I've spent the last couple years learning what I can about the hobby of RPG, especially Dungeons and Dragons. Still, life and all. I don't pretend to be an expert, a scholar, or a dispenser of sage wisdom. That's not what this blog is for. It's just to get my thoughts down, and if others come by with ideas or insights, all the better.
Some blogs have caught my attention, however, and have helped in understanding the hobby, its history, how things fit and what the culture of this hobby looks like from within. The following is an incomplete list of the main blogs I still look to for ideas and general goody information.
1. Grognardia.
I know that something happened to James Maliszewski. No clue what. I also concede that the quality of the blog's content appeared to diminish in the months leading up to Mr. Maliszewski's departure. But the first couple years were a gold mine. It was Grognardia that gave me the idea to ditch D&D 3.5 (and 3 for that matter) and go Old School. At least go 1st Edition AD&D. Mr. Maliszewski wrote with an historian's eye. He was also an excellent writer. I discovered him when looking for information on J.R.R. Tolkien. I grew to appreciate his opinions and reflections, especially on the contributions of the early D&D.
2. Greyhawk Grognard
Since my primary campaign world is Greyhawk, it's obvious I would find much wealth on this blog. Though there is one thing that Mr. Bloch does I don't care for, he still has many resources and ideas I find useful.
3. Roles, Rules and Rolls
A blog I found interesting early on, recently it's gone different directions, focusing on some homebrew ideas that don't mesh with my home game. Nonetheless, sometimes there are some tidbits worth kicking around.
4. Jeff's Gameblog
Another blog that seemed chockablock full of ideas when I first ran into it. Recently the scarcity of posts have caused it to be less of a frequent stop. Perhaps there comes a point in this hobby when you've said what you want, and done what you want, and it's time to move on. It is a hobby, from what I can tell, that does appear to have an end. More on that down the road.
5. Greyhawkery
Another blog dedicated to Greyhawk, as the name suggests. This is less informative, and more resources heavy. It tends to delve into the catalogues of serious fandom, probably more than I'll care to read or glean. Good resources for the serious player and even for us casual shoppers.
6. Blood of Prokopius
Like James above, Fr. Dave is a practicing Christian, Orthodox style. Showing that religious faith and RPGs are not incompatible, Fr. Dave was good for learning about the Eastern Orthodox Faith (for those so inclined) and for taking ideas from his faith and incorporating them into his gaming. An interesting idea. Like a few others, the number of posts have dwindled in recent months. I guess when life happens, it happens. I swing by now and then to catch any little treasures that might pop up.
7. I See Lead People
If for no other reason than the hilarious name, I swing by occasionally. Far more into the hobby than I'll ever be. Also not particularly focused on Dungeons and Dragons. Still, creativity deserves a visit at least once in a while.
8. Monsters and Manuals
I stumbled across this a few months ago. I know, I'm really late to this whole world. I found a series he did in which he unpacked just how much there is in a 'Hex' in the real world. That helped me visualize just how much we could do in one 30 Mile Hex in Greyhawk. He has some other wonderful insights as well. In terms of reflecting on the hobby from a bird's-eye point of view, you could do worse.
There are others, sometimes I visit once or twice then decide to move on. Every now and then I'll go back. But these are the ones I still visit at least on a semi-regular basis. I've found some pretty interesting ideas in those pages. I'm sure you will too - if you don't already have them on your favorites.
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