;) Encounter Critical

[dwayanu]

;D

www222.pair.com/sjohn/encounter-critical.htm

[jdrakeh]

The bestest game that never was!

[carjack]

I LOVE this game. This game got me back to OD&D and back to having fun with my games rather than thinking so deeply about story and plot and all that other crap that makes no difference when no fun is involved.
Make sure to join the Yahoo group. There is a "clean" file of the booklet that is set up so you can print and staple your own classy EC book to parade around like an idiot with.
S. John Ross is a freaking genius. That is all I have to say on the matter.

[doc]

I downloaded this a few years back. S. John Ross (the RISUS bloke) anonymously started rumors that there was an old 70's SF game that nobody had ever heard of that had just been leaked onto the Web after 25 years or so of obscurity. The game was just something that S. John Ross had recently created in a specific attempt to create a RPG that would pass as a 70's relic and thrown onto the internet. Apparantly a lot of people bought into the Lost Classic" and were completely hoodwinked. Several weeks later, SJR admitted that it had all been a prank.

Doc

[jrients]

I love Encounter Critical more than any reasonable person should. The official mailing list (a yahoo group) is the only game site I know with people just as cool and friendly as around here.

[doc]

Has anybody actually played this game? How does it run? I enjoyed reading it like crazy, but I've never been able to convince my group to take it for a test drive.

Doc

[dwayanu]

I just recently downloaded EC. It makes me think (warrantedly or not, my vague memory serves not to say) of Space Quest (a booklet, not the computer game). I almost thought that game had been a figment of my imagination -- anyone even heard of it? -- until I saw a copy in a display case at a hobby shop years later.

[doc]

Wow, now THAT'S obscure!

SpaceQuest came out around 1977 or so. It was a pretty basic system that had the distinction of using a D30 as it's base mechanic. You had your standard rules for ships, space, aliens, etc. You got to pick what sort of class you wanted to be from a handful that included warrior types, psychic types, and techie types. I know I owned this at one point, picking it up at a used book store for maybe 50 cents, but I don't think that I ever played it. At any rate, the game is now long gone.

Doc

[Deleted]

Neat! I'll have to get myself a copy. Thanks dwayanu; have an EXALT!!

[carjack]

dwayanu said:

I just recently downloaded EC. It makes me think (warrantedly or not, my vague memory serves not to say) of Space Quest (a booklet, not the computer game). I almost thought that game had been a figment of my imagination -- anyone even heard of it? -- until I saw a copy in a display case at a hobby shop years later.

I believe S. John references that game as a direct influence for EC. For those of you who might get really excited about EC, there is the "Phasic Cyaborg" edition available from Lulu. You get the game on a CD and there is an AUDIO COMMMENTARY TRACK which is the coolest thing I have ever seen or heard. You get to hear a lot of the thinking that went into it, as well as the root of a lot of the jokes. Plus a discussion of how to pronounce "Arduin".

Okay, enough gushing...

[dwayanu]

I just joined the Yahoo Group, but it all seems to be "temporarily unavailable."

Maybe that should be "temporally" ... as in the "alternate history" asserting itself ...

[jrients]

doc said:

Has anybody actually played this game? How does it run? I enjoyed reading it like crazy, but I've never been able to convince my group to take it for a test drive.

I've ran a pair of con events with it and both times the group and I had a stupid fun time. It's the kind of game that rewards elastic thinking and a free-wheeling referee.

[dwayanu]

"I love Encounter Critical more than any reasonable person should." - jrients

First impressions, ruminations and (or wholly?) assorted pedantic maunderings:

The profusion of ratings and tables characterized many early D&D derivations. It started with Supplement I, and snowballed with the Arduin Grimoire, CalTech Warlock (aka "Dungeons & Beavers"), Chivalry & Sorcery, Ysgarth, RoleMaster, and so on. (Powers & Perils, anyone?)

Three evocative words from AD&D: Parasitic Infestation Table. Say it out loud! (Take me to the bridge, Maceo! Ungh! Gary's superbad!)

There's a difference here from that strain of "old school," in that the large but finite set of stats is meant flexibly to cover all sorts of situations -- like Saving Throws in 3LB D&D, only more variegated. All characters have the same basic set, although some (e.g., Criminals and Doxies) have additional ratings.

One little-known game of which it reminds me is Legendary Lives. It looks as if one need rarely refer in play to any rules text but the character sheet. How the abilities can be applied is largely sorted out via negotiation between player and GM; it may vary depending on character type/background.

That's different from having an indefinitely expandable "skill system" (as epitomized by the Chaosium line begun in RuneQuest, but pretty generally prevalent today).

You get the funky disco-era groove of lots of % ratings on peculiar scales, along with the fast and loose play of D&D (with a hint of Risus).

Plus, there's a general wild vibe suggestive of Tunnels & Trolls and Arduin. What are "Bee Girls?" I can't wait to discover for myself!

[crimhthanthegreat]

Free Role Playing Games

You can find a free copy of Lost Souls and Legendary Lives at this link. The poster has the rights to these games and others that have not been posted yet.

[doc]

I remember Legendary Lives! I had it when it first came out. It has the distinction of having perhaps the worst artwork to ever grace a RPG. Yet the system itself was smooth, a bit freeform, and playable. It always gave me the impression that the writers created it as a "starter game" to introduce young people to the hobby.

I never played Lost Souls, though I certainly remember that one as well. I recall the ads for it in game magazines where the undead is attacking the human and the caption reads "If you think the human is the player character, you're wrong!" Or words to that effect.

Doc

[coffee]

Okay, I've finally read E C all the way through (but only skimmed the tables).

Here's the thing; and I think this can go a long way to explaining the appeal of old school games in general.

A really good GM could make this the best game of all time. A hack could use it and turn people off of gaming entirely.

As far as what's there, I can easily see why people love it. It has room for everything, and you can do anything you want with it. And some of the omissions or typos are downright hilarious, and truly do remind me of some of the stuff from back in the day!

My favorite is: "Mimic Special Talents: The warlock can do something specific to another character class of 2/3 the warlock’s own level, for example level 4." That still cracks me up.

I'm not saying I'll ever actually run the game, but I could see digging it out at a con in the wee, wee hours.

[Finarvyn]

I hadn't heard about this game at all, and knew absolutely nothing about the Encounter Critical "hoax" or its history. I think I'll pursue this just for its historical significance.