Right, I’m putting together an old-school D&D campaign. I’ve already said I’m interested in exploring data visualisation and D&D, but in order to actually visualise data I’m going to need a campaign to generate the bloody data in the first place.

I’m still finding my way in the world of data, so this campaign is partly a way for me to learn through play. I want to explore tools such as AI and machine learning, Python scripting, automatic transcription, qualitative data analysis software, virtual tabletops, wikis, yadda yadda. The geekiest toys I can find, basically.

I’ll need to capture and store my campaign’s data in a systematic manner, thinking carefully about how I actually want to exploit the data in a useful way that enriches the campaign.

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Shit. So, I’ve not done a great job at updating this blog, have I? Almost a year since my last post. To be fair, the global pandemic has been a bit distracting.

I’m going to make a genuine effort to update this blog more regularly. Ideally, once a week – possibly more often. I find that having some kind of overarching project to blog about helps. I’ve thought of two (related) projects that might encourage me to blog more regularly, and have adapted my schedule to make time for them both.

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I’ve put together a character sheet for MÖRK BORG, designed for use in online Google Hangouts games.

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Arthur over at Refereeing and Reflection has posted a review of the late ’90s British indie horror RPG Principia Malefex. His review is spot on and picks apart the clunky system, reactionary politics, and dreary setting stuffed with mundane details about everyday life in ’90s Britain.

I’m not going to defend Principia Malefex. I agree with essentially everything Arthur has written (as is so often the case). Despite all that, I nevertheless find Principia Malefex a fascinating curio of British indie gaming history. It not only predates The Forge, it predates indie games like Obsidian: The Age of Judgement (the indie RPG that originally inspired Ron Edwards to start The Forge).

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How did I not know about this? I’ve just discovered a treasure trove of British Old-School podcasts on Anchor.fm, and it’s bloody brilliant.

I already knew about The Grognard Files (required listening if you’re interested in the B-OSR), as well as Improvised Radio Theatre – With Dice (glorious), the Good Friends of Jackson Elias (a brilliant horror role-playing podcast, mostly covering the latest edition of Call of Cthulhu but often talking about their experiences gaming back in the day), and What Would the Smart Party Do? (who cover all sorts of games, though I’d especially recommend their retrospective of roleplaying in the 1970s).

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