Introduction: Scope and Purpose

Hello! Welcome to The Fantastic is Fact. The purpose of this blog is to share my musings about and experiences engaging with tabletop role-playing games — specifically those of the "old-school" variety. There's no telling precisely what those games will be, other than what strikes my fancy or seizes my imagination enough to put a hand to keyboard or even (God forbid!) get a game going. As of today, I can at least say that those games include the original version of Dungeons & Dragons, Tunnels & Trolls,  Mydwandr, and Castles & Crusades. I hope that my posts can provide some exciting new insights into those games as well as into the hobby in general. 

The title of this blog is taken straight from the "Forward" to the original, 1974 version of Dungeons & Dragons. It's with the "Afterword," however, that I'd like to open this blog:

These final, parting words that Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson leave players with have inspired many a player and referee (as they called "Dungeon Masters" back in the day) to make Dungeons & Dragons their own. The original game was a toolkit to provide just enough structure to the imagination to share stories around a gaming table. There's magic in those words and philosophy, even after nearly 50 years. As a result, the game continues to capture the imagination of young and old today and shows no signs of stopping.

In fact, just yesterday, Wizards of the Coast announced that they will soon be publishing The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons: 1970-1976, authored by none other than gaming historian Jon Peterson of Playing at the World fame. 

There's still life left in those pages! 

Ultimately, I hope this blog can help nurture that life, as well as that of other games in the old-school (including OSR) camp. Stay tuned!