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Grumpy Wizard

Travis Miller's Blog About Sword & Sorcery Fiction and Classic Fantasy Adventure Gaming

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Is Fudging Dice Good Game Mastering?

On May 25, 2023June 9, 2023 By Travis MillerIn assumption busters, game mastering advice5 Comments

It's bad practice to fudge dice rolls for a number of reasons.

Thoughts About Time and Value

On May 18, 2023June 26, 2023 By Travis MillerIn musings9 Comments

I want some of your lifetime and attention.

Customize Your Description

On May 16, 2023May 16, 2023 By Travis MillerIn game mastering advice

I have some old posts that haven't gotten many views. Going back through them, I noticed that some of them are quite good but for some reason hadn't received much attention. This is an experiment to see if the reblog function on the WordPress improves the views of the post.

A Lesson Not Learned By the Gaming Industry

On May 11, 2023December 4, 2024 By Travis MillerIn assumption busters, crowd funding, game business, musings18 Comments

At some point in the 80's, someone at a game company called TSR noticed that there were more players than game masters. They came up with a hypothesis: If you make books for players instead of game masters, you can sell more books. That seems obvious but it turns out that this is not a very good long term strategy.

How Do I Play a First Level OSR Thief?

On May 4, 2023May 4, 2023 By Travis MillerIn advice for players10 Comments

The lowly first level thief can be challenging to play in an old school renaissance game. They have some special skills but are weak in a fight. Here are some tips for playing a low level thief character.

a collection of books on medieval history. The Northmen by John Haywood, Kings and Vikings by P.H. Sawyer, Crusaders by Dan Jones, Europe in the High Middle Ages by John H. Mundy, A History of the Vikings by Gwyn Jones, Life in a Medieval Village by Joseph Gies, Life in a Medieval City by Joseph Gies, Life in a Medieval Castle by Joseph Gies, A World Lit Only by Fire William Manchester, Medieval Cities by Pirenne

Why Do Gaming Grognards Love History?

On April 27, 2023April 28, 2023 By Travis MillerIn 2E, inspiration, musings7 Comments

Old school RPG gamers tend to have a deep interest in history. In this essay, I explain why that is and what effect it has on the style of game we run and play.

What’s your “Appendix LP?”

On April 20, 2023February 18, 2024 By Travis MillerIn inspiration, music4 Comments

You've heard of Appendix N. What about Appendix LP?

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Travis Miller

I write about tabletop role-playing games, sword-and-sorcery fiction, storytelling, and heavy metal. 

The friendships I’ve forged while playing adventure games, listening to heavy music, and sharing stories saved my life and made it worth living.  

I live in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. America’s most underrated city.

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Cover of a a roleplaying game product titled "Hogwater: Village of Secrets" by Travis Miller


Hogwater: Village of Secrets is a starting location for a sandbox campaign. It includes everything you need to begin a campaign while still having the space to add your favorite old school modules or build your own. There are factions, non-player characters, unique monsters, locations, and a series of pre-written hooks for you to introduce players to the village of Hogwater and its troubles.

Immortals Inc, one of Cleveland's best Friendly Local Game Stores, keeps signed copies of Hogwater in stock. They ship to locations inside of the United States or you can pick it up yourself if you happen to be in the area. Great shop and great people. I also run special events and appear on their YouTube channel from time to time.

Buy Hogwater on Lulu in Print. Send me the receipt and I'll send you a PDF for free.

Buy Hogwater in PDF on Lulu

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Ten Foot Pole

Dweller of the Forbidden City

Delta’s D&D Hotspot

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