Posted by on April 27, 2026

I have been tinkering with my own rules for a while now. And while it still isn’t finished (will it ever be?) I am getting to the point where I could see it being used in a game.

Now mind you, I didn’t really come up with this on my own, I just took ideas from other places and added my own spin to it. The very core of the game used to be the Labyrinth Lord SRD, but I drew in parts from other places over time so I don’t know if much of that is left (the skills as d6 values idea definitely came from Lamentations of the Flame Princess)

Anyway, here is my take on a 1d6 based skill system. This replaces the thieves’ skills and adds further skills from various places (e.g. the Search Roll has become a Perception skill, and the Dwarves’ Architecture ability has become a skill). Languages also are now treated as separate skills. The main idea is that these skills are in fact all available to all characters, but some might have more skill in them than others. Every character gains 1 skill point at every level increase, but Thieves/Specialists/Rogues gain them quicker (at 2SP per level)

All of this is of course very broad, as it’s just taking the vestiges of the B/X skill system and expanding on that. But there’s the question if one actually needs a skill system in a B/X-based game at all, and I would say… well, there’s the Thief already. And you got all those other weird special cases. Why not make this easier to handle?

Skills and Languages

Skills

Skills are additional abilities that characters possess.

Skills are presented in a number of X out of 6. They are checked by rolling a d6. If the number of the die is in the value for the skill this check was successful. The referee might check the skill concealed if the outcome might not be immediately obvious to the character.

If a character has an unmodified 6 in 6 in a skill two die are rolled, and the check only fails if both come up as 6s.

All skills start with a value of 1 of 6, except when modified by other circumstances.

All physical abilities have to be attempted unencumbered, or the character suffers -1 per encumbrance level.

Every character gains 1 skill point per level, to be spent on any skill. Specialists gain additional skill points when they start and level up.

List of skills

Languages

All characters begin with the local common tongue and one additional language, generally the local trade tongue and something culturally related (e.g. dwarvish). Additional languages can be chosen at the DM’s discretion. A character with Intelligence 13 gains one more, one with 16 two more, and one with Intelligence 18 three more languages.
All characters with Intelligence scores of 9 or more can read and write any language they know that has a written form. At Intelligence 9 literacy is basic, reading is slow and difficult; spelling and grammar are optional; quality improves with Intelligence.
Additional languages can be learned by using skill points.

Note: For simplicity’s sake languages are binary, i.e. they only have one point for fluency, no matter how unrealistic that is.

Edit:

• changed the Sneak Attack modifier to 0.5 to cut down on potentially game-breaking assassins

Additional Fediverse Tags:
@rpg @osr

I do like random results in my game, especially effects of reaction and morale rolls. I feel the game is much more interesting if I as the referee do not exactly know what is going to happen with any given NPC.

The issue is of course that while I try to come up with reasonable reactions, sometimes my NPCs are too reasonable. So this table is supposed to deal with that. What happens when NPCs fail a morale roll?

Morale rolls come from the wargaming roots of Dungeons and Dragons, and in Chainmail this would mean a retreat.

Fantasy Roleplaying has a lot more intimate combat though. What happens when a group of NPC combatants realizes there is no way for a fight to go their way?

I think in most cases they will try to have a more or less ordered retreat as well. If not able to do so they will surrender. But at the extreme end I would say they should panic.

This might not be completely realistic, but it certainly might get some interesting results in a game.

Panic!

When a character (NPCs) fails a morale check on a roll of 12, roll on Panic! table.

Note: Please remember that NPCs with a morale value of 12 do not check morale.

Panic Table
1. Mindless Panic: character will try to get away from danger in the most direct way possible. If not possible go to result 2.
2. Cower: character will cower in fear, trying to limit attack surface
3. Hysterics: character has a hysteric fit, will have to save against spell to snap out of it. If not possible within 1d6 rounds go to result 4.
4. Fainting: character will faint. Out of commission for 1d12 rounds.
5. Berserk rage: will attack indiscriminately for 1d6 rounds at +1, afterwards go to result 4
6. Heart attack: save against death, otherwise suffer heart attack

Claire Vallas, Shipping Company Admin
Citizen, Corporate
Required Skills: None
Required Equipment: Transportation

Westom-Karr’as Shipping is a single-system transport company specializing in non-jump mining transports. One of their large mineral transports from the asteroid belt in the outer system has stopped responding to calls. The ship (the Westom VI) is still there, but gives no response to hails. The ship isn’t due for another month, but the amount if minerals is worth millions of credits. It would be good if someone could check out what happened.

Claire is willing to pay 5.000 for a check-in, plus routine maintenance and fuel for their ship in their facilities. If pressed she also can offer an additional contract to deliver supplies to the belt mining facility the Westom VI came from.

1. An asteroid strike has taken out all the communication antennas, repairs were stymied by lack of replacement parts. The small crew will be happy about any assistance that can be rendered.
2. An asteroid strike has taken out the main cabin of the ship. One crewman is still hanging entangled in wires (but dead), the other two cannot be found.
3. The ship is abandoned. Systems are running on autopilot, half eaten dishes on the table. No trace of the crew.
4. The crew is present but claims no contact with the main world can be established. This turns out to be true. Something is interfering with communications in the area around the ship.
5. As 4. But there is one additional crew member unaccounted for by the company.
6. Something psionically active in the cargo has been driving the crew insane. By the time the PCs arrive only one member of the crew is alive, but he has taken on two split personalities from the ones he murdered and ate.

Small houserule I came up with while redoing the my xp awards for my campaign:

Attending a church service/religious ceremony of a friendly faith and tithing appropriately to their stature (at least 50gp) gives 50 xp.

It also has a chance of bestowing a blessing. The character tithing needs to roll Save vs. Spell to gain the effects of a Bless spell until the next combat or rest period (whatever happens first).

A critical failure on this roll (1 in 20) instead gains them the effect of a Quest. The PC in question now is taken with the unbearable need to do something specific (ideally something related to the saint/deity worshipped in the temple).

Mind you, you might think this is just a boon for player characters, but the effect of this can also affect opponents, be they clerics, cultists, or members of various tribes. There is a chance any particular group is under the influence of a Bless spell, as long as there is a cleric or shaman attending their spiritual needs.

This also means the local tribes might send out representatives on Quests themselves. An orcish tribe might get the quest to locate a legendary weapon of their tribe now in the hands of the local baron.

My roleplaying stats for 2025:

* ran 35 games on Grenzland (of those 2 Hidden Fortress (Star Wars OSR) and 3 Pirates of Drinax (MgT2), the rest was part of my Glimmermark campaign (Labyrinth Lord)

* played in 9 games on Grenzland (Dolmenwood and the Montag in Zürich games which were largely not on Monday)

* attended 1 convention (Cauldron OSR Euro Con, played 5 games)

* ran/played 19 games of Shadowrun 3rd edition. I didn’t actually keep track who was GMing and who was playing. We are alternating.

* posted 25 roleplaying-related blog posts (now 26)

* published 1 fanzine article in the Grenzland zine

All in all 65 games. 1.25 games per week.

That’s a fair amount.

(Very technically the Lodz Comic festival also might count as a ttrpg convention, but there were like two tables and a miniature painting workshop and thanks to my kid I didn’t get to enjoy anything of it.)

So, how about you? How was your year in this hobby?

Elves are well known to be able to see in the dark… because they glow.

Infravision and darkvision to me never made that much sense for Elves. Why would they be able to see in complete darkness. Every picture of an elf in the woods has them lit by some unearthly glo…. ooooooh.

Yeah, so elves faintly glow from the inside in an unearthly light. Not much, not really that noticeable during the day. But any elf gives enough light to navigate a forest and/or cave. (in other words, about the same range and fidelity as a dwarf’s darkvision)

Benefit: elves (and their companions) don’t necessarily need light sources to navigate complete darkness, although the effect is more like using your phone screen to find your way to the bathroom than a proper light source. Not enough to properly search a room with, but better than nothing.

Drawback 1: Elves are visible in complete darkness. Even extinguishing your torch isn’t gonna make the elf stop glowing unless properly covered. This also means elvish thieves have a -20% on Hide in Shadows unless covered.

Drawback 2: Their glow messes up the darkvision of others. You wonder why dwarves don’t like elves? Well, lots of reasons, but one is that when they are near they can’t use their darkvision properly.

Corollary: Dark elves are dark elves (or shadow elves) because they cast a natural darkness the same way that surface elves glow

Random Tables

d100 – Hireling Hobbies or PC Pastimes (d4 Caltrops)

D20x5 Great Grails (Archons March On)

d100 Woefully Encysted Creatures (Blog of Forlorn Encystment)

Farmer Drama 2 Ethyria Farm Life + (Elfmaids & Octopi)

Resources

10 Reasons Why the Guild has a Partial Map (Rise Up Comus)

Who feeds all these monsters? Monster Keepers & Menageries (Elfmaids & Octopi)

DOWNTIME DEMANDS OF SENTIENT WEAPONS: Or The Care & Feeding of Excalibur (I Cast Light)

Tireless Antagonisms (English Civil War campaign rules) (The Stronghold Rebuilt)

Encounters

Friday Encounter: Powder Keg (Tales of the Lunar Lands)

Thought

where are psionics from? (Blog of Holding)

What does Protection from Evil protect us from? (Chgowiz’s Hobbies)

Pulp Heroes and Damage (Akratic Wizardry)

Dead Gods Waiting to be Reborn: Ruined Shrines and the Syncretist Cleric in AD&D (Blog of Forlorn Encystment)

There’s a Road to the Dungeon, and It’s Paid for by Adventurers (Blog of Forlorn Encystment)

Action-Oriented Interaction (Aboleth Overlords)

DM Aid

Building Bhakashal – Sandbox Style Open World Gaming (Dweller of the Forbidden City)

Monstrous Mondays: Guardians of the Library (The Other Side)

Yaksha’s Hexfill Method (Part 1) (Seed of Worlds)

Gygaxian Democracy: 100+ more reasons the guild has a partial map (Rise Up Comus)

Curses (DMiurgy)

Against the Elements (Among Cats and Books)

5 Tropes that Make Exciting Stories But Ruin D&D Games (DM David)

Smoking Gun (Magical Revolvers) (dungeonfruit)

Monstrous Mondays: Ghost Lights (The Other Side)

The Smaug Dragon (The End Of All Things)

What it takes to get a drink around here (Town Scrier)

Super simple XP system, take 2 (Methods and Madness)

Props

Scratch Off Dungeon Maps! (glorified notepad)

Hobby History

When did People Start Referring to RPGs as TTRPGs? (Taskerland)

Ruins (Grognardia)

HârnMaster

Map K3: Anoth Delta (lythia.com)

Tashal: Buckthorn House (lythia.com)

Other

Why Knights Fought Snails in Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts (Open Culture)

The Oldest Unopened Bottle of Wine in the World (Circa 350 AD) (Open Culture)

Men with Fangs! (The Horrors Of It All)

Random Weird

Posted by Geoffrey on September 30, 2025

Grenzland no. 6 appeared in my mailbox last week, and now can also be downloaded from archive.org. A harcopy can be purchased for 5 Euros from Wanderer Bill (as long as copies last that is). It features a mix of mostly English and partially German articles concerning OSR topics, including an expanded article on Campaign Events.

Information and Reconaissance in Domain Games by lkh is a meditation on information gathering in domain games, based on the experience in the Grenzland diplomacy game (see below).

Campaign Events by me (kyonshi): a longer article regarding Campaign Events, very much inspired by the tables from Oriental Adventures, but reworked for my own purposes.

Notes on a ShipCrawl Game by RThom: ideas on creating a ship-based campaign.

Bericht über die letzten Ereignisse in und um Akan-Lai by Mellen Darg by kiki: a game report about a more or less regular Worlds Without Number game (article in German)

The Grenzland Diplomacy Game by lkh: the rules and faction sheets for the concluded Grenzland Diplomacy Game (faction sheets are a mix of German and English)

Recently on Discord by cidney: struggling with the machine

I have been playing Red Dead Redemption 2 the last few weeks, which spurred me on (see what I did there!) to give Boot Hill a look again, especially as RDR2, like other Rockstar Games titles, is using alternate American states instead of actual places. Instead of any actual American state this game starts in the mountain state of Amberino, then proceeds to the midwestern state of New Hanover, and then the Southern state of Lemoyne (and then further on). No actual states were harmed in the production of this game… Although one of course can see what they’re meant to be. The largest city might be called St. Denis, but it’s New Orleans in all but name, size, and actual historicity. In fact the geography doesn’t make any sense at all the more you think about it, but it’s fine for a video game.

This made me think about the setting for Boot Hill, which I remembered had a made up area as a campaign base as well.

Well, sort of.

For one, neither the 1st edition (which barely was more than a wargame) nor the 3rd edition (which went more into skills and messed up the combat system) actually seem to have had a given setting besides “the old west”.

2nd edition, the one that most people are interested in, and which basically was the main edition, that one did have… something.
This edition also was also the only that had a line of supporting books, in the form of 5 scenarios (the BH–series). Now the Boxed set of the game had a map of Promise City, and on the reverse side a map of El Dorado County.* And at least some of the scenarios were set in El Dorado county as well. The problem being: not necessarily the same El Dorado county.
Boot Hill went with the toolbox approach of building a campaign so much that the maps that were included and the few scant descriptions of what might be in El Dorado county, were in fact entirely optional. The wilderness map was unmarked, and the rules even gave instructions how to orient it for specific settings. Want El Dorado County to be in Texas? Then the bendy river goes to the south. Want it to be in Colorado? Then the river goes North-South instead and ignore the Mexican-influenced parts we just mentioned.

The scenarios are also written with that assumption. Sure, they fit on the same wilderness map, but exactly how they fit is another question. Both BH3 Burned Bush Wells and the BH5 Promise City from Range War! are supposed to be on the same map, but North is different in each. and the Promise City, AZ of BH3 Ballots and Bullets, is not the Promise City, OR from Range War! even if the name’s the same and, in fact, the same map (the one in the boxed set that is).

El Dorado and Promise, it seems, are everywhere and nowhere.

The idea is of course that you can just place it wherever it suits your campaign, I guess as long as you don’t want to move between locations too much, you always start with Promise City in El Dorado County.
I have to wonder if this was one of the reasons for the lackluster reception of the game. Sure, you can make this game your own, by just adapting the maps to your own campaign, but at the same time there is no actual sense of place. It all depends on the GM to make a campaign that their players feel is interesting. Unlike the experiences in, lets say, Greyhawk or the Forgotten Realms, there was not really any shared experiences between players.

On the other hand, it did manage three editions, so some people were actually buying it. If for the quality of the game, or because they were buying everything from TSR is another question.

Addendum: A few years ago Kellri made a campaign map that includes all the El Dorado locations referenced in Boot Hill products on one map, and while that one is quite the feat the map as a few glaring problems: The places with Spanish names and presumably Mexican origin are in the North, places with colder climate are in the South, and it doesn’t actually follow some of the locations as established in the modules.

*Note: I might have to mention that none of the variations of El Dorado County in Boot Hill is anything like the actually existent El Dorado county in California