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Thoughts and Review
What I Liked
First and foremost - lands-a-livin', RULEBOOK!
Among the foremost purposes of the original inclination in writing reviews of actual play presentations like this one was expressly to provide insight on the pedagogic merits of the myriad of actual plays that line video and audio networks alike: and the first thing that stood out to me, even in the first video or two, was the adherence that Mike keeps to the book.
Is adherence to the book the most important thing about an actual play? About a game? No - however, when you are learning the game (as he was in this video series and as the potential viewer, interested in Old School Essentials or Advanced Old School Essentials coming into the OSR for the first time would be, learning the rules is key to experiencing the genre and experiencing the game in a manner consistent with its design. Further, someone who has never played AOSE or an OSR game (or someone who has played other OSR games and is curious about AOSE) will benefit from a by-the-book presentation of the game in that it will present to them the kind of adventure the game is going to produce as well as illustrate how the mechanics work and feel at the table: informing their decision to pursue or not to pursue the game system based on that illustration.
For that reason - it is a selling point for actual play productions to adhere to the rules: and on that selling point, Mike deserves triple kudos. Not only does he present the rules, play the rules, present the experience, illustrate the experience, but all the while - he has the book in front of him and cites the actual text by which he is playing. Scutifier Mike has produced a brilliant learning tool - and in so doing, does an immense service to the hobby.
But wouldn't it get boring, if it's just a dude walking through the solo play rules? Not hardly. Mike deserves credit for keeping it interesting - allowing the dice to tell the story - and using the results of the rolls to help inform the emerging narrative. For example, the party meets a group of not-Bullywugs: the reaction rolls are initially positive, but turn against the party in subsequent negotiations. From these rolls, Mike infers that the not-Bullywugs are friends or kin to another group of not-Bullywugs encountered earlier: whom the party had massacred. As some other dice-driven solo-players have done, Mike rolls the dice... then interprets the results: producing a story that is new even to him as he films it. This serves a dual purpose from the perspective of the audience: first, in keeping things interesting; and second, in illustrating for the viewer a perfect example of emergent narrative.
This is not - of course - to state that your planning as the DM is meaningless as the dice make the connections for you in play: but instead an example of something that does come up; that you can do in the referee hot-seat. And moreover, it illustrates for audience members who might have been more familiar with "narrative gaming" meaning that the DM had a plot in mind before for you to follow - that's not how OSR games work: and that it's something to be treasured!
And the game evolves.
At the beginning (and truly throughout) there is a focus on dungeons and underground exploration: but also, as the party gains more resources, they hire mercenaries: and there is overland combat, mass combat, with faction politics within the hex map driving the interaction. Mike showcases - solo - most elements of the game: including several of those elements which do not make a show in more modern-focused actual plays: the overland adventure and wargame roots.
Lastly - I like that Mike, over these videos, was learning the game.
He makes mistakes, he rolls with the corrections, and he makes fewer mistakes as the game rolls on. This attitude is essential for the learner - and I respect him for putting it out on the air and for the effort he put in to trying to get better at simultaneously playing and running the game. From experience, solo gaming (especially trying to record solo gaming) isn't as easy as it may seem.
Aspects to Note
For folks who are interested - after partaking in this playlist, finding some other videos, maybe checking him on X (formerly Twitter) - you will find he is fallen in with the BrOSR. This is not an endorsement nor condemnation - but if you have a thing against points of debate and rule interpretations that arise in context of BrOSR, you may find deeper diving to be against your taste. Alternatively, the exposition of certain BrOSR-flavored concepts, most immediately 1:1 time, may serve as an anodyne way to get a peak at what the fuss is all about. Admittedly, I almost titled this article "BrOSE" - but didn't want to appear like I was farming clicks.
More personally, Mike can be very ... enthusiastic. It appears to be working - as between when I started writing this review and when I released it, his channel had gained 200 followers - but as an early Millenial / arguably last-second Gen X - the gleeful exuberance can make me occasionally cringe a bit on his behalf. That in mind, I know that I get excited about things and have my own way of expressing them - surely, proverbial "young people" see my presentation, my mode of expressing excitement, and think to themselves, "Damn, Grandpa, who taught you there was a wider internet than Facebook and Nextdoor?" So I won't judge. And honestly, after the first dozen or so episodes, I'd gotten use to it.
More relevantly - however - and more fair to the material - one last thing to note, if you are coming in and learning the game: he uses some supplemental material which many will argue with you is not OSR. In particular, the 5e DMG comes to mind: why use the 5e version when the perfect version is so easily available? However - he does clearly identify what he uses when he uses it - and by whom it is written. So - while some of it may open your eyes to potential utility in additional product - it likewise, on occasion, may expose you to more wide a range than some more purist avenues of the OSR may be.
In Conclusion
Scutifer Mike's solo Advanced Old School Essentials playlist is a great expose on the rules, on the experience, and a testament to the enjoyment you can have playing with yourself. It's not perfect - but that's OK: as it is consistent. You only need to watch a handful of episodes - where there are dozens available - to benefit: making it easy to be off to the races. For that reason, and because I lost the platemail .GIF file for the ratings uploads, I personally rate this playlist Chainmail with Shield. (Does anyone actually pay attention to the rating AC? The actual review may be long - but just seeing the title is how far I figure most folks get into these things.)
But all that aside - Scutifer Mike has done the hobby a service by producing this playlist. I truly believe it is worth the time to invest - and even if you don't have much time to invest in it, the value, the quality of the playlist is consistent: and it will continue to earn returns for your gaming edification the longer you invest in it.
Delve on, readers - and delve on, Mike!
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