Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Casting Resurrection FIN: 2026

 2026

All of that said, we knew there were some aspects of the game that didn’t quite gel the way we wanted. We’re writing a new ‘definitive edition’ that should really set and mature the game as a whole.

The definitive edition features the removal of classes and the level based advancement system in favor of a point based character build system. Your GM awards points for your sessions and you spend them wherever you want to improve the character. You can mix and match skills and abilities to new combinations that aren’t possible with a class system.

There are some other more nuanced changes. I have been working on the world backstory and history of the elves of Lemuria as a set of separate projects that I hope to tie in with independent graphic stories.

In the meantime, we’re looking at the calendar and plan to book conventions again in 2026. 

I really have no idea if Swords & Shaman will ever have a large audience, but at least we can have fun.

Sunday, August 10, 2025

Casting Resurrection PT 3: Getting Up Again

 Getting Up Again.

Nobody is shutting anything down for COVID anymore. It also turns out, quite a few people like us don’t want to pay money for or participate in entertainment that preaches down to us rather than bringing us together.

Someone once asked me, ‘what is different between this game and D&D?’. I was so thrown by the question that I didn’t have an answer!

The truth is that Swords & Shaman is not a clone. Its an adventure game built from the ground up for adventure simulations. We have ONE mechanic to memorize. This is to speed the game play and shift focus back to the setting and the action.

Dungeons & Dragons is of course an amazing game, it was built from strategic war-gaming to provide a tactical simulation of what happens with your character. By extension, it has a great deal of mechanics to support this.

If I’m being totally honest with how I feel, the OGL and D&D SRD was probably the best and worst thing to happen to tabletop rpgs. Nearly all ttrpgs today are clones of D&D rules, albeit repackaged and often times given new forms of setting content.

Swords and Shaman was not this, we started building the game we wanted to play, with its own system and its own magic system. If anything, not an impostor.

Saturday, August 9, 2025

Casting Resurrection PT 2 : Tripping and Falling

Tripping and falling.

We were still writing and producing material somewhat consistently but between 2021 and 2022 I ended up moving jobs twice. I had to learn two new, vastly different languages in a short period of time and found myself working extra time to make up.

During the same time period, our play test groups splintered a couple of times and we also found ourselves without a regular gaming group.

Then there was COVID.

Conventions began requiring masking of all attendees, but worse requiring vaccinations and proof of status. It would be hard enough to socialize with a number of players at a noisy convention table, but I couldn’t take the vaccine.

We were able to find one convention that year that would accommodate us remotely running a game and the game went incredibly well despite that. Sadly, it would be our last convention.

Then there was a wave of ideologies and present day politics injected into everything gaming.

Publishers and distributors were all promoting these political trends and fundraisers. I was concerned about where the money for fundraising might be going as well. Often times products were promoted based on this social alignment rather than merit.

This also made participation hard.

Gaming was supposed to be about bringing people together and we didn’t want to lose sight of that.

Friday, August 8, 2025

Casting Resurrection on Swords & Shaman PT 1: Promotion is Hard


It has been a few years and I’ve been seriously looking in retrospect to the state of the IP, what we wanted it to be and where it landed.

Promotion is Hard.
One thing I didn’t realize was how hard it would be to put a product into people’s minds in such a crowded space. I thought, if we made a fun project that people could relate to, it would take off.

Between beta and go live we had to make a name change. We actually applied for trademark for a name (and were awarded it), but we found later another game had the same name. We basically ate the money for the trademark because it didn't feel right to take it. We sat up all night literally rebranding everything.

I also suffered a bit of impostor syndrome, devaluing our own work, which is not good. We worked very hard on this project, but I never felt confident or correct in crowdfunding. We even gave away hundreds of virtually free copies of the rules as ‘beta’. All this was on the hopes that the ‘merit’ would help carry the project.

Except we had no advertising venues, and the podcasts which I hosted weekly for a year were primarily targeting OSR players. Compounding that, I did very little self promotion on those podcasts. I always felt like I was being pushy.

That left conventions. We didn’t have physical copies to sell, the publisher was DTRPG, and so a booth was a waste of space. We had to get a gaming table and run the game.

This is where Swords & Shaman really shined. Our table always seemed to be the ‘fun’ place to be. People repeatedly told us that our game was the most fun they had at the con.

Except that we could only do a few conventions yearly, and some conventions weren’t receptive to indy games.




Saturday, July 17, 2021

What is happening at LRI?

We've been pretty quiet the past couple of months and I know there is a long delay between publications. I thought I would publish an update to the blog here in case anyone is interested in knowing that we're still around!

We have been dealing with a couple of personal things (life, you know), and I have actually changed employers. Yes I have a fulltime dayjob, which is one of the reasons that my wife and I don't have more time to publish more material. However, it keeps the lights on so that's a good thing!

At present we are working on the following projects:

Game Masters Rulebook 

    The Game Master's Rulebook is complete and we have been in the art and layout phase for several months now. At present, the goal is to have it published by EOY which we are tracking to! Once we have all of the remaining content, we will need to: 

  •     Finalize TOC
  •     Finalize Index
  •     Prep formats for publication
  •     Submit material/Request Proofs
  •     Approve Proofs/Publish to DTRPG

A small amount of material which was previously unpublished in the beta version will appear in the GM Rulebook.

  •     2 New exotic playable races
  •     Map of Hdathem


New World Map! 

    We have commissioned a talented map artist (Misjay Maps) to redraw the sample world map that was included with the beta rules a couple of years back. So far, what I have seen is a huge improvement of the existing map and will compliment the release of the Game Master's Rulebook immensely!

You can see Misjay's work on the map of Raven's Stand in the QuickStart Adventure!

New Character Sheet Forms 

    We honestly don't know what else we're going to change, but these will at least contain the information necessary to support the Advanced Magic Rules (Which are also appearing as an appendix in the GM Rulebook).

'Beasts and Lore' of Sonnegard compendium

    Currently this is only in the writing phase. I'm further behind than I would like. Depending on how the rest of this year goes, we hope to have this one ready for release in late 2022 but we'll see. The idea for this book really became an obvious necessity to us. Having finalized the rulesets in the first two books, we saw that new players and GMs would need a little bit more content to ground them in the setting before taking off and 'filling in the map' as it were. Don't worry, we're still going to leave plenty of blanks, but I think that we could stand publishing a little bit more of the setting content.

    This book will include:

  •     More Creatures (I don't have an exact count, we won't know till we finish)
  •     Additional background information on the setting
  •     Reworked Stat Block for creatures (much easier to read than those in the GM Rulebook)


Other stuff
    • Playtesting, never stop gaming!
    • We're both evaluating writing some adventure material for other systems.(I won't say which yet though ;) We'll be sure to publish updates if this looks like it is going somewhere!

Coming up.. we'll talk more about inspiration and 'flavors' of running a game or campaign for Swords & Shaman of Sonnegard.


Monday, May 3, 2021

Just Wrapped up Virtual Chupacabracon

 After a year's hiatus from GMing conventions, we took the dive into virtual Chupacabracon this year.

I GM hosted two games of S&SoS this year, one filled up completely, the other empty. Which was abit of disparity from our first year which ended with 3 full games over 2 days. All in all, I'm not at all disappointed though. 

If there is one thing I have learned, it is that GMing at conventions takes alot out of me. The preparation, the attention to detail and to the player queues. This is definitely more challenging to handle remotely as you can't always see body language or for that matter, even tell exactly who is speaking sometimes!

It is so challenging, yet so rewarding! Every time I GM, players surprise me with their responses and ideas and I learn something.

For anyone thinking about running a game at a convention who hasn't before, a few things:

Playtesting your adventure

While this is not necessary, and many GMs are masters of improvisation, having a playtest group can be invaluable. Running through the adventure can help you to work out all of the 'kinks'. You may spot a typo you made, a character sheet that may need another piece of equipment, a weak plot hook and so on. Additionally this gives you the ability to 'time' the session.  By keeping track of how long this session takes, you can better make adjustments to time box it during gameplay at the con when you have a limited time alotment.

Separate the Necessary from Unnecessary Content

After having created your incredible work of art, you should spend some time reviewing which pieces of content are necessary to the gameplay and story experience, and which pieces simply add more flair or are even entirely unnecessary to advance the game. This can be tricky, you may be proud of that extra map you drew up and it might add hours of enjoyable game play, but if it puts you 2 hours over time, the players may never have an opportunity to conclude the adventure. Can you take the major plot devices from that encounter area and overlay them back into the adventure without the map if necessary?  Can some encounters be 'evacuated' if need be of a puzzle or challenge at the last minute if the story must be streamlined?  

Keep a mental note, or better, mark these areas in your written notes so that you can expand or compress your adventure as needed to suit the speed at which the table consumes your content.

Pregen Characters

Just always have some, and be sure to create more pregens than you have seats at the game if possible. This will at least leave players feeling less 'stuck' with a certain pregen.

Understanding Visual and tactile Aides vs Verbal Immersion

Visual aides are awesome, and can help with immersion and player engagement. Some tips on how or when to use them.

When you have a handout or aid to show the players, be sure to give a moment for them to digest this without your narration. When you give players something to view visually, you will be fighting with their attention verbally or otherwise, so use this as a chance to let yourself catchup. Reread a note you had, or answer questions another PC might have. PCs not reviewing the visual aid, could be asked for input and participation during this window, a simple 'what is your character doing?'.

Be prepared for PCs to draw wrong conclusions from a visual.. or conclusions that sound great, but you hadn't thought of them yourself!

PrePrint Encounter Notes / Monster Stat Blocks

I like to keep a separate folder for the monster stat blocks when I'm at the convention. Additionally, it helps to place them in order in which they are likely to be encountered in the adventure, this way I can minimize searching for information when the encounter comes up and focus more on exchanges with the players.

Keeping everyone engaged

It goes without saying that you want to keep everyone engaged. Remotely, this can be even more difficult when it isn't possible to make eye contact. However, be sure to give everyone an opportunity to act. During combat sessions, typically the mechanics facilitate this. However, out of combat, it may be necessary to periodically break and ask other players in the party, 'what is your character doing?'. This is a good way to remind everyone that they are acting as a group and gives less outspoken players a chance to interject.

Start with a lower level adventure

Adventures including characters with a limited range of abilities and powers helps to limit the amount of information you will need to be familiar with. Familiarity means less time spent doing page flip. Less time page flipping means more direct interaction with the players. In a magic or technological setting, it is a good idea to review the spells or special effects that may come into play before the game.

Ok, but I have done none of these things!

Don't panic! You've got this. The thing is, many of the other players may have been in your shoes. Additionally, everyone playing at the table WANTS you to succeed. Anyone joining a game wanting to see it fail is being disingenious and really doesn't belong there. Leverage this common goal of having fun to your advantage.


As a sidenote, there was an excellent seminar on running horror games this year. It was hosted by industry giants, Aaron de Orive, Darren Watts, James Lowder, Jeb Boyt & Ken Hite. Interestingly, when asked, they generally conceded that most horror campaigns they have ever run have been brief in comparison with other traditional rpgs. Many of them being 1 or 2 shots. I suspect this has a great deal to do with the story driven nature of horror and the need for buy in.

Anyway, all in all it was a great time and I hope that they can host some more games in person in 2022. I highly recommend this con for anyone looking to play some different indy games.


Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Setting Limits: Part 3 (The Setting, What is 'in', vs what is 'out'.)

Continuing the topic this week on Setting Limits in your home game. Today I will be reviewing why you should set limits in your campaign setting. Most importantly, you should have some idea of what is 'in' and what is 'out' in your own campaign.

Avoid the temptation to 'throw in everything'.
Contemporary game design in many online games is more open to the concept of 'anything goes' as a character archetype or game mechanic. This has been very successful in some digital genres which thrive on gamified instant gratification. (See my earlier post about simulation scale and playing the game for game sake vs story). These games provide high value, short term entertainment based purely on mechanics, but generally fall very short in the 'story' game aspect.

Roleplaying games by nature have a story element. Depending on how closely you choose to lean in that direction, your game becomes more dependent on continuity in this regard.

Ok yeah, but you may be thinking, "Why do I want to disallow lasers.  I mean lasers are cool.".

Well imagine for a moment that someone pulled some licensing strings, and The Hobbit contained cameo appearances by the Marvel Avengers. Someone reading this may have decided that sounds like the coolest thing ever. No doubt, someone else said 'this is terrible, this idea'.

In a nutshell, there you have it. The entire story has changed, down to the genre. Not everyone will appreciate this shift. 

To paraphrase Glen Welch, "What you leave out is just as important as what you put in.".

In the film Bladerunner, there are no comic relief scenes. No one tells jokes or laughs in that movie. This works to good effect and proves Glen's point, I think. The setting painted is bleak and depressing, there is hope, yet the content reflects solemnly on the temporary nature of life.

Defining your world
When defining your setting, below are some things to strongly consider. Understand that even the best/most experienced GMs don't usually start with a complete setting. Instead they start in their corner, and paint the picture around it as things come up. Just remember, that everything you add, you are accountable for.

Inhabitants
Who lives in this setting? How many 'intelligent' creatures/races exist here that might compete or cooperate for resources? What other 'non-intelligent' life exists? Some sort of ecosystem must exist for life to thrive. If you have large predators, it suggests you also have adequate supply of prey. If one of the major races is capable of something like flight, they probably live apart from the 'ground dwellers'.

Cultures
How do the intelligent societies interact with one another? How do they survive? What do they eat? Where do they live? How do they worship? Asking these rather mundane questions about daily life can help fill in some blanks on details that make your world believable. You will likely do some of this without even thinking about it.

Geography
Maps are fun. Geography gives you some idea of the layout of the land, which can effect its inhabitants and culture greatly! If your people live in a swamp that is 80% submerged, then building space is at a premium. They likely find themselves using some type of elevated construction to stay out of the muck. Or do they only build on the 20% of land on hills, thus driving all non aquatic or airborn wildlife out of their domain? Remember, that geography is about the lay of the land, how the weather and climate effects it and how that land can effect the life there.

Technology
Technology exists because of the prevalence of two things. First an understanding of some law or laws of science. Secondly, the ability to manufacture something based upon that understanding. In general, technology advances by accessing previous gains on those two principles. It is entirely possible to have the ability to manufacture a simple firearm without possessing the knowledge to do so. Inversely it is possible to possess the knowledge without access to the equipment necessary to manufacture. Understand that technology will dramatically impact a culture and how they interact with the world. Advancing technology and the use of tools is the primary means by which humans thrive and support large populations.

Magic
Magic is an ability to manipulate the laws of nature to effect a desired outcome. An example could be a spell that casts a flame off of a bladed weapon. This burning blade might suddenly spark to life and burn whatever it comes into contact with, while not damaging the blade or wielder. It might inflict additional burning damage (more so than a normal flame). It might not be extinguishable in water. All of these are properties of magic.

These are some of the basics that I try to account for before a session '0' of the game can begin. This allows me to set the stage or tone for players in the game to understand what type of world they are gaming in and what some of the origin options might be.

Cause and Effect
Perhaps the easiest way to discuss how introduction or omission of something in your campaign can have an effect is to look at technology and magic.

Technology is a scientific implementation of real world laws of nature. Magic is the ability to change the laws of nature. However, in game mechanics cause both of them to function similarly. Understand when something new comes along that enables people, their behavior changes. When you do incorporate technology or magic, consider its impact on the world. 

Consider a science fiction world where humans can download their 'consciousness' for transfer into a cyborg, or a clone. One can imagine people using this to avoid harm to themselves. Placing yourself in multiple bodies is a possibility. Using this technology to travel vast distances nearly instantly into another body would be likely. A PCs physical statistics (and possibly mental), could be subject to fluid change depending on the body. So you can see how one major introduction will change the entire societal structure.

Cause and effect is something that is not always visited in fantasy fiction, however science fiction authors regularly explore this subject in their material. If you are planning to run a realistic fantasy game, I recommend spending some time researching good science fiction.  

Case in point, the archetype of the dwarf. We're conditioned that dwarves live in vast cavernous cities, deep underground. They eat and drink heartily and enjoy ale as much as mining. Where does this ale come from? How do they grow grain crops underground? Presumably they should have excellent sanitation and septic systems? Why do we have nothing about this in their lore?

If you want the setting to be believable, at some point you may have to at least consider these things. These small considerations will help develop the world and even flesh out your encounter areas for you. Now we have dwarves trading with outsiders for grain which they must store somewhere in their underground. The same dwarves probably have a septic system which could be quite hazardous. It takes little effort to incorporate this and it becomes excellent filler for your game. 

Ok a little ranty, and a little rambly.
I know this was abit of a ramble. But there is just so much to consider when you incorporate something into a setting. Setting is a huge conversation piece at session '0'. You should prepare the players for what sort of game setting you plan to run and what is definitely 'in' and 'out'. This will help you set boundaries to build a campaign in your style, while keeping it believable.