The D.I.Y. Philosophy of Three-Headed Monster Games

When the idea for Three-Headed Monster Games began between David, Michael, and I, it was something that I grasped immediately. The idea of creative contemporaries assisting one another to hone their craft and gain exposure is not a new one. Writers’ circles and author discussion groups are a common phenomenon in the literary world, for instance. As much as I’d like to lay claim to having such a highbrow pedigree, my own experience with the concept is a bit less glamorous.

Many years ago, I was very active in the local punk rock scene in both the Long Island and the Mid-Hudson Valley regions of New York. As the front man for a punk band, I had a vested interest in helping those scenes develop and grow, and to help create venues for bands to play. I wasn’t alone in this outlook. The “Do It Yourself” attitude was one of the facets that helped define punk rock from other musical movements, and it remains so today. This ethos led many of the struggling bands in the scene to pitch in to help one another whenever possible.

Some of the things we all did for one another seem ridiculous now. Some folks might find it unbelievable that a person would be willing to lend a P.A. system that cost a couple of grand to a bunch of guys they hardly knew for an evening’s show, but that’s the sort of thing that regularly happened. One phone call was all it would take to get four guys to pile into a station wagon, drive three hours to some small show, and work as roadies and techs, with only the prospect of a six-pack and a corner of dirty floor to sleep on in return. It wasn’t all good times and there were some phenomenal clashes of egos, but the attitude was that anything that helped the scene at large would end up helping us individually in the end.

Although the methods may have changed and the technology has grown much more advance than anything we had back then, this ethos still remains an important part of me. It was my attachment to this philosophy that drew me into the Old School Renaissance in the first place. So much of what the OSR is doing is reminiscent of what we did back then for similar reasons. The “Big Guys” aren’t making what we’re interested in, so we’re doing it ourselves. Instead of in garages and basements, we’re creating on our computers and desktops. Instead of mimeographed flyers posted on telephone poles and walls, we’re advertising on blogs, in fanzines, and on the forums. Meetings are taking place via email, rather than in the corners of loud clubs.

This D.I.Y. mentality is what I’m striving to bring to the table of Three-Headed Monster Games. I want to help other creative people get their stuff assembled and out there for others to read and enjoy. I want to help form a network of people who can bounce ideas around and ask for input from one another, all so that the overall “scene” is improved. All I and Three-Headed Monster Games asks in return is that you give a nod to the help you received and that you lend a hand the next time someone comes looking for help. I promise you won’t even have to sleep on a dirty floor.