In the event that the work game does reset and I end up running something homebrew (and I'm not sure about either - my estimate keeps shifting), I think the theme for that new campaign will be, simply, 'loss'. Each of the players will be asked to define something that the character has lost, and indicate also how they feel about it. (Obviously, it does need to be something that the character cares about - though it could well be something that the character is glad to have lost.)
In terms of adventures, of course, the emphasis will very much be on lost worlds and lost peoples, and also on things like the end of empire, lost wealth and prestige, and the like. And, of course, the BBEG will be driven by an obsession to recover something that he lost but that can never be sensibly restored...
If it does indeed happen, the game will take place in the Forgotten Realms, that being effectively the default setting for 5th edition. I'm leaning towards using Icewind Dale as my core setting, allowing me to make use of all the lovely material in the "Frostburn" book, though I'm somewhat torn on that one - I've done a fair amount in frozen wastes, so maybe I need a change?
Monday, 21 May 2018
O.L.D. Fantasy Heroic Role-playing Game
As I said in my review of N.E.W. (the sci-fi companion piece to this volume), I'm not entirely sure why I backed the Kickstarter for this game.
The truth is, this is a fine game, but for various reasons it's probably something I'll never actually use - it's 'crunchy' where my preference is for things to be much more free-form; it's very much a toolkit game, where I really don't have the time; and it's a 'generic fantasy' game where I'm almost certainly going to just use D&D 5e for that (though by fifth edition D&D isn't really generic - but I digress).
Anyway, this game has shades of "Warhammer Fantasy", in the use of the 'career' system for character creation and advancement, and of "d20 Modern" in that it's a toolkit game. And, of course, it has shades of D&D, since every fantasy roleplaying game will inevitably face that comparison. As I said, in terms of execution it's fine - it isn't shamed by any of those comparisons.
All that said, there are a couple of areas where O.L.D. really shines, and they're almost entirely unrelated to the mechanics so they may well be worth checking out in their own right. The rules for travel (and particularly the calculation of Fortune, and how that impacts on the journey and how the PCs arrive) are inspired - indeed, rather better than 5e's exploration pillar. Likewise, the handling of warfare, and notably the structure of it into blocks with sub-missions, is very well handled. (I should also note that the "Elements of Magic" rules are very good, though I've seen them before. An update of the previous 3e rules to 5e would be welcome.)
In terms of a recommendation, my position is the same as for N.E.W. - if you have something specific in mind, and especially something that isn't really covered by another game, then I'd recommend this one. Otherwise, I'd suggest checking out the sections I've mentioned, but otherwise giving it a miss.
The truth is, this is a fine game, but for various reasons it's probably something I'll never actually use - it's 'crunchy' where my preference is for things to be much more free-form; it's very much a toolkit game, where I really don't have the time; and it's a 'generic fantasy' game where I'm almost certainly going to just use D&D 5e for that (though by fifth edition D&D isn't really generic - but I digress).
Anyway, this game has shades of "Warhammer Fantasy", in the use of the 'career' system for character creation and advancement, and of "d20 Modern" in that it's a toolkit game. And, of course, it has shades of D&D, since every fantasy roleplaying game will inevitably face that comparison. As I said, in terms of execution it's fine - it isn't shamed by any of those comparisons.
All that said, there are a couple of areas where O.L.D. really shines, and they're almost entirely unrelated to the mechanics so they may well be worth checking out in their own right. The rules for travel (and particularly the calculation of Fortune, and how that impacts on the journey and how the PCs arrive) are inspired - indeed, rather better than 5e's exploration pillar. Likewise, the handling of warfare, and notably the structure of it into blocks with sub-missions, is very well handled. (I should also note that the "Elements of Magic" rules are very good, though I've seen them before. An update of the previous 3e rules to 5e would be welcome.)
In terms of a recommendation, my position is the same as for N.E.W. - if you have something specific in mind, and especially something that isn't really covered by another game, then I'd recommend this one. Otherwise, I'd suggest checking out the sections I've mentioned, but otherwise giving it a miss.
Thursday, 10 May 2018
Ouch!
As I mentioned last year, I'm in the process of importing the posts from a very old blog into this one. As a consequence of that, I've found myself going through a lot of those old posts, and it has made some painful reading - some of the ideas I had back then were sorely incorrect, and some of them were expressed really badly. As the title says, "ouch!"
Of course, that immediately begs the question: what will I think of my current ideas in ten years' time...?
Of course, that immediately begs the question: what will I think of my current ideas in ten years' time...?
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