The Manifesto | 22 October 2024

The quote in the subject line is from A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It felt appropriate as we slide into the final days of spooky season. I’ll leave it up to you to parse what that might say about the current state of the world. Anyhow, here’s what’s new this week. I hope you’re doing well today.

Lightspress Handbook R1.2

The Lightspress Handbook is envisioned as a living document, constantly evolving, regularly tweaked, and updated as needed to keep up with changes and feedback. This isn't a one-and-done deal; it's a flexible resource meant to grow alongside the needs of its readers. Below are the latest updates and adjustments, in alphabetical order.

Beat Charts: We clarified a few things, including how to determine the number of beats per adventure and how detailed you should be when putting together your own beat chart.

Bibliography: A list of books that were influential in the creation of The Simple Approach in general and this Handbook in particular. It’s not exactly Appendix N, and it contains some things that you might find confusing, but I assure you, they all contributed to the philosophy and attitude if not the actual mechanics and genre tropes.

Build Points: Yeah, we didn’t bother giving you specific totals in earlier versions because, get this, they vary by setting and genre. The whole point is that there’s no one-size-fits all. We figured you’d just create a few sample characters and, you know, use your brain to figure out what works best. But since some of you need the dots larger and practically touching, we went ahead and added a baseline. You're welcome.

Creating Traits: Less of a how-to and more of a rant that you’re never limited to any list in any book, you can and should create your own, borrow from other games, and assert your creativity and imagination when putting together the character that you envision and want to play.

DoubleZero Conversion: We’ve added notes on converting the old version of DoubleZero to The Simple Approach, which is easy because it’s basically a different core mechanic, some semantics, and a lone instance of basic math.

Frequently Asked Questions: There are more of them, hopefully addressing some of your more insightful, sincere, and sometimes inane queries.

Glossary: The glossary has been updated to reflect a few things added via our most recent books.

Level of Expertise: In previous versions, we made the egregious mistake of using "level of experience" and "level of expertise" interchangeably. Why? Because the original manuscript said "level of efficacy," and frankly, we got sick of giving out vocabulary lessons. So, we're clearing it up now, it’s "level of expertise" from here on out.

Negative Traits: Call them disadvantages, flaws, drawbacks, whatever you like. We’ve added a section to clarify how they can be used, and the role of both the player and the gamemaster in using them effectively.

Trait Costs: We’ve taken extra-special care to devote additional word count explaining that, during character creation, traits cost 1 built point per point of rating. Hopefully, this addenda will clear up any confusion. Read More

Karen

Evil has a name… and she wants to speak to your manager. Read More

Pets Gone Wrong

Pets Gone Wrong is here to unleash chaos with innocent eyes, wagging tails, and just the right amount of malevolent terror. Want to inject some primal, twisted fear into your roleplaying setting? This sourcebook is built with The Simple Approach in mind, designed to slip seamlessly into any roleplaying game you’re already running. There’s no need to toss out the rules you know, just add these pets to your world and let the horror unfold. Read More

Creepy Dolls

Creepy Dolls is here to take your nightmares and turn them into something worse, an ever-present, eerie force that haunts your players long after the session ends. If you're ready to inject a bit of unsettling horror into your roleplaying setting, this sourcebook has what you need. It's grounded in The Simple Approach, so it easily drops into whatever roleplaying game you're already running. No need to learn a new system or mess with a bunch of mechanics, just add these Creepy Dolls into the mix and watch the dread take hold. Read More

Terrible Children

Terrible Children are here to throw everything into disarray with eerie stares, unsettling silence, and a whole lot of creeping dread. Looking to add some unnerving horror to your roleplaying setting? This sourcebook is built on The Simple Approach, designed to seamlessly integrate into any roleplaying game you’re already running. No need to overhaul the rules or figure out a new system—just drop these disturbing kids into your world and watch your players squirm. Read More

Clowns

Clowns is here to upend everything with sinister grins, maniacal laughter, and a whole lot of nightmare fuel. Looking to add some twisted chaos to your roleplaying setting? This sourcebook is grounded in The Simple Approach and is built to drop into any roleplaying game you’re already running. You don’t need to rewrite the rules or learn a new system—just insert these clowns into your world and watch the madness unfold.

Strange Stories of H.G. Wells: Volume I

Strange Stories is a toolbox for fans of weird fiction who want to inject unsettling, character-driven tales into their tabletop roleplaying sessions. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill collection of plot hooks and story goals. It’s built on the bones of short fiction by H.G. Wells, ready to be reshaped and twisted to fit any system, any setting, and any genre. Read More

This Week’s Discount Code: NIGHTMARE

Use this code in the Lightspress shop and get 20% off your purchase through 29 October 2024.