BEST READS OF THE WEEK! JUNE 8 - 14, 2015!

Welcome back to the Best Reads of the Week! Every week I read through more than 450 blogs looking for the best rpg related articles and bringing them directly to you. This week we've got: thoughts on the OGL from someone who actually uses it on a regular basis; the beginning of the Wunderspire series; thoughts on making published settings your own; Con Games, CON Games, CON GAMES; a FREE module from the early days of the hobby; love letters to our favorite games; and so much more!

As always, if you liked any of the posts listed here be sure to let the author know. Leave them a note on their blogs, give them a plus 1, like them on the Facebooks, and share their posts in your social media feeds! Till next week!

BEST READS OF THE WEEK!

JUNE 8 - 14, 2015!

An OGL Primer by +Rob Conley, from the blog Bat in the Attic: If you're interested in learning a little bit about how to use the OGL and how it affects the things you make than this post by Rob is a great place to start. Be forewarned: he isn't a lawyer so before you start making grandiose plans based on his recommendation you should consult one beforehand.

Savage Worlds: Murder-lite Edition by +Edward Lockhart, from the blog Violent Media: I love the attitude of this rule variant for the Savage Worlds game. Quick, brutal, and perfect for all my needs. Check it out.

I Have Issues by +Sean Bircher, from the blog Wine and Savages: It's hard to recognize that something is wrong with you and even harder to admit it to the whole world. Sean does just that in this poignant post and in doing so he reminds us all that just because you're incredibly creative and talented doesn't mean that everything is perfect. Well worth reading for anyone struggling with mental issues - like me.

Wunderspire: An Overview of the City-State; Part 2: The Elite, Marvels, the Arcane; and Part 3: A Sphinx Without a Secret by +Jack Shear, from the blog Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque: In this excellent five part series Jack presents his readers with a city-state to explore and plunder to their hearts desires. Without a doubt Jack has been firing on all cylinders lately!

Lost Island of the Necrite - Part Two: COASTAL ENCOUNTERS by +Ben Djarum, from the blog Codex Apocrypha: This one is a more robust sibling to last week's Part One and as a result it begins to establish a feeling for the Lost Island that the first touched on but didn't really reveal. Digging this series and really hoping that Ben keeps it going.

Clerical Work Part 11: Specialty Priests of Bhaal for D&D 5th Edition and Part 12: Specialty Priests of Torm by +Mark Craddock, from the blog Cross Planes: Mark's continued efforts to bring the Specialty Priest into 5e through feats.

In Loving Memory: Everway by +Ralph Lovegrove, from the blog Department V: Have you ever played the game Everway? After reading this fantastic post by Ralph he'll not only show you what made it so special but have you actively looking for a copy of the game yourself. Well worth checking out!

Mythoard! Mythoard! Mythoard! by +Christopher Helton, from the blog Dorkland!: If you haven't had the opportunity to check out Mythoard then you need to do yourself a favor and read this post by Christopher. I can tell you from personal experience that Mythoard is a great company that manages to put out a great product every month.  Check them out.

Thoughts on Fantasy Africa by +Gus L, from the blog Dungeon of Signs: Have you ever heard of Soul & Sorcery? Until this insightful post from Gus neither had I; and now I've got a whole new genre of fiction to explore!

An RPG Manifesto by +Joe Nuttall, from the blog Explore: Beneath & Beyond: I am endlessly fascinated by what people feel are the core pillars of their role-playing game experiences and nothing highlights that so clearly as a manifesto. So what are yours?

NTRPGCON: My Game by +Stacy Dellorfano, from the blog Frivology: This post features Stacy's discussion of her first person-to-person convention game that she ran at NTRPGCON. As someone who would love to run a convention game myself I found this a valuable read.

Taking a Popular Setting and Making it Your Own by +Tim Shorts, from the blog Gothridge Manor: The published settings have been the standard for many role-players since the early days of the hobby with thousands exploring the depths of Greyhawk and rallying to the standards of Dragonlance against the dragon armies. But with so much established lore surrounding these settings how do you make them your own? Tim has some ideas.

Warhammer Prehistory: Find the Lady by Graeme Davis, from the blog graemedavis: Not only do you get a free adventure published just before Graeme started working on the game that would one day become Warhammer, but you also get an interesting story about it too. Check this one out!

Cry Havoc by Stuart, from the blog The Great Game: Attempting to get into war-gaming can be an intimidating prospect, so finding someone like Stuart talking about these games in a friendly, conversational way is a godsend.  Really has me excited to give games like Cry Havoc a try.

Why I Love RPGS: Moldvay Basic by +Timothy Brannan, from the blog The Other Side: I love Moldvay Basic as it was my first version of Basic D&D that I ever laid my hands on, but Timothy puts me to shame. He writes eloquently about a game that I have enjoyed many times over and he makes me long to play it again. Check this post out and discover what makes it so special.