White Box Cyclopedia Cometh

Long Have I Waited...

It’s alive. Alive! That’s right, after literal years of teasing it and talking about it, the White Box Cyclopedia is about to launch on Kickstarter. This book, like so many other projects I’ve published grew in the creating. I’ve said over and over how much I love Swords & Wizardry White Box, so I won’t beleaguer that point again. The Cyclopedia began even before I partnered with Gallant Knight Games when I sat down to review my White Box products and noticed inconsistencies in my own work across these products. I got it in my head to do a compilation that brought everything from the White Box Omnibus, White Box Gothic, White Box Compendium and others in sync with one another. Then I had the idea of including the rules of Swords & Wizardry White Box itself in this compilation. This became a real stumbling block for me because it didn’t feel ethically right to copy-paste Swords & Wizardry White Box into my book. I mean, technically, I could do it since S&W WB was under the OGL, that felt like it was outside the spirit of the OGL.

So, I sat down and started going through Swords & Wizardry White Box with a fine toothed comb and looking at where I’d apply house rules or options that hadn’t already been presented in previous products. Sure, I’d done new classes and new spells and new monsters, but this was different. This was optional rules to other elements of the game. Options like adding your Strength modifier to your Open Doors check - that kind of stuff that impacts the game across play. When I started to do that, I realized I was building something that was actually different from Matt and Marv’s creation.

Now, I really came into my own playing AD&D 2e and as I approached Swords & Wizardry White Box with this new view of things I began to wonder - what if we got that AD&D 2e level of options without that level of AD&D 2e rules bloat? What if Gary and Dave kept progressing the game, but kept things super simple - a d20, a few d6s, and guidelines over granularity. Finally, the game had its vision, it’s driving force.

With my purpose having revealed itself, I went to Matt and asked him how he felt about my idea and if it was something he’d be comfortable with. Much to my amazement Matt not only gave me his blessing, he enthusiastically endorsed my efforts to the point of calling it out in his newest printing of Swords & Wizardry White Box by name and even writing the preface for White Box Cyclopedia. Matt’s support for my efforts in White Box have really been a blessing over the years. In fact, Matt’s endorsement of White Box Cyclopedia actually had a direct impact on the game. The game’s cover art is actually a subtle continuation of Brett Barkely’s cover art for Swords & Wizardry White Box and Brett was kind enough to do the cover for me. That dude’s a champ.

So with this vision and the support of the game’s godfather, I started to put together the actual product. Which means I have to decide what this product is going to be when it’s in your hand and at the table. I still wanted the quick, clean playability of White Box, but with all this additional material. Over and over again, I reinforce that White Box Cyclopedia is full of Options, Not Obligations. Just because it’s in the book doesn’t mean it’s automatically included in play. The Cyclopedia is, first and foremost, a tool kit.

To reinforce this, I have included in the Refereeing chapter a special section informally called “Genre Hacks.” Simple overlays that can be put on top of an entire campaign that alter classes and play to highlight a style of play found in those inspirations. Whether it’s Leiber or Howard style pulp sword and sorcery or Tolkienian fantasy, I include ways to turn White Box from a generic fantasy into something specific and familiar.

This, combined with other elements found in the book allow you to build a highly customized experience, but the rules stay simple and stay approachable. So, if you want a campaign world where a major metropolis is ruled by a magic-users who solve disputes through formal arcane dueling as they engage in machiavellian politics and manipulating trade routes? Sure, done! Include the Spell Duel rules, the Seafaring rules, and the Stronghold rules and you’re good to go. Want a straight up classic dungeon crawl? Awesome, throw the three core classes in, cherry pick the dungeon exploration rules, and grab a classic module and you’re good to go! Wanna do a Bram Stoker inspired gothic fantasy campaign? Include the Metaphysician and Spiritualist classes, the Gothic genre rules, and the Dhampir heritage and you’re off to the races. The point is that White Box Cyclopedia is the game you need it to be. It’s raw, its simple, and its flexible.

To keep that “built in ‘74” vibe, I tapped HodagRPG to do the interior art. His raw, surreal style captures that vibe perfectly. It’s strange and simple and perfectly evocative for White Box Cyclopedia because it’s all about wonder and untapped potential. I freakin’ love it.

I promised I wouldn’t beleaguer the point, but I guess I lied: I freakin’ love White Box, and I think that’s why White Box Cyclopedia is bursting at the seems with content, ideas, and enthusiasm. This book is over 120,000 words. If I hadn’t checked myself, reigned myself in, it could’ve been three times that size. It’s more than just Swords & Wizardry White Box combined with my previously published content. It’s tons of new stuff, tons of ideas, and tons of love for vintage fantasy gaming.

I really, really want you to join me. This is the beginning of one hell of an adventure and everyone is invited. You can sign up to be notified when the White Box Cyclopedia goes live on Kickstarter on January 7th so you don’t miss out.