Legacies of Exera: Session 14

 

The begins their morning trekking up the Giant Mountain and as the morning wears on, Harl and Enama notice some movement by a large rock and Enama, Harl, and Vladimir split off into the bush to try to flank the possibly enemies. Enama, Harl, and Vladimir discovers a hill giant posed to ambush the rest of party walking up the main trail. Vladimir is able to sneak up on the hill giant and land an opening blow as the rest of the party engages the hill giant and the giant can barely respond to the onslaught before the giant finds the sweet embrace of death. 

The party cleans their blades and continue up the mountain before they find a clearing off of the main trail to make camp at the end of the day. During the early evening, the party notices some chittering and Anari looks up into the sky and notices what appears to be an oddly shaped humanoid with wings closing in at the parties location. The party readies for the attack as they scan the night sky. 

Helenista announces to everyone that she sees four the creatures heading their way moments before they bat creatures land amidst the camp. The sounds of battle echo through the night sky as the party makes quick work of the bat creatures and the rest of the passes without incident. 

The next morning the party continues up the trail that gradually becomes narrower as the party encounters a group of Alpine Cavemen blocking the path. As Harl is trying to parley with the Alpine Cavemen, Vladimir issues a challenge to fight that turns the situation into aggressive negotiations. Harl sighs and mumbles, "Here we go again" as the sound of steel breaking leather rings off of the mountain side before the party ends the lives of the cavemen. 

_______

PLAYER NOTES: I do not have much to say here. It was a quick and to the point session. My character Harl was trying hard to parley with the Alpine Cavemen and was hoping to even to see if they would be willing to help. That idea was ended quickly and I was more then a little frustrated.

Review: Frontier Scum

 

This is a game that I have had my eye on for a long time but I missed the initial release and it sold out (the first printing was 500 copies). I had to wait around for the second printing. I have always been a fan of Westerns and that whole era as a soft spot in my heart as it is one one of the settings where the world still feels bug and unknown. Just like the age of sail. 

The Author states that the game was inspired in flavor by by movies such as Dead Man (1995), Ravenous (1999), Bone Tomahawk (2015), The Hateful Eight (2015), El Diablo (1990), Gallowwalkers (2012), The Quick and the Dead (1995), The Lighthouse (2019), The Witch (2015), and I Sell the Dead (2008).

As far as the term or setting Acid Western goes, I had to do some quick googling and have a few discussions with other people to understand it as it is a new term/style/setting for me. A consistent google result for the definition is this: 

"Acid westerns are a unique subgenre of Western that emerged during the 1960s and 1970s. Pauline Kael first coined the term in a 1971 issue of the New Yorker during her review of Alejandro Jodorowsky's 'El Topo.' Acid Westerns combine classical revisionist Western motifs with the cinematic excesses of Spaghetti Westerns, incorporating LSD-inspired countercultural narratives to create a provocative, drugged-up version of the American Frontier"

With that being said, the "big picture" view can be summarized as follows (it is easy to replace filmmaker with Gamer Master and so on):

• Acid Westerns are a unique subgenre that combines classical Western motifs with cinematic excess and countercultural narratives.
• These films use symbolism to explore themes of spirituality, masculinity, femininity, and the journey towards death.
• Acid Westerns provide filmmakers with a space to experiment with narrative and image, challenging the audience to think differently and explore deeper philosophical questions. 

 Disclaimer: I was provided a physical copy for review purposes from Games Omnivorous.

Presentation: Right off the bat this book is layed out and presented in a way that I have not seen before. The first thing that stood out to me is the cover - the cover feels like it is made out out of thick solid cardboard - but that is not the material. In addition, the book sports an open sewn spine that is sealed with glue but allows the book to lay completely flat. For all intents and purposes it is just has durable as a book with a closed spine. I have not had any personal issues with durability or have I heard of any complains about the books durability from any of my online sources. 

The other major thing that stands out to me is the page layout. The page layout is such that it feels like you are reading directly from a newspaper in the frontier. Handling and reading the book provides a unique immersive experience.

The book clocks in at 66 pages that include rule reference sheets and an adventure.  

Character Creation: Character creations follows a type of life path system where the player rolls or can choose results fro various tables that bring the character to life. 

Resolution: The core mechanic boils down to rolling a ability check, which is 1d20 + Ability Modifier versus a Difficulty Rating. The standard Difficulty Rating is 12 and unless otherwise listed, that is the Difficulty Rating for most things. There is a Difficulty Rating table that provided benchmarks to adjust the Difficulty Rating up or down. 

It is written in black and white, that successful or not, no roll of the dice should stop the action or the story. 

If a character has a skill that relates to the course of action and the GM agrees, the Player can make the check with advantage. A character can only have six skills and when a player rolls a natural 20 on a skill check they can opt to learn a new related skill instead of earning an Ace.

An interesting thing to note about the resolution system is that the system is player facing and NPC's do not roll 99.9% of the time. The characters react to what is going on around them.

Combat follows these steps:

1. Roll a d6 every round, one a 1-3 the enemies go first, and on a 4-6 the PC's go first.
2. On a turn you can move and take an action. The actions include melee attack, ranged attack (not a gun), shoot a gun (in melee), shoot a gun (tough shot), or do something else. If you are rolling multiple damage dice, you can assign one to different opponents within range. 
3. The Wrestling Clause: When players and NPC's are wrestling around or in a bar fight, instead of the players rolling twice for attack and defense, they just roll for attack and if the player succeeds they hit their opponent and if the player fails, the opponent hits them. If one side or the other is outnumbered, then +1/-1 DR depending on who is outnumbering who.
4. Rinse and Repeat as needed.

Death, Dying and Healing:

• After a Scuffle: Heal 1d4. +1 for each - smoke, drink, and nap. 
• Until  Morning: Heal 1 + 1 for each - entertainment, food, sleep. 
• Heal twice as much in comfort with good beds, company, food, and drink. 
• If reduced to below 0 or below HP by non-lethal means roll a Drop Check: d20 + Grit - any negative HP. 10 or less drop unconscious until you gain 1 hp. 11 or higher remain at your current HP. If you are reduced by lethal means, you make the same roll and it is considered a death check. Compare the die results to the table and the high the better it will be. 

Some other mechanic things to be considered or needs further explanation:

• Aces are a meta currency that each player start the session with one and they can spent on a re-roll. When a player rolls a natural 20, they can choose between gaining an Ace or a new skill. Though be warned, if any player rolls a natural 1, everyone loses their aces. 
• Skills as explained before (and if the GM agrees) allows the player to make an ability roll with advantage. Characters can only have a maximum of six skills and if the player wants a new skill, they have to forget an old one. 
• Advantage and Disadvantage is used. Advantage = rolling 2d20 and taking the higher result while Disadvantage = rolling 2d20 and taking the lower result. 
• Tough Shots are the way to adjust the target number by GM fiat or to take into consideration range, weather, if the target is small/moving/behind cover/etc., is the shooter distracted/moving/blind firing, and the gun - rifles are good at long range/shotguns are good at hitting moving targets/close range. The more unlikely the shot, the greater the DR of the Slick check to
  hit and the lower the DR of the Luck check to avoid being hit.
• Conditions fall into two categories. Miserable and Drunk. Miserable results from a character not meeting basic needs/being poisoned/Frostbit/Exhausted/Soggy Boots and so on. If a character is deprived they cannot heal HP until the condition is resulted. Drunk results from intoxication and the first time a character becomes drunk they swap to abilities and must make a note of which abilities were swapped as the same abilities will be swapped each time the character becomes drunk. 
• A small list of drugs, medical kits, and so on + what effect they have. 
• The Hat! Players can sacrifice their hat to avoid being hit as their hat is shot off instead. 
  

Final Thoughts: I have to say that Frontier Scum is dripping with flavor flavor from the layout, the character creation choices, the baked in setting, baked in locations, and some really great tidbits like determining the horse personality/looks/etc. One of my favorite things in the game is the ye old cowboy hat and how you can sacrifice the hat to avoid being hit. 

I think the setting it comes with along with the adventure in the back really go a long way to help the players and the GM understand the vibe of that game plus, the characters are wanted men and women. You are Scum and Scoundrels in a frontier that never was.

If I am being honest, this game was my first exposure to the theme of "Acid Western". I had to do some research on the genre. I still need to watch some of the recommended source material but at the moment I do not have a firm grasp on the genre except for the foundation of things are bad and will rarely get better. People are just trying to survive day by day and will generally mind their own business unless they are up to nefarious plots.

The game also has information and proves for equipment, services, hunting/fishing/foraging, city life, NPCs, and a great starting adventure. There is an overshadowing of the weird/grotesque so a GM could lean into those aspects for a more supernatural feel or stay away from them for more of a focus on the darkness of humanity and the harshness of frontier life. Or just anywhere in between.

Frontier Scum is a Mork Borg hack with some strong influences from Death in Space. 

Now there are some caveats I would like to mention:

• There is a lack of explanation on the genre
• There is a lack of guidance on how the wanted PC's interact with towns and other people. This includes what actions will cause the PC's to be reported to the authorities and how well known the PCs are. 
• Low HP/Low possible stats can make the game lethal and the players will not have a chance to take advantage of the healing/rest rules. 
• There is no progression. The reward is surviving to drink another day. 
• The crime and wanted dead/alive/dead or alive determination tables can get a bit wonky as a character can end up being wanted dead or dead or alive for more minor crimes. 
  

You can find Frontier Scum at:

• Frontier Scum Website
• Discord 
• Reddit
• The Author's Deets 
• Scumslinger's Arsenal 
• Games Omnivorous 
• Drivethrurpg
• Itch.io 
• Exalted Funeral
   

 

Orthodox Sword & Backpack Part Deux

 

After extensive play testing and imminent release of Arsenic & Old Lace, the influences of Trollish Delver, Barrel Rider Games, Dungeon Crawl Classics, the 1937 "The Hobbit" as a setting, Crown and Skull, and of course Olde House Rules; I have done some serious tweaking on the "Secret Storyteller's Rulebook" for running Sword and Backpack that I initially discussed in my original Orthodox Sword & Backpack post.

As I was playing around with the bones, I wanted to accomplish a few things (not in any particular order):

1. Honor the Legacy of the Twin City Gamers
2. Reduce Math
3. Honor the Original Material
   
4. A "failed career" that has some impact because lets face it, no one is born an adventurer
5. Smooth Combat
   

I think the FIRST thing is going to be create an example list of failed careers after the players choose their "job" and add the caveat of them writing down why the career failed and what was their call to adventure. Like one of the three jobs, they are considered to have the equipment from their failed career. I also think this enriches characters backstories and opens up role play options. Players can roll, choose, or work with the Storyteller of choosing something else. There may be some other examples as well.

1. Alchemist
2. Astrologer
3. Barber
   
4. Blacksmith
   
5. Butcher
   
6. Cutpurse
7. Farmer
8. Gambler
   
9. Healer
   
10. Hunter
    
11. Mariner
    
12. Mercenary
    
13. Merchant
    
14. Musician
15. Rat Catcher
16. Scribe
    
17. Smuggler
    
18. Soldier
    
19. Trapper
    
20. Vagrant
    

The SECOND thing is going to reduce math as much as possible. In my initial "secret rule book" I used a three tier difficulty to make choosing target numbers quick and characters got to add +5 to their roll if the action fell under the purview of their job. This is also the area where I want the "failed careers" to have an impact outside of lore and I want to keep the three tier difficulty base...so here we go...

• If an action falls within the Job: 8+
• In an action falls within the failed career: 10+
• Everything else: 15+
  

The THIRD thing was to make combat player facing and it is something I spent a lot of time play-testing and I was truly on the fence about it. In the end, I decided to not handle combat this way. I wanted the experience to be more dynamic and engaging for everyone evolved. Plus, I think it would be fun to add a little bit of swing and chaos. For posterity sake I am going to include my original idea below.

• If the characters tactics falls within the scope of their job OR the opponent/hazard is not meant to be strong: 8+
• If it is standard opponent/hazard: 12+
• All other opponents/hazards: 15+

Now, how I ended up to decide how to run it will be that there will be simple initiative (adventurers go first) and then the opponents. Everyone gets a turn and only the active adventurer or opponent as the ability to deal a hit (more on the below). Then the player and the Storyteller will both roll d20s and whoever has the highest result wins and the active adventurer or opponent will get to land a hit. Though, the caveat of this is that if the adventurer's job can be brought to bear then the players gets to add +5 to their roll!

Oh yes, I did it. I changed it up for combat. So sue me.

The FOURTH thing I was going to do was to hard wire in some resource management in the core so to speak but after much play-testing and introspection I decided against it. I am going to use a simple hit system like it has been done since the dawn of time. Adventurers start with 7 hits. Most opponents will have 1-2 hits and more powerful opponents will have more.  Simple as that.

So, putting this all together, it would look like this...

COMING SOON...

Legacies of Exera: Session 13

 

Sirabolter is a massive Dwarven city built into the side of a mountain that houses about 500,000 residents. 

Harl and Vladimir arrive in the city of Sirabolter on a cart that they were able to hitch a ride to Sirabolter because Gareth was contacted Harl telepathically and after the shock wore off a quick conversation was had and Gareth shared where the rest of the party was headed and the general plan.

Regardless, Harl and Vladimir spend some time wandering the city absolutely lost to find the rest of their party until Gareth reached out again Telepathically to give Harl directions and the party is eventually reunited. Gareth shares various rumors and lore about the city of Sirabolter. The most interesting information that was shared was how there are rumors of a Drow incursion in the lower mines. After the conversation, the party decided to enjoy some rest and all members go their own ways for awhile. 

After food, baths, and worship the party find themselves at the edge of a fighting ring from the encouragement of Enama. Enama ends up entering the ring facing off against an obscenely muscled dwarf. The match was a blur of action as both combatants ended up covered in sand and blood. The rest of the party held their breath as it looked like Enama was going to be beaten but Enama finds an opening and is able to pull victory out of the jaws of defeat. 

After Enama gets cleaned up, the party decides to head to the Battle Cavern to find out more about the incursion in the mines. As they enter the the Battle Cavern, they are stopped by some guards as Harl Hands over the job posting. The guards quickly notice Anari and share some harsh words and some harsher questioning due to Anari's heritage. As Harl eases the guards minds about Anari and the guards lead them to the foreman of the mines. The foreman explained how they used to be a civilization of dwarves below known as the Alabaster Dwarves and how the kept the forces of the underdark at bay. The Battle Cavern of Unquenched Valor is a monument to the Alabaster Dwarves costly victory. The foreman continues to explain that the incursions started about  year ago and the guards were able to find the tunnels the Drow were using as access and those tunnels have been collapsed but they must have found a different way in and even with the guards patrolling parts of the mine, the breaches have not been found. 

With all of this new information, the party decides to explore the mine in the morning and everyone takes advantage of one of the famous bath houses known as the Bubbling Cauldron. Harl, with his best Flynn Rider smile is able to sweet talk the dwarf running the front desk (who happened to the owner) to run Harl's bath and give Harl a massage herself. Prince Claren mumbled that they can't take Harl anywhere as the odd couple vanish into the bathhouse. Gareth and Prince Claren opt for the public pools as and swap war stores with other patrons of the bath house. There is an older dwarf couple that appears to recognize Claren as a Prince and their low conversation becomes excited. 

In the aftermath of the adventures at the Bubbling Cauldron, the party find themselves at a busy tarven enjoying some drink and food. After Vladimir has to much to drink, Vladimir decides to pick a fight with a grumpy looking dwarf by making fun of the dwarf's beard. This quickly escalates into an all out brawl. The dwarf quickly establishing dominance and the brawl becomes one sided in the favor of the dwarf. In a panic, Vladimir draws a dagger and in response one of the dwarves friends throws the dwarf an axe. In the bloodshed, Vladimir is brought to his knees and before the final blow could land, Prince Claren steps between them moments before the Snow Flurries (The city guards) show up to break up a fight and try to figure out what happened. Gareth quickly offers to buy everyone a drink at the tavern as the dwarf exclaims to the law that there is no need for their interference - it has been settled. The Snow Flurries gives the party the riot act about starting trouble and next time there will not be a choice about the law getting involved. Gareth and Harl give Vladimir a stern talking to about the etiquette of a bar fight and how drawing a weapon should never be an option - it is called murder. 

The party regroups at the inn and they discuss what their next course of action will be. They decide that they need money to finance the supplies they will need to take a deep dive into the mines. The party decided to follow the lead about the treasure that is supposedly hidden in Giant Mountain. The party decided to take the safer path back through the town of Arduin to resupply heading up the mountain. 

_______

PLAYER NOTES: This was a great session full of some superb role play. It was great to see all of the characters explore the city and indulge in their own likes and to see what characters preferred downtime actions are. The DM did some great lore drop about the city and there was even some conversion about settling down in the city after the Prince is delivered. I was shocked about the decisions made by Vladimir's character regardless of the bar fight and my characters sense of justice was going to let the whole situation play out.

SoA: Development Log 2

 

Writing has continued consistently since my initial Secrets of Arn and the first development log. I believe I have the character creation prompts locked down and I moved my focus to the Referee's "Secret Rule book." The secret rule book is basically how I would run games, what resolution processes to use, and what procedures to use to help keep the game going and to try to prevent the game from grinding to a halt. 

Even getting to this point was interesting because I went back and forth on how much should I include, how should I include it, or if I should just give some deep guidelines in running the game. I decided to use my secret rule book in its entirety so Referees have something to work with to make running the game easier. These Referee's can use it, change it, throw it out and write their own secret rule book, and do their own research. It is simply the tools I use but it is not law and might not even be the best way to handle things. It is simply what I do - nothing more and nothing less.

The heart of the decision and what all other decisions are going to be based off of is the dice, how they are used, and how they are interpreted. Though, due to the whole point of this project is to capture a certain style of play and to preserve history I need to take into account other aspects before making design decisions. Which, actually makes it easier in a way because a lot of how I would do things tends to align with history and the choice was simple. Use d6s!!!

The choice was made but the how presented difficulty and I ended up second guessing myself, third guessing myself, and spent some time wanting to chew my own neck off. After writing pros and cons list, having conversions with various people in the industry, I decided what was going to make the final decisions on how the dice work is going to come down to probabilities. 

Below is the classic 2d6 probability curve that let me explore options with different target numbers and opposed rolls. 

After some additional study, I ran the numbers with a 2d6/3d6 advantage mechanic. 

Now it is just a matter of deciding on the probabilities and I have to keep in mind that regardless how I set up it is going to work for the players the same as the referee. Looking at probabilities has helped me make some final decisions moving forward.

 Consistency and fairness is key because there is over 40 years of consistency!

I am going to end this with additional art by the talented Inked Gas...

 

Some Thoughts about D&D 5e

 

Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition was released on July 15th, 2014 and has since released countless supplements and books that changed how various systems or procedures work and ret-coned various aspects. Fifth Edition came off the heels of 4th edition that was met with mixed opinions (regardless of what side you were on, 4th Edition was a completely different game then its predecessors) and the success of Pathfinder. 

I was ecstatic when 5th Edition was released and I felt like it really streamed that what the game was in the 3.x era. It made things across the board easier and was a better polished game compared to most of the editions. 

 

Now, the years have gone by and the varnish has worn off. Now before I go into my issues with D&D 5e, I want to discuss the things it has done well.

• Bounded Accuracy (Proficiency Bonus)
• Magic Users (Cantrips and such have made spell casters viable across the board)
• Streamlined Mechanics 
• Accessibility 
• Good Dungeon Master's Guide
  

I do not know if this has anything to do with the actual game of 5e or marketing but Dungeons and Dragons as well as other role playing games have became popular and mainstream in a sense. This can be seen in its accessibility, the Critical Role effect, how various Hollywood stars have publicly talked about or played Dungeons and Dragons as well as other games. Regardless of why, I think this has been a positive situation with the hobby for countless reasons and gives me hope people who role play will not have to deal with another Satanic Panic.

Now, with that being said, it is time to discuss the issues with it. I have not played 5e in over a year and really did not do anything in the table top realm. Now, I have been playing in a 5e campaign and just catching up in general including a deep dive back into the 5e books and my experiences. These are not going to be in any particular order...

1. The rules are not as streamlined as I initially thought. It is true that 5e has came a long way since its 3.x days but it is not enough. 5e has required countless Q&A "Sage Advice" for answers how rules are suppose to work. Even with this, there is still debate among players but at least there is a Compendium for the most common issues which acts as a living errata document. Though, language as not been updated in subsequent printings. Now, errata being what it may and there is some expected instances of "editing missed that" this is ridiculous. Things should not be so poorly written or convoluted that they need consistent sage advice or a living errata document. In addition to even after sage advice, it still causes contention between players. 
2. After what? 45+ years there is still a consistent struggle of created a viable Barbarian, Monk, Ranger, and to a lesser extent Rogue class? It took Pathfinder a years and a whole supplement Unchained to hammer out common issues and attempts in Unearthed Arcana were made to revisit the Ranger but the minor changes helped the class but it still was not enough and other classes have not been revisited at or or barely touched upon. In addition to spell casters get the most support out of all of the other classes across the board. The frosting on this cake is Unearthed Arcana is unofficial or play test material so Dungeon Masters across the board do not have to allow it.
3. Just because 5e is popular, does not make it a good intro RPG for new players or DMs and #1 supports this greatly. 
4. Feats have obscenely different power levels and usability. 
5. One of the Sacred Cows that WOTC seems to be holding on to is Challenge Ratings. This creates a lot of complicated math for trying to build encounters even with the formulas given. There is also the additional issue where Challenge Ratings do not always match the creature they are attached to and there is even fractions! This places a ton of extra work on the DM for no reason at all. D&D needs to bring back using HD and special abilities for encounters and get rid of all the extra math and matching issues with CR. 
6. Another Sacred Cow is Vatican Magic, there are better more intuitive ways to handle magic.
   
7. Since 3.x tactical combat and combat in general is a consistent focus which makes using fists to solve every problem a common tactic which is systematically supported. 
8. Yet another Sacred Cow is the 9 point alignment system.
9. Adventure Paths have been consistently poorly written and require a lot of work from the DM. They should work right out of the box with minimal effort by the DM - that is the whole point of adventure paths. 
10. There are huge differences in what classes have better use of the action economy (standard, reaction, and bonus actions) and a lot of times, actions are unused. This also relates to #2.
11. Skill resolution is tired to the same system as combat and both of them are meant for different types of outcome ranges. The attempt at a unified mechanic falls short here with skill points. 

I think that is everything off of the top of my head for now.

Ok, I lied. there is one more point I already mentioned but I want to reiterate is that 5e is not a good game for beginners as people do not want to sit through hours of rules or how to play discussions. This is also includes spending entire sessions on character creation and reviews. I think people who are interested in playing Dungeons and Dragons or any role playing game for the matter do not want to sit through rule and how to slogs and just want to get into the game, the character, and start playing. Even me (being a veteran player) tends to role their eyes when people start discussing rules or the entire game is put on pause when the DM or another player has to bust out the rule book. These points right here is where I think we lose a lot of new people and frustrate a lot of veteran players. I believe we should strive to get people in the game as quickly as possible, keeping immersion deep as best we can, and then keeping the game moving without rule breaks. 

Once again, I have ended up with more to say when I thought I was down. I guess that is why I rarely post things as soon as I am finished so I can let them simmer for a day or two but I digress...

To begin, Wizards of the Coast has released their publishing schedule for 2024. The biggest title on the list is the new Players Handbook... From there it looks like there is going to be 48 sub classes? And a return to rules bloat! WOTC's habit of turning RPGs into a commercial product for mass consumption have driven the game as a concept and an art into a money grab that leaves little room for quality control. It has been a long slide since at the release of 4th Edition into fully devolving the game into a cRPG/MMO model. A game played on a character sheet with players looking to hit character sheet “buttons” to solve problems and waiting for the next seratonin hit from the next level, magic item, spell, or whatever else they earn. Creative problem solving, exploration of procedurally generated places, rolep laying, and encounters has waned. It seems that WOTC continues to hammer nails in the coffin of the idea of neither the DM nor the Players knowing which way a session will end.

With that being said and what I have seen of all of the current and past play test materials the New Players Handbook is going to bring a lot of positive mechanical changes to the process of character creation, races, classes, feats, and so on. Though a lot of these changes have already been seen in Pathfinder 2e and other places. I also believe the book is even going to be re-organized to make it more intuitive and user friendly. Even with all of this, The Monk, .Barbarian, and Ranger still need work.

This is in addition to I have yet to see any reworks of important subsystems like Challenge Ratings, role play focused abilities, backgrounds, and so on. Though, I am sure we are going to see a revised Monster Handbook and Dungeon Masters Handbook at some point. Regardless of all of this, it is rounding back to my original point. 5th Edition did not go far enough and neither is D&D One going far enough to file off the burs and really adjust things that need to be fixed. I have zero faith that the new players handbook is not going to need official sage advice to clarify things and adventures will be good to go out of the box...

FKR Simply Defined

 

In my initial "Definitions of FKR" post there is a lot of flowery language and great explanations of ideas which I think it is great. Though, re-reading it and after more experience it all sounds way to theoretical and may be confusing. I am going to list various aspects but they are not in any particular order.

The first thing is that playing games FKR style or FKR games are designed to be high trust or played with an high trust mindset. This roughly translates that the players trust the Referee to be fair, knowledgeable, and that the Referee is going to make clear consistent rulings. To condense this further, the Referee has a lot of authority to make unilateral decisions without necessarily failing back on any published rules. 

The second thing is that the Referee tracks a good amount of the player focus stuff. This could be magic points, hits, gear uses, and so on. By doing this, the referee creates an environment where the players spend more time immersed in the fiction.  

The third thing is that generally, the style is played with little rules. No 600 page rule books to be found as far as the eye can see. 

The forth and final thing tends to cause a lot of discussion and is something that causes a lot of confusion. FKR style games tend to be rules light and the players do not have access to whatever rules or ruling they are out going to experience during the course of play with the minor exception of what is needed for character creation (and to make meaningful decisions during that process). So, with that being said, it is possible to run Pathfinder, 5e, or even GURPS in an FKR style but I do not know why a Referee would want to do that to themselves. 

Here is where the confusion comes in. People will argue that Dave Arneson (and others) did not have rules when he ran his games but that is not the case. It is well documented that Arneson handed over 18 pages of rules to Gary Gygax that would be used to help design the original release of Dungeons & Dragons. Though, whatever rules or rulings Arneson used, he kept to himself and there was no players handbook that the players had access to. Hence, this is where the high trust aspect comes into play and the ye olde reference to the invisible rulebook.

Another point of contention that this forth aspect causes is that there is a lot of rules discussions regarding this style of game or play and it tends to frustrate the veterans and other people who have a lot of experience with this style of gaming. This has caused some of the veterans to step away from those conversations and those spaces. 

This situation just comes from a lack of understanding of the play style and a lack of comfort from people who have little or no experience of the play style because they want guidelines or sets of rulings to help them on their journey. That is where the barrage of rules questions come from. It also does not help that a lot of FKR products do not offer much in referee guidance outside of resolution mechanic and some character creation. There is no problem with people seeking rulings that they can use for their games or to use until they are comfortable to create their own. 

Circling back to the high trust aspect of FKR and the higher responsibility of the Referee I am going to try to smooth out the misunderstandings, wrinkles, and try to assist new Referees wanting to run games in this style. 

So, as a Referee for this style of game, you are in charge of creating a high trust environment, conducting research, and separating the players from the rules so they can be as immersed as possible in the experience. So, the referee should come to the table prepared with some baseline rulings, campaign information, and their handy dandy notebook. Depending on the comfort level of the referee will determine how much rulings they bring ready to go in their notebook and how much on the fly rulings they will make during the course of play. That is why it is important to have the notebook and to MAKE SURE TO WRITE IT DOWN so the Referee can make the exact same ruling or call the next time and the time after that. Consistency is key - hence the high trust aspect.

For an example, in a game that Arneson was running someone decided to throw a fireball and the response was what? The answer to the what was well, I am a wizard and that is what wizards do. So, on the spot the ruling for a fireball was decided and was written down in the notebook. 

As for research? Yes, it is important as the referee to take time to research things the characters in the game talk about, are interested in, or discuss. I am reminded of a story where Gary Gygax was running a game and there was a 16 year old high school kid at his table. During the session, the 16 year old announces that he hits the opponent with ??? (I do not know what the word is - but it was some fancy word for some fancy polearm) and Gygax had no idea what that was, but he did not let the 16 year old kid know that. So Gygax gave it a damage rating, wrote it down in the notebook, and then the next day Gygax went down to the library and read through a historical book on medieval weaponry. This is probably one of the reasons why there is a listing for every can opener on a stick in some of the books. Regardless, the point still stands. Referee's need to do their research and use their notebook to make sure their rulings and how they handle situations stay consistent.

That is the style of and how to run it on the referee side. The players responsibility in this is to trust the Referee and let go of all modern gaming sensibilities.

Legacies of Exera: Sessions 11 & 12

 

 Session 11

The party awakens in the inn in Arduine only to discover that Sir Harl and Stephonocles have left.  Harl saw the apparition of his fiancee again and chased it, leaving a note for the party saying he would return as soon as possible and if Harl and Stephoncles misses them, they will catch up in Sirabutler. Stephonocles followed Harl.  

The party began investigating the town to locate the werewolves.  The party discovered that one of the werewolves was the shop keep at the general store.  There was one more, who they discovered lives in a cave outside of town.  They battled them both as the shop keep called its alpha when he was attacked.  They learned that there had previously been a third but it died earlier.  The party then continued their journey, encountering a hill giant in one encounter and three ogres in another.  They came to a crossroad where the road continued on to the Dwarven city of Sirabulter and a path went left up Giant Mountain. They decided to take the road to Sirabulter to get some rest and restock on supplies before continuing to Giant Mountain.

Session 12

Before arriving at Sirabulter, Vladimir departed from the party to go find Harl and Stephonocles to let them know they had gone to Sirabulter.  The party then arrived at the mountain pass into Sirabulter.  After paying the entry fee of 1 copper piece each, they entered Sirabulter through Sharindlar's Acres, Sirabulter's northern agricultural district.  Here they purchased a wagon from human Hans Arstel at Arrowstar Wainwright.  Afterwards they purchased four draft horses (two brown, one black, and one white with black spots) from dwarf Magtharn Hammerfall at Hammerfall Stables.  They then traveled to Bubbling Cauldron in the Gloryview district of Sirabulter and got baths, laundered their clothes, and got massages.  They learned from some Dwarves in the bath that there was some kind of threat from the "Roots of the Mountain" in the Grand Mines of Sirabulter (located in the the Cloudy Peaks district).  They learned Underdark spiders, Duergar, and even Drow had been spotted in the mines near ancient tunnels that had previously led to a now abandoned ancient Dwarven city in the roots of the mountain.  The party then purchased rooms and meals at Ye Olde Ponies Inn in the Gloryview neighborhood.  They then sold weapons they had looted at the Fabulous Blade and sold looted armor at The Wandering Mountain, both shops in the Bonderbreaks.  They also sold gems and art at the Lonely Pantheon in the Gloryview district.  

 

__________

PLAYER NOTES: Due to series of unfortunate events I was not able to be present for Sessions 11 & 12, I received the summary reports from the Dungeon Master. 

Garvangr (Harl's Spear) - Gained +1 enhancement bonus

Goujian (Prince Claren's Sword) - +1 enhancement bonus.

Bag of Three (Gareth's Belt) - Bag of Holding Qualities 

Shadowgrumble (A'nari's Crossbow) - Enhanced Critical Hit: On a critical, this eapon deals an additional 2d6 piercing damage.  

Pia's Belt (Enama's Belt) - +1 to saving throws & DC's to Ki abilities. In addition, a bonus action can be utilized to regain Ki points equal to the roll of the Martial Arts die, this feature cannot be used again until the next dawn. 

Feyshadow Boots (Helenista's Boots) - The footsteps of the wearer make no sound and the wearer gains advantage on Stealth Checks that rely on moving silently.

SoA: Development Log 1

 

One of the the first things I wanted to tackle with this project is decide how to handle character creation. From my research and conversations I have had character creation processes tended to be more free form that what is commonly seen today. This fact still held true even with the release of the Original Dungeons and Dragons. 

So, now I am left with two options. The first option is to go full free form character creation that includes the players answering questions and making some choices such as equipment and vocations. The second option is to still include the free from prompts but also add in some type of basic attribute stats to give the players and the Referee a numerical option to work off of. 

There was a long period of time where I was playing around with the second option but then I had a conversion with James Spahn and he brought up a point that made me stop in my tracks. Long story short is that the point of the conversation when looking at game design, take into account what is just habit. What ideas or sensibilities are you falling back on? That conversation reversed my thinking and I decided to focus on the first option. 

With the decision out of the way, now it is time to get to work on setting up the questions. The questions need to be personal, be descriptive enough (without becoming a tedious process) to bring a character to life, allow the player to see potential in the character's growth, name, choices for equipment/vocation, and bonds outside of the player characters. These choices need to make the player feel like the character is connected to the world. This connection will allow greater immersion. 

The most difficult part with the character creation is I need to make sure that the questions and number of the questions provide enough detail that new players are able visualize their characters and give them something solid to interact with the world without the process becoming a slog. As I have stated previously, I want Secrets of Arn to be easy to grasp for people who have never played this style of gaming before or even new gamers in general. 

My first couple rough drafts ping ponged back abs forth between 5-6 questions to 12-15 questions. During these drafts, I also went back and forth between allowing the players to choose a special ability for their characters or magic or both. In Bob Meyer's games he allows players to select special abilities for the purpose of uniqueness and to help keep magic out of the game because it does not matter what game, what idea, what system, magic tends to be a headache. 

After screaming endlessly into void, I decided the special ability character creation prompt is going to allow both options. So, a player can decide if they want their character to have a special ability or they want their character to be magically inclined. Special abilities are designed specifically for the character with the player and the Referee working together and can range from being exceptionally skilled at a certain task or aspect, turning the characters arms into tentacles, or even something that may be considered more magical or obscure in nature.

This decision is going to lead to more work down the road as I will have to figure out how magic is going to work and how I am going to limit it.

Though, figuring out magic is a future me problem. For now, I have finalized 8 prompts for the character creation process and I am happy how they turned out. At this point, I feel like the character creation process is done and the page could be handed out to get things rolling with little effort.

Review: Swords and Six-Siders

 

This is a review that has been a long time coming and the game has an interesting history. I want to discuss some of the history of this game before I get into the review. 

In 2015 I discovered Sword and Six-Siders by happenstance and I do not have a date when the game was first made available. It was originally designed by a user known as Vanquishing Leviathan and the rules that turned into Swords and Six-Siders evolved from Vanquishing Leviathan's house rules for Tunnels and Trolls.

"Yes, what eventually became Swords & Six-Siders started out as my houserules for T&T. I'd say S&SS is one part T&T, one part BX, and one part modern innovations to my own taste." - Vanquishing Leviathan

The original author offered the game through his website (which does not exist anymore) where the author produced the books himself (print, art, cutting, stapling, etc). The original game was offered in a box set and included three booklets (players guide, DM's guide, and an adventure) and a small stack of yellow character sheets. What was great about the three booklet offering is that it had some fun nuances - one of my favorites was that the back cover on the DM's guide had a graveyard tracker where the GM could keep track of how and when the characters died. It was a fun way to honor the death of a character. I have had the chance to interact with the author during this time and it was refreshing to see an author that truly believed in the game.

"The box is a candy box with an adhesive label attached. The way I can afford to produce this game is by doing everything by hand. I did the design, writing, layout, art, all the folding, stapling, trimming. I think this is a great game, the best at what it does, so I invested my own time and money in it. This isn't a kickstarter, where you wonder when/if you'll ever receive your product. I figure if I believe in the game, why should I put the financial risk onto the customer?

I am so confident in the game, I made it available for free, the full rules, with art, as a pdf fully loaded with bookmarks. That way, you can try before you buy, and you don't even need to buy if you don't have the money." - Vanquishing Leviathan

The game is designed to operate with a single d6 (I will go into the system more during the review) and to allow the players and the DM to focus on the story over mechanics. The game itself also went through many revisions and adjustments before becoming the product that was offered.

"Earlier versions of Swords & Six-Siders were more T&Tish, where you advanced by increasing your stats. At one point, there weren't any classes, you could build your PC however you wanted by distributing your gained stat points, unlocking various abilities. The downside was that it is even harder to achieve balance that way, and it created an enormous amount of choices at every turn.

That is when I put in the class system. The classes in the basic game are really more archetypes: someone who is good in combat but not with spells: fighter, someone good with spells but not combat: wizard, someone who is sneaky and skilled: thief, someone who is a little of everything: myrmidon. That pretty much covers the basic archetypes in fantasy, and streamlines character creation.

Everything about this game is intended to speed things up, so you spend more time playing and having fun and less time wrestling with the rules. I've run convention games with strangers, people who have never played S&SS before, and in a 6 hour game, we spent maybe a total of 5-10 minutes looking at the rulebook (to check spell effects; spell descriptions are a single sentence). The comments I received were to the effect of "I can't believe you could do so much and have so much fun with such a simple game." - Vanquishing Leviathan

 

With that being said, we now fast forward to circa 2018. The rights of the game were sold to Precis Intermedia Games. This move spawned a (mostly combined reprint), a Companion book, and eventually a complete "expanded edition". This is in addition to play test science fiction offering called Lasers & Six-Siders. Precis Intermedia Games have given Swords & Six-Siders a lot of support including a Compatibility License, various adventures, and conversion guides. I tried to track down a press release of the acquisition but my google fu failed me and I could not find anything.

 

There was also a limited run adventure titled "The Circle of the Yawning Void" (I think only twenty five zines were produced) and I believe that this title was also sold (along with The Castle that Fell from the Sky) to Precis Intermedia Games and Scribes of Sparn who converted and expanded the adventure for 0e. Though, I have not seen any release or heard of any plans to release and update The Circle of the Yawning Void.

 

Alright, the history lesson over, it is now time to get into the actual review. As a disclaimer, I was provided a physical and digital copy of the Swords & Six-Siders Expanded Edition for purposes of review. This review is going to be with the Expanded Edition Hardback. 

Presentation: This book clocks in at 213 numbered pages that are wrapped in a full color hardback. There are also a few extra pages that include the character sheet and advertisements. The game uses an easy to read font in a single column format with black and white art. The pages have a black border as well. The page count approximately breaks down to the following:

• 17 Pages for Core Rules/Character Creation
• 11 Pages for Spells
• 7 Pages for Action and Conflict 
• 5 pages for traps
• 27 Pages for Monsters 
• 15 Pages for Treasure
• 11 pages for Optional Advanced Options 
• 93 Pages that include a sample adventure and setting
• 12 Pages of Appendix's
• Handful of pages for licensing information, character sheet, advertisements 

Character Creation: Character Creation may feel familiar to some and characters start at level 1. Players with guidance form the Game Master will follow these steps:

1. Choose a Race (Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, Human): Note Attribute Modifiers.
2. Determine Ability Scores (Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma): Roll a d6 three times and on each result record the number that is showing and the number opposite from the number showing. This will give you six different scores that are placed wherever the player wants to place them. A score of 1 gives a -1 penalty to rolls involving the Attribute and an score of 6 grants a +1 involving rolls with the Attribute.
   
3. Choose a Class (Cleric, Fighter, Myrmidion Pathfinder, Thief, and Wizard). The Myrmidion is a hybrid between a Fighter and a Wizard where the Pathfinder is something akin to a Ranger.
4. Choose Alignment (Law, Chaos, Neutral) and note languages by race.
   
5. Determine Hit Points by rolling a d6. Anything result under 3 can be bumped up to 3 and starting HP can be modified by Race and/or class. 
6. Select Armor, Weapons, and Starting Equipment. 
7. Choose Spells for Myrmidions and Wizards. 
8. Calculate and record armor class and damage reduction, bonus and penalties to attack, damage, and saves per class and class. It is important to note that damage and attack modifiers are applied to both melee and ranged weapons unless a specific weapon is not available per class. 
9. Name your character something cool. 

As you go through the character creation process I find it important to note that Shields and Helmet increase armor class or the difficulty to be hit and "armor worn" provided damage reduction. Players are allowed to pick whatever equipment (including weapons and armor) that is within reason and makes sense for their character. No prices are listed for armor, weapons, and other adventuring gear. There is gold in the game, but that is more used for services and leveling. 

 

Resolution: All mechanical resolutions systems use a single d6! That is right, a single d6! The game states this at the beginning of the Action & Conflict section:

"Most of the game is handled through narration, whether by the gamemaster describing s scene or other players describing their characters actions. Dice rolls are appropriate for situations related to combat, accomplishing great feats, and resisting harmful effects and hazards."

These checks are broken down into the following ways:

• Ability Check: A catch all for any action as it relates to a single ability. 1d6 + Ability Modifier (if any) vs. a target number of 6. 
• Class Skills: This is something described in their class and it follows a 1d6 + Ability Modifier (if any) + 1/2 of class level - rounded up vs. a target number of 6.
• Saves: 1d6 + 1/2 level vs. target number of 6. 
• Death Save: When a character reaches zero HP, they are considered alive but unconscious and must make a Constitution save every round to stay alive. If one of the saves fail the character perishes. 

When characters enter combat, this formula is followed:

1. Determine Surprise for both sides of the conflict if necessary (1-2 on a d6)
2. Initiative is determined every round by rolling for the groups or individual on the PC side
3. Characters can move and attack in the round. Movement is determined by range bands (contact/reach/close/far/distant/yonder). Each of these have ft. measurements associated as well. To make at attack roll, toll 1d6 + to hit modifiers vs. Armor Class.
4. Determine Damage: If the attack hits, roll damage (most weapons deal 1d6, two handed weapons deal 1d6+1) and subtract damage reduction (if any) from the opponents armor. Regardless of damage reduction, a successful attack will always deal 1 point of damage.

Initiative is re-rolled every round and there are some additional modifiers/rules for things like cover, prone, etc.

There is one major caveat to the core resolution mechanic. This is something that is important to remember and may get forgotten when new people are playing this game. The caveat is that a natural result of a "1" is always a failure and a natural result of a "6" is always a success. 

The final thing to mention in this section is about Advancement. Character's level max out at level six and various bonuses are gained at certain levels. Characters acquire gold to count for XP but the gold only counts when the characters can transport it to town.

Final Thoughts: When I first read this game back in 2015 I thought there is no way that a game that uses a single d6 could have any legs but once I played a few games and ran a play by post game for over a year, I was proven wrong. This game proves that you can get a lot of mileage out of a single d6 and the auto fail "1" and auto pass on "6" rule can create some hilarious moments. This allow players to succeed at ridiculous odds or humble powerful characters, in addition to being a good balancer of the system as even obscenely armors foes (or characters) can be hit (and hits always result in at least 1 point of damage regardless of damage reduction). 

What Swords and Sic-Siders does well is creating a high immersion and high trust environment where the experience does not trip over the rules. The game does sport a lot of standards and habits from old school games. Though, with that being said, the Expanded Edition has a section of optional rules that effect action and conflict, spell points (alternate spell system), beyond levels (advancement after level 6), monster focus, abstract movements and ranges, a conflict action map, and paper minis. 

This game is also a great way to get a Tunnels & Trolls like experience without Tunnels and Trolls or the tongue and cheek aspects.

 

Since the Precis Intermedia Games acquisition, Swords and Six-Siders has spawned a conversion of The Misty Isles and an adventure called Smuggler's Bane. The adventure The Castle that Fell from the Sky is included in the Expanded Edition along with the setting Blackmarsh,

You can find it here:

• Precis Intermedia Games
• Drivethrurpg 
• Amazon
• Character Sheet 
• Compatibility License
• MeWe Group 
  

 Additional Discussions:

• Youtube Review of the Original Box Set
• Youtube Review (Expanded Edition) by Look at the Book Episode 30