Holes-Posting : I Find An Excuse to Talk About Digimon World 3

 

Bearmon is my partner Digimon, btw The Pikachu to my Ash

    Howdy, Farmhands!

    Digimon World 3 for the original Playstation is one of my favorite childhood games. It's premise and mechanics are incredibly simple, being a Licensed turn-based RPG of a franchise where pointing at the screen and saying in child-like wonder, "That's the guy from the anime" was all it needed to be. The "combat" features 3d models flopping around while special effects relating to the action you chose plays over them to disguise that each model only has 1 or 2 animations. It's game balance is entirely out of whack. The OST is alright, but nowhere near as good as half of the playstation's heavier hitters. Don't even get me started on the writing. Badly paced, barely playtested, and shipped out early to fill a Christmas release... and yet it's one of my favorites? Bad taste aside, what is it that endears me to this shitty little game? 

    It's got some baller isometric environment design, mostly.

I'm going to regret hosting this image natively on my webserver 
but it needs to survive the rot of digital society at full res, so sayeth the Farmer

    The world of the in-universe full dive MMORPG called "Digimon Online" is filled to the brim with pre-rendered isometric environments that make use of it's premise incredibly well. The spaces you run around aren't "real" nor do they need to make sense. Grass has circuit board lines imprinted in the fields. Machinery grows from the ground like trees. Buildings are made of computer parts, sized for giants and populated by regular folk. Every step comes with another burst of fantastical world building. Digimon World 3 isn't afraid to front load it's best ideas in it's starting areas, but not all of them are accessible. Throughout these world, the player will stumble upon areas that are visible, but out of reach. Tunnel exits with no obvious entrance gate off the lower half of the starting City. Most bodies of water have one or two dock-like platforms that appear to have no purpose, and strange holes in the ground mark the land.  In the very early game, these areas blend in to the other wild visual clutter scattered around, making them intriguing but dismissable elements of the areas you run through.

    This changes about a 1/3rd into the game's story, where plot reasons requires the player make their way to a landmass across an ocean.  The player is told that access can be acquired if they seek out the Mystical Artifact known as the Digimental of Sincerity, with only the barest hint as to where it's hidden. Which they do, because the next section of the game is gated off until it's done and one fetch quest later-

Now he can call Submarimon and cross the Ocean.

      This is where the game gets clever, because players of JRPGs are used to this sort of thing. You get a boat, which expands your options for overland travel, which leads you to new areas and the game continues. The player quickly finds their nearest Dock-like Platform, uses the Digimental to summon Submarimon and-

-cross the... ocean...

     This is not Fast Travel. This is a shortcut; but one the Player must traverse in order to skip distances of overland travel, with the same encounter and combat mechanic as on dry land, through a maze of underwater paths that crisscross the entire game. Some Docks only connect to 1 other Dock. Some have multiple exit points. Suddenly, every area you've passed through until now, and every area you encounter next, has an additional dimension to travel through, hidden away areas or blocked off passages becoming accessible, if the Player dares dive into the mini-dungeons that connect them. Once you know where the connections are, traveling between them is technically faster that going overland... but are they worth the risk?

    It is possible to get a Game Over in these shortcuts. The system for saving your game involves speaking with an NPC at an Inn, and those don't appear anywhere underwater. The pathways are easy to get lost in, as remembering which exit brings you to a specific spot in the overworld can get confusing fast. It's a new kind of risk, but not an insurmountable one.

    Closer towards the end of the game, maybe a little about the halfway point, the plot expands to reveal the evil organizations plot to use Digimon World Online to commit real world terrorism (as you do). The Player is a known antagonist to their plans, leading the organization to purposefully operate from within areas yet inaccessible to them. To chase them down and halt their schemes, the Player is prompted to seek out the Mystical Artifact known as the Digimental of Knowledge, with only the barest hint as to where it's hidden. Which they do, because the next section of the game is gated off until it's done and one fetch quest later-

I couldn't find an image with the textbox, but I imagine 
it reads "Now I can call Digmon and dig tunnels!"

    This is where the game decides it wants to continue being clever, despite already throwing the Player for a loop with it's previous "Fast Travel" option. The player quickly finds their nearest suspicious Hole in the ground, uses the Digimental to summon Digmon and-

-ok what the fuck, man

     Digimon World 3 is proud to pretend to be a computer game. It's aesthetic and level design lean heavily into the concept of a world within a machine, and nowhere is it more blatant than this, the Network Interstice. This connection of tunnels between sheets of giant circuitry is, textually, not just digging under the ground to pop up somewhere else in the overworld - It takes you beneath the very code of the world and allows you to travel to servers operating in another geographical location. That's right, the entire late stage of the game takes place in a second copy of the main world map, as you leave the space made for Japanese players and head for America. (The specific countries are left unnamed, but c'mon. You end up beaming yourself aboard a space rocket with giant lasers onboard, it's got to be America's shit.) Where the Underwater traversal was a series of connected hallways with a few doors to lose track of, the Circuit Board is a sprawling maze, potentially capable of popping you out into one of two dimensions. The same rules with Combat and the chance of a Game Over apply.  

So what does any of this have to do with TTRPGs?

    I firmly believe that any media, in any medium, can have a lesson to learn for the betterment of running TTRPGs. Ours is a hobby of imagination, after all, and imagination needs fuel from outside itself to properly run. What do I think we can learn from Digimon World 3 and it's holes? Perhaps, something like, "Do not Overcomplicate your worldbuilding. Take something small, established early, and reframe it's use. It will appear as though you are a master at foreshadowing." Maybe, if I'm feeling spicy, it would be, "Do not offer Skips, offer Shortcuts, with unique challenges to offset immediate benefits. Make the choice to avoid a portion of the Game a proper Choice to make."

    Or maybe, just maybe, the lesson here today is, "Gadda likes Digimon World 3 and saw the chance to blog about it a little." 

- Until Next Time,

    Farmer Gadda 

Can't Miss Merchant Stalls

 

Howdy, Farmhands! 

    There's nothing quite like shopping in a TTRPG. Unburdened by the logistics of transporting goods or price fluctuations as the economy burns down around you, spending a session or downtime hitting the medieval fantasy mall is as much a power fantasy as casting a spell or punching a guy real good. Better bloggers than I have written at length about the mathematics and sociology of partaking in fictional capitalism, so I'm not even going to bother. Instead, I bring unto you a d20 table of details your players will notice when they approach the next merchant with wares to hock. Maybe the staff is unfriendly, and the goods on the shelf less than ideal, but goddamn if they won't remember their time spent here.

Until Next time,

    Farmer Gadda 

What's Neat About This Merchant Stall?
1	Wacky-Wavy Inflatable Tube Man
2	Sign Spinner, paid minimum wage
3	Textboard Feud with the business across the street
4	Fursuit Mascot offering Pictures
5	Gigantic Bronze effigy of a Beaver
6	Partnering with Kid Scout Cookies
7	Bright neon signage, mistaken for the moon
8	A large Bell that is rung every hour on the hour
9	Novelty Windmill
10	A Roadside Billboard
11	A full Brass Band
12	They're firing T-shirt Cannons at Passersby
13	They've hired an Aircraft to fly around with a banner saying "Shop At x"
14	Blinking Neon Lights
15	"Now with Indoor Plumbing!"
16	It's Happy Hour
17	Brand new Car in the Display Window
18	Offering Free Pony Rides
19	Buy 1, Get 2 Golfballs
20	Contract with the Mafia. You better not shop anywhere else.

This post and others like it are made possible by members of my Patreon, where you can see Game WIPs and Previews of future blogposts a week early! Thank you in particular to Bailey Gillier for your continued support!

The Summer Of Slug 2025

 

You will listen to this man's jaunty jingle and you will like it.

Howdy, Farmhands!

     The youtube algorithm is a fickle creature. It prioritizes hate clicks and clickbait to populate it's suggestions, choosing the worst of the worst content to promote while other, calmer content gets filtered to the bottom of it's reccomendations list. But sometimes, only sometimes, it chooses to present something magical to you. Three years ago, I was offered a video on a topic I'm actually interested in; the upcoming retirement of a specific color in the palette of LEGO bricks. What I thought I was about to watch was an angry rant detailing the bare minimum details about a corporate decision that would barely effect me and mine. What I found was a measured, talented voice that made me care as much as he did. What I found was R. R. Slugger.

    R. R. Slugger is a man of many talents. While his focus is always on the LEGO bricks he's discussing, it is immediately apparent that he has spent time on other artistic hobbies, as his videos are full of bespoke music tracks, high quality photography, and even extended stop motion animation. His scripts are clear and concise, belying a history with writing (possibly in academic circles?) and anyone who can and will spend time discussing the full legal name and serial number of any given LEGO piece in a set deserves a gold star for doing their research. This is a man who has learned and improved many talents over time, and chooses to use those strengths to improve the quality of his creative output. His videos are at once visually and audibly entertaining, while remaining downright educational for their content. I'm not exaggerating when I say that more hobby content on youtube should take a page from this guy's book. 

    Almost more important than his quality of video production, though, is his genuine joy when speaking about the subject matter he's chosen. Slugger loves LEGO. Slugger loves talking about LEGO. Slugger loves that he loves LEGO. He has no delusions that he's not a silly little man talking about a children's toy on the internet, but he seems to find genuine joy in his enjoyment. That joy is infectious. Listen to this duo of  youtubers, one seeing his channel for the first time, shift from amusement to genuine interest the longer they watch Slugger's video on a singular LEGO Mould from 2002. Neither of them have any skin in the game, but his sincerity and thorough discussion audibly convert them into believers within 10 minutes. Vintage LEGO collectors who keep up with the man can pinpoint moments in time where a video of his discussing a previously less than adored LEGO set leads to an uptick in sales of that set, to the point where his fans joke about collecting other unsung LEGO themes before he gets around to covering them, if only for the sake of their wallet.

    But just as Slugger has combined his background in photography and music into producing the best LEGO videos he can, he's also not afraid to branch out from LEGO. Alongside his main channel, which retains it's focus on bricks, he's also started a pair of sister channels, Slugscape and Sluggin' Around. The first takes his existing video formula and applies it to another of his loves, Heroscape, while the second is a catch all for video blogging about topics that don't apply to either of the previous two channels. For a main channel video, he composed a cover of a niche television show intro that never saw an official instrumental or sheet music release, which he then turned into a 10 minute discussion on music theory for his Sluggin' Around channel. 

    At this point in the blog, I'm sure you're wondering if I'm here simply to gush over this one youtuber who makes LEGO videos. And the answer is yes, but also no. Slugger's work is impressive, and anyone with even a passing fancy for LEGO bricks should give his stuff a shot, but on more broadly, I think Slugger is a shining example of something we're lacking in today's online spaces. This is a man who knows his creative strengths, and has applied them to the act of creation for the sole purpose of sharing something he genuinely loves with the world. Without irony, without exaggeration, and without cynicism, his videos present something he adores, thoroughly explains what he likes about it, and offers his audience a chance to fall in love with it too. His coverage of a product for sale by a corporate entity is never meant to convince you to buy, nor does he choose his topics for their profitability; he simply has an appreciation that he refuses to contain. That, above anything else, is admirable and something we all should aspire to. This blog is simply me putting my money where my mouth is. I love R.R. Slugger's work. I love his music, I love his videos, I love his LEGO builds, and I love his Joy. 

    At the time of posting, the 3rd Annual "Summer of Slug" event has begun; a two-month-long stretch where Slugger takes a break from his dayjob in education to focus solely on video production. To offset costs, he's opened his Patreon, which funds the event and also offers the perk of access to his behind the scenes discord server, which is poppin' all year round. Even if you are uninterested in monetarily supporting him this year, the Summer of Slug is the best time to start watching his videos, as the nichest of content and oddest of topics get covered during this time. Please check his work out, and tell him Farmer Gadda sent you.

     Until Next Time, 

            Farmer Gadda 

Does Setting Matter?

    

oh ok, post over then.

Howdy, Farmhands!

    For those of you who are fortunate enough to have avoided my ramblings on social media, may God continue to bless you and yours with sweet ignorance. Today's blogpost will have to temporarily expose you to TTRPG Discourse of the Bluesky variety, I'm afraid. I know, I know, you presumably choose to read blogs to avoid using such distasteful websites. There's still time to click off and go read something else. This preamble is mostly dragging out time for you to make your escape.

    Not terribly long ago, an individual made a series of Skeets (yes, we call them Skeets) about their experience bouncing off of some OSR products. Assuming you're not reading this in some far off future where said service has completely gone dark (which could be as soon as June, the way online services work in the year of our Lord, 2025) here's a link to said thread. This isn't a sub-post in the slightest, by the way, ACoupleOfDrakes is completely within their right to 1. Dislike a product, trend, or genre and 2. Skeet About It As They Will. The sentiment simply became a hot topic for all of five minutes among people term searching the phrase "OSR," and as such, many of us felt the need to post our Opinions. Naturally, I chimed in so I could feel like a special little boy for an hour. 

    To DRASTICALLY paraphrase ACoupleOfDrakes' words to quickly establish What my opinions are in reaction to, here's the key statements that caught my attention.

    One of the things that keeps me from becoming an OSR guy is how few of the worlds presented seem like a place I'd like to spend time exploring. There are notable exceptions....(source)

...I think the thing that makes me most interested in an OSR setting is its ratio of wonder to believability....(source)

...There are a lot of gonzo for the sake of gonzo settings that lose me because I can't imagine what you're supposed to /do/ there.... (source)

...Trying to put into words what divides the things that I like versus the things that I don't in the OSR space and only coming up with a Calvin and Hobbes meme about "OSR that's Maps" and "OSR that's Questions." (source)

1. No.

    I don't personally believe OSR as a genre needs a ton of cohesive settings, nor that picking out a pre-made setting guide is a necessary step in having an OSR-y experience. There's just something about a self-aware DIY elfgame that's charming all on it's own, y'know? You get your combat rules and your equipment lists and that's kind of all the System needs to do. Half the point of an Old School Game is coming up with your own bespoke fantasy land cobbled together from whatever interests you and your table.  You probably have an idea of Where you want to adventure anyway, and you'll purposefully pick modules and beasties that fit that vague impression you have in your mind. The turn to emergent settings being made during play that you see frequently these days (Questions instead of Maps) makes a lot of sense. 

    Sure, theres people wanting their Greyhawks and their Spelljammers and whatnot, but a large swathe of OSR systems are either compatible with those older works out the gate or stupid easy to convert.  Any setting with a travel system worth a damn is basically already an unofficial osr setting, as far as I'm concerned. Get Neverland by Andrew Kolb. I don't care that it's statted for 5e. You can do basic math conversions probably. Make everything a Bear.

2. But Actually, Yes.

    And I'm going to immediately go back on what I Just Said. Remember those charming, self-aware DIY elfgames? A large chunk of "The Setting" is found in what exactly the author puts in the basic rules and equipment lists. If a system features Swords and Spears, the implication inherent in the text is that your game will take place in a world where such weapons are reasonable to have around. Imagine one includes Laser Pistols and Bags of Doritos in the list of gear to buy at character creation - Suddenly, your gaming experience is distinct from most others. This comparison is a little exaggerated for effect, but you get what I mean, right? A system with simple access to Magic Spells implies a different world to one with none at all. The choice to include or exclude options is as much a world-building exercise as it is an editorial one. In this manner, there isn't a single OSR game out there that is truly without it's own Setting, even if the Author never names it. You can blur your eyes and come up with some Proper Nouns for Places that would have that shit in it. You're a smart cookie.

3. -Well, Now That I Think Of It, Only Maybe?

    What I think individuals are ACTUALLY looking for when they go shopping for the perfect setting is a sense of verisimilitude, a through-line of tone from which their idealized fantasy can be extrapolated. In a previous post, I discussed a series of Pamphlets by Seba G.M., which use a Tri-fold to succinctly offer guidelines and mechanics for running Forgotten Realms and Ravenloft using the Knave system. These are purposefully mere snippets of the full setting guides one can find for these worlds, but in their brevity, I still find the flavor I'm looking for to run a game within them. The mechanics they add or change are adjusted so as to create a feeling at the table, instead of just giving you a list of locations and names to memorize. I could look at one of the many grimdark fantasy settings released over the decades, only to find what I desire is closer to the free zine-size booklet version of Mork Borg. I could decide the exact reverse too! I don't need to invest in becoming a Greyhawk Scholar, but if my personal ideal of a Grimdark setting requires that deep an understanding, it might be to my taste.

    All of this is to say, I suppose, that one of my favorite elements of The OSR is the freedom to pick and choose what is necessary for Your Game. Not All games, not The game, just Your game.  

4. So, No. lol 

Until Next Time,

    - Farmer Gadda 

looking for a new OSR setting
ask exalted funeral if the setting is maps or questions
they laugh and say it's a good setting
buy the setting
it's maps

- Ty, Mindstorm Press (source)

Things on my Grocery List

 

Don't you Wanna go Apeshit?

    Howdy, Farmhands!

    Have you ever heard of "Free Will?"