52

 I've stumbled in the last steps of my sprint to complete my 52nd blogpost of the year. A moderate sickness of aches and headaches is making long stretches looking at the computer tiring, and it's hard to focus on composition for the hive dungeon I've been working on in the hopes that it could be my 52nd. Rather than fall just shy of an arbitrary goal I've set myself, I've decided to give out some thank yous and do some surface-level reflections on the year.

A year ago, I was in the latter stages of a wild west OSE duet game with my husband, and when that ended, we played Traveller for a few months and then started a very intricate game of Vampire the Masquerade which I should write about more some time. I was losing hard in my brother's renaissance noble family intrigue play-by-post. I was about to start running Gem Quest, a Deltora-like regioncrawl that used Hilander's Lost Fable rules. That same group proved the nucleus for a game of Mythic Bastionland, run by Hilander, which I have much enjoyed. And all that time, my in-person Endless Eons OSE game has been going strong, with the party rising to prominence in the kleptocracy of Dansa through graft and daring. My October was swallowed by Cataphracts.

Notably, I didn't play much GLoG at all! I'm still in Locheil's Ashes to Ashes play-by-post, and I was in a few very lively one-shots. It is my hope to get to play more GLoG in-person, either running something or enticing Regalia to run his Lizard Lords of Zapotec for me. Or something.

2025 has been a year of much hardship for many. Foul omens and cruel words have been the signal of the age. But it's easy for me to be hopeful because I get to know so many creative and kind people. It's just so sweet that people have seen my work and put it in their games, or wrote a response or spin-off. I'm not going to be overly saccharine, but the OSR people have been really good to me, and I appreciate it.

May we remember Alex well. May we do good and learn. May we be grateful. Happy new year. 

Periapt

It is an oversized owl charm, silver on a silver chain. The eyes are set with flints, and a fil de fer runs through the silver links of the chain, forming a silken iron thread.

The wearer of the periapt gets +4 Wisdom as long as they wear it.

 Wisdom, contributing to hindsight, is first heard in an idea that most feel when they put the periapt on. I probably shouldn't have done that.

Removing the periapt ends its magical effect. That is, the doffing character loses 4 wisdom. They become duller, less insightful, less virtuous, less clear-headed. This is not a fate worse than death, but it is something that many would trade all their worldly possessions to avoid.

The average chansel finds the periapt an unwelcome necessity, once she has tried it on. She shirks curses and magical spells more easily, finds wells of patience and potential that she would have passed by without the periapt, and prospers all the more in many enterprises. But though the mind is broader, it has no peace. Not as long as she wanders mazes to chase coins. Adventure, wisdom shows, is misadventure when you can be doing almost anything else. The person who made these friends and chose these goals and accepted these compromises of living is betrayed by the person who now thinks better of them. The chancer's guardian angel, urging him to drink strange fluids in strange pools, to live his life like he stole it, is joined by the owl on the other shoulder. Is that a worthy risk? Do you want to be dramatic or do you want to do right?

We presume this was not crafted into a curse. The wise woman and the royal advisor have worn the periapt and suffered little for it. Already half-wise, they ordered their lives carefully, and with enhanced insight found nothing they valued needed to be broken from. The blackguard and the twisted have worn the periapt and cut short their evils, all the more joyful for doing so. But no one who knows what it is dons the periapt thoughtlessly, if they know what's good for them.

And if they don't, then they will. 

Gender in Senes: a modest proposal

 Inspired by interesting setting details for Meg's River Kingdom and Matthias's Vrivmiya, here is a proof of concept for a perfectly normal way of slicing the classic RPG pie, with gender-as-race and (Conan-style) race-as-class.

Race

In the culture group of Senes, they recognize three genders: the feminine Chena, the masculine Phersun (or boundary-crossing Trintos), and the child Phalakros (and the abberant Canavar).

Chena

Marked out by their ability to bear children, diligence and insight, sexual aggressiveness, and long life. Cannot initiate violence, and cannot harm another chena under any circumstance. Her alignment is owed to a group--- political or social. It is proper for her to understand foreign languages, but not to speak them. She can marry a phersun, Trintos, or Canavar, and own land, but not have sex outside of marriage or lead in politics.

 

Phersun

Marked out by their ability to sire children, long hair, indolence and endurance, airy-fairy airs, and short life. Can initiate violence, deadly or non-, but can never harm a Canavar, for that is to turn violence on itself. He owes his alignment to an ideal, abstract and unchanginger. He can read a foreign language without shame, but not speak one. He marries a Chena or Canavar, has extramarital sex, and leads polities, but cannot own land.

 

Trintos

Marked out by their ability to sire children, insular sexuality and language, divine mandate, and long life. Can initiate violence, but only to kill-- never to enforce or teach. Cannot kill a Phalakros. Like the Phersum he is aligned to an ideal. He can read and listen to foreign languages without shame. He can't marry or lead but he can own land and have sex, and isn't that what life is all about?

 

Phalakros

Includes all children, but notably many other people. The stereotypical Phalakros is eight, but the second-most stereotypical Phalakros is eighty. Marked out by hairlessness, whimsy, and a constant drive to learn. Can initiate non-lethal force, but never harm a Phersun. Their alignment is to a group, and they cannot properly understand languages from outside that group. They do not marry, have sex, own land, or lead.

Canavar

Marked out by strange proportions, jagged, artificial punctures, bilateral fecundity, and agelessness. Can initiate non-lethal force, but never harm the divine Trintos. Aligned with appetites, literal and figurative. It can listen to foreign speech, but not read it. It may marry and lead to gain a connection to society, but not have sex out of wedlock and certainly not own land.

 

Class

Promachian
Wears a single woolen chiton, undyed or in cool colors, a wide-brimmed hat, and metal fingernails. Cosmetics are disdained, and jewelry or other adornments are supposed to be understated.
A: Citizenry- cannot use cosmetics, potions, or gaudy adornments. When charging a foe with deadly intent, you and any ally doing the same deal double damage. When wrestling a foe with subduing intent, take half damage from them. +2 reaction with spirits, gods, and non-carnivorous monsters.
B: Uprightness- you are an excellent judge of character; traditionally, you prefer the company of stuck-up pricks.
C: Prominence- you are an excellent rhetor, and your speeches cannot be ignored. When taking up the cudgel for a settlement to do something, you always find local friends willing to help you. You get to pay taxes when in your homeland, which for some reason thrills you.
D: Philosopher- those who work for you or owe fealty to you cannot be bribed and those you lead personally will not flee as long as you perform your gender without fail. Philosophers of any gender can initiate deadly violence; speak, read, and listen to any language; have an alignment of ideals; and lead.

Lykan
Wears tight studded leather, sometimes with a fiery scarf or more intricate cloak, one of a number of status-indicating circlets, tightly-bound hair, and comfortable sandals. Never covers their shins.
A: Hardness- +4 HP, and you can wear armor and throw boomerangs regardless of your walk of life.
B: Specialization- your society is properly ordered, and you get a specialization based on gender. See below.
C: Spare- no penalty for resting in miserable conditions or eating meager rations. You can perform feats of strength without tools as well as a normal person with tools.
D: Duogarchy- It's considered socially acceptable for you to challenge someone to a fight for their leadership positions, and they'll lose face if they say no unless you're not performing your gender accepting would go against their gender.

Specialization
Phalakros: you have to be a slave ; (
Chena: +1 MD and two of the following spells: Light, ESP, Hold Portal. Can spend HP as MD.
Phersun: +1 attack
Trintos: +1 MD and two of the following spells: Disguise Self, Thunderbolt, Reflect Spell. Can spend HP as MD.
Canavar: track scents as a bloodhound, and become expert in the crafting of poisons.

Theban
Wears a single-colored and very emotive mask, a two-piece chiton with flowy sleeves, boots, artificially darkened hair, and scandalous pants (if Chena or Trintos). Hats are taboo for Thebans, and they paint their helmets black in war because they're embarrassed of them.
A: Libation Bearer- ghosts love and fear you and will never impede you. Gods are fond of you, at least initially. +1 MD and one of the following spells: Comprehend Languages, Invisibility, Notes of Noy
B: Obligation- +1 MD and if you promise to do something, you'll never renege, even if it destroys you. People assume this is true of all Thebans, but it's only true of the ones at B template and up. When unarmored, you cannot be fully killed if you were at full health ten seconds ago. HP damage leaves you with 1 HP remaining, and failed saves vs death give you a crazy nosebleed, unconsciousness, and horror dreams.
C: God Stone- +1 MD when covered in blood, and two of the following spells: detect lies, augury, heal wounds.
D: Emptiness- +1 MD when wearing your mask. The most prominent Thebans are not better off for it. You can listen to languages, marry, and have sex regardless of gender. Who cares? You can casually do any of the following once ever, as long as no one thinks you're trying to show off: return a dead body to life, receive a true prophecy, summon a horrific monster, bring on a plague, make a guy explode.

Draconian
Wears performatively ragged clothing with a castellated neckline, short hair, and gaudy ornamentation whenever possible. Those who go barefoot show off their wealth.
A: Pronunciation- when speaking in a loud and clear voice, you inspire fear in Phalakrosi and Canavaroi. +1 MD and two of the following spells: detect magic, magic missile, magic mouth.
B: Beard- when wearing a stylized false beard called a Ravdos, get +1 MD. Learn one of the following spells: charm person, light, or sleep.
C: Condemnation- everyone is a criminal, some just haven't committed any crimes yet. Get +1 MD and two of the following spells: summon daemon, neutralize poison, poisonize neutral, phantasmal force
D: Law- when you pronounce a restriction on a space you own or have just been in for at least an hour, you remotely spy when someone breaks that restriction and can cast remote spells on them.Get +1 MD and the following spells: fireball, magic jar, teleport.

Nilean
Wears loose skins, a wide hooded coat, a dense cloud of fuzzy hair, and intricately-tied sandals. Weapons are worn openly or not at all.
A: Price- entering adulthood from Phalakrosy, you must give up an organ associated with your gender; a breast for Chenae, the right pointer finger for Phersunoi, an eye for Trintosi, or part of the genitals for Canavaroi. You can swim like a fish, climb like a monkey, and carry like a mule (+5 inventory), and kick like another mule (1d6 damage)
B: Boldness- you can initiate lethal or subduing violence; attack; and have sex regardless of gender. When your attack kills someone, go ahead and attack someone else right away.
C: Points- Chenae and Trintosi of Nileon are renowned for the use of the bow, while Phalakrosi, Phersunoi, and Canavaroi instead use darts when called on to fight. When using this weapon, +1 attack and you can attempt improbable ranged maneuvers like pinning, disarming, exc.
D: 1/year, you may meld with a creature you're riding, becoming as the centaur if you're riding a horse. If it's a human this is called either a rençper or a kamparntína, depending on configuration. This lasts until you decide to end it. 

Klymenean
Wears a Plutonian chiton (draped in a way that resembles a poncho, two-and-a-half pieces, often docked to go tits out or expose midriff) pierced with pins and gold ornaments, a cunning nightcap-shaped cap, pronounced cosmetics, and automatic tattoos (in the sense of automatic writing).
A: Coldness- you act with perfect matter-of-fact calmness which is better than stealth. When skulking around, listening at doorways, or similarly acting roguishly, there is a 3-in-6 chance someone who happens upon you will just assume you're supposed to be doing that, or perhaps that you're puckishly passing the time waiting for them to notice you. The first wound you inflict on someone deals double damage.
B: Balancing Scales- you are an expert in appraising value and workmanship. When someone deals damage to you, you can suddenly appear right behind them.
C: Snakes- +2 reaction rolls with snakes, tortoises, and other neptunian creatures. +1 MD and learn the spell Summon Snakes.
D: Privilege- like all who are wealthy in spirit, you are allowed certain leniencies. You can appear as anyone who has ever died, counterfeit coins and art objects fade away at your touch, and you do not need to pay property taxes above-ground.

Akh: a Thought Cabinet in Fantasy RPGs

If I post this and three other articles, I'll have posted an average of one blogpost a week, which would hearten me a bit.

 When Disco Elysium came out in 2019, it was broadly admired and, as though it were a Fromsoft game, many OSR bloggers tried to adapt its marquis mechanics to ttrpg form. In imitation of the game's "thought cabinet", you see games with psyche slots, mental inventory, and similar schemes. These attempts contend with natural obstacles posed by the difference of the medium. In D&D, you aren't choosing from a menu of options but forging your own way, and there's nothing stopping you from deciding to be a communist or a racist or sad about your wife leaving you. Fantasy games also often struggle to portray ideologies that are as compelling or intricate as real-world viewpoints, and your improvised table game is not (and should not) be as tightly-written as one of most respected games of the past ten years.

I recently upgraded from a chromebook to a laptop that's allowed to run steam, so I'm playing through Disco Elysium for the first time, and like a chump I've fallen down the same rabbit hole as all those other hapless bloggers. But this time it will go well. It will be sleek and unobtrusive, and if the DM forgets to keep inventing new thoughts for the cabinet, that will be okay.

Procedure
When a PC comes into contact with an Akh, a living thought, they may process (or must save vs processing) it. The Akh might be a conviction, a troubling fact, a piece of a god or hero's mythic cycle that can be relived and re-experienced, or anything of that ilk. Akhs are non-material but can be shared through discussion, or picked up off a dead man. While processing it, you normally have a penalty to endure. After you gain 1000 XP (by whatever normal means), you finish processing the thought, and gain a bonus (and/or maybe a penalty). Rude Akhs can make you save with favor or succumb to some impulse, but this should be rare. They're mostly problematic treasures, not over-complicated penalties. Getting rid of an Akh should be tricky.

d12 Akhs
Name: penalty/bonus/notes
1. The Sun is Dead: Take double damage while in sunlight/Eating fresh corpse meat restores 1 HP/-1 reaction with Saver Heol and his children. An Akh enjoyed by giant hounds.
2. Past Lives: -2 initiative/Gain the skills of a masterful shepherd/patient and appreciative.
3. Time's Arrow: save with favor to kill a person or destroy something valuable/sacrifice this Akh to undo an action within your sight/cannot undo the deeds of Saver Heol or Ptamose/decisive but thoughtful
4. Ism: -2 reaction/+1 reaction with officials of your nation, and the Ism Akh will butt in frequently to nudge you towards institutional success/forget all foreign or subnational languages. Bold and proud.
5. Slaves Never: cannot flee/learn to use the bow. If you can already use the bow, gain the Ironmonger class's Blood Eyes./Humble and proud.
6. Setizour: Fail all saves with magical amulets/+1 MD and learn the spell Cloak of Shadows./This Akh butts in a lot and is a coward.
7. The Piercing of Gael: -2 to ranged attacks/if you can use a bow, you can fire with air time. If not, the next time an arrow would reduce you to 0 or fewer HP, you ignore all damage from it./When you pass through a hive's main gate, eight small wounds in your chest open, which the devout find charming. Apprehensive and awestruck.
8. Broadmindedness: -4 charisma/you may speak with gibbering plants and get +1 reaction with them/gibbering plants are not very informative.
9. Geomancy: Cannot see anything not touching the ground/Attain knowledge of kastromancy/upon internalizing, save or immediately begin processing the Ten Slaves Akh. Matter-of-fact
10. Orb Quest: -4 to all handful acts if not holding an orb in your offhand/+1 MD when holding an orb in your offhand. Calculating and strident.
11. Ten Slaves: Deaf to everything more than 15' away/The tap of your foot can detect if something is a trap/There is a vague sense that you owe these slaves an awful lot if you find them. Tense and eerie.
12. Ye Mighty: Take double damage/Gain prima vedex for all extinct cultures./Decent but sanctimonious.

d20 Personal Dungeon Stakes

 At Hilander's suggestion, here are examples of a great cheap trick to make normal D&D events feel more connected to the characters while still being very play-focused. "You are the ex-wife of the master of the nearest dungeon" are very efficient words. In our tradition, we tend to plug rootless PCs into adventure situations. But it really adds a lot imo to change "a sword" to "your rightful sword" and "an apocalypse" to "your apocalypse"

See also Louis's magnum opus.

d20
1. you are the local dungeon master's ex-wife
2. you are the confessor or loyal of one particular humanoid on the dungeon's random encounter table
3. your cousin is a bandit on the overland encounter table
4. Your son is an evil knight
5. your father was justly usurped from the throne of this land
6. you legally own the ruin the dungeon is built under
7. the immortal lich is your ancestor, and she really wants you to make something of yourself
8. You and the local cat burglar are rivals with overwhelming sexual tension
9. The master of the dungeon learned it all from you
10. You opened the forbidden scroll that caused this whole mess
11. Your sister opened the forbidden scroll that caused this whole mess
12. Legally, it's your responsibility to protect these people
13. You own a house within half a mile of where all this is going down, and you have good memories there.
14. The magic sword in the dungeon is your family's sword
15. Everyone in the evil zone wants you to be someone you're not, and they're threatening a nice old man who likes you for you
16. A specific lieutenant of the dungeon master killed your sister
17. 1-in-6 random encounters are actually demons in disguise, sent to punish you for how you live your life.
18. Your crush admires the evil dungeon people because they're attacking a third party who traumatized your crush with villainy
19. Your mentor is being judged by a council of snobbish wizards based on what you do, and if you fail she's out of a job and really sad.
20. the master of the dungeon is dating your ex-wife.