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Post by Zulgyan on Jun 30, 2008 12:44:10 GMT -6
www.retroroleplaying.com/forum.php?loc=index.php/topic,43.0.html A very interesting twist to microlite20! Best piece is: "There are no skills in Microlite74. Instead players are expected to think like adventurers, tell the GM what they are doing and the GM decides if it will succeed in the situation. If the GM decides a random success chance is truly needed, roll..."That really gets the OD&D spirit!
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WSmith
Level 4 Theurgist
Where is the Great Svenny when we need him?
Posts: 138
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Post by WSmith on Jun 30, 2008 16:21:19 GMT -6
I cannot find the thread.
Anyway, back when I was playing around with Microlite20 (some of my stuff is on the design page) I was trying to make it work as close to OD&D as possible. If I can find the file I made on my hard drive I will post it. The idea was to run the rules with Dungeons of Castle Blackmoor.
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tank
Level 3 Conjurer
Posts: 58
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Post by tank on Jun 30, 2008 17:16:05 GMT -6
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Post by doc on Jun 30, 2008 17:57:21 GMT -6
I saw this a couple of days ago. It's a great idea, but what irked me is that despite trying to replicate the feel of 1974 D&D the hobbits are still mistakingly called halflings and despite all those monster stats, I don't see the balrog.
Doc
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Post by geoffrey on Jun 30, 2008 19:49:34 GMT -6
That's a pretty amazing 4-page set of rules.
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Post by RandallS on Jul 1, 2008 20:36:27 GMT -6
I cannot find the thread. The link works again. The forum.php file had been replaced with an old version.
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Post by RandallS on Jul 1, 2008 20:48:29 GMT -6
I saw this a couple of days ago. It's a great idea, but what irked me is that despite trying to replicate the feel of 1974 D&D the hobbits are still mistakingly called halflings and despite all those monster stats, I don't see the balrog. First, there are copyright/trademark issues with "Hobbit" and "Balrog" and I'm not willing to fight all the people who control the rights. Especially as I have zero dollars available to defend myself in court. The "Flame Demon" was accidentally cut from the monster list when I was cutting monsters to make it fit in four pages. Second, the real purpose of this M74 is to be an easy showcase for the old school playing style. Microlite20 has a growing following among those D20 players who have become fed up with the complexity D20 games. I figured a version based loosely on the first published RPG would be a great way to introduce more players to "old school gaming." The idea is to duplicate the feel and style of that 1974 game in a modern -- but very rules lite -- system, not to be a retroclone of that 1974 game. If using the terms hobbit and balrog are required to provide the feel and style of the first rpg, then even later printings of that game fail the test.
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Post by RandallS on Jul 5, 2008 18:54:00 GMT -6
Release Candidate 2 is now up at the above link (which now works), incorporating suggestions and the start of the designer's notes. Major Changes from RC1: Major Changes to Races: No stat bonuses, special abilities for elves, dwarves, and halflings similar to those in the first fantasy RPG. Added simple language rules. Restored "Flame Demonlord" to monster list Started Designer's Notes.
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Post by RandallS on Oct 6, 2008 14:22:12 GMT -6
Over 500 copies of original 1.0 release of Microlite74 have been downloaded since it was released just over two months ago. Release 1.1 is available for download today in two different forms. The original release of Microlite74 included variant rules based on Microlite20, a complete spell list and monster list, and a short designer's note section touching on the differences in style between "old school" and the usual style of play encountered today. Release 1.1 contains minor error corrections, information on other OGL retrogames based on early editions of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game, and new rules for morale, hirelings, and equipment. Microlite74 Release 1.1 Standard is a six page PDF. Everything you need to play is in the fairly small print of this edition. It is a 112K free download. Microlite74 Release 1.1 Digest is a special version of Microlite74 formatted to print as a digest-sized booklet something like those of 0e using the booklet printing feature of Adobe Acrobat. The type size is larger and there is B&W fantasy artwork, courtesy of Håkan Ackegård. This file is much larger than the standard file (2.25M compared to 112K) so the art will print with high quality. While the download is free, because of the large file size the file is stored at Rapidshare. Downloads Available Here
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Post by blackbarn on Oct 6, 2008 21:22:54 GMT -6
Looks great! I love the digest version, but wish it had page numbers so I could be sure I'm printing it right. I'll figure it out though...
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Post by RandallS on Oct 6, 2008 21:31:05 GMT -6
Looks great! I love the digest version, but wish it had page numbers so I could be sure I'm printing it right. I'll figure it out though... I'd like to say this was a planned "artistic" decision. But the truth is, after fighting for two days to get footers and page numbers to work the way I needed them to at this weird page size in Word, I simply gave up.
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Post by blackbarn on Oct 7, 2008 13:38:47 GMT -6
That's ok. They can be hand-numbered later.
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Post by chgowiz on Dec 5, 2008 9:24:58 GMT -6
Just wanted to leave a message here in support of microlite74. I've added a Vancian Option for those that like the original OD&D magic system (http://www.microlite20.net/node/107).
I've started doing a one-on-one OD&D game with my wife. She hasn't played in years, and played in High School using 1e (maybe 2e?) rules. She likes combat ("bashing heads") so my dungeon romps are about to be very crunchy, full of goodness and maybe a few of Tuckers Kobolds. She's enjoyed m74 so far, and I've found it quick and easy to use to get her into a more old school game.
I'm hoping *crossing fingers* to share this goodness with one of the game shops around the area, maybe run an OD&D Zombie Apocalypse in a ruined city that the party is looking to loot...
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Post by RandallS on Feb 17, 2009 8:18:27 GMT -6
A draft of Microlite74 2.0 is available for comment and proofreading (especially proofreading!) at Microlite74 2.0 DRAFT (Corrections and Discussion). Major Changes in this edition: 1) Stat bonus is now Stat/4, truncated (i.e. rounded down toward zero). 2) Melee and Missile attack bonuses now use "Physical Combat Bonus" instead of level. Physical Combat Bonus depends on Character Class: Fighter PCB = Level/2 Cleric PCB = Level/3 Magic-User PCB = Level/4 Round up on all. 3) Hit Points = 6 + 1d6/level (instead of STR stat + 1d6/level) 4) Two weapon rule rewritten to make it clear that fighters using two weapons make one attack roll at -2. The 1.1 version could be read as one attack roll at -2 for each weapon. 6) Monster List is now based on the M20 Hard Core list plus some extra monsters from the 1.1 lists and more old school monsters added to the list, including the return of the rust monster. The monsters have been tweaked to be more compatible with 0e/retroclones. 7) the addition of one point to a stat every four levels (in the Level Advancement section) has been dropped. This just is not needed in a game designed to feel like 0e. Stats aren't that important in 0e and they don't need to increase to make up for higher level OGL20/3.x stuff as they do in standard Microlite20. To be honest, I thought I had dropped this in the 1.1 update but somehow missed it. 8) Spells have been reworked (mainly durations and ranges) to make them more compatible with 0e/retroclones.
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Post by dwayanu on Feb 17, 2009 9:26:54 GMT -6
Note that Stat/4 rounded up would align the center with that of the 3d6 curve, with Stat 9-12 giving 3 (versus 8-11 giving 2); subtract 1 if the lower number is desired.
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Post by chgowiz on Feb 17, 2009 10:06:51 GMT -6
I think he meant to say Stat-10/4... That would lead to 18 being +2, 13-17 being +1, etc. There can be -1 under this deal.
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Post by Finarvyn on Feb 17, 2009 11:08:58 GMT -6
Okay, a dumb question -- it seems to me that OD&D is about as simple a RPG as one can imagine, yet very versitile for various settings and situations, so what is the advantage of trimming it back even further to make Microlite?
I mean, my players tried the HeroQuest boardgame and it was pretty darned simple, but it just made them want to go back to OD&D again becasue HQ was almost too simple. Why would Microlite be any different? (I guess I understand simplifying the d20 system, but not the OD&D system. Does that make any sense?)
Anyway ... not trying to be a pain, but if I want to sell my players on the system I need to better understand its advantages myself.
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Post by badger2305 on Feb 17, 2009 11:39:56 GMT -6
What I like about Microlite 74 is the issue of portability - I'm looking to put together a campaign that I can keep in a single folder and run practically anywhere.
I also don't see a problem with another retro-game - the more the merrier as far as I'm concerned. I rather like Microlite 74 as another spin on the old topic - not unlike Snorri's new French retro-clone.
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Post by chgowiz on Feb 17, 2009 15:34:16 GMT -6
microlite20 was meant to distill the d20 SRD system down to it's barest essence, where you could still use the plethora of SRD/d20 products out there with it, but also had the barest of bones system that you could use. microlite74 is not like OSRIC or S&W in that it's a retro-clone. It's a homebrew of microlite20 that is meant to "feel" like 0e. It's not meant to be 0e like the retroclones. With little effort, I can still use any d20/SRD resource/game and run with the m74 rules and have a "taste" of 0e. Advantage? About the same as microlite20, you have all the rules you need to play on 1 sheet of paper (double sided). Further advantage? It feels a lot more like 0e, especially when the GM plays it like an old-school type of game. I like it for introducing people quickly into a game, like a con. In my wife's case, I did it as an extremely simple/quick way of luring her into my RPG clutches. We've since moved on to using S&W rules for more options and true retroclone features. Edited to add: Randall, the author of m74, explains it probably the best here: www.retroroleplaying.com/smf/index.php?topic=16.msg150#msg150
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Post by Finarvyn on Feb 17, 2009 16:15:09 GMT -6
What I like about Microlite 74 is the issue of portability - I'm looking to put together a campaign that I can keep in a single folder and run practically anywhere. Advantage? About the same as microlite20, you have all the rules you need to play on 1 sheet of paper (double sided). Further advantage? It feels a lot more like 0e, especially when the GM plays it like an old-school type of game. This makes sense. So rather than actually dumping my OD&D campaign, I would probably just keep a copy of Microlite74 handy when I’m away from my usual notes and rulebooks. I’ll have to ponder this, because at the moment I do something similar with a copy of the “reference sheets” from the OD&D boxed set.
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Post by RandallS on Feb 17, 2009 17:36:15 GMT -6
Note that Stat/4 rounded up would align the center with that of the 3d6 curve, with Stat 9-12 giving 3 (versus 8-11 giving 2); subtract 1 if the lower number is desired. Apologies, but there is a major typo in my list of changes. The new formula is actually (STAT-10)/4. This gives a bonus rate of -1 to +2, with only an 18 having a +2. This is much closer to 0e's bonus range than the old standard Microlite20 stat bonus formula I used in previous versions of M74, (STAT-10)/2, which had a +4 bonus at 18. This change and changing the "Physical Combat Bonus" from "Level" for all classes to a max of Level/2 prevents mid and high level M74 characters from becoming more like comic book superheroes than 0e-style adventurers.
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Post by RandallS on Feb 17, 2009 17:58:20 GMT -6
Okay, a dumb question -- it seems to me that OD&D is about as simple a RPG as one can imagine, yet very versitile for various settings and situations, so what is the advantage of trimming it back even further to make Microlite? M74 really isn't met for you (or me) to run -- we know and like OD&D and can just run that, although it is hopefully close enough in feel to OD&D that we could run it and enjoy it. However, it's true purpose is to introduce D20 players to the old school style of game using rule systems they are familiar with for the most part. Microlite20 has developed a major following among D20 players who want a simple set of D20 rules. M74 twists those rules a bit to work better with the old school style and uses monsters and spells out of 0e. Any D20 player can read through the 2 pages of rules and know how to play. The spells and monsters add another 4 pages. People are playing it and enjoying it. Best of all, I've heard from three people who used M74 to move their gaming group from 3.x to Swords & Wizardry or Labyrinth Lord. It's easy to get people to try M74 -- especially people who would object to playing an "old game" on general principle. However, M74 has one advantage over plain old 0e. It is a pretty good bridge between the older systems and 3.x. This will become apparent when I release "Supplement I" which will have a number of drop in house rules (as well as the spells from Oe's first supplement. Some were taken from house rules I've used for OD&D and B/X over the years, others are out of the OGL20 SRD, etc. Very little tweaking was needed for either case. No one in their right mind would want to use all of these rules, but they will show how adaptable the M74 bridge design is.
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Post by Finarvyn on Feb 17, 2009 18:53:06 GMT -6
Apologies if I come off grumpy in my posts. In re-reading them I get the feeling that I might have been somewhat condesending in my questions. It certainly isn't my intent to make you guys defensive about Microlite (d20 or 74) because they both seem like neat rules systems. :-)
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Post by RandallS on Feb 17, 2009 19:51:35 GMT -6
You didn't come across as grumpy, Fin. M74 confuses a lot of people. It may help to think of it as something like those free four page mini-wargames SPI used to give people to get them interested in wargames back in the 70s. They weren't intended for people who already played wargames, but as a way to hook others on wargames. At least that's what I thought of when I let myself be talked into writing M74 last spring.
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Post by chgowiz on Feb 18, 2009 8:42:40 GMT -6
Apologies if I come off grumpy in my posts. In re-reading them I get the feeling that I might have been somewhat condesending in my questions. It certainly isn't my intent to make you guys defensive about Microlite (d20 or 74) because they both seem like neat rules systems. :-) Not at all - it's good to have to give the "elevator speech" about microlite74, especially since I'm going to be using it to evangelize about other 0e-ish games - it's a great "intro" game for new people but has an old school feel and it's an awesome pick up game for new people who might have played a d20 game. It's a good question though, we are surrounded by a richness in rules systems that all basically do the same thing.
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Post by RandallS on Feb 22, 2009 18:16:33 GMT -6
Microlite 2.0 Release Candidate 1 is available. This means I've finished all the planned changes and am hoping for help in the one important thing I have no skill or ability in.... Proofreading. You can download a copy of RC1 (a 175K PDF) here: www.retroroleplaying.com/files/Microlite74-20-rc1.pdf
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Post by RandallS on Mar 4, 2009 11:06:13 GMT -6
And M74 2.0 is available.... Microlite74 Version 2.0 is now available for free download. Over 2000 copies of Microlite74 version 1.1 have been downloaded since its release on October 6th last year. Microlite74 is dedicated to the memory of E. Gary Gygax and Version 2.0, which is even closer to that the very first edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game he co-authored over 30 years ago, is being released on the first anniversary of his passing. While Microlite74 is designed as an introduction to "old school" play for players more familiar with modern rules systems based on the Primary Fantasy SRD, it is a rules-lite OGL based game system that old school grognards – especially those who cut their gamer teeth on "0e" – should find equally enjoyable. It is also easy to modify with your own house rules or rules drawn from your favorite edition of the world’s most popular fantasy roleplaying game. The revised and expanded Microlite74 Version 2.0 features many changes and improvements made since the publication of version 1.1 of Microlite74 in 2008, including: - The spell and monster lists have been rewritten to make Microlite74 much more compatible with 0e and 0e retro-clones.
- Many more monsters and a few additional spells are included.
- Stat, combat, and some other bonuses have been reduced from Microlite20 levels to levels more appropriate for 0e and Microlite74.
- Optional rules that remove demi-human class and level limits have been added.
- Spells lists are now alphabetical within each level.
- Many minor tweaks in wording or rules have been made to correct typos, to improve clarity, or to make GM rules modifications and future expansions easier.
Microlite74 Version 2.0 is available for download from the Microlite74 page of the RetroRoleplaying.com web site. You can download the standard version or the booklet version. The standard version is 10 pages of small print (Microlite20-style) and is a 170K PDF. The booklet version is 20 pages and has larger type, cover pages, public domain art, and is a 2.2 meg PDF. A special digest-sized version will be available in the future. You can also download Microlite74 Version 2.0 directly from these links:
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Post by Finarvyn on Mar 4, 2009 14:04:52 GMT -6
Just downloaded 2.0 and it looks like a nice improvement! :-)
Well done!
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Post by RandallS on Mar 4, 2009 18:25:49 GMT -6
Thank you. I think 2.0 is much closer to what I was looking for when I started this project last spring.
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Post by RandallS on Mar 11, 2009 19:20:20 GMT -6
Ancient Auguries: A Microlite74 Version 2.0 Supplement Released Ancient Auguries has four pages of completely optional rules that can be used with Microlite74 Version 2.0. My intent in writing this supplement was both to provide some interesting optional rule sections and to show how flexible and easy to modify the Microlite74 rules really are. Some of these optional rules will please old school grognards, while others will make the game more friendly to 3.x fans. Each section of rules in Ancient Auguries is independent and can can be used or ignored at the GM's option. Optional rule sections include: * The Specialist class * Special abilities for fighters, magic-users, and clerics * A Skills system * Ritual Magic and Metamagic * Vancian magic in two forms, a "memorized spells" add-on to the standard M20-like magic system and a full fire-and-forget replacement magic system * Combat variants: Simple and complex combat stunts, no initiative rolls, overwhelming opponents * Hit points and body points -- a replacement damage and healing system Ancient Auguries is a 5 page pdf file. It's a free download (about 105K) and is available from the Microlite74 page of the RetroRoleplaying.com website.
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