During my college career in game design, a common assignment type was the game deconstruction, that is, playing a game, being able to pull the theoretical guts out of it in order to see what makes it tick. It's the gaming equivalent of "media literacy", figuring out the intentions behind a design and how and where the work best.
I haven't been doing these for quite some time. It's been two years since I've studied at Champlain College, and I worry that the knowledge I've gained from that program has begun to rust. in order to get back in the game, I think I need a project which I can use to analyze and critique game sensibilities, but also as a way to show a bit more about who I am and what I'm passionate about.
To that end, I've found a great fascination with old school Dungeons and Dragons inspired rule systems, modules, and most importantly for the sake of this project: CRPGs. As someone who was born long after the original fad of Dungeons and Dragons was long past (I was a newborn when 3rd edition was released), I want to potentially offer a new perspective on these old games and what they can mean to people.
The plan is as follows, currently, a copy of DND's BECMI Rules Cyclopedia is being shipped to me via mail. I'm also planning on ordering a copy of1e ADND and the associated monster manual. I'll also look into pdf copies of 0e DND as well.
However, on the game front I have amassed a collection of RPGs and games which can be traced directly back to DND's roots. My exploration of these games I hope is the meat and potatoes of this project.
Throughout these explorations I also intend on developing content related to these subjects in order to flex my Game Design muscles some more. I hope to be able to release new chapters on this project on a weekly basis.
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