them. I have a handful of old copies of Dungeon magazine, and a few first edition modules.

I was probably too young at the time to really benefit from the games, unsure of my own story-telling abilities, but it certainly set many gears in motion for my growth as an individual.

I’ve purchased and downloaded several dozen items from DriveThruRPG over the years, exploring novel new systems, getting inspired by supplements and adventures that people have published.

I feel that all of that was a necessary journey for me to really appreciate ICRPG. My physical copy arrived just today, and it’s going to be dogeared in no time (if PDFs could wear out, that copy would already be tattered!). All of the other games I’ve collected, read, and played have been fun, but none have unlocked my brain like ICRPG. The game mastering advice is like nothing else I’ve encountered. It’s empowering, encouraging, and focused on all the things I want in a TTRPG.

I’m definitely a “play and let play” kind of guy, so I have no beef with people who love a good hexcrawl, or rules minutia to determine just how such-and-such equipment synergizes with this-and-that class ability in some very specific environmental encounter. Those things just aren’t for me.

The GM’s oath was eye opening for me. The simple and flexible rules give me the tools to do what I want, rather than figure out how the book publishers wanted me to do something. The DIY community here on the forums are so much more of what I want, as compared to the “which class should my Paladin Warlock dip into to unlock even more bonuses from the published books?” that I read on Reddit.

I’ve been gently introducing components of ICRPG into my extant game, and the players have loved all of them. Timers, threats, treats, target numbers, Hank’s “social encounters” guidance, and all the other bits and pieces I’ve picked up from the folks of the Shieldwall have made my games better: more energetic, more fun for all, and more satisfying.

Thank you, everyone involved with ICRPG! It’s exactly what I needed at this stage of my gaming career.

RPG Shelfies
#2

It’s a wonderful place to be! Welcome!

#3

Glad to have you in the shield wall friend! Your writing prompt and section for the community collab dungeon was phenomenal! I’d be happy to work along side ya on another project any time.

#4

Welcome! I’m just getting started with table top rpg in my 40s and loving the journey.

#5

Thanks for taking the time to write this honest appraisal of the system. I fell in love with ICRPG and anticipate playing it forever. Especially as a DM, nothing comes close to giving me this ease or flexibility at the table.

#6

My shelves look very similar. Mine also have dozens of rulesets for miniature wargaming since that has also been a passion of mine for several decades.

I have to agree with you on the GM’s oath. If you read just one page in ICRPG, it should be the oath. It provides some guidance that just isn’t found anywhere else.

#7

Having grown up in the early 80’s starting with D&D Redbox, Star Frontiers, and AD&D 1E I totally get what you are saying here. For me ICRPG is what I always wanted D&D to be. There is so much awesome creative stuff in the core book, I regularly thumb through it for inspiration, usually not with a particular thing that I am looking to read. The energy that Hank has put into this game is palpable and I think this community is a reflection of that.

The first time that came across ICRP was a simple stumble over while looking through some youtube videos on G+. I had been designing an RPG myself for over a year to try to develop a simple and streamlined system that worked for me but when I saw ICRPG up on the screen my jaw dropped (and stayed dropped for quite some time), this was the game I had been trying to find for years! Where I am still dedicated to finish my own rpg, I am honestly more interested in rocking some ICRPG.

Thanks for sharing old man Skippy, Im glad you found ICRPG and that it is serving you well!

#8

Your sentiments match mine exactly. My bookshelf is mostly devoid of RPG books because I gave up playing. This was simply because the games I played were either too rules light or too complex or had fiddly mechanics. I did not come across a system that fulfilled my expectations.

I love this system so much that I sat down and wrote a book for it. If you had asked me whether I’d write an RPG book before my encounter with ICRPG, I would have said that you are delirious.