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Post by Finarvyn on May 31, 2011 13:22:19 GMT -6
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.  |
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Post by Haldo Bramwise on May 31, 2011 18:44:25 GMT -6
The game is a blast to play!
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Post by kesher on May 31, 2011 20:01:37 GMT -6
Talk to me about Magic...
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Post by talysman on May 31, 2011 20:24:03 GMT -6
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?
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jasmith
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 316
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Post by jasmith on May 31, 2011 21:33:35 GMT -6
Good googly-moo! It really does sound fantastic!  |
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Azafuse
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 245
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Post by Azafuse on May 31, 2011 22:47:51 GMT -6
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.
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Post by Finarvyn on Jun 1, 2011 7:53:29 GMT -6
Talk to me about Magic... 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. |
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eris
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 161
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Post by eris on Jun 1, 2011 11:59:09 GMT -6
Talk to me about Magic... 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? |
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Post by Finarvyn on Jun 1, 2011 13:22:26 GMT -6
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? Basically, yes. |
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Post by Finarvyn on Jun 3, 2011 11:32:24 GMT -6
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.
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Post by talysman on Jun 3, 2011 17:18:51 GMT -6
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.
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Azafuse
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 245
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Post by Azafuse on Jun 4, 2011 0:32:34 GMT -6
IMHO the reason for the lack of excitement is another: laziness. You should read all the single threads - not just the Development Blogs - to hype yourself up (I am following it from late January). Reading day by day is easy (and hype goes up), digesting a big amount of posts in few time is a little harder.  |
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ralph
Level 2 Seer
Over the hill and far away.
Posts: 47
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Post by ralph on Jun 4, 2011 2:25:20 GMT -6
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?
Ralph
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Post by Finarvyn on Jun 4, 2011 13:25:32 GMT -6
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. |
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ralph
Level 2 Seer
Over the hill and far away.
Posts: 47
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Post by ralph on Jun 4, 2011 17:52:59 GMT -6
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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Post by Finarvyn on Jun 4, 2011 18:47:33 GMT -6
Where's the development blog? I had linked to it but there wasn't any discussion so I got rid of those threads. You can find it here: www.goodman-games.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=60You should read all the single threads - not just the Development Blogs - to hype yourself up (I am following it from late January). I agree that reading all of the threads is a lot better than just the design blog threads, but I figured you have to start somewhere. |
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ralph
Level 2 Seer
Over the hill and far away.
Posts: 47
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Post by ralph on Jun 5, 2011 3:30:50 GMT -6
Thanks for that.
Bring on Free RPG Day!!
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Post by aldarron on Jun 5, 2011 7:58:43 GMT -6
Goodman Games is creating a cool looking RPG which isn't OD&D but I think it will appeal to the OD&D enthusiasts. Eh, not so much to this one. I participated in the playtest adventure at Fal-con, attacking the crystal masters castle. So my experience is limited to that, but I found it to be a fiddly, houseruley cross between Becmi and AD&D. Not "bad" in any sense, but also not in any way an improvement on the existing clones of classic D&D. Things may have changed since then, and YMMV. |
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Azafuse
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 245
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Post by Azafuse on Jun 5, 2011 23:24:59 GMT -6
It seems we have an offical Beta Release date: June 8.
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Post by kesher on Jun 6, 2011 20:29:06 GMT -6
It's awesome that we'll be able to finally look at this on Wednesday!
Until then, I just read something about "funky dice"---what's up with that?
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Azafuse
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 245
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Post by Azafuse on Jun 6, 2011 22:54:04 GMT -6
It's awesome that we'll be able to finally look at this on Wednesday! Until then, I just read something about "funky dice"---what's up with that? Funky dice are dice created by Lou Zocchi with a different number of sides: 3, 5, 7, 14, 16 e 24. You can emulate all of them.. well, maybe except d7 and d14 (not in a regular way, I mean). |
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Post by Finarvyn on Jun 8, 2011 4:26:36 GMT -6
I got up at 5 AM local time and downloaded the Beta rules. I was download 1050, which shows that there seems to be at least some curiosity about the product. We'll see if that translates to love, hate, or indifference... |
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Post by snorri on Jun 8, 2011 5:32:05 GMT -6
I had a first lokk just now. It seems plenty of good things!
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Post by Mushgnome on Jun 8, 2011 7:55:33 GMT -6
Taking a look now... VERY nice artwork, I love it! |
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Post by Finarvyn on Jun 8, 2011 8:11:22 GMT -6
Goodman Games has long established a reputation for good quality products. I think this is another of them. The artwork is excellent and the rules pretty smooth. It's generating a lot of discussion, both good and bad, and this should make the final product that much better! |
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Post by Morandir on Jun 8, 2011 11:41:41 GMT -6
I just downloaded my copy, and I'll be perusing it this afternoon. The artwork that I've seen is awesome!
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ralph
Level 2 Seer
Over the hill and far away.
Posts: 47
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Post by ralph on Jun 8, 2011 15:48:21 GMT -6
Absolutely blown away by the artwork. I particularly like Lokerimon the Lawful! At 168pp, it's going to take a little while to digest though. Excited about this one |
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Post by kesher on Jun 8, 2011 19:23:53 GMT -6
Just downloaded it: number 4592...
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Post by Achán hiNidráne on Jun 8, 2011 19:43:13 GMT -6
I spent the afternoon paging through the rules. Look interesting. However, I'm not sure my friends would want to roll up a bunch of 0 Level PCs and run them through a Darwinian gauntlet just to find out which one you end up playing.
Then again, I could be wrong.
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Post by kesher on Jun 8, 2011 22:13:55 GMT -6
I have to say the art is unbelievable. I might buy it just for the art.
On the other hand, the plethora of tables made my eyes start to glaze over.
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