Zak is Back?! AND More Baptism of Fire Design Notes

[@mlfetlesjdrenbref1306]

Always awesome when you talk about bof.

[@RPGPundit]

Thank you so much! Spread the video if you can, as videos where I do these kinds of design notes don't tend to get as many views as straight rants.

[@Redfield70]

Zaktism of Fire

[@autisticallyaccurate]

I am excited for your channel to reach 8 thousand subscribers soon!

[@RPGPundit]

Me too!

[@WayneBraack]

Agreed. Should be 80k.

[@Rajaat99]

I lost a PC in my Lion & Dragon game. A giant toad got him. Actually, he was at -1 and then another character tried healing him, with the medicine skill, and rolled a nat 1, killing him instead.

[@RPGPundit]

Well yes, that can happen.

[@solomani-42]

Love/Hate Zak but the stuff his made was very good. Was it playable? Not sure. But it’s really inspirational stuff for any DM.

[@RPGPundit]

50% of it was playable

[@solomani-42]

@@RPGPundit sounds right.

[@sadwingsraging3044]

Meatball was detecting some heresy in that Holy Warrior.😮 Just as I am detecting some heresy in DruveThru 😑

[@RPGPundit]

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[@AndyReichert0]

22:40 "don't step on the holy warrior, Meatball!" everyone's game must now have a holy warrior named Meatball, and heaven help you if you step on the holy warrior, Meatball.

[@RPGPundit]

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[@steambub]

I just want reprints of Veins of the Earth. Hopefully James bringing back Zak will mend the bridge with Patrick Stuart and allow reprinting.

[@RPGPundit]

I suspect Patrick would be the problem there

[@steambub]

@@RPGPundit One can dream.

[@AnonAdderlan]

I doubt it, as Zak burned that bridge himself. He's the consummate social infrastructure arsonist.

[@misterballista]

Back at the height of the MandyMorbid accusations, Raggi very impishly wrote an adventure about an unustly accused NPC called Zachary Canterbury which briefly sold through DTRPG and caused quite a kerfuffle. I bought it to support such an epic trolling, and left a very complementary review. Lo and behold, when my review was published on the site the text was entirely different and scathingly negative. When i brought this to DTRPG's attention they blamed an "administrative error" and said they couldn't replace it with my actual positive review because "the site doesn't work that way." Pretty dodgy, but they removed the adventure from sale shortly thereafter anyway. Not all LOTFP stuff is to my taste but some of it is really unique and excellent. I wish Raggi would do a new version of the core rules but designed to support the assumed early modern historical setting of his best adventures, Better Than Any Man for example. And he's a nice guy if you ever get the opportunity to chat with him.

[@RPGPundit]

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[@AnonAdderlan]

Wait. #DTRPG _edited_ your review?

[@misterballista]

@@AnonAdderlan Completely changed it, more like. All the other reviews were all woke people getting their knickers in a twist, I guess DTRPG didn't want to spoil that uniformity! 🤣

[@tabletopgamingwithwolfphototec]

What is the most accurate retro clone for Original Dungeons and Dragons ( zero edition )?

[@RPGPundit]

Swords & Wizardry, I think?

[@tabletopgamingwithwolfphototec]

@@RPGPundit There is also. Microlite74 Delving deeper Epiees & sorceries ( french ).

[@VorkHammerfist]

I've read Delving Deeper, it's quite good, but the trouble with making a clone of OD&D is that the text is often so vaguely written that just about any given rule can be interpreted a dozen different ways. So really it's a little more accurate to call them interpretations of the game. Plus, it can be tricky when reading OD&D to not assume how things work based on how it worked it a later version of D&D. And of course the game was intended to be used with Chainmail, and IIRC none of the interpretations of OD&D have a replacement or clone of Chainmail included or built directly into the rules. Still worth a look though.

[@tabletopgamingwithwolfphototec]

@@VorkHammerfist What is IIRC ?

[@VorkHammerfist]

@@tabletopgamingwithwolfphototec IIRC = "If I Remember Correctly".

[@Meloncolliepoet]

I'm thinking of using these games of yours to put together a campaign based on Fear & Hunger. It'll take some work, but I think the system kinda works for that setting.

[@charlesdexterward7781]

Zak is a very interesting case. On the plus side he's an excellent designer. He (and Patrick Stuart) perfected the "one evocative sentence is both better and far more practical than a page of text" style of design, IMO. Also the abuse case against him is as clear-cut a false allegation as you are ever going to see. Zak employed his unique off-label autism to good effect in providing as much evidence as you possibly could to prove his case short of the "victim" literally admitting she lied. So did he deserve to be cancelled? Definitely not. Would I lift a finger to support him? Definitely not. Despite 100% of his cancellation enemies being far left scumbags, who does he persist in supporting when writing on absolutely any topic other than his own cancellation? The far left. I have more sympathy for a brain-dead NPC who spews far left talking points because it's what gets them Facebook and Reddit likes. But Zak is clearly a smart guy and there's something broken in his brain where he can't accept reality where it conflicts with his self-image as the aging punk anarchist bad boy. Even after what he went through, he simply can't admit the "classical liberals" of free speech, due process, individual rights over group rights, anti-war, etc. are now entirely to be found on the right while the left has embraced totalitarianism based on group identity.

[@RPGPundit]

You're not wrong. Amusingly, anyone who was a real punk in the 80s/90s if cleaving to that version of it today would be utterly performative, whether or not they were ever sincere.

[@AnonAdderlan]

Not sure why folks don't realize Zak's a lefty and this is just another case of leftist infighting.

[@DeviousDungeonsPainting]

I never got the infatuation with his stuff in the first place. But I am glad that his name is marginally cleared. James probably has grounds for a lawsuit.

[@RPGPundit]

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[@lostchaplain]

I've never been a fan of Zak, really, but every time I see someone talking about him I chuckle, because one of my High School gaming group and her husband/wife had beef with him and ended up yeeting themselves right out of work in protest of his 'phobic' actions. So news of him getting back into the swing of things provides quite the schadenfreude dopamine hit.

[@zaksabbath4360]

Would that be Olivia Hill and Filamena Young?

[@RPGPundit]

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[@lostchaplain]

@@zaksabbath4360 Got it in one. Never met Olivia, knew Philamena very well.

[@zaksabbath4360]

@@lostchaplain are you the one who sent them some photo of some high school and i got blamed?

[@lostchaplain]

@@zaksabbath4360 Nah. Never interacted with them after she dropped out. If memory serves that was someone sending them a pic of their kids school. Which is a legitimately shitty, probably terrifying thing to do if it actually happened.

[@lordmatteus]

I like Lion & Dragon, Sword & Caravan, et al. I hope you don't think I believe you're doing "just a b/x clone." I cited L&D as an example of an interesting system in my article about the OSR and which direction I think the OSR should go.

[@RPGPundit]

No I wasn't thinking of you. I was thinking first in general that there are some people who haven't actually looked at the osr, or haven't looked at it recently, and have that misconception. And also of some of the BroSR idiots who make that claim falsely, knowing it's not true.

[@Fernoll]

Would you consider making a video that deals with conducting proper research of history/culture? This could provide tremendous help for world builders.

[@RPGPundit]

Doing "proper" research suggests doing academic research, and that's very difficult for anyone not trained as an academic to do. It's also unnecessary. I should probably actually do a video to suggest how to find out information on history without being an academic.

[@Fernoll]

@@RPGPundit That's the general gist I was aiming at. Something for us plebs to do without getting mired in Academia.

[@Minodrec]

So you did the advcement table before Shadowdzrk. I knew it but everyone seemed.unabke (or unwilling) to give an exemple. I hate this. There is a band of sociamedia gurus who try to took over the indie part of this hobby. It's not no conspiracy theory just marketing. But theu are willing to takes freebies from WotC and rate only each other games and still call thrmselves reviewers. It's a clique. I still have to buy Baptism.of fire. But money is tight atm.

[@DeviousDungeonsPainting]

What? Focus your mind and form a coherent thought.

[@RPGPundit]

Yes, definitely well before Shadowdark even existed. Thanks, I hope you manage to get BoF when you're able.

[@walts4425]

12:02 DAR-bee-sheer not DUR-bee-sheer

[@RPGPundit]

Not in America it ain't!

[@walts4425]

@@RPGPundit Do you have the same attitude to mispronounced Spanish names? The American pronunciation of Salisbury is even more cringeworthy.

[@dungeondumbo]

Dar be shur…said without pauses.

[@bromossunstarranger8706]

Zak is just a toxic person who allowed that girl to play him like a fool it wasn't an over night thing they are both toxic and doesn't need a comeback to the OSR let sleeping dogs lay

[@whangbar]

Meatball on Fire! (No! We love Meatball!)

[@sciencemile]

That's one spicy meatball

[@RPGPundit]

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[@LeeroyPorkins]

Baptism of Meatball

[@RPGPundit]

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[@RPGPundit]

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[@crapphone7744]

Meatball of fire!

[@galdalversgravekeeper5158]

Who is Zak?

[@RPGPundit]

I explain that in the video. Don't I?

[@galdalversgravekeeper5158]

@@RPGPundit plausibly, had to set it to watch later, so I figure I'd ask see if I can go in not completely in the dark.

[@RPGPundit]

@@galdalversgravekeeper5158 Zak S was a creator of various OSR adventures/books, associated with James Raggi/LotFP, who was later massively blacklisted

[@galdalversgravekeeper5158]

@@RPGPundit huh, was not expecting the porn thing.

[@WayneBraack]

Not really aware of what this drama is. Not much interested. Watched to give a view to the cause. Didn't pay much attention. Nods to the rhythm is where I'm at. Only reason I'm commenting on this one.

[@RPGPundit]

Well, thanks for the view!

[@KenLives333]

+1

[@RPGPundit]

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[@MARSHOMEWORLD]

Zak Smith... no f****** way... well, I suppose he waited the prerequisite amount of time to lurk in the shadows and plan his return all low rent supervillain style.... lame. I don't know, does anyone miss him? I'm sure there's some people out there they're in the osr that bought into the notion he was a genius and blah blah blah but come on already.. next.

[@trentb8517]

Looks like plenty of people miss him. Guess we can wait and look at the sales.

[@MARSHOMEWORLD]

@trentb8517 I think I will avoid the Christmas rush and chose indifference .

[@RPGPundit]

I suppose there will be some people who will get on board with Zak just for the novelty of seeing what his comeback book will be like. But it's true that there's lots of people on all sides of the political divide who don't like him. Also, if his new book is still more of the same and not something that adds to his corpus, that will not go over too well I think.