Me in 10 seconds
My name is Samuel James. I make games, play games, and perform music. INTJ. 1w9.
I dream. I slay dragons. I meditate.
The NSR server is my home on Discord.
What do I write about?
Running tabletop adventure games! I’ve had quite a bit of experience running them for youngsters. Oddly, my top posts are about death, deathlessness, and violence in games for kids. I’m known for talking about stopwatch duels, open table games, diegetic advancement, helmets, trait drafts, scene-based adventures, and open strategy games. I think there’s a better way to do advantage and that perception and knowledge rolls smell bad.
I consider myself part of the Matrix Game, NSR, OSR, and FKR. Whatever focuses on the world more than mechanics.
There are RPG bloggers that I read as well. The blogroll on the bottom-right is randomized, so just click one and see how deep that particular rabbit hole goes.
Check the tags on the right side of this page for whatever grabs your interest by topic. Click “Browse all posts” at the top of the page to begin trekking through everything I’ve written. Or scroll down more to view posts by month and year. And here are my most recent articles:
A Way of Free Kriegsspiel Revolution
How can you add items to your inventory when it is full? You cannot. You must first empty it. FKR is not added to your gaming tools. FKR is the tool that unmakes all others. In this light all other systems and tables serve it and it serves you. But only if you are willing…
Read on…
Kolb Prediction Fruition
Just saw Andrew Kolb’s new setting book announcement: CALLED IT! Next I’ll predict the housing market and stock market. 🙃 Stick around!
Read on…
Damage Using Player Skill (stopwatch weapons)
A synthesis of duels using player skill and Troika! variable damage for use with B/X, Old-School Essentials, and other elfgames. What if you didn’t roll to hit? What if you had to test player skills instead of character skill to damage your opponent? When you make an attack with a weapon, click start on a…
Read on…
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My favorite adventure games?
Electric Bastionland, Maze Rats, and Cairn. And yes, those games are all just Into the Odd. I run Adventure Hour! the most often (which, spoilers, is watered-down Into the Odd). Every once in a while, I dabble with Blades in the Dark and Follow.
What am I doing now?
At 25 years of age, I’m living in Phoenix, AZ with my wife. Currently working data analytics at a solar construction company and playing worship music at my church. I’ve started back at school, getting my MBA online at ASU. I have quick moments here and there to jot down blog post notes on my notepad, but less time than ever to collect the thoughts in prose form. A new season of life, for sure!
Reading Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Feel-Good Productivity, and The Return of the King. Listening to Lawrence, Benson Boone, and Dirty Loops. Watching Game of Thrones with the wife. On my third play-through of Dark Souls.
Updated Feb 12, 2024.
Contact me?
I read everything you send me. Here’s where you can reach me in long-form. Come chat on the NSR Discord too.
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DREAMING DRAGONSLAYER 