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Gus L.

@ratkingrpg

RPG blogger and author.

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13.04.2025
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Latest posts by Gus L. @ratkingrpg

I saw them live in a record store in maybe 2006 or 2009? Not sure - before they were in that robot movie.

08.03.2026 21:08 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I'm sure you're aware of the history of White Plum - it was basically the author's "let me write dungeons" pitch deck to TSR and they decided to just publish it.

I think it's interesting that it's all weird tricks and gimmicks - a glimpse into the focus of early design. Fun though. Great post.

06.03.2026 16:50 ๐Ÿ‘ 6 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Happy birthday friend. Glad you're still getting to play.

06.03.2026 16:47 ๐Ÿ‘ 4 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I spent literally entire rainy days playing this game in the late 80's on the C64. Usually against my neighborhood friends. So much beheading. Good sprite work and surprisingly fluid controls for the era.

01.03.2026 20:14 ๐Ÿ‘ 6 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Well deserved - an enormous amount of work and wonderful reminder of how big our tiny scene really is!

28.02.2026 11:01 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Why not both?

25.02.2026 18:49 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

That's fighter.

25.02.2026 08:35 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I just don't like them. Or rangers (aka Aragorns). Or sorcerers etc. Just make the base class and add some non-mechanical flavor. I mean a Cleric is already warrior clergy.

25.02.2026 08:35 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Is that a 90's/early aughts game ... cause that was the era of the angsty useless dude as hero.

24.02.2026 19:25 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

There's gotta be an app that puts you into a slightly worn suit from last season?

24.02.2026 18:56 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I'm not saying imagination and poetic writing are bad... but if you're writing an RPG adventure, your monsters need more then lore, adjectives, and similes ... In the end it's a game and that means its parts need to work under the rules and structure that exist. You have to do both art and design.

24.02.2026 18:56 ๐Ÿ‘ 4 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Post image

Look at this absolute whimsy of a boat!

24.02.2026 18:52 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I think it would be nice for building pre-dreadnought type ships as - you still want giant silly masts but no sails. The masts could even get more junk on them (thicker supports, lookouts, rangefinders, semaphores, birds nests etc) if you started clicking into the negatives?

24.02.2026 17:33 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Would a "sail" button that adds or removes sails be cool? Like click once and the mast get a big main sail. Click 12 times and it's the whole panoply of 18th century tall ships?

24.02.2026 17:04 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Also hate
- Magic super orphans
- Drizzts
- Goblins with bombs
- Paladins
- Ancient Tombs with the same material culture as the present
- Destiny/Fated heroes
- Noble savages of all kinds
- Dwarves with Scots accents
- Villains who just want (justified) revenge

24.02.2026 17:03 ๐Ÿ‘ 9 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

The past couple of days Iโ€™ve dropped links from the course to folks stumped on some aspect of dungeon design- it helped them break through!

So give it a listen or jump around in the course itself-each piece is semi-self contained

24.02.2026 16:35 ๐Ÿ‘ 10 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Dungeon of Signs

My long ago contribution to the genre:
dungeonofsigns.blogspot.com/search?q=HMS...

23.02.2026 16:42 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

No real thoughts on the meaning of "D&D" or "a D&D" ... but reading with friends in public is classy fun.

23.02.2026 11:30 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I just ate an entire box of Toffifee candy for lunch and it has dramatically improved my day.

23.02.2026 11:29 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Avaricious, resource consuming, independent, ethically devoid, adaptive agents, loose in humanity's information ecosystem? What could go wrong?

23.02.2026 11:28 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

But what if people are having the wrong kind of fun Hodag? Bad fun even?
They may be using ugly dice or play with a lack/excess of silly voices?
What will be left of the hobby if I don't prove my personal rules for a thief class are objectively better then all others?

Anarchy and chaos loom!

23.02.2026 11:24 ๐Ÿ‘ 6 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I found out this post was in the Bloggies only because someone asked me to record it and I didn't have time. Surprised it did so well.

I wonder when I'll get back to blogging? Too much work lately.

22.02.2026 13:16 ๐Ÿ‘ 5 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

a response to the @rascal.news article on yazeba's bed & breakfast, clarifying some misunderstandings and (hopefully) providing a clearer explanation of what happened
possumcreek.medium.com/a-response-t...

07.02.2026 13:49 ๐Ÿ‘ 371 ๐Ÿ” 131 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 16 ๐Ÿ“Œ 20

Psychedelic melancholy is a pretty good brand though.

05.02.2026 22:32 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Post image Post image

Triumph of the Guillotine in Hell (1795) is a very weird allegorical painting by Nicolas-Antoine Taunay. I wouldn't call it sympathetic to revolutionary violence, but would also note that the Jacobians invading hell in it are executing demons. The penalties of misrule I guess?

25.01.2026 10:05 ๐Ÿ‘ 5 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

They should just switch franchises to like Starship Troopers or Warhammer 40k - they're too self absorbed to catch the satire anyway.

22.01.2026 19:27 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

With HP at least - older systems may have a response. At mid-level in older D&D combat focus switches from HP to special attacks, saves, and associated risks: poison, equipment loss, petrification etc. Also stat loss. Multiple risk vectors blunt HP as a singular concern.

22.01.2026 19:25 ๐Ÿ‘ 4 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Cost is that the referee (as the devils they are pacting with/related to) can A) move words around in the text they change B) change their character sheet.

22.01.2026 18:39 ๐Ÿ‘ 4 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Indeed! Strong evidence that Hobbits have some boiled starch dish, but we to attend the context. Hobbit language is not ours, and the use of "noodles" here is at best approximation.

Fact: Hobbits make a dish they call "Tugwaddle" ... it is boiled flour blocks. In syrup. And a dessert.

21.01.2026 09:25 ๐Ÿ‘ 4 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Oh look a hit piece about a successful TTRPG creator in the micro-payment clickbait media...

Am I old fashioned thinking journalists should have financial and legal literacy when discussing business deals gone wrong? ... at least if the goal is journalism and not whatever that was ...

20.01.2026 07:58 ๐Ÿ‘ 8 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0