Has it really been so long since I updated here? There’s been precious little writing news to report since the great Dropbox fail ate most of my earlier work. But occasionally I do get to flex those wordsmithy muscles, even if only behind the scenes doing edits, critique, punch up, and proofing work. (And there are some other things, but I can’t talk about them right now because NDA, etc.)
Anywho, I recently realized I’m way overdue for a bout of pointing and shouting with great pride at two particular volumes I was lucky enough to be a part of.
TL;DR: I’m co-editor of these two amazing game books. You should go wherever awesome indie TTRPGs are sold, and buy them!
Way back in March 2022, Modiphius Entertainment published Index Card RPG Master Edition by Brandish Gilhelm (aka Hankerin Ferinale of Drunkens & Dragons, Runehammer Games, and most recently CROWN & SKULL fame).
And at the same time, they also released a crazy cool whole ‘nother RPG system Viking Death Squad inspired by the classic Black Sabbath song War Pigs! I’m not even kidding.
So why the hubbub on my neglected corner of the internets?
Well, to tell you that, I have to first tell you this: I ran my first ICRPG game in February 2017, and it felt great to be back in the hobby after literally decades away. Chucking dice and making memories with a table full of friends once again. And so I GMed (mostly) and played (some) another 100+ games or so.
But even more powerful to me was the joy of being part of the shield wall community that sprang up around ol’ “Hank.” I contributed some rules mechanics here and there to the group at large, and shared what I could with my fellow “lumpy headed weirdos.” Haunted the Patreon and helped others on the shield wall with proofreading what I could when I could.
Then at some point, I got hold of the early versions of these two books. For about 3 weeks solid, I sunk most of my time and effort into helping HF’s labor of love be the best it could be. I wasn’t alone, by any means. DM Scotty (whose EZD6 Wasted Worlds I got to playtest last year–it’s fantastic!) was also doing a ton of editing heavy lifting, and there were dozens of others helping out where they could. That said, the glory of these books belongs 100% with their generous–and frankly, brilliant–author, Brandish Gilhelm.
So to wrap this up, let me say it like this: if you ‘re looking for a great gaming experience and dig the indie/DIY ethos in your TTRPGs, these two volumes pack in more fun than anybody should be allowed to have with their pants on. Check ’em out!
Lonfiction 