This is something I was working on for the book. May not use it, so I'll post it here.
It was about 25 Years ago when I first played a Role Playing Game. It was a Basic game that allowed newcomers like myself to easily learn the ropes without a pile of books and rules to study. In a matter of minutes, I was rolling the dice and off on my first of many adventures.
What I liked about that game was it was simple, while offering loads of content for hours and hours of game time. We would spend countless hours exploring multi leveled dungeons, revealed to us a little bit at a time on graph paper. I remember the anticipation and excitement as we approached a door, wondering what might be behind it.
When I decided to revisit the world of RPG gaming after a few years away from the action, I felt bombarded by stacks of rule books and miniature figures. This was a turn off to me. I mean, if I wanted to sit at a table and study a pile of books, I'd go back to high school. What happened to that simple game that I loved?
Don't misunderstand me. Those other games offer loads of fun and adventure, but the massive pile of books needed for some of them are a turn off to potential new players. They require more money and study time than some people are willing to spend. I couldn't help but think that a simpler game system could help introduce many newcomers to the wonderful world or RPG's.
Where is that game that can have the players exploring a dungeons full of monsters and treasures in a matter of minutes? Well, look no further. Heroes of the Dungeon Crawl is here, and all you need to start playing is a pencil and some paper, at least one six sided dice (three minimum recommended) and this book.
HotDC has been simplified and goes back to the roots of table top RPG'ing. We start with four major classes (Warrior, Rogue, Mage and Priest) and four races (Human, Elf, Dwarf and Halfling). We use a simple system for combat and Magic. We keep the game simple. If you seek a game with many charts for combat and magic, seek elsewhere.
This book will show you the simple to understand rules for HotDC, and you can be playing in minutes. An optional set of rules are included in back for playing "Board Game Style" without a DM.
What's not inside are sets of charts for optional rules for fighting and spell casting. If you want rules for doing a back flip, decapitating your enemy, while blindfolded, followed by dancing a happy little jig over the corpse of your vanquished foe, you have the wrong game.
So, don't be afraid. Create that Warrior or Rogue, get that spell book or holy symbol, grab your dice, and let's go. There's trouble in the dungeon. There's riches to be found. Only you can make a difference. Are you brave enough to get the job done?
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
On Character Creation In HotDC
Heroes of the Dungeon Crawl will still offer four classes of character, Warrior, Wizard, Rogue and Cleric. There will be no multi-classing. This is how it was in the old Basic game, and I prefer it that way. Don't want things to get too complicated. Where we break ranks with the old red book is on race. In the old game, an Elf was an Elf. He could only be a Warrior/Wizard. A Dwarf could only be a Warrior and a Halfling could only be a Warrior with some Rogue abilities. Humans could be whatever they wanted to be. In HotDC, all races can choose whatever profession they wish.
What we don't have is all of the multi classing and specialty classes. Remember, this is a Basic Game. The more convoluted we make things with more rules and books, the more of a turn off it can be to newcomers. Plus, there are so many other games out there that do all of these things if that's what you want. We seek to keep it simple and fun, and I believe there is plenty of fun to be had with these four classes and races.
For the test game I ran recently, the characters were based on a stat build system. You had three main characteristics, Might, Agility and Cunning. Might is based on Strength, Agility is speed and Cunning is sort of a combination of how smart and wise a character is. This will still be the case. However, the point build system looks like it will be scrapped. What that system was based on was a character could roll one six sided dice per level and take the total and add it to each characteristic as desired.
The problem with that system is I feel that it could unbalace the game as a character gets to higher levels, and it might make it tougher at lower levels. So, in the name of game balance, the way a character will be rolled is simple. Roll three six sided dice and subtract the lowest roll. If you roll a 5, 3 and a 2, get rid of the 2. Your score for that stat is 8. This will slightly adjust what I had planned for Level 0 characters, but only slightly.
The way the bonus chart looks for characteristics now is still pretty simple.
Stat Bonus
2 -3
3 -2
4-5 -1
6-8 0
9-10 +1
11 +2
12 +3
A Warrior with a Might of 10 would then have a +2 on damage. A Rogue with an Agility of 9 would get a bonus of 1 to Armor Level.
This is only part of the character creation process, but it is an important adjustment. There will be some similarities of that old game, but some differences. Another of the differences is that only six sided dice will be needed for whatever game mechanics may call for, but discussion of that is for another day.
What we don't have is all of the multi classing and specialty classes. Remember, this is a Basic Game. The more convoluted we make things with more rules and books, the more of a turn off it can be to newcomers. Plus, there are so many other games out there that do all of these things if that's what you want. We seek to keep it simple and fun, and I believe there is plenty of fun to be had with these four classes and races.
For the test game I ran recently, the characters were based on a stat build system. You had three main characteristics, Might, Agility and Cunning. Might is based on Strength, Agility is speed and Cunning is sort of a combination of how smart and wise a character is. This will still be the case. However, the point build system looks like it will be scrapped. What that system was based on was a character could roll one six sided dice per level and take the total and add it to each characteristic as desired.
The problem with that system is I feel that it could unbalace the game as a character gets to higher levels, and it might make it tougher at lower levels. So, in the name of game balance, the way a character will be rolled is simple. Roll three six sided dice and subtract the lowest roll. If you roll a 5, 3 and a 2, get rid of the 2. Your score for that stat is 8. This will slightly adjust what I had planned for Level 0 characters, but only slightly.
The way the bonus chart looks for characteristics now is still pretty simple.
Stat Bonus
2 -3
3 -2
4-5 -1
6-8 0
9-10 +1
11 +2
12 +3
A Warrior with a Might of 10 would then have a +2 on damage. A Rogue with an Agility of 9 would get a bonus of 1 to Armor Level.
This is only part of the character creation process, but it is an important adjustment. There will be some similarities of that old game, but some differences. Another of the differences is that only six sided dice will be needed for whatever game mechanics may call for, but discussion of that is for another day.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Is There Gonna Be An Expert Edition?
I'm sure this will be the question on some people's minds as more details about the Basic Edition of Heroes of the Dungeon Crawl are ironed out and made public. To be honest, I'm not really sure, but I can tell you one thing. There are no plans for an Advanced Edition. Seriously, though, the game I'm working on is all I'm concerned with, and there is plenty of work to do if I want to get it right. Basic HotDC covers levels 0-7, and I'm hoping there are enough challenges for the players there, such as just survivng
However, there is another aspect I'm working on here, and that's customizability. In the 100 or so pages of the rule book, there are times when I will suggest options and discuss briefly why you may or may not want to do things differently. While the goal is to give basic rules for the Hero Guide and his players to get on with the game, there will be plenty of room for you to keep, dismiss or add rules as you see fit. I am merely attemting with HotDC to get players to the table as easily as possible so the fun can begin.
It may be that an Expert Edition will be needed to expand things another 5 or so levels. For my part, I'm more concerned with getting the rules together and typing them in an easy to understand format that will get games moving swiftly. The most likely format for HotDC will be download or one of the online print sites, but my first priority is getting the book done. At this point, we don't even have art for the rule book. So, any question of future books is a little premature.
When the rule book is done, I'd rather put a campaign or at least a Dungeon Crawl together next to help make it easier for players to get started.
However, there is another aspect I'm working on here, and that's customizability. In the 100 or so pages of the rule book, there are times when I will suggest options and discuss briefly why you may or may not want to do things differently. While the goal is to give basic rules for the Hero Guide and his players to get on with the game, there will be plenty of room for you to keep, dismiss or add rules as you see fit. I am merely attemting with HotDC to get players to the table as easily as possible so the fun can begin.
It may be that an Expert Edition will be needed to expand things another 5 or so levels. For my part, I'm more concerned with getting the rules together and typing them in an easy to understand format that will get games moving swiftly. The most likely format for HotDC will be download or one of the online print sites, but my first priority is getting the book done. At this point, we don't even have art for the rule book. So, any question of future books is a little premature.
When the rule book is done, I'd rather put a campaign or at least a Dungeon Crawl together next to help make it easier for players to get started.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
The Fun Of The Struggle
I started the 0 Level thing in Heroes of the Dungeon Crawl because I thought it would be nice to give players an even lower place to start with more good things to look forward to. At the moment, this is an optional rule, but there will be perks if you go this route, rather than starting at Level 1. Therefore, getting to Level 1 becomes an accomplishment with stat improvement gains.
In old Red Book game, we used to be able to easily start our characters off with some of the best basic equipment right at the start, like Plate Mail for the Warrior right at the start. In HotDC, the Warrior can start off with good basic equipment, but he will have to earn some cash to be able to afford better stuff. This will, hopefully, lead to a sense of accomplishment when upgrades occur.
Back in the day when we played out of the old red book, it seemed like we had enough money, but there was nothing good to spend it on. HotDC plans to have a better list of suggested prices for things. Depending on what kind of a Hero Guide you are, you may wish to adjust prices, but things like some of the basic potions and scrolls will have suggested prices. Certain magic items may as well, but the Hero Guide will always want to use caution in the name of game balance.
In old Red Book game, we used to be able to easily start our characters off with some of the best basic equipment right at the start, like Plate Mail for the Warrior right at the start. In HotDC, the Warrior can start off with good basic equipment, but he will have to earn some cash to be able to afford better stuff. This will, hopefully, lead to a sense of accomplishment when upgrades occur.
Back in the day when we played out of the old red book, it seemed like we had enough money, but there was nothing good to spend it on. HotDC plans to have a better list of suggested prices for things. Depending on what kind of a Hero Guide you are, you may wish to adjust prices, but things like some of the basic potions and scrolls will have suggested prices. Certain magic items may as well, but the Hero Guide will always want to use caution in the name of game balance.
The Quest Begins
I guess you could call it the alpha test of Heroes of the Dungeon Crawl. We still are developing things and aren't in the process of typing the Basic Edition of the rules just yet. Presently, I have a little note pad with several pieces of paper that have rules scribbled on them. I'm pretty happy with the combat chart itself, but adjustments on everything can be made.
For this first test session, I wanted to test the 0 Level rule, rather than starting everybody at first level. Plus, only human characters were used this time. I'll get into why I like the whole idea of 0 Level in another post. So, four adventures, all Applicant (o Level) characters started out on this quest, to recover the Emerald Gem for Vanz, the Mayor of the town.
The party consisted of a Warror named Brannigan, a Rogue named Reginald, A Cleric named Andrea and Sylvia the Wizard. In the heavily gaurded basement underneath Fytertu's office at the Warrior training school, Tyranius the Wizard cast a teleportation spell, and the party were placed in a room underneath the basement. How far and who made this dungeon? Well, that's another story.
The party had a special recall gem in their possesion and needed only to return to the room they started in and rub the gem to return to the basement. There were double doors on all four walls of this room, but all but the western doors were locked to well for Reginald to unlock them.
They headed west, down a corridor, to find two Kobald Grunts guarding a door. Brannigan attempted to bluff his way past the guard, but failed. A fight broke out, and Brannigan was left lying on the floor bleeding badly before the fight was over.
Andrea bandaged up Brannigan (1), and the party proceeded into a room with three Goblin Grunts in it. Sylvia cast a sleep spell on the foes, and all three were then mercilessly slain in their sleep. Branigan's body was brought to this room, and the party continued to another door. A quick listen by Reginald revealed a buzzing sound. Giant Bee's and possibly healing honey to save Brannigan before it's too late.
Andrea headed into the room and straight to the hive with an empy flask from her equipment. She stuck it into the hive and grabbed some honey. Luckily, the two giant bee's simply flew around her, but did not attack. The party returned to the room Brannigan was in and healed him for two points. They returned to the hive, and Brannigan attempted to get another flask of honey. Unfortunately, the two bee's attacked, Brannigan was stung and fell to the ground from effects of poison. One Bee was slain, and the other flew to the other side of the room.
Rather than pursue, the party showed mercy. The honey was used on Brannigan (2), who regained consciuosness. The party's skills were tested several times. Andrea turned three Flying Skulls, but she failed to turn Skelitons on two occasions (3). Reginald found two secret doors, but he had a heck of a time picking a lock (4) on a chest that contained a couple scrolls and some gold pieces.
The party was hurting after a fight with two Kobald's, so Andrea healed (5) Brannigan with the Healing Scroll she found. Other than Brannigan's misfortunes, things seemed to be going okay for the party. They probably should have rested as Andrea and Reginald needed healing, but they knew they were getting close to the end of the quest. That eagerness would be the downfall of some of the party members.
They walked through an open doorway to see four Goblin Grunts and their leader in a room. They were suprised, and the leader ordered the four grunts to attack. Reginald and Brannigan were in front, and each had to deal with two grunts. Alas, Reginald fell as both grunts found their mark. In the back, Sylvia did the only thing she could think of, cast the sleep spell from the scroll she found. The four grunts took a nap, but Brannigan joined them.
Seeing, Andrea and Sylvia in the doorway, the leader attacked Andrea, and she went down. Sylvia still had a sleep spell memorized and used it on the leader. Thinking quickly, she hog tied the grunts and the leader. There was a chest in the room, and the leader's key opened it right up, revealing the Emerald Gem. The quest was finished. But what about the Goblins? The leader spoke enough common language to inform Sylvia of an even bigger plot.
The Goblins and Kobalds swere mereley hired guns of some Orcs and a creature known only as The Big Boss. The gem would be sold, and the money would be used to fund a raid on the town. For the momengt, those plans may have been delayed, but maybe not for long. Perhaps another quest will be undertaken to deal with some unruly Orcs (6)
Alas, Reginald and Andrea will not be going. Their next destination is that Hall Of Fallen Heroes (7) in the afterlife (The reward would have been great enough to get them resurected, but it was decided to try new characters instead). Perhaps Brannigan and Sylvia will have more adventures in the future.
Footnotes
1-In old D&D, there was no bandage rule. If you hit 0 HP, you died. I'm considering the bandage rule here.
2-A Bee's sting has poison and can kill, but I'm not sure if the Healing Honey should or will be able to cure bee poison in the rules.
3-The Cleric Turning ability may need to do sopmerning ability seems to work okay.
4-I may need to tweak the Rogue ability charts a bit.
5-Unlike old D&D, Level 1 Cleric's have a spell. Level 0 Cleric's don't, but that may change.
6-This was just a test dungeon, but it could become a maszsive Dungeon Crawl and part of the official HotDC campaign.
7-In HotDC, death is no big deal. You can always start over, and all who fall in battle take their place in the Hall Of Fallen Heroes. All who make it to Seventh (Hero) Level join the Hall Of Heroes.
For this first test session, I wanted to test the 0 Level rule, rather than starting everybody at first level. Plus, only human characters were used this time. I'll get into why I like the whole idea of 0 Level in another post. So, four adventures, all Applicant (o Level) characters started out on this quest, to recover the Emerald Gem for Vanz, the Mayor of the town.
The party consisted of a Warror named Brannigan, a Rogue named Reginald, A Cleric named Andrea and Sylvia the Wizard. In the heavily gaurded basement underneath Fytertu's office at the Warrior training school, Tyranius the Wizard cast a teleportation spell, and the party were placed in a room underneath the basement. How far and who made this dungeon? Well, that's another story.
The party had a special recall gem in their possesion and needed only to return to the room they started in and rub the gem to return to the basement. There were double doors on all four walls of this room, but all but the western doors were locked to well for Reginald to unlock them.
They headed west, down a corridor, to find two Kobald Grunts guarding a door. Brannigan attempted to bluff his way past the guard, but failed. A fight broke out, and Brannigan was left lying on the floor bleeding badly before the fight was over.
Andrea bandaged up Brannigan (1), and the party proceeded into a room with three Goblin Grunts in it. Sylvia cast a sleep spell on the foes, and all three were then mercilessly slain in their sleep. Branigan's body was brought to this room, and the party continued to another door. A quick listen by Reginald revealed a buzzing sound. Giant Bee's and possibly healing honey to save Brannigan before it's too late.
Andrea headed into the room and straight to the hive with an empy flask from her equipment. She stuck it into the hive and grabbed some honey. Luckily, the two giant bee's simply flew around her, but did not attack. The party returned to the room Brannigan was in and healed him for two points. They returned to the hive, and Brannigan attempted to get another flask of honey. Unfortunately, the two bee's attacked, Brannigan was stung and fell to the ground from effects of poison. One Bee was slain, and the other flew to the other side of the room.
Rather than pursue, the party showed mercy. The honey was used on Brannigan (2), who regained consciuosness. The party's skills were tested several times. Andrea turned three Flying Skulls, but she failed to turn Skelitons on two occasions (3). Reginald found two secret doors, but he had a heck of a time picking a lock (4) on a chest that contained a couple scrolls and some gold pieces.
The party was hurting after a fight with two Kobald's, so Andrea healed (5) Brannigan with the Healing Scroll she found. Other than Brannigan's misfortunes, things seemed to be going okay for the party. They probably should have rested as Andrea and Reginald needed healing, but they knew they were getting close to the end of the quest. That eagerness would be the downfall of some of the party members.
They walked through an open doorway to see four Goblin Grunts and their leader in a room. They were suprised, and the leader ordered the four grunts to attack. Reginald and Brannigan were in front, and each had to deal with two grunts. Alas, Reginald fell as both grunts found their mark. In the back, Sylvia did the only thing she could think of, cast the sleep spell from the scroll she found. The four grunts took a nap, but Brannigan joined them.
Seeing, Andrea and Sylvia in the doorway, the leader attacked Andrea, and she went down. Sylvia still had a sleep spell memorized and used it on the leader. Thinking quickly, she hog tied the grunts and the leader. There was a chest in the room, and the leader's key opened it right up, revealing the Emerald Gem. The quest was finished. But what about the Goblins? The leader spoke enough common language to inform Sylvia of an even bigger plot.
The Goblins and Kobalds swere mereley hired guns of some Orcs and a creature known only as The Big Boss. The gem would be sold, and the money would be used to fund a raid on the town. For the momengt, those plans may have been delayed, but maybe not for long. Perhaps another quest will be undertaken to deal with some unruly Orcs (6)
Alas, Reginald and Andrea will not be going. Their next destination is that Hall Of Fallen Heroes (7) in the afterlife (The reward would have been great enough to get them resurected, but it was decided to try new characters instead). Perhaps Brannigan and Sylvia will have more adventures in the future.
Footnotes
1-In old D&D, there was no bandage rule. If you hit 0 HP, you died. I'm considering the bandage rule here.
2-A Bee's sting has poison and can kill, but I'm not sure if the Healing Honey should or will be able to cure bee poison in the rules.
3-The Cleric Turning ability may need to do sopmerning ability seems to work okay.
4-I may need to tweak the Rogue ability charts a bit.
5-Unlike old D&D, Level 1 Cleric's have a spell. Level 0 Cleric's don't, but that may change.
6-This was just a test dungeon, but it could become a maszsive Dungeon Crawl and part of the official HotDC campaign.
7-In HotDC, death is no big deal. You can always start over, and all who fall in battle take their place in the Hall Of Fallen Heroes. All who make it to Seventh (Hero) Level join the Hall Of Heroes.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
HotDC To Get It's First Test
I've been working on the basic charts for combat, saving throws, clerics & wizard spells, rogue's skills and cleric's turning ability, and I think it's time to run the first test. It will not be a huge adventure, perhaps a half dozen rooms or so. At the moment, the plan is to run a warrior, a rogue, a wizard and a cleric, all Level 0 and all human, through part of what will be a massive dungeon underneath the warrior training school/weapons merhant building.
It seems the mayor of the city, a 7th level (Rogue Hero) named Vanz, had a valuable green emerald gem stolen from his home by a group of raiding Goblins. They escaped into the vast dungeons underneath the training school. The head master of the school and old adventuring companion of Vanz, a 7th level (Warrior Hero) named Fytertu has decided to comission a new group of adventures to try to recover the emerald, which is valued at 5000 gps and is a valuable family heirloom of Vanz' family.
Vanz, Fytertu and their Elven comrade Tyranius a 7th level (Wizard Hero) were brave adventures who accomplished much in their younger days before winning favor with the king to start the mountain town of Gold Stone. In just a ten year span, the town has become quite prosperous. The trio still adventure, but mainly just when the town is in need. This is where the four new recuits come in.
It is believed that though the dungeon is deep and expansive, the goblins in question aren't that far inside the dungeon, for fear of what lurks deeper in the depths. However, it is also believed that they will try to escape the dungeon and sell the emerald at the first opportunity. The new recruits are being offered 300 gps each, plus all the treasure that they may find along the way (Heroes of the Dungeon Crawl will have a system where each successful quest completion will offer an experience point reward, possibly 10% towards the next level, while not having a gold piece for experience point rule. HotDC only has seven levels, and we don't want level advancement to be too easy).
So, will the brave recuits begin a journey that will take them to the Hall Of Heroes, or will they join the ranks of the Hall Of Fallen Adventures? Stay tuned to find out.
It seems the mayor of the city, a 7th level (Rogue Hero) named Vanz, had a valuable green emerald gem stolen from his home by a group of raiding Goblins. They escaped into the vast dungeons underneath the training school. The head master of the school and old adventuring companion of Vanz, a 7th level (Warrior Hero) named Fytertu has decided to comission a new group of adventures to try to recover the emerald, which is valued at 5000 gps and is a valuable family heirloom of Vanz' family.
Vanz, Fytertu and their Elven comrade Tyranius a 7th level (Wizard Hero) were brave adventures who accomplished much in their younger days before winning favor with the king to start the mountain town of Gold Stone. In just a ten year span, the town has become quite prosperous. The trio still adventure, but mainly just when the town is in need. This is where the four new recuits come in.
It is believed that though the dungeon is deep and expansive, the goblins in question aren't that far inside the dungeon, for fear of what lurks deeper in the depths. However, it is also believed that they will try to escape the dungeon and sell the emerald at the first opportunity. The new recruits are being offered 300 gps each, plus all the treasure that they may find along the way (Heroes of the Dungeon Crawl will have a system where each successful quest completion will offer an experience point reward, possibly 10% towards the next level, while not having a gold piece for experience point rule. HotDC only has seven levels, and we don't want level advancement to be too easy).
So, will the brave recuits begin a journey that will take them to the Hall Of Heroes, or will they join the ranks of the Hall Of Fallen Adventures? Stay tuned to find out.
Monday, March 19, 2007
HotDC Goes A Different Route
A while back, I had noticed the OSRIC project (linked on the right) and was impressed. On some of the forums, it was debated whether they could really do this, legally speaking. But those guys did their home work. They seem to have done a good job to recreate the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game. There's a lot of love out there for that game, and it seems a shame that it is out of print. OSRIC seeks to keep the spirit of that game alive.
I was unaware of a second attempt being made, this one to recreate second edition Basic D&D, or the Moldvay/Cook edition of the game, when I began jotting down notes for my own attempt at doing a game. My first thought was to do what the OSRIC guys did, but with Basic D&D. However, I decided to go a different route, opting instead for a system using six sided dice. But a couple weeks ago, I noticed something that had completely slipped my attention.
We do have an effort out there to recreate Basic D&D, and it's called Basic Fantasy (linked on the right). Except for the decision to make Armor Class better the higher it is, as they do in 3.5 Dungeons & Dragons these days, Basic Fantasy is a pretty faithful recreation. And, it's a free download. The man behind this project is offering a printed version at Lulu, and at no profit for himself. He simply wants a new generation of gamers to enjoy a game that he loves.
In a perfect world, D&D's owners Wizards Of The Coast, a (division of Hasbro) would print the old first edition AD&D and Moldvay/Cook rule books. I know several people who would purchase them. You can download these books over at Paizo's website, for a small fee, but there's nothing like owning an official printed copy. Will that day ever come? One can only hope.
But back to HotDC, I could have gone the way the others had gone, but I wanted to try something different. I wanted to create my own RPG. Eliminating the other five dice is probably not the smartest move, considering how so many people are used to those dice. But, my thinking is that if a non gamer downloads Heroes of the Dungeon Crawl or gets a printed copy and they are new to the RPG, chances are they will have dice from a board game.
I also want to attempt to make a playable game using six sided dice that can prove to be every bit as fun as the others. It will have a familiar feel to the old Basic game, but it will be different as well. The important thing is that I plan to make it easy enough to be able to play within a few minutes. The challenge will be to make it a game that can be played "board game style" or traditional campaign style. As I type this, I'm not entirely sure I can accomplish what I propose, but I am excited about the attempt. It will be fun to find out.
I was unaware of a second attempt being made, this one to recreate second edition Basic D&D, or the Moldvay/Cook edition of the game, when I began jotting down notes for my own attempt at doing a game. My first thought was to do what the OSRIC guys did, but with Basic D&D. However, I decided to go a different route, opting instead for a system using six sided dice. But a couple weeks ago, I noticed something that had completely slipped my attention.
We do have an effort out there to recreate Basic D&D, and it's called Basic Fantasy (linked on the right). Except for the decision to make Armor Class better the higher it is, as they do in 3.5 Dungeons & Dragons these days, Basic Fantasy is a pretty faithful recreation. And, it's a free download. The man behind this project is offering a printed version at Lulu, and at no profit for himself. He simply wants a new generation of gamers to enjoy a game that he loves.
In a perfect world, D&D's owners Wizards Of The Coast, a (division of Hasbro) would print the old first edition AD&D and Moldvay/Cook rule books. I know several people who would purchase them. You can download these books over at Paizo's website, for a small fee, but there's nothing like owning an official printed copy. Will that day ever come? One can only hope.
But back to HotDC, I could have gone the way the others had gone, but I wanted to try something different. I wanted to create my own RPG. Eliminating the other five dice is probably not the smartest move, considering how so many people are used to those dice. But, my thinking is that if a non gamer downloads Heroes of the Dungeon Crawl or gets a printed copy and they are new to the RPG, chances are they will have dice from a board game.
I also want to attempt to make a playable game using six sided dice that can prove to be every bit as fun as the others. It will have a familiar feel to the old Basic game, but it will be different as well. The important thing is that I plan to make it easy enough to be able to play within a few minutes. The challenge will be to make it a game that can be played "board game style" or traditional campaign style. As I type this, I'm not entirely sure I can accomplish what I propose, but I am excited about the attempt. It will be fun to find out.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Keeping It Simple
What I'm really hoping for is that simple feel with Heroes Of The Dungeon Crawl. I have been jotting down notes as I'm in the creation phaze of the basic system. It will be a six sided dice system. Tentatively, the rules allow for advancement to level seven. There will be at least 11 creatures at each level of advancement. I have a basic combat system sketched out. The Armor Level system will be better the lower your number is.
Those are just a few of the things being worked on. There will be an optional rule to start at Level 0, and I'm toying with the idea of allowing players to be able to be to improve their character stats when they gain levels. There's plenty of work to be done before I get to the play testing phaze, but the main goal is to keep it simple, yet fun.
Those are just a few of the things being worked on. There will be an optional rule to start at Level 0, and I'm toying with the idea of allowing players to be able to be to improve their character stats when they gain levels. There's plenty of work to be done before I get to the play testing phaze, but the main goal is to keep it simple, yet fun.
Friday, March 16, 2007
It All Started With A Red Book
For me, at least, it all started with a red book, called Basic Dungeons & Dragons. There is a debate on the web about who did a better job with BD&D, Tom Moldvay or Frank Mentzer. I suppose if pressed I would say the old Modvay red book and David Cook (Expert) Blue Book. That's where I started with my brother and my cousin some 25 years ago. With all due respect to Frank, I will say he took Basic all the way to 36th level, did a top notch job of it and made Basic easier to understand for newcomers But, Moldvay did some of my favorite modules.
By the way, HotDC will have at least one module, based in part on the very first dungeon my brother DM'ed me through (If In Doubt, Seek It Out).
Though Gary Gygax had bigger fish to fry and created Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, complete with a pile of rule books that many still use to this day, I have always preferred that red book and the simple, easy to understand rules. Though AD&D had more, BD&D offered hours and hours for us to enjoy.
HotDC will be different in some places, and familliar in others, but it is ultimately a different game than what was in that old red book. I hope it will prove to be enjoyable to those who want to sit down and get a game going with as little fuss as possible. I will offer up more details in the near future as I start getting things together.
By the way, HotDC will have at least one module, based in part on the very first dungeon my brother DM'ed me through (If In Doubt, Seek It Out).
Though Gary Gygax had bigger fish to fry and created Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, complete with a pile of rule books that many still use to this day, I have always preferred that red book and the simple, easy to understand rules. Though AD&D had more, BD&D offered hours and hours for us to enjoy.
HotDC will be different in some places, and familliar in others, but it is ultimately a different game than what was in that old red book. I hope it will prove to be enjoyable to those who want to sit down and get a game going with as little fuss as possible. I will offer up more details in the near future as I start getting things together.
The Adventure Begins
For a while now, I have been jotting down notes and creating a new Role Playing Game System called Heroes Of The Dungeon Crawl. It is my attempt to return to a style of play reminescent of some of the older games I played years ago. Back then, we only needed the core rule book, some dice and paper, not the pile of books and miniatures you need for some of the popular RPG's these days. While I would love to see those old rule books reprinted and introduced to a new generation of gamers, I don't see that happening any time soon.
What I am doing is not simply rewriting those rules or using the D20 licesnse. That has been done rather nicely by the people making OSRIC and Basic Fantasy, respectively. I want to keep things as simple as possible for HotDC and these rules will be based on a six sided dice system. With this page, I will post updates on how things are progressing, and I look forward to any input you may have. I also intend to create a web page for HotDC as things progress.
What I am doing is not simply rewriting those rules or using the D20 licesnse. That has been done rather nicely by the people making OSRIC and Basic Fantasy, respectively. I want to keep things as simple as possible for HotDC and these rules will be based on a six sided dice system. With this page, I will post updates on how things are progressing, and I look forward to any input you may have. I also intend to create a web page for HotDC as things progress.
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