19 March 2010
Today’s Tabbloid
PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
ROGUE FEED
In Defense of Charts
MAR 18, 2010 07:35P.M.
In our righteous defense of “simplicity,” some of us in the old school
movement, myself chief among them, have given the impression that any
kind of mechanical complexity is both unwarranted and unwanted. I
know that this is so because I’ve often seen outsiders to our little echo
chamber think, based on a reasonable but mistaken reading of our
various discussions, that “old school = rules lite.”
Now, it’s certainly true that while many old school games, such as LBB-
only OD&D, would likely qualify as rules lite under many contemporary
definitions, it’s not OD&D’s relative lack of rules that draws its
proponents toward it but rather the kinds of rules it includes and the way
those rules are presented. Conversely, many games I’d unhesitatingly call
old school, such as Chivalry & Sorcery, aren’t rules lite by any means
(and even AD&D is fairly complex by most definitions).
In reflecting on my experiences with Rolemaster, I realized that it wasn’t
really the inclusion of lots of charts that made it so difficult for me to
play. Rather, it was my unfamiliarity with those charts. I have known
many ardent players of Rolemaster and most of them didn’t think much
of my claim that the game is “unplayable.” Ditto for fans of DragonQuest.
In both cases, what I often heard was some variation on “once you get
the hang of it, it’s really not so bad.” I used to think that was self-serving
nonsense, intended to brush off my criticisms without actually
addressing them. Now, I’m not so sure.
I’m not so sure because many of the games I played regularly as a kid,
like AD&D as I mentioned above, are in fact quite chart-heavy and
1
intimidating to people who aren’t familiar with their rules. And yet I’d
defy the opinion of anyone who claimed, with a straight face, that 1e was
“unplayable” because of its charts, matrices, and many lists: “Once you
get the hang of it, it’s really not so bad.” In fact, many of those charts,
while assuredly off-putting at first glance, serve double duty as rules
references and rules explications. AD&D‘s combat charts, for example,
really helped me as a younger person to conceptualize the levels of
“fighting-ness” of the various classes, which probably explains why I
never really bought into the “thief-as-combat-god” notion so many
gamers seem to have these days.
Now, I can certainly sympathize with gamers who dislike charts or find
them impediments to their enjoyment of a game. I have lots of little
hang-ups about which I feel the same way, so I know exactly what that’s
like. But there are gamers for whom charts aren’t a problem and indeed
for whom they’re of genuine assistance. Likewise, for certain kinds of
games, charts are even a necessity, helping to make them simpler to play
than one might think at first glance. Nowadays, those types of games
aren’t my cup of tea, broadly speaking, but I have played and enjoyed
such games in the past and — who knows? — I may do so again in the
future.
Charts and matrices are no better or worse than any other rules
presentations in absolute terms and, situationally, I’ve often found them
a positive boon. So, I’ll be doing my level best to resist my current
instinct to recoil upon seeing them. Charts have been with us since the
beginning of the hobby and they’re a salutary method of presenting
information in a compressed fashion. Like everything, they’re a tool and
they have their place. To suggest otherwise is to demonstrate precisely
the kind of close-mindedness for which old schoolers are often criticized.
Speaking only for myself, I’m going to try to be more tolerant of charts
and tables and remember well that they have as much claim to being old
school as the simplicity so many of us laud these days.
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net 19 March 2010

ROGUE FEED An ancient temple of the Sea God has been discovered in the
fens of the Mermist Swamp; it is said to be overrun by trolls
REVIEW: 100 Street Vendors of and giant toads that guard a gold-plated statue at the heart of
the temple.
the City State
MAR 18, 2010 09:44A.M. Between those two small sections of one entry, there are lots of ideas a
clever referee can use in creating his own adventures and in fleshing out
the Wilderlands setting — and there are 99 more entries of similar or
even greater detail. I don’t use the Wilderlands for my OD&D campaign,
but I’ve already found lots of inspiration in the pages of 100 Street
Vendors. If one is running any kind of city-based campaign, it’s even
more inspiring, as it goes a long way toward making a seemingly
ordinary trip to hire a locksmith or employ a sage into something
memorable. If one is running a campaign that involves the City State, it’s
even more valuable, as Mishler has helpfully included several excellent
indices of the vendors (by street, by market, and by quarter), along with
discussions of local coinage.

If 100 Street Vendors of the City State has a flaw, it’s that its bare bones,
illustration-free presentation might be overwhelming. The information
contained within its 60 pages is vast and the text uses a very small point
size, which might by off-putting. These would be unfortunate but
understandable reactions and I have to admit that, before I started
This is probably one of my more melancholy reviews, given that James reading the book, I wasn’t all that enthusiastic about doing so. But I am
Mishler, writer of 100 Street Vendors of the City State and owner of glad I did and this book will now enjoy a place of honor in my collection,
Adventure Games Publishing has announced that this would be his last along with a very small number of other useful referee tools. I consider
product for sale and that AGP would be closing. This is unfortunate news that very high praise and a fitting conclusion to the Wilderlands of High
on numerous levels but particularly so because 100 Street Vendors is a Fantasy line. Grab a copy while you still can.
very good and, above all, useful product, even if one is not using Castles
& Crusades or the Wilderlands settings. Indeed, this is one of the most Presentation: 5 out of 10
useful — and meaty — offerings Mishler has produced to date. That it is Creativity: 8 out of 10
the last of its kind contributes greatly to my sense that one only really Utility: 8 out of 10
appreciates what one has after it is gone.
Buy This If: You’re looking for a vast collection of idea fodder in the form
I called 100 Street Vendors “meaty” and so it is. Consisting of 60 pages of of NPC descriptions, rumors, and setting details.
the densely packed text for which Mishler’s products are well known, it Don’t Buy This If: You never use prepackaged NPC descriptions.
presents, as its title suggests, 100 different NPCs, each one a vendor on
the winding streets of the City State of the Invincible Overlord. Now, that
probably sounds a lot less interesting than it is, for the real genius of this
product is that it’s far more than a mere rogues gallery of non-player
character names and statistics (though it is that as well). Each entry is a
kind of “mini-sourcebook,” providing information about the City State
and the Wilderlands in general, along with numerous plot hooks and
rumors for the referee to use in creating his own adventures. For
example, a fishmonger by the name of Ferka is described as being of the

Great Black Bass Clan, the most prominent fisher-folk of the

western Roglaroon (though the Great Blue Bass Clan would
deny that at the point of a dagger); he is one of several
fishmongers of the clan, as he is more capable of interacting
with the “land lubbers” than most of the clansfolk, which tend
to be ornery, xenophobic, and inbred (after long ago
absorbing a bit of Merfolk blood, to be sure.

Later, the same entry notes: