Weak Spells? Bad Rolls? Just Get Better!

I love He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Always have. But it wasn’t until watching The Toys That Made Us that I learned about He-Man’s ties to Conan. Robert E Howard’s muscle man inspired more than the warriors of Eternia though. The Warhammer Fantasy world is full of sword and sorcery (or heroic fantasy) elements, and it was the Old World that lit my fantasy fire.

Sword & Sorcery’s Treasure Hoard of Fantasy Ideas

It was Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play, not Dungeons & Dragons, that I cut my game mastering teeth on. I asked my mom to photocopy chapters of the first edition Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play core rulebook, which was published by Hogshead Publishing. I still have stacks of copies. When I eventually got a colour copy of the Old World map (White Dwarf 300), I laminated it and stuck it up above my desk.  

Blood & Grit is a love letter to sword and sorcery, inspired by a deep dive into sword and sorcery I started over a year ago. I’m sure the spirit of the Old World is evident in the game. I’m sure He-Man and Conan made their mark, too.

Ancient history’s also on the list. Ancient Egypt. Hittites. Mediterranean pirates. They inspired Howard and they inspired me. It’s time to give Tolkien’s Norse inspiration the rest it deserves, in Valhalla and out of roleplaying games. For me, a South African, Africa has much more to offer than any RPG designer has adequately explored.

Blood & Grit is also influenced by The Sword, some Blackmore’s Night, Blue Ӧyster Cult (and Michael Moorcock, increasingly).

But let’s talk about the game. Simplicity. Story. Player agency. Those are important qualities to me as a game designer. My perfect Blood & Grit would be dirt simple (it’d fit on one page), inspire stories (rewarding creativity while providing the GM with meaningful story cues), and give players control over their dice rolls (paid for with a resource, like Grit). I’m not saying that the first version of Blood & Grit was anything near to that, but that’s the goal. I invite you to join us on the journey and remind me of those goals if I go wrong with the expanded rules.

What’s Next for Blood & Grit?

Just Get Better! is a stepping stone to a full Blood & Grit game. Just Get Better! is our GMTK Game Jam riff of my first go at the system. It has more flesh on its bones. Please check it out. Leave a rating if simple, story-focused rules and player agency are important to you.

The next phase is a bigger Blood & Grit rulebook.

Rodney
Rising Phoenix Games