Monday Musings #94 🤬

Musings Greybeards and occulted squids.

Good Monday, Gamer!

“All dwarfs have beards and wear up to twelve layers of clothing. Gender is more or less optional.”― Terry Pratchett, Lore Keeper

When a crew of old dudes walks up to your table and says,
"I hear you're the man to see if I wanna go to Moria."
You know it's gonna be a vibe.

This week, I had the pleasure of running my Balin's Moria Expedition using The One Ring + Moria for what might be the oldest, beardiest, most skeptical crew of roleplayers on Earth. And gentle gamer—I learnt them something. One younger player at the table—a 12-year-old—dragged the average experience level down, but not in a bad way. But he became my focal point when I sat at that advanced-aged, all-sausage table. No matter what happened in the session, ‘cause with us grognards🤷🏾‍♂️; I wanted him to have a good experience.

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Naturally, all the old heads played dwarves. They knew the lore. They’d read The Silmarillion, argued Jackson vs. Bakshi, and probably rolled dice in the era of MERP and chainmail bikinis. They wanted axes, tunnels, orcs, and—of course—the hope of crossing paths with a Balrog.

The kid?
He wanted to be a hobbit.
(And in my head, I was here for it.)

The old heads gave him the expected ribbing—he was “just a burglar,” after all. But the kid came prepared. With the confidence of someone raised on Peter Jackson, he reminded the table:
“Bilbo saved a bunch of dwarves.”
Laughter followed. The kid was gonna be all right.

That moment set the tone.

One of the best things about playing with folks your own age group is the shared language and references—you can say “Rolemaster” or “City State of the Invincible Overlord,” and everyone just gets it. It smoothed over any “not D&D” hesitation, which—let’s be honest—is something I’ve run into before with many trad-raised crowds.

They packed for the mission like grizzled veterans. Some said their goodbyes to their dwarf wives, and others settled debts. It was all player-driven! Then they set off on their supply/patrol/relief run into the mines.

They promptly got lost. Got more lost. Ambushed by orcs. Ran from something we’re calling a “banshee.” And as the session wound down, they were still… very lost; however, the players were all satisfied with their expedition through Durin’s Door.

Afterwards at the table: beers, Q&A, and grins. I checked in with the kid.
“That was the most Hobbit stuff I’ve ever gotten to do!”
That’s a win.

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ICYMI

Here’s what’s been sparking ideas and inspiration this week:

• 🎲 Reading Outcast Silver Raiders
  An indie hexcrawl dripping with sword-and-sorcery grit. Procedurally populated, mysterious as hell, and perfect for your next doomed expedition. Want to get this on the table!

• 📚 Reading Kraken by China Miéville
  A secret society, apocalyptic cults, stolen cephalopods. Makes me want to run something occult and urban. Delta Green? Urban Shadows? Unknown Armies? Not sure yet, but I’m feeling the pull of tentacles and neon.

• 🛠️ Thoughtpunks TTRPG Open Source Resource List
  A treasure trove of free, weird, and boundary-pushing tools for indie RPG design. This link is loaded—system generators, layout resources, licensing tips, and more. If you’ve got a TTRPG in your brain, you’ll find help here. I know I did!
  🔗 thoughtpunks.com/open-source-ttrpg-resources

Catch ya next week!