Are they paying attention?

This blog post is basically an open-ended question.  Do other, bigger paper & pencil RPGs (including their audience, fans, players, GMs, and scene in general) even know about the OSR?  And here's my followup question: If they know about it, do they care, do they use it, do they buy our products or use our free resources, are we influencing them at all?

Ok, here's a post-followup question I came with after discussing it a bit with +As If and +Erik Tenkar:  I assume that certain OSR blogs, podcasts, products, resources, etc. permeate the RPG mainstream from time to time, despite their niche within a niche status.  Does that increase awareness of the OSR as a whole or is it merely limited to the stuff that has managed to break out of the OSR ghetto?

I believe the OSR effectively changed 5th edition for the better, but what about the average D&D 5e gamer?  Are they aware that the OSR exists?  But specifically, I'm wondering about Pathfinder, Dragon Age, Numenera, Dungeon World, 13th Age, Fate, Savage Worlds, and other popular titles I can't think of right now.  Call of Cthulhu?  World of Darkness?  Post apocalypse RPGs?

Since mostly OSR people will probably see, read, and comment on this post, let me know what you've experienced.  If anyone actively into the above RPGs but not the OSR actually stumbles upon this, please answer as best you can.

Thanks,

VS

Temple of Elemental Evil continued

I'm just going to put all these stray thoughts into bullet points.

• I'm almost finished reading through Dungeon World.  I'm sure I'll write an actual review of it soon.  My overall opinion: interesting.  One thing I like is the rolling 2d6, adding ability score modifier, maybe a +1 or -1 depending on miscellaneous factors, and comparing the result with 10 and above success, 7 - 9 partial success or success but with some additional drawback, and 6 and below yielding failure.  This might trump my roll 3d6 vs. ability score and VSd6 for efficiency and simplicity.  
• Even though we're all enjoying FH&W, I think we might switch over to 5e when the DMG finally comes out.  The extra HD of healing for short rests, PC abilities/do-dads, and everything else a monster RPG franchise can bring to the table will probably be worth the extra 10 minutes per player at character creation.
• Instead of giving out inspiration on a per roleplaying per scene basis, I've been giving everyone a point of inspiration (just a re-roll, actually) at the start of each session.  If they don't use it, they can add it to next session.  Personally, I think any kind of inspiration or action point should accumulate.  
  
• However, I did grant Sir Basil an extra point because of his elaborate and daring maneuver of jumping over a pit, kicking in an open door, and slashing at the enemy with his sword.  
• By now, I'm sure the players have realized that much of the campaign is driven by percentile dice rolls.  Well, guys, here's the secret.  If there's an unlikely but possible chance of something awesome, terrible, and/or interesting happening, then I'll roll.  If the result is between 01 and 33%, that unlikely possibility occurs!  That's pretty much it.  Solves a lot of the background probability grey areas that can wear a GM (or campaign) down.
• I seem to fall into a pattern.  Every other session, there's a deluge of magic items.  Those alternating sessions, hardly anything at all.  Does it just work out like that or am I subconsciously making it happen?  In any case, see below...
• Scroll of mirror image, ice storm, and slow.  Ring of fire resistance (5 points).  Evisceration dagger +1 that does exploding damage.  Wand of illusions (12 charges).  Axe of regeneration (doubles the normal rate of healing for the wielder).  Ring of free movement.  Lightning Javelin.  Yeah, I added some cool loot to the temple.  A couple gamers warned me it was a bit stingy on the magic items.
  
• Speaking of that last one, when badass magic items are first acquired, caution goes out the window.  Luckily, X'fritl only killed the high priest!
• NPCs started dying like flies.  One was planned, the other three happened by accident.
• The party's elf died.  Moloch was an eldritch archer by trade.  Mostly an archer.  I think he only cast one spell in two sessions.  Yeah, it was a good day for Kaazor.  
• Gnolls and human guards were pedestrian enough that I felt the need to break out TWO different demons from Fiend Folio.
• Roleplaying and subterfuge won the day rather than brute force.  Well played... and sorry about your untimely death, Grog Barg (one of the unlucky NPCs, a half-orc).
• The first dungeon level of the temple has been cleared out and now the PCs have a key which probably unlocks the bronze door to level two.  
• Everyone leveled and I think the next session on Nov. 15th will be epic!
• Oops, one last thing... Ben created a new character to replace his assassin.  This session, he started playing a wizard named Zar.  The name was remarkably similar to his tiefling (half-demon) warlock Zatar here, so I asked if the two magic-users were related.  His response was: "Maybe, but not that they're aware of."  That led to us theorizing that Zatar's father was a demon while Zar's father was human and they were separated at birth - Zatar sent to Torth and Zar to Greyhawk.

Ok, that's about it.  Will be running Purple at a local con this Saturday.  Wish me weird!

VS

Purple Progress Report

For those who don't know, I've been working on a new OSR campaign setting and hex-crawl book with optional rules since December 2013.  It wasn't supposed to be as lengthy as it's turned out to be.  The more I wanted to include, the longer the book became, and with that, the greater my challenge.

Right now, Ed Wedig and I are about halfway through the layout phase of the book.  It's a process of trial and error, getting things just right, making sure illustrations are correctly placed, realizing our mistakes or miscommunication and then going back to fix whatever needs fixing.

The rest of May will be a race to the finish line.  Yet, I won't sacrifice quality.  Worse case scenario (other than my untimely death or something) is we'll be a couple weeks late.  However, at this stage I'm still confident that the kickstarter deadlines will be met.  Thankfully, I built-in a month of cushion time just in case.  Purple would be in your hands by now (or at least on your computers) if it was only 32 pages long.  Hard to say exactly what the page count will come in at once it's all finished, but I think 111, ballpark.

Anyways, the color version of the map is finished.  Alyssa Faden did an excellent job!  So, here are a few zoomed-in snapshots around the purple islands to tide everyone over until the next update.

If you have a question about The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence, feel free to ask.

One last thing... your support and enthusiasm are very much appreciated.  No one should have to suffer through a six month slog without the awesome encouragement I've received from all quarters of the paper & pencil RPG community.  Thanks, everyone!


VS

p.s.  You can read the teaser flash fiction here.