Finarvyn Administrator Dungeon Master member is offline
Joined: Jun 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 4,674 Location: Near Chicago Karma: 178
The DCC RPG Q&A Thread « Thread Started on May 31, 2011, 2:22pm »
Goodman Games is creating a cool looking RPG which isn't OD&D but I think it will appeal to the OD&D enthusiasts. It's not a "clone" of any edition but a game in its own right. It's designed to model some of the "Appendix N" literature, which is why I placed this near the fiction area of these boards.
1. I've had the privilage of playtesting the rules since March or so, but not much has been posted up to this point. I'll be happy to answer what questions I can about the system.
2. I posted the design blogs here, copied directly from threads on the Goodman Games boards, to give you a better notion of what Goodman plans for the game. He's been great at listening to feedback and has made some changes based on the wishes of the masses. If you have thoughts or questions, feel free to post them here and I can relay them to GG.
3. RPG Timeline:
Early word of this game has leaked out as early as January, 2011. If you google "DCC RPG" you can find some of the blog entries and many of them are real old-timers.
The beta playtest rules should be released in about a week (early June) and a sample module should be out on Free RPG day.
The actual release date for the full RPG is November, 2011.
I think that this game is pretty exciting and has some real potential.
EDIT TO ADD: So ... feel free to post questions and I'll do my best to answer them.
Marv / Finarvyn DCC playtester (2011) C&C playtester (2003) I'm partly responsible for the S&W WhiteBox Builder of the TrollBridge Master of Mutants; MA since 1976 OD&D Player since 1975
"Don't ask me what you need to hit. Just roll the die and I will let you know!" - Dave Arneson
Joined: Nov 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 663 Karma: 19
Re: The DCC RPG Q&A Thread « Reply #3 on May 31, 2011, 9:24pm »
Yes. Especially the business about each spell having its own random effects table. How long or detailed are these tables? Do they follow a regular pattern that can be customized?
Re: The DCC RPG Q&A Thread « Reply #5 on May 31, 2011, 11:47pm »
Designer's Blog #3 describes pretty well how magic works.
You need to roll d20 + bonus >= 10+2*(spell level) to succeed, and depending on the result you read a different line (you can in Blog #3 how Magic Missile works).
If I remember well, Joseph Goodman said also that some usually unharmful spells - like low level Divinations - could have some harmful side-effects on a very high successful roll.
Yes. Especially the business about each spell having its own random effects table. How long or detailed are these tables? Do they follow a regular pattern that can be customized?
Joseph and I have exchanged some e-mails on this very topic, and this seems to be by far the most "heavy" part of the rules.
Each spell has a roll for degree of success and a chart specific to that one spell. They follow some general patterns, but have been done for each individually. (I suggested to Joseph that we cut down the total number of spells and add some rules for how a DM can "build" new ones -- not sure yet if he likes the idea or not.)
Here's a sample chart (Charm Person) which I trimmed out a little to give the general flavor without posting the whole thing:
1-11 Lost. Failure.
12-13 Target makes Will save or is dazed for 1d4 rounds, able to move at half speed but perform no other actions.
14-17 Target makes Will save or is under your complete control as if it were your friend, though it will not perform actions that are suicidal or which a devoted friend would not otherwise perform.
20-23 As above but no signs of control.
24-27 As above, but affects a number of targets equal to caster level.
28-29 As above, but affects targets equal to 1d6 + caster level.
30-31 As above.
32+ As above, but affects targets equal to 2d6 + caster level.
In general, 1-11 seems to represent spell failure and 32 or so is the top of the chart.
Marv / Finarvyn DCC playtester (2011) C&C playtester (2003) I'm partly responsible for the S&W WhiteBox Builder of the TrollBridge Master of Mutants; MA since 1976 OD&D Player since 1975
"Don't ask me what you need to hit. Just roll the die and I will let you know!" - Dave Arneson
Yes. Especially the business about each spell having its own random effects table. How long or detailed are these tables? Do they follow a regular pattern that can be customized?
Joseph and I have exchanged some e-mails on this very topic, and this seems to be by far the most "heavy" part of the rules.
Each spell has a roll for degree of success and a chart specific to that one spell. They follow some general patterns, but have been done for each individually. (I suggested to Joseph that we cut down the total number of spells and add some rules for how a DM can "build" new ones -- not sure yet if he likes the idea or not.)
<big snip>
In general, 1-11 seems to represent spell failure and 32 or so is the top of the chart.
It seems to me there is going to be a lot of look ups for the spells. I don't like looking up things on tables during play, slows things down, breaks the illusion of the game, etc.
I'm not clear on something about the magic, though. Is the MU going to be able to cast his (I assume limited number of) spells at will, or is there a once per day/rest/something limit on that? I assume limited number, btw, because that also fits with the feel of the books they reference.
So, let's say Sam the Sorcerer knows three spells which are the equivalent of: Magic Missile, Charm Person, and Sleep. None of his spells are sure things, he has to roll 12+ for the spell to work, and the effects are unpredictable...though the better an MU he is (higher level) the better chance he will succeed and his results will be good...but he can cast any of the three at any time without needing to re-memorize them. Is that about right?
Kelmult Dwarven Fgt-2 Olaf, the very lucky...so far! Human Fgt-2 Yusuf Kamal(Chainmail & Shield: AC 4, MV 6, HD 1, XP: 0, hp 6. #AT 1. 1d8 Sword, 1d6 Bow, 1d4 dagger x 2. Lucky Amulet, rations, waterskin x 2. GP: 0. [gold necklace & jewelry case with a few silver rings & bracelets...est. 70 gp])
Finarvyn Administrator Dungeon Master member is offline
Joined: Jun 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 4,674 Location: Near Chicago Karma: 178
Re: The DCC RPG Q&A Thread « Reply #8 on Jun 1, 2011, 2:22pm »
It seems to me there is going to be a lot of look ups for the spells. I don't like looking up things on tables during play, slows things down, breaks the illusion of the game, etc.
Yeah, this has been a huge topic of discussion. So far, what I've done is to hand out a copy of each spell to the player who has it and they can look at the chart as they cast. There has been discussion of having spell cards or something similar, but no final decision has been reached. It's not as bad as I thought it would be, however.
I'm not clear on something about the magic, though. Is the MU going to be able to cast his (I assume limited number of) spells at will, or is there a once per day/rest/something limit on that? I assume limited number, btw, because that also fits with the feel of the books they reference.
Basically, casting spells gets progressively harder and harder (stacking negatives to the die roll) with each spell. You do have a maximum number of spells you can cast in a day. When you rest you reset the modifiers.
So, let's say Sam the Sorcerer knows three spells which are the equivalent of: Magic Missile, Charm Person, and Sleep. None of his spells are sure things, he has to roll 12+ for the spell to work, and the effects are unpredictable...though the better an MU he is (higher level) the better chance he will succeed and his results will be good...but he can cast any of the three at any time without needing to re-memorize them. Is that about right?
Marv / Finarvyn DCC playtester (2011) C&C playtester (2003) I'm partly responsible for the S&W WhiteBox Builder of the TrollBridge Master of Mutants; MA since 1976 OD&D Player since 1975
"Don't ask me what you need to hit. Just roll the die and I will let you know!" - Dave Arneson
Finarvyn Administrator Dungeon Master member is offline
Joined: Jun 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 4,674 Location: Near Chicago Karma: 178
Re: The DCC RPG Q&A Thread « Reply #9 on Jun 3, 2011, 12:32pm »
Apparently, there isn't as much excitement over this game as I had anticipated. I've moved the thread and gotten rid of the DCC section of the boards. If we get more posts I may revive it.
Marv / Finarvyn DCC playtester (2011) C&C playtester (2003) I'm partly responsible for the S&W WhiteBox Builder of the TrollBridge Master of Mutants; MA since 1976 OD&D Player since 1975
"Don't ask me what you need to hit. Just roll the die and I will let you know!" - Dave Arneson
Joined: Nov 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 663 Karma: 19
Re: The DCC RPG Q&A Thread « Reply #10 on Jun 3, 2011, 6:18pm »
It's much more of a new game than a clone or reprint of an existing one, so it probably won't generate much excitement until after it's published. There's certainly interest.
I'm a bit interested in the way the spells work, which you answered admirably. The chance of complete failure and the table look-up process make it unlikely I'd use it, but it's an interesting idea at least. I've toyed with the idea of using some simple universal effects table and a way of hinting at those effects in a single sentence of a spell description, which would produce effects similar to that, but I'm not sure how far I'd go with the idea.
The DCC RPG Q&A Thread « Reply #12 on Jun 4, 2011, 3:25am via the ProBoards Mobile App »
I am following the thread with a lot of interest, but life has been a bit busy to get over to GG's sit to look into their forum. Very excited about the magic system, it sounds superb.
What can you tell us about combat? Is it similar to the D&D system?
What can you tell us about combat? Is it similar to the D&D system?
Very similar to D&D, but with some changes along the way. Non-combat classes tend not to get a lot better at fighting, but combat classes (mostly fighters) have some neat things they can do instead of just swinging a sword over and over and over.
Not feats exactly, but some special fighter-type actions. They get this thing called "mighty deeds" where they can try cinematic swashbuckler things or called shots in combat. Also, fighters at higher levels get multiple "action dice" which can translate into multiple attacks if they wish.
So, the basics of combat haven't changed from D&D. Just some of the details.
Marv / Finarvyn DCC playtester (2011) C&C playtester (2003) I'm partly responsible for the S&W WhiteBox Builder of the TrollBridge Master of Mutants; MA since 1976 OD&D Player since 1975
"Don't ask me what you need to hit. Just roll the die and I will let you know!" - Dave Arneson
The DCC RPG Q&A Thread « Reply #14 on Jun 4, 2011, 6:52pm via the ProBoards Mobile App »
If there were two things I'd put into D&D combat to make it suit me, they would be the fighter-only progression from Lamentations of the Flame Princess and the crit manoeuvres from MRQ2. Count me intrigued! Where's the development blog?
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