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The Principia Apocrypha explains how to run and play in an OSR game. Thereâs a huge overlap between OSR and blorb, and blorby play would not exist if it werenât for the OSR.
Let me go through the Principia Apocrypha and say what in it is blorby and whatâs un- or anti-blorby! I know that not everyone wants to run a blorby game. Some enjoy the, uh, letâs call it the âsublime shamanryâ of half-blorby, half-unblorby, while others completely reject all blorbiness. I personally like it very blorby though, both as player and as a DM.
â means something isnât really relevant to the question of how blorby something is (usually is still something awesome and a good idea, though),
⥠means something that I feel needs blorbiness in order to work, but not necessarily vice versa, but almost always the thing is awesome though. I.e. blorbiness is a prereq for the awesome thing, but a boring blorb could theoretically be done without that awesome thing.
¶ means: Absolutely yes do this while writing modules (or prepping homebrew content), and absolutely do not do this once youâve started running. Once play has started, itâs too late to do these things!
An arrow âââ, with or without another symbol, means more comments will follow after the list.
And no symbol means that itâs blorby AF!
Now for the more detailed comments on some of these:
Rulings Over Rules : Yes on the âmake a note of the ruling and apply it consistentlyâ. Create your own mechanics that fit your game and your situations.
Donât overdo the preparation : Donât deliberately leave blanks. Just prep as much as you can; donât feel bad if you canât prep as much as you wanted, the three tiers principle will help you fill it out and get better at prep over time.
Cleverness Rewarded, Not Thwarted : Do not change things in prep, rule etc to reward what you think is clever. Just let whatever would happen, happen. You need to be neutral. Donât set yourself into a situation where you make yourself the judge of whatâs clever and good. Instead, let the results of their actions speak for themselves.
Keep The World Alive : Please use DM-facing mechanics (such as a faction game, a restock system, an evolving rumor or encounter table) to keep it alive, rather than just your best judgment. Itâs probably necessary to write/add to those mechanics as play goes on. Try to make it in a way that filters your whim and desires through systems and randomness instead of it just being you putting whatever you want in the game.
NPCs Arenât Scripts : The more you know about an NPC the blorbier you can portray them. Donât be afraid to roll up fears, desires, motivations etc for them. Instead of a single reaction table I like to use the âsocialite challengesâ from Silent Legions.