Wednesday, October 6, 2010

S&W Complete Contents

Over at the Swords & Wizardry forums, Matt Finch has provided a list of some of the most important additions to the upcoming "Complete Rules" version of the game:
Here's the basic scoop, though I may have forgotten something:
Siege rules
Aerial combat
Mass combat (already there)
Naval combat

Order of combat - splits movement and attacks, but very close to Core Rules
Holmes Basic order of combat as an option
Eldritch Wizardry order of battle method (revised) as an option (rotating initiative based on what characters are wearing and doing)
Core Rules order of combat as option

More descriptions of things like wolfsbane
Wilderness adventuring, including getting lost, and monster encounter tables
Dungeon encounter charts now have specific monsters instead of just a CL listing
Dungeon encounter charts can also be used to generate mixes of different monsters (the orcs have a pet gelatinous cube! Run!)

No more wild boards in the monster listing

Building strongholds - prices for walls and keeps and such

Original saving throw numbers are listed as a chart in a side-box in case people want to use those.
I'm glad to see a lot of these changes, particularly the addition of the multiple saving throws. Taken together, many of these things bring S&W much closer to OD&D than any of its existing versions. Just how close I can't say without seeing the additional text, which I hope will be made available as a free text file as was done in the past. Looks like some interesting times ahead for Swords & Wizardry fans.

17 comments:

  1. This sounds very exciting! I'm glad Matt relented on the saving throws!

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  2. I specifically asked if there would be a free version on the S&W boards and one board member said that they doubted it and Matt nor anyone else associated with the new edition replied.

    http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2860

    They've had plenty of time to respond if they did plan on releasing a free download, so I would assume that they don't plan on doing it.

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  3. I guess the new trend is to discard the OGL agreement and try and make a buck. The OSR party is indeed winding down...

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  4. I'm going to miss the wild boards.

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  5. People should make original games in the old school tradition and distribute under an GNU Open Document License. Makes so much more sense. In the end, the hobby is about making stuff. Whether it's a dungeon, campaign world, or whole new set of rules, long term enthusiasts dig creating it. Games should make it easy for players to contribute.

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  6. I actually liked that the encounter charts listed CL instead, but I'll be able to deal.

    This looks great.

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  7. Ahh another RPG continues to evolve in an attempt to satisfy it's players. Sacrilege.

    Personally I pine for the days when Swords & Wizardry wasn't bloated with aerial combat and stronghold building rules. Maybe I should start a "Swords & Wizardry Grognard" blog. When does an RPG cross the line with evolution? When can we start the S&W edition wars?

    Seriously, I hope the S&W fans enjoy the latest version of their game. The new edition sounds pretty cool.

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  8. Now that I look again, I still don't see much in the way of dungeoneering.

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  9. They've had plenty of time to respond if they did plan on releasing a free download, so I would assume that they don't plan on doing it.

    If so, that'd be too bad. Of course, there's nothing to stop anyone from extracting the OGC from the Complete Rules and using them if they wish to do so. Of course, that raises the issue of just what of the additions will even be considered Open Game Content ...

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  10. I guess the new trend is to discard the OGL agreement and try and make a buck. The OSR party is indeed winding down...

    Well, even the Complete Rules will have to be released under the OGL. It's just a question of how much of the additional material will be declared open and whether Mythmere/Frog God decides to post a free text file of the rules.

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  11. I'm going to miss the wild boards.

    What do you mean?

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  12. Ahh another RPG continues to evolve in an attempt to satisfy it's players. Sacrilege.

    What are you even talking about?

    Maybe I should start a "Swords & Wizardry Grognard" blog.

    Please do. That would probably be a better use of your time than trolling the comments of this blog.

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  13. Now that I look again, I still don't see much in the way of dungeoneering.

    Well, Matt didn't say his list was complete, so it's possible he simply overlooked that stuff. Still, I'd love to see the text of the thing so I know what's been added/changed and what's stayed the same.

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  14. I suppose that is true. I don't have that many problems with the "modernisms" in SnW, and I tend to do things secret doors in a more narrative manner, but still I'd like to see something.

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  15. >> I'm going to miss the wild boards.

    > What do you mean?

    That typo (in the original S&W monster listings) was cute. It made me think of feral planks, or alternately, crazed Internet-posting swine.

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  16. I don't mind at all if Finch releases a sale-only flagship version of S&W. The fundamental rules will still, presumably, be available for free, and Mythmere may then be able to focus more on developing S&W materials.

    Neither non-profit socialism nor grasping, IP-driven capitalism. A mixed economy of classic game publishing.

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  17. James, I believe you misspelled "boars" above. It reads as "boards" in your post. Just saying.

    I actually prefer Labyrinth Lord, but I wish Matt Finch and co all the best.

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