Vague Countries
@vaguecountries.nl
DIY D&D enthusiast. Interaction design researcher by day. www.vaguecountries.nl
Returned to Viriconium for the third installment of the series. Things get weirder and weirder. But was there ever a more gifted prose stylist working in scifi and fantasy? M. John Harrison's writing is so beautiful it's almost physically painful to read.
December 24, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Returned to Viriconium for the third installment of the series. Things get weirder and weirder. But was there ever a more gifted prose stylist working in scifi and fantasy? M. John Harrison's writing is so beautiful it's almost physically painful to read.
After a 13-week hiatus, we finally returned to the table for another session. The players managed to eradicate a 150+ monster encampment with a combination of cunning and a healthy dose of munchkinery. It's all good. vaguecountries.nl/2025/12/13/p...
Planet Karus – Session 34 – Vague Countries
vaguecountries.nl
December 13, 2025 at 4:42 PM
After a 13-week hiatus, we finally returned to the table for another session. The players managed to eradicate a 150+ monster encampment with a combination of cunning and a healthy dose of munchkinery. It's all good. vaguecountries.nl/2025/12/13/p...
After a short break, I am resuming my sword & planet reading project. Cracked open REH's Almuric last evening. In the first few pages, the protagonist punches a baddy in the face so hard his head is described as cracking like an egg. And also, as a man born out of time. Never change, Two-Gun Bob!
November 5, 2025 at 9:50 AM
After a short break, I am resuming my sword & planet reading project. Cracked open REH's Almuric last evening. In the first few pages, the protagonist punches a baddy in the face so hard his head is described as cracking like an egg. And also, as a man born out of time. Never change, Two-Gun Bob!
Still here. Still playing fully homebrewed sword and planet OD&D. Still posting play reports. vaguecountries.nl/2025/09/27/p...
Planet Karus – Session 33 – Vague Countries
vaguecountries.nl
September 29, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Still here. Still playing fully homebrewed sword and planet OD&D. Still posting play reports. vaguecountries.nl/2025/09/27/p...
Just completed the first actual game of D&D with the seven-year-old twins. Maze Rats worked like a charm.
August 8, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Just completed the first actual game of D&D with the seven-year-old twins. Maze Rats worked like a charm.
Casting around for character retirement rules for classic D&D campaigns with level caps (level 6 in my case). Anyone?
June 2, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Casting around for character retirement rules for classic D&D campaigns with level caps (level 6 in my case). Anyone?
Got sooo close to killing off not one but two of the highest-level characters in our campaign last night. A level six magic user and a level five thief/level two fighter (multiclass, baby).
May 10, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Got sooo close to killing off not one but two of the highest-level characters in our campaign last night. A level six magic user and a level five thief/level two fighter (multiclass, baby).
We had one of those Spec Ops-style D&D sessions where players break into a place in their hometown, so they can't just solve every problem with ultraviolence but must remain undetected. A fun change of pace. vaguecountries.nl/2025/04/14/p...
Planet Karus – Session 30 – Vague Countries
vaguecountries.nl
April 14, 2025 at 7:24 AM
We had one of those Spec Ops-style D&D sessions where players break into a place in their hometown, so they can't just solve every problem with ultraviolence but must remain undetected. A fun change of pace. vaguecountries.nl/2025/04/14/p...
Acquired a near pristine copy of Outdoor Survival for next to nothing. Can’t wait to give this a go and see where D&D got its hexcrawling start from.
April 5, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Acquired a near pristine copy of Outdoor Survival for next to nothing. Can’t wait to give this a go and see where D&D got its hexcrawling start from.
I've been plowing through seventies and eighties sword and sorcery cinema, and a lot of it is bad (although usually still fairly entertaining).
April 3, 2025 at 7:31 AM
I've been plowing through seventies and eighties sword and sorcery cinema, and a lot of it is bad (although usually still fairly entertaining).
The play report of our annual Planet Karus marathon session is now up on the blog. All you need to run a weird sword and planet campaign is OD&D and imagination. Really. vaguecountries.nl/2025/03/24/p...
Planet Karus – Session 29 – Vague Countries
vaguecountries.nl
March 24, 2025 at 9:41 AM
The play report of our annual Planet Karus marathon session is now up on the blog. All you need to run a weird sword and planet campaign is OD&D and imagination. Really. vaguecountries.nl/2025/03/24/p...
Fell down a free kriegspiel / Engle matrix games rabbit hole while researching lightweight ways of structure downtime maneuvering.
March 23, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Fell down a free kriegspiel / Engle matrix games rabbit hole while researching lightweight ways of structure downtime maneuvering.
Still basking in the afterglow of playing D&D seven hours straight last Saturday. Our annual Planet Karus marathon was a blast once again. Play report coming soon.
March 11, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Still basking in the afterglow of playing D&D seven hours straight last Saturday. Our annual Planet Karus marathon was a blast once again. Play report coming soon.
Making bespoke ready ref sheets that fit a weird sword and planet campaign.
March 5, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Making bespoke ready ref sheets that fit a weird sword and planet campaign.
Five days until our annual marathon in-person D&D session. Feels like Christmas.
March 3, 2025 at 7:57 AM
Five days until our annual marathon in-person D&D session. Feels like Christmas.
Got two of JP Coovert’s zines. Very charming, and very infectious. Immediately makes me want to go off and draw maps for my game.
February 25, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Got two of JP Coovert’s zines. Very charming, and very infectious. Immediately makes me want to go off and draw maps for my game.
Another month, another monthly session of our classic D&D game set in a weird sword and planet world. This time, we, or I as the referee at least, had quite a bit of fun with players facing mapping challenges. vaguecountries.nl/2025/02/16/p...
Planet Karus – Session 28 – Vague Countries
vaguecountries.nl
February 16, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Another month, another monthly session of our classic D&D game set in a weird sword and planet world. This time, we, or I as the referee at least, had quite a bit of fun with players facing mapping challenges. vaguecountries.nl/2025/02/16/p...
Finally got stuck in to Harrison’s Pastel City and my gosh is it good. Gripping, lyrical, frequently metal as f*** in its depictions of violence, but also very melancholy. A new favorite in the fantasy/sci-fi crossover that is my sweet spot. Highly recommended.
February 10, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Finally got stuck in to Harrison’s Pastel City and my gosh is it good. Gripping, lyrical, frequently metal as f*** in its depictions of violence, but also very melancholy. A new favorite in the fantasy/sci-fi crossover that is my sweet spot. Highly recommended.
Finished a new mid-size dungeon for my weird sword and planet D&D campaign (about 72 rooms across three levels). First time using Finch’s map generation method from Tome of Adventure Design. Worked quite well.
February 6, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Finished a new mid-size dungeon for my weird sword and planet D&D campaign (about 72 rooms across three levels). First time using Finch’s map generation method from Tome of Adventure Design. Worked quite well.
Leveling up my classic D&D pedantry with Eero Tuovinen’s Muster.
February 1, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Leveling up my classic D&D pedantry with Eero Tuovinen’s Muster.
What a pile of 400+ Roman-era gold and silver coins looks like.
January 27, 2025 at 11:17 AM
What a pile of 400+ Roman-era gold and silver coins looks like.
Turns out dungeon stocking is an excellent way to pass the time while convalescing from the flu.
January 21, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Turns out dungeon stocking is an excellent way to pass the time while convalescing from the flu.
The First Planet Karus session of 2025 is under our belts. Players had spectacular plans for a lair assault, which completely failed. Good stuff. vaguecountries.nl/2025/01/11/p...
Planet Karus – Session 27 – Vague Countries
vaguecountries.nl
January 11, 2025 at 3:08 PM
The First Planet Karus session of 2025 is under our belts. Players had spectacular plans for a lair assault, which completely failed. Good stuff. vaguecountries.nl/2025/01/11/p...
Watched The Beastmaster over the weekend. Can’t think of a better example of why allowing animal familiars in a D&D game are a mistake.
January 6, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Watched The Beastmaster over the weekend. Can’t think of a better example of why allowing animal familiars in a D&D game are a mistake.
A quick addendum to my year-in-review post, a rundown of the gaming content and house rules that I home-brewed for my classic D&D sword & planet campaign throughout 2024. vaguecountries.nl/2025/01/02/h...
Homebrew Highlights: Planet Karus 2024 – Vague Countries
vaguecountries.nl
January 2, 2025 at 2:09 PM
A quick addendum to my year-in-review post, a rundown of the gaming content and house rules that I home-brewed for my classic D&D sword & planet campaign throughout 2024. vaguecountries.nl/2025/01/02/h...