Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Reavers and Cut-Purses
One of the things I really appreciate about the upcoming Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game from Goodman Games is the way that even its artwork signals that this isn't just another heroic fantasy RPG, like so many others. In fact, judging from this illustration by Doug Kovacs, I'm not sure "heroic" is an appropriate adjective at all.
There are no Silver Age heroes to be found here, just a blood-drenched warrior, a creepy warlock, a bad-ass battle nun, and a shifty-looking dwarf with an eye patch. Notice, too, that they have torches -- torches. From where I'm sitting, this is awesome stuff and clearly distinct from what WotC and Paizo are doing these days. Whether there's actually a demand for this kind of thing outside our little echo chamber, I have no idea, but I, for one, am really starting to look forward to this game.
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I have Free RPG Day marked on my calendar just for DCC. It's one of the few new RPGs I'm really excited about these days.
ReplyDeleteBased on my playtest experience, the only thing this picture is missing is the followers. They're very important in DCC.
ReplyDeleteThat's some nice artwork!
ReplyDelete"Based on my playtest experience, the only thing this picture is missing is the followers. They're very important in DCC."
ReplyDeleteMan! I'm already sold on buying the game and every time I turn around, someone throws out another enticing little tidbit like that one! :)
So far I'm really not sold on this game, but that really might just be because of the unusual dice set.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited as well, but reserving judgement until the the preview is up on Free Game Day. (I'm glad that Goodman Games is putting that up because my UFLGS refuses to participate in Free Games Day.)
ReplyDeleteJoseph told us on the forums, that the beta rules will be up before the Free RPG Day.
ReplyDeleteNot really sure if attaching a dark and moody premade campaign world to the DCC game was a right move.
ReplyDeleteThe game has a look and feel too it that does draw interest but pairing it with an assumed campaign world doesn't match well with the traditions of the OSR.
That said, traditions be damned, but it's starting to look less and less interesting to me personally.
@Dethand
ReplyDeleteWhat traditions of the OSR? There aren't any traditions in the OSR. And if there are assumptions as to how a game should look like in the OSR, then these assumptions are merely there to be discarded.
Warhammer Fantasy is old school as hell and has a campaign-setting. RuneQuest has its Glorantha–and it gets hardly more old school than that.
It looks very promising! Looking forward at running an Hyborian Age campaign!
ReplyDeleteI know Doug, he really gets the old school aesthetic. Goodman Games is at its best when faithful to the spirit of old school.
ReplyDelete@Nerzenjäger
ReplyDeleteWhat traditions of OSR you ask?
The tradition of DIY. The tradition of making your own world to game in.
You can't get any more old school with the LBB's and those had no campaigns attached.
WFRP is/was OS depending on who you ask.
RQ is the most viable example but, I'd like to think it was attached by a paperclip rather than stapled to it's system.
That's the vibe I'm getting so far.
And I may very well be wrong.
As far as I know, DCCRPG doesn't come with any kind of campaign setting. There will be a series of adventures (since that's what Goodman is primarily known for) and I'm sure they'll eventually wind up loosely coupled to either a new version of Aereth or some new "Appendix N" generic world, but AFAIK the RPG itself is just rules.
ReplyDeleteCertainly the rules and artwork set a particular tone, but that's very different from being "stapled" or even "paperclipped" to a setting.
So far I'm really not sold on this game, but that really might just be because of the unusual dice set.
ReplyDeleteThe inclusion of all the Zocchi dice is certainly gimmicky, but I'm pretty tolerant of eccentricities like that in games nowadays. In fact, I think I'm starting to prefer them.
The Zocchi dice aren't a deal breaker for me, part of the appeal in the olden days for D&D was the weird dice. More weird dice is good.
ReplyDeleteAs to Reaver and Cutpurses that looks like my current RPG group, except of course this time around there is no cleric.
More weird dice is good.
ReplyDeleteThat's how I feel, too, but I understand that not all gamers feel the same way. Me, I've always been a fan of funky dice and was often miffed by how many post-D&D designs used only D6s of D10s.
"Certainly the rules and artwork set a particular tone, but that's very different from being "stapled" or even "paperclipped" to a setting."
ReplyDeleteAnd that alone can help shape the tone and setting of the game no matter how it's attached. =)
There is something to be said for giving a game a distinct feel and direction. There is also something to be said for a game purporting Appendix N as it's primary inspiration taking on aspects of a 'doom and gloom' RPG before it's released.
What I'm seeing is that the DCC RPG is taking a life of it's own and if they using Appendix N as the selling point I'd better be able to run a campaign based on Poul Anderson's Three Hearts, Three Lions as easily as I could one based on Karl Edward Wagner's Kane novels.
I've played DCC at the last two GaryCons and it's been a blast each time. I will be picking up a copy.
ReplyDeleteConsidering the first line of copy on the web site is "You're no hero," I'd say you have it about right.
ReplyDeleteSo this game is a rework and streamlining of 3e?
ReplyDeleteAside from basing it off the reading list of the DMG I'm not so sure whats old school about that.