Warlock! (20/11/21)

 

Not entirely sure what put me on to Warlock! in the first place (though I would have got there eventually via the Mud & Blood podcast), apparently it single handedly created the #BOSR hashtag (British OSR), and is a completely understandable reaction by the author to the over-complex mess that is WFRP 4e. 

Warlock! takes the careers and ethos of WFRP and marries them to the simple stats of Fighting Fantasy (via Troika!), so you have simply Stamina, Luck and a bunch of Skills. The key departure from its inspiration is that its d20 based, roll + skill and score over 20 to succeed, with combat being simple opposed tests. Characters are rounded out with some OSR like career specific random details (What you’ve seen, Who you know etc). It makes me wonder if WFRP was a big influence on Electric Bastionland (re random careers and flavour).

If I had discovered this before I bought WFRP 4e I think I would have used this for playing The Enemy Within.

An elegant little detail I like; each career has its eponymous skill, so if you are a Beggar you get the skill Beggar and this is an average of all your career skills (careers are simply defined by their skills, starting possessions and the random details). Your Stamina increases by 1 when your career skill does (which amounts to every 5 improvements in your career skills). I like this clear indication of ‘level’, WFRP 4e does something similar, but nowhere near as clear or satisfying with no actual career skill. There's no explicit guidance on how to use this skill, but even if it was simply just to make money at your career that would be reason enough.

Combat is similar to WFRP but also feels like a cleaner version; damage done to Stamina is considered  just bruising and fatigue, but once Stamina is depleted every hit is a roll on the critical table with negative Stamina as a modifier. Stamina is regained quickly, criticals affect the character and take time to recover from or just outright kill.

All characters can use magic, they simply require the knowledge of spells via scrolls or books (Initiates & Wizards start with one random spell each). An Incantation Skill roll must be succeeded to cast and each spell consumes an amount of stamina whether successful or not. There is also a miscast table.

I just had a quick go at the combat right now, my Beggar equipped with a club vs an unarmoured, short sword wielding goblin. I did the goblin some damage but got butchered; the 2nd critical killed me after 5 or 6 rounds. It felt pretty fast. The attacker in the opposed roll gets a +5, which I was thinking in the case of evenly matched opponents would lend the combatant with  the initiative a big advantage, it didn’t help me too much though. I missed once with my 1d6-1 damage club when the goblin hit with his 1d6 + 3 shortsword. Our skills were matched and my Stamina (17) was almost double that of the Goblin (10), but the disparity in weapon damage was too much. 1d6-1 seems pretty stingy for a club! Also I’m surprised it doesn’t have critical hits on a straight 20, though the fight would have been even shorter then as that was one lucky Goblin.

I’d be tempted to use this for our WFRP campaign if I thought I could get it past the players, though keep WFRP Success Levels and make all weapons do their average damage plus the success level. Hmm.

I bought Warlock! from DriveThru

Lamentations of the Flame Princess (08-08-21)

 

I was very much looking forwards to reading this, having heard many sing it’s praises and listened to a great interview with the author. The presentation of the book is slick and oozes atmosphere. The subtitle is ‘Weird Fantasy Role-Playing’, it can’t be a coincidence that this would have the same acronym as Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play, right? I was very hyped for it, to the point of thinking that when I finally get around to playing something this would be a fine contender. The Rules & Magic core book is fairly short, 159 pages, just over a third of which are spell descriptions, I managed to get through it all today (I skipped the spells).

I was, perhaps a bit unfairly, a little disappointed. 

This is an OSR retro clone of B/X D&D set in the late middle ages/early Renaissance, although the setting exists really only in the equipment lists and the fact that there is an appendix on firearms of the period. It feels like a tidied up version of the Basic D&D rules with a hodge-podge bunch of house rules on top, to cover everything from ship combat to property management.

 My single biggest criticism is that I’m not at all sure about the organization of the book, it all feels a bit random (I would have less of an issue if there was an index), and I think the explanation of many of the rules could be clearer, it could do with bolding key terms. There is however no fluff and no explanations of context, the thing is what you can read from the rules and see in the art. I may be being slightly unfair, it’s possible that my knowledge of Basic D&D was getting in the way, like I have an expectation of what should be explained when etc and that could have been fighting with the text.
If I had not listened to that interview with Raggi I wonder if I would have found the inclusion of Dwarf, Elf & Halfling classes weird? I know he only put them there because of expectation, but they feel at odds with the tone, or would they have made me detect a different tone?

The other key thing which sets it apart from its origins is in its spells, well, one spell.

It has the usual D&D, Vancian inspired magic system with all the usual spells; Magic Missile, Cure Light Wounds etc. with one paragraph devoted to each. Then we plunge deep into Lovecraft with Summon, a 1st level spell which runs to 10 pages! A 1st level spell, which as I'd heard from several sources, can destroy a campaign if it goes wrong!

The details of what comes through from the other sides is a hideous concoction of random tables, a bespoke horror with potentially awful powers rather than just a random creature from a subset of the Monster Manual. One possible disastrous outcome is a bit meta; the player who failed swaps roles with the GM until conditions are met for reverting play to normal!

I should note that there are also a whole slew of rule tweaks which evoke a more low fantasy setting; only Fighters hit chances increase with level and there are no damage bonuses due to Strength or Dexterity.

Reading it has not really dampened my desire to try it, although I do feel like it could maybe use an extra class or 2 in place of the non-human ones, and maybe a few extra skills. Oh and possibly a Sanity mechanic.

It and its many amazing modules and source books can be got from the publishers website.

Whitehack (17-04-21)

This is another game I got due to Questing Beast - specifically him showing the beautiful 3rd edition, its almost like an opposite to Mork Borg, clinical and austere, and with the practical attention to detail that Ben Milton reveres.

Out of the OSR rules systems I have read so far this might be my favourite, although admittedly I do have  a tendency to think that the last thing I read is the best. It seems like a great combination of rules and fiction, with everything being kept as elegantly simple as possible. 

It features the usual Attributes, rolled on 3d6. There are only 3 Character Classes: the Deft, the Strong & the Wise, which cover the obvious key archetypes. Each has ‘slots’ to fill, essentially abilities which get chosen at each level, for the Wise this is spells, the Deft its bonuses of sorts etc.
 

It is a roll under system. There are no skills as such, but once Class is chosen you pick a Species, Vocation and Affiliation, i.e. Elf, Wizard, Devout to Arioch, or whatever. On one hand these are the key fictional details that define your character, on the other, you write each beside an attribute - whenever you are rolling for a task that is relevant to that Group you roll 2d20 and pick the best.


In addition to the 6 attributes each character also has an Attack Value and a Saving Throw specified by their class. To attack you need to roll under your attack value and over the target’s Armour Class. This sounds super elegant and smart. A similar logic is applied to skill contests, where its the character who rolls the highest (but also under their relevant stat) who wins.


Magic is fairly freeform, in that the players get to design their own spells and the DM assigns them a hp cost - using magic depletes your hp, but Wise characters recover hp fairly fast.


The one rule I didn’t really get when I first read it was the concept of ‘Auctions’ the idea being that these should be used for extended contests where the outcome would not be lethal. In a way these are kind of like what I was thinking of as the Scene System for Skippy (working title of a cancelled video game). The example given is of a chase sequence. All parties involved roll a d6 in secret, then bid on their roll, i.e. they say 'I will roll over n and still succeed on my attribute roll'. Whoever bids highest rolls first, so they have to roll over their bid and under the relevant attribute plus the secret d6 roll. Whoever succeeds first wins the ‘Auction’, with the idea being that each player should dress their bid with appropriate fiction (‘I take a shortcut only known to members of the thieves guild’ etc).


The writing is a lot like the presentation - it is very spare and exact. He tells you only the minimum. Most rules require some thought before you have the moment of click - ah, I get why its like this… Perhaps that's partly why it has impressed me so much, because I had to think about it, I experienced that satisfaction of understanding, of discovery.


I hope the book for his setting ‘White Curse’ comes out soon, I’d like to see the content he creates. I would really love to try this system.

You can get Whitehack 3e from it's website here.

Electric Bastionland (06-03-21)

 

This is another game I was led to by Ben Milton of Knave & Questing Beast fame and the last one I read (just for the record, right now I’m almost finished reading Knock a really impressive OSR zine and UVG will be up next). It’s an OSR ruleset but the setting is *much* more like Over The Edge than D&D, in fact it is OTE that it reminds me of the most. It's also a sequel to Chris McDowall's previous game Into the Odd which I have not read.

The system is very stripped down and all the rules are explained in 4 pages - the vast majority of the rest of the book being taken up with Failed Careers (character classes). So the rules - there are only 3 ability scores, Strength, Dexterity & Charisma, all rolled on 3d6. Saves are made on a d20 roll under basis. Combat is fairly radical - there is no roll to hit, you simply roll damage and deduct that from the opponent’s HP - Hit Protection, once you reach 0 HP you are wounded and further damage is removed from your Strength score. Each wound inflicted requires a Critical Damage save (against Strength!), failing this means you are incapacitated and will die within the hour if unattended. There's a Scar Table to roll on if you reach 0 HP, which interestingly is the only opportunity a character gets to improve their stats, there is otherwise no leveling system ("5 Bloody Mess - You need stitches. You are DEPRIVED until its done by a Specialist. Reroll your Maximum HP on 2d6 and keep the result if higher"). Disputed initiative is determined by Dexterity saves. 

The 300+ page book is laid out so that you can start playing immediately and learn what you need as you go. Most of the world flavour comes from the player characters Failed Careers, out of 100 or so: Cryptohistorian; Student of history that never was, or  Inseparable Twins; There are two of you, identical in most ways. Your career is determined from a look up table where you cross reference your lowest and highest ability scores. These give you some random piece of equipment and the answers to two questions specific to your background (“How are you messed up by experimenting with time?”, “What does the elder twin get?”), serving to balance out the roll of the dice with the power of starting equipment/abilities. And to make sure the game has direction from the outset, the failed career of the youngest player determines who the group as a whole owe £10,000 to (The Hot Slab, Morgue and Social Club:Take shared ownership of a case of 12 bottles of Highly Carbonated Formaldehyde. It can be drunk without harm for a mild buzz, but causes foul-smelling trapped wind).

A key difference between this and OTE is that where OTE gives you maybe hundreds of pages about the denizens, gangs and zones of its city, Bastionland just gives you some tables and rules for how to make up what the players will find there. There is something really engaging, vital and incredibly efficient about this. In the words of it's creator Chris McDowall; “This is a game to be played, not a textbook to be studied. It’s designed for the game table, not the library.” That's me told.

Physical and digital copies of Electric Bastionland can be ordered from the creator's website.

Knave (06-03-21)

 

I first heard of Knave when I bought Rakehell (though I have no idea what lead me to that) and did not really know what it was, though I have a feeling I may have looked it up on drivethrurpg at the time. It was after I got Mork Borg that I thought I should read some of the older OSR systems to see how it compared, having seen these references to Knave I assumed it must be old, or at least well established. Then I realized it was created by the Questing Beast guy (Ben Milton) who’s videos I'd been watching. That seems like ages ago now, more from the amount of Questing Beast I’ve watched and the number of games I've bought on his recommendation, than the actual length of time.

Knave is a 7 page, no frills pdf. Like Mork Borg it dispenses with the D&D Ability scores and uses only their bonuses, but is even more efficient - you roll 3d6 for each and keep the lowest die roll as the bonus. Savings throws are made by rolling a d20 and adding the appropriate ability bonus, with a total of 15+ granting success. To this it adds the concept of an ability Defense score - this is your bonus plus 10, the number which has to be beat (d20) in an Opposed Save, i.e. when an opponent is trying to do something to you, or you to an opponent. Hit Points (1d8) and Armour (the opposed save which must be beat to hit you) round out the character stats. Leveling up improves Armour and 3 other ability bonuses by 1, increases HP by 1d8 and happens every time you gain another 1000 xp.

There are no classes and encumbrance is a simple slot based system. Anyone can cast magic, but a spell book is a weighty item which takes up one slot and holds just one spell which can be used once per day, thus carrying a lot of spells comes at the expense of wearing armour etc.

Character Sheet

In addition to these elegant streamlined mechanics there are a number of really good d20 feature and personality tables to roll on, the combinations of which make for distinct, flavourful individuals. Having spent a considerable amount of time working on a complex procgen character system for a videogame I’m surprised by how evocative this small set is. A Background dictates what you did previous to becoming an adventurer (Alchemist, Cook, Outlaw etc) and a Misfortune explains why you've become just such a knave now (Addicted, Exiled, Robbed). Then there's a Virtue and a Vice, and adjectives for Physique, Face, Skin, Hair, Clothing & Speech.

From Random Charater Generator https://perchance.org/knave-lotfp

It also comes with notes on how to convert D&D monster stats (super easy), a list of 100 random spells, oh and like Mork Borg it has Morale and an NPC Reaction Table.

The whole thing is incredibly elegant and I’m using it as the system for this solo game I’m playing, critically my characters were all rolled using an online generator (the excellent one I used is 404 now, but this one here does the trick, albeit without the ability scores).

Knave is on Drivethru.

Mork Borg (28-01-21)

 

As much a work of art as game I think, a punk zine aesthetic with prestige format production values; varied paper types, embossed cover etc, it is a beautiful little artifact. Its random tables seem as much evocative performance as actual rules, not to slight the content. Everything is both incredibly concise and super expressive. I feel like you could open it and just start playing.

‘A doom metal album of a game. A spiked flail to the face. Rules light, heavy everything else.’

Like the VtM core rule book it starts with lore presented directly, a dozen pages or so of a world inspired by metal and medieval millennialism, more Bosch than Tolkien.

The rules are fairly simple and I was going to say hark back to D&D (I feel, with limited knowledge that the system is inspired by Knave and the whole OSR thing - having not actually read Knave yet, though I have dipped into Rakehell) but that may be lazy thinking on my part.

On the face of it it's not terribly mechanically interesting, save that it throws in random tables with eclectic results wherever it feels like it. Random is king. It screams, 'Just roll it! Now!' It feels very anti-math, anti-system.

For action resolution its a roll greater than or equal to a Difficulty Rating system. Throw 1d20 and add the relevant Ability, a normal difficulty being DR 12 with ability scores range from -3 to +3. Abilities (there are 4; Agility, Presence, Strength, Toughness) are rolled like D&D stats on 3d6, but you simply keep the bonus part (a 13 say would give you +1) and throw away the roll.
Like PbtA the enemies don’t roll (I think), the player simply rolls their attack & defence each round, giving and/or taking damage as the dice dictate.

The one stand-out rule character wise is ‘omens’ which are much like fortune points in Conan (re-roll one die, do maximum damage etc) except you are not awarded them but rather have d2 or whatever each day.

I wonder what it would be like to play, I suspect the appropriate way would be with loads of random tables, yet the sample adventure is not really like that, it has a fixed floor plan with some nice details linking its contents.

Oh and how could I forget (because the mad formatting!) - the Calender of Nechrubel. You roll to see when the world will end, each day the GM rolls to see if a misery is activated. Miseries are presented as Psalms. “6:6 And the unnamed enter the earth, passing through the Veil as it is sundered by Daejmon, the left underling of Nechrubel.”

Here’s rpg designer Chris Bisette rolling up 2 Mork Borg characters.

And here’s its own brilliant character generator - its a one click wonder of a thing!

And and here's the official Mork Borg website with shop links etc.