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Post by tkdco2 on Oct 12, 2015 2:17:21 GMT -6
LotFP is described as weird fantasy roleplaying. But looking at the Grindhouse Edition (free version without artwork), I don't see anything particularly unusual about the rules. So what is so weird about it? Are there any rules that were omitted in the free version? Is it just the artwork that makes it weird? Just wondering.
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Post by Vile Traveller on Oct 12, 2015 6:25:20 GMT -6
The weird mainly comes through in the adventures. You're not missing anything other than the art, and the book, as you say, is pretty straightforward other than the art.
Having said that, I like it for that: taken purely as a semi-clone it's one of my favourite - maybe the favourite - interpretation of the D&D style game.
From the amount of white space, you can see how much art there is, but I don't actually like the art that much. I find it de-sensitises because there's so much gore, and it's also a bit inconsistent in style in places. Just stick your favourite old-school pieces in the PDF and go with that (I do like the cover, so I'd keep that!).
On the other hand, the LotFP books I have are all beautifully made and top quality.
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Post by dizzysaxophone on Oct 12, 2015 9:03:49 GMT -6
Yeah, Vile pretty much nailed it. LotFP is one of my favorite retro clones, but the weirdness is on in the adventures. If you like beautifully designed books, LotFP has the best production values of any books I own. Carcosa and a Red and Pleasant Land stand out in particular. People tend to be pretty hit or miss on how they feel about the art.
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Post by Mushgnome on Oct 12, 2015 10:23:46 GMT -6
I generally agree with the above, but there is some pretty weird stuff in there, like the alignment rules (all elves and MU's are chaotic) and the description of certain spells (like Summon).
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Post by tkdco2 on Oct 13, 2015 3:59:55 GMT -6
Thanks for all the feedback, folks.
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Post by funkaoshi on Oct 13, 2015 20:57:15 GMT -6
It's my favourite retro clone. The adventures are really what make it "weird". The game itself is a pretty nice version of a B/X style D&D game. The art is pretty awesome, also, and yeah, part of what makes it "weird".
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Post by deathanddrek on Oct 13, 2015 21:12:01 GMT -6
Given that old school D&D is inspired by weird tales, it's not a stretch to call LotFP "weird" with just a few tweaks. Another aspect not mentioned is the lack of a bestiary: monsters are supposed to be strange, unique, a mystery and ultimately "weird".
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Post by tkdco2 on Oct 14, 2015 3:45:31 GMT -6
Fair enough. I was disappointed not to find rules for firearms, since the artwork featured a character with a musket.
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Post by Vile Traveller on Oct 14, 2015 6:42:04 GMT -6
They're in the appendix.
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Post by dizzysaxophone on Oct 14, 2015 8:05:34 GMT -6
Firearms are not included in the grind house edition. They are in the new hardback edition though, and I believe there is an art free pdf of that.
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Post by tkdco2 on Oct 15, 2015 1:22:21 GMT -6
Thanks, I'll look for it.
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Post by ritt on Oct 15, 2015 12:51:40 GMT -6
Firearms all do 1d8 damage and ignore the first five points of armor.
The hardcover (Which I highly recommend) adds more details, but that one sentence gives you enough to run the published adventures.
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Post by tkdco2 on Oct 16, 2015 0:57:42 GMT -6
Thanks for the info, ritt.
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Post by Vile Traveller on Oct 16, 2015 1:17:58 GMT -6
Firearms are not included in the grind house edition. They are in the new hardback edition though, and I believe there is an art free pdf of that. There are several free versions here: www.lotfp.com/RPG/ One those will have what you need!
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Post by tkdco2 on Oct 16, 2015 1:42:51 GMT -6
Thanks, Vile. I'll check out the site.
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Post by tkdco2 on Oct 25, 2015 3:36:08 GMT -6
Firearms all do 1d8 damage and ignore the first five points of armor. The hardcover (Which I highly recommend) adds more details, but that one sentence gives you enough to run the published adventures. What's the range? I was thinking of longbow ranges for muskets and shortbow ranges for pistols.
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Post by ritt on Oct 25, 2015 12:41:01 GMT -6
Pistol is 25-50-100'
Arquebus is 50-100-600'
Musket is 50-100-600'
• All firearm shots deal 1d8 damage and ignore up to five points of armor • Incendiary shots (“fire bombs”), deal only 1d4 damage but may ignite flammable targets • Scattershot: no attack roll, half range, no armor cancellation, all in 45° take 1d6 damage (save for half) • Damage (melee strike): pistol 1d4, arquebus & musket 1d6 • Firearms are inaccurate, so the attack roll is -4 at medium range and -8 at long range • Rifling (double gun cost) halves the range penalties but increases base reload time by 50% • Creatures with morale of 7 or less must check morale when a firearm is discharged
There is more in the Rules & Magic Hardcover but this should cover you for now.
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Post by tkdco2 on Oct 25, 2015 16:43:35 GMT -6
Thanks, ritt. Much appreciated.
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Post by Mike on Oct 30, 2015 2:25:06 GMT -6
I don't see that hard cover available for sale?
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Post by Vile Traveller on Oct 30, 2015 4:07:42 GMT -6
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Post by tkdco2 on Nov 2, 2015 2:25:19 GMT -6
Thanks again, Vile. Perhaps I'll have a chance to run a LotFP game soon.
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Post by cadriel on Nov 2, 2015 5:24:09 GMT -6
For anybody interested in running LotFP, Carcosa by our own geoffrey has just been reprinted (with a glossy hardback instead of the previous edition, which is a beautiful leather tome). Ideal for anyone who wants blood sacrifice, dinosaurs, alien technology, psionics, and the Cthulhu mythos in their games.
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Post by creativehum on Oct 20, 2016 22:26:18 GMT -6
I'm running a LotFP campaign right now and having a blast. I'm using a lot of the LotFP adventures, as well as my own concoctions in the same style. The weirdness in the game line is found in several places: 1. As noted, the art does a lot to nail down the specifics of the feel Raggi envisioned for his game line. Once you crack open the hardcover, it's all there. 2. The LotFP Referee Book goes into great detail about the feel and tone Raggi envisioned for the game. While this might not feel as if it's part of the rules, Raggi is very specific about not having "races" of monsters (orcs, goblins, what have you) but coming up with strange, unique monsters for the Player Characters to encounter. I think its a terrific piece of work and highly recommend it. The book is currently out of print, but the PDF is available for free. 3. A lot of the weirdness is in the spells and the descriptions of the spells. Summoning, for example, is a first level spell, in which Magic-Users can summon horribly dangerous creatures from beyond. And here the text from the spell Speak with Dead: This spell rips the spirit of a corpse from theNot all the spells have such twists in them. But many do. So, a lot of the weirdness is buried in the way common elements of D&D are expressed in specific ways.
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