Ancient Academy Games

21/10/2024

Another Gamehole Con finished, and it was amazing! My thanks to Alex Kammer, Josh Hoyt, and the rest of the Gamehole Con committee - it was an honor to be a special guest this year, and I worked to make sure that I made it worthwhile: 2 AD&D 50th Anniversary 1-hour events, 3 Tekumel events, and 1 Traveller event. I am fatigued but very happy. Looking forward to next year! (More photos to follow)

11/07/2024

After two months and three conventions, I'm back working on my blog. Here is the latest blog post - check it out:

So what did the mimeo Empire of the Petal Throne add to combat? The answer is A LOT!
https://www.sandboxofdoom.com/2024/07/11/tekumel-thursday-14-ept-rules-updates-combat-additions/

29/06/2024

In other news, I completed the first round of editing The Egg of the World with my fantastic editor!

16/05/2024

The Table of Contents for Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons is now available! I have posted about this on my blog (link in comments), with thanks to Arch Zenopus from the Zenopus Archives for extracting the TOC to share with all of us! (All I am doing now is waiting for my copy of the book to arrive!)

15/05/2024

Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons is now available! My friend Dimitri Del Castillo had me sign his copy last night at Noble Knight Games. If you are interested, you can order now from MIT Press. (Link in comments!)

13/05/2024

What is the OSR and how do we develop decent theory to talk about it? Some introductory thoughts on my blog - your comments are welcome!

Games Theory · history · OSR OSR Theory 1: Introductory Thoughts May 13, 2024May 13, 2024 Victor Raymond Some time ago, I had a discussion with a friend and fellow academic about the OSR — the Old School Revival, Renaissance, or possibly Rules. Coming at this from an indie games perspective, he ...

11/05/2024

Something arrived in the mail! It is a proof copy of a new print product - there are a few adjustments which need to be made (but that is to be expected). Coming soon!

10/05/2024

Just how DO you do combat in Empire of the Petal Throne? If you thought it was just like OD&D, you might want to think again! This is the next part of my series of blog posts about issues that need attention for EPT to work better as a means of introducing newcomers to Tékumel.

campaigns · EPT · Tekumel Tékumel Thursday 13: EPT Rules Updates-Combat Sequence May 9, 2024May 10, 2024 Victor Raymond Okay, this blog post has been delayed for a day, due to taking my cat Dorian to the vet.  He’s doing much better now, so I can finish this post.  I have also decided to spli...

06/05/2024

Looks like I will be at North Texas RPG Con and 4th Street Fantasy Con in June this year!

02/05/2024

What do you get when you have a priestess who worships Ksarul, an adventurer aligned with Avanthe, and a highly psychic priest of Qon? An adventuring party!
This is my latest blog post in a series about my own Tékumel campaign, and how it has worked out over the seven years we have been playing. Comments welcome over on my blog.

advice · blog · campaigns · EPT · Tekumel Tékumel Thursdays: Alignment in my Tékumel campaign May 2, 2024May 2, 2024 Victor Raymond One of the biggest issues I had to deal with in starting my Tékumel campaign had to do with alignment.  Tékumel’s alignment system is different from the vari...

25/04/2024

Imperial politics, the imminent war with Yán Kór, and relations with Mu'ugalavyá are all part of a Dispatch to the Imperium from early in the original campaign. What can we make of this, and how could it be used in your own campaign?
This is my latest blog post in a series looking at the Dispatches to the Imperium, originally published in The Strategic Review and The Dragon.

advice · blog · campaigns · EPT · Tekumel Tékumel Thursday: Trolls in the Woods April 25, 2024April 25, 2024 Victor Raymond The need to convey news about what was happening elsewhere in the Empire presented a challenge to Prof. Barker in the original campaign – or player-characters were along...

23/04/2024

I am very happy to report that an essay I have co-authored with Gary Alan Fine, "Soft Communities and Deviance in Dungeons & Dragons" will be included in Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons, an upcoming release from MIT Press! It is good to get back to academic writing, and I feel very lucky to have our paper as part of this anthology.

Links to my blog post and MIT Press in the comments!

18/04/2024

Empire of the Petal Throne is an amazing design example of early tabletop roleplaying games. But there are some issues that need some work for EPT to work as a marvelous means of introducing Tékumel. The first part in my series of blog posts about this is now available!

advice · campaigns · EPT · Refereeing Tékumel Thursday: EPT Rules Updates Part One April 18, 2024April 18, 2024 Victor Raymond It is worth keeping in mind that Empire of the Petal Throne (EPT) was one of the first roleplaying games published after Original D&D.  The fact that it is well-written...

11/04/2024

I have a new Tékumel blog post about starting my own Tekumel campaign, seven years ago. It also should be easier for readers to comment on the blog post, so let me know what you think.

advice · campaigns · EPT · Refereeing · Tekumel Tékumel Thursday: Starting My Campaign April 11, 2024April 11, 2024 Victor Raymond Tékumel is very well suited to the long-form tabletop roleplaying campaign.  It has cultural, social, and historical depth, it covers a vast area, and has tremend...

08/04/2024

I had a grand time at Horticultural Hall today, as part of a panel for the release of Wisconsin Adventures for D&D 5e, from the Wisconsin Historical Society. Kurt Griesemer was our gracious host, along with Dave Driscoll. I had the honor and privilege of being on a panel with Paul Stormberg and Mike Carr, talking about the 50th anniversary of D&D and the life of Gary Gygax, and his contributions to Lake Geneva. Here are two pictures from the event - I am visible (?) facing away from the camera towards the screen. (Hopefully more later!)

05/04/2024

Finished meeting with my editor for Part 2 of 4 for The Egg of the World. The end of editing is in sight!

04/04/2024

I have a new Tékumel blog post about the Dispatches to the Imperium in this case, the "Haunted Sakbe-Road!" It also should be easier for readers to comment on the blog post, so let me know what you think.

advice · campaigns · EPT · Refereeing · Tekumel Tékumel Thursday: The Haunted Sákbe-Road April 4, 2024April 4, 2024 Victor Raymond This is the first Dispatch to the Petal Throne, and is highly appropriate, since it involves an adventure undertaken by one of Bill Hoyt’s characters, a priest o...

28/03/2024

Gamer friends - please visit my blog and give me suggestions to make it look better (link in comments)