Now that we think about it, maybe that Gygax guy was on to something after all

Sweet, sweet logo

Not to be snarky, but this may be the most surprising Fantasy Heartbreakers in the history of RPGs. Yeap, Jonathan Tweet’s 13^th Age — which I must say has a truly delicious type treatment used for the logo — could quite possibly the most ludicrous idea I’ve seen in some time. Yes, that’s right, the 2 masterminds of 3.X and 4.0 (oh yes gentle reader, Rob Heinsoo the genius behind 4.wtvr is along for the ride) are now applying their formidable design chops to bring you their own version of Gary’s game.

“Our goal with 13th Age is to recapture the free-wheeling style of old-school gaming by creating a game with more soul and fewer technical details.”

Uh huh.

You can read more pearls of wisdom from the designers HERE.

Isn’t this the same guy who was telling us how BAD D&D was before himself, Montus Cookus Maximus and that other dude ripped the soul out of our game? Remember how “problematic all those saving throws” were? And of course, AC and thAC0 were so totally screwed up that no one even played D&D anymore. And perhaps the most egregious of sins, the one that absolutely HAD to be stomped out. I’m looking at you Mr Long Sword with your d12 for damage vs Lg targets. Don't stop me, I'm on a roll here.

Oh well. I wish these 2 OSR Converts well with their little game. Perhaps they have enough name recognition among the younger set of fans that this OSR game will bring in some new blood. I expect that it will certainly be a snazzy-looking product, but I think I’ll hold out for Monte’s Ptolus Whitebox Edition.

Bitter Vet Rant OFF.

Happy Easter!

A bit of Art History for everyone, love me some Caravaggio. Aside from being one of the most gifted painters to ever push paint brush, Caravaggio rejected earlier notions of depicting religious figures as idealized representatives of the perfected human form. Instead, he used models chosen from everyday life,  thus injecting a sense of realism that became a hallmark of European painting for centuries to come.