Blognomicon Swords and Wizardy edition

To commemorate Swords and Wizardry  appreciation day, and because blogger will only let me track 300 sites at one time, I have posted Tenkars afternoon list of participants to a new tab on the top labeled "Blognomicon Swords and Wizardry Day".  Hopefully someone besides me will find it helpful.

P.S. Full Blognomicon still in preparation. I'd like to do it blogroll style, but still haven't figured the java for that out.

Swords and Wizardy core review

Sword and Wizardry is an interesting beast. The first question to ask is which version to review. For now I’ll be sticking to the free ones, although I may use the discount code to pick up the complete version later. I have copies of the second, third and fourth printing (just like early edition players handbooks, which kept tweaking the rules and not warning anyone, we’d pull out our handbooks to resolve some dispute and discover different peoples handbooks said different things). I also have  a draft of the white box edition. For the most part I’ll stick to the fourth edition.

The stats are the standard six rolled on 3d6 in order. Most stat bonuses appear to be either -1 if you are below average or +1 if you are above (the fourth printing seems to relent a bit and allow extra modifiers for high strength to a maximum of +2 to hit +3 damage). Character classes are the basic three cleric, fighter, and magic user. Thief is included as an option in the fourth printing. Advancement charts are very old school (exponential scale to name rank then linear, with different rates of advancement for different classes). Fighters and fighters only get the option to parry using their dex score (like most old school parry rules this is a trap, try to parry your way out of a fight and your dead). The fourth printing mentions dual classing for humans but gives little guidance. In terms of races other than human: Dwarfs are always fighters or fighter/thieves and capped at 6^th level unless they are strong;  Halfings are either fighters or thieves but a maximum of 4^th level fighter; Elves may be Fighter/Magic-Users, Thieves, or Fighter/Magic-User/Thieves but are limited to 4^th level fighters and 8^th level magic users. Alignment is Law, Chaos or Neutral, but not much emphasized. The equipment list is well the equipment list. Armor class has both the “old school” descending armor class, as well as an alternate ascending armor class. Movement includes a weight based encumbrance table, reduced movement for combat and extra movement for running. There is a very short how to play section. Saving throws are based on class and level (weirdness note:  although there is a text description of the saving throw process, the chart in the saving throw section is for an alternate system). The combat round is very “old school” with group initiatives and pre-declared spells ( an alternate system uses a dex based system for initiative). Surprise has been made extra nasty by giving  a 1 in 4 chance to drop something in your hand if you are surprised. Separate to hit table are provide for each class (well thieves and magic users have to share) as well as monsters. The specific situation rules add some tweaks for different situations, well as a two weapon fighting option.  Turning undead is done on a 2d6 table. Death is not instantaneous at zero hit points even though you fall unconscious, you have to hit minus your level in hits points before you are dead. Morale is handled by the DM will determine…. Rules are included for building a stronghold and hiring henchmen. Spells are the basic old school ones although I did not check for completeness in my little brown books. It has a pretty good monster list, although the demon list seems to be augmented with ones that did not show up until the Eldritch Wizardry expansion. Treasure generation seems to be new system with trade out options for every 100 gp to add gems and magic items. Magic items are the same old, same old. Book finishes with a one page campaign setting and a map.

The book is well written and rules straight forward. I enjoyed the pen and ink line art throughout the book. The fourth printing is well formatted and colorful. I would have organized things a little different, perhaps sticking the example of play with the campaign setting in the back. Overall  Swords and Wizardry core remains true to its desire to re-create the little brown book rules, although one can sense the strain in the little flips and twists the author sneaks in. The core rules set will definitely give you the old school experience. As is traditional “old school” many things such as climbing, jumping, handling boats, etc. is left to the GMs discretion. Me, I was done with the “old school” long ago, having started playing just about the time the Greyhawk supplement came, and never looked back. I never liked the level caps on races (Swords and Wizardry second printings allowing higher level dwarves and elves, but on a slower experience scale, was better). One also finds the basic three character classes quite restricting after a while. I will be using my discount code to pick up the “Swords and Wizardry Complete” edition, as is seems to offer a bit better range of character diversity.  Its also got that cool Erol Otus cover as well. You can too either at

Frog God Games website (use the code SWApprDay ).

Or

SRD store webstore (use SWAD252013)

I am going with the Frog Gods link myself, as they make lots of other cool stuff and I want to support them. However SRD is also cool (an online version of Swords and Wizard can be found at http://www.d20swsrd.com/)

A to Z fantasy roleplaying

O.K. so this is the month that makes me feel totally inadequate as blogger.The busy bloggers are off posting once a day in alphabetical order, while I have trouble cranking out something once-a-month these days. Today it occurred to I already have this A to Z covered. All you have to is click on the second tab on the top of this blog and it will take you straight to the Rulenomicon, my alphabetized list of role playing games I have down loaded off the internet over the years. If you click on the dark blue text, its a link which will take you to the place I downloaded if from. I have also provided links to the forums and blog associated with the game as well. I was going to do weird little emoticon ratings, but She-who-must-be-obeyed  put her foot down. Not quite as cool as the role-playing game dungeon map below (which I found googling "megadugeon map", my maps don't show up until  you hit the show me more, I suppose if I'd labeled them as megadungeon they'd have done better).

P.S. I'll see you all again on Swords and Wizardry day April 17th ('cause I love blogging for free swag), unless the mood strikes me sooner.

P.P.S I have once again hit the 300 feed limit so some of the more anemic ones may be moving off to blognomicon garden memories again. Someday I'll get that page working well enough to add a tab for it as well. Unfortunately I cannot figure out how to tell blogger to use different layouts for different pages, so my original plan for the blognomicon of just centering the feed widget did not work out...

Kyle Stanley Hunter where are you now?

In cleaning up my living room the other day, I ran across my copy of Downer Volume 1 Wandering Monsters.

Downer remains one of my favorite comics, and his Harrow deck I have used a game prop many times (It is one of the best uses the DnD ninefold alignment system has been put to).  However, I got to wondering what else the author Kyle Stanley Hunter has been up to. A google search on Kyle Hunter returned far too many hits (including some sports stars of little interst to me). Never-the-less adding the middle name narrowed things down. Wikapedia lists him as Pazios art director, but appears to be from 2008. Boardgame geek gives his livejournal website, but the last post is from 2008 also, says he hard at work on Downer volume 2, but the Pazio site does not sell such a thing. A search of deviant art turned up nothing but a Downer Tatoo pattern. A linkedIn post comes closest to revealing his current activaties as Art director of Wunderman a Seatlle based Martking/Advertising firm as well as Illustrator/Designer at Kyle Stanley Hunter Freelance (read self [perhaps un]employed). I do not wish him ill, but am saddend to see him move away from the creative cartoons of his early years becoming just a working Joe like the rest of us and wonder what unfortune event led him and Pazio to part paths. Well, at least he's not driving a cab in Carbondale...

This just in I have found a lead on Downer Volume 2 Google books lists it as being availible from Diamond publishing

Dungeon Hustle

Found it! (see yesterday's post for angst and details).

A little late to the party

But what the hey!?

P.S. If anyone knows a link to that smashing goblins with the warhammer song that starts the Save or Die Pod Cast #64, please let me know so I can stop surfing the web and cluttering my blog up with other DnD songs. Better hurry though or I'll end up posting that Felica Day "Game On" song which is barely even DnD related. I know I heard it last November"ish on one of the blogs I am following. However, searching the blog roll has proved challenging.

P.P.S My son has just told me to turn that damn! music down, so I have obviously gone total retro!

Reactions on Original Dungeons and Dragons Republication

Personally, I am glad they are rereleasing them. It will give a chance for this generation to see how sparse and badly organized a roleplaying game can be. I think $150 is a bit steep, I would have rather seen them released as $5 .pdfs. If you are trying to play OD&D I would ignore the Blackmoor and Eldritch Wizardry supplements, they contain a lot of wild half baked ideas that bog the game down. I think it is a shame they are not re-releasing them with original covers, the purple beholder on Greyhawk was one of my favorites, and Eldritch Wizardry’s full color printing to show a naked woman strapped to an altar, so outré.   I am afraid I don't think of OD&D as one system as every DM I played under had a different method for plugging the holes in the rules. I think they are interesting from a historical perspective, but if you want an actual playable game I would look for Empire of the Petal Throne instead. Similar mechanics (except for EPTs percentile attributes)  , but written in English rather than "chart"ese $11 .pdf at Drivethru rpg.  EPT’s skill system was a great innovation at the time not found in OD&D. I was not enamored of EPT's random spell acquisition system, but OD&D Greyhawk’s percentage change to learn a spell is not better. I think EPT unlike OD&D is a game you can learn from reading the rule book and play. Perhaps I will buy the $150 set,  just to replace the copies of Eldritch Wizardry and Gods, Demi-Gods and Heroes which disappeared long ago (and because if I don’t meet quota at the game store the LFR game gets tossed out on the street [We already get bumped to provide more tables for Magic]). However, I am probably replacing the copies in the box with the little brown books I bought for $10 in 1976. I know I am not very constistant in this post. I afraid the teen fan boy love of the little brown books overwelms the rational thought that there are far better values in roleplaying for $150 than this offering (perhaps if the box is maple or oak, rather the dyed red pine I am anticipating it would tip the balance...)