tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post5190715928548991692..comments2024-03-18T20:22:06.331-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: REVIEW: Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Role-Playing (Part I)James Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-86397670102935482462010-08-25T20:28:26.337-04:002010-08-25T20:28:26.337-04:00Two thing that annoyed me (and maybe just me):
1....<i>Two thing that annoyed me (and maybe just me):<br /><br />1. The dictum that if a PC's modifiers don't add up to at least 0, discard the character.<br /><br />2. The overly-complex method of determining starting HP. Seriously, just say Max HP at 1st level and get on with it. That is, why bother to roll if you disregard half the possible outcomes?</i><br /><br>I agree with your assessment here, but they're both minor enough issues that I'm willing to overlook them.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-84666770003839106122010-08-25T20:27:15.084-04:002010-08-25T20:27:15.084-04:00Not that it makes much difference to the review, b...<i>Not that it makes much difference to the review, but if I recall correctly, in Weird RPG, 0-level fighters get a d6 for hit points, while 1st level fighters get a d8. Everyone else gets a d6 to start.</i><br /><br>You are correct. That was a misreading on my part. Thanks for pointing it out.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-7700951675967949292010-08-25T20:26:43.128-04:002010-08-25T20:26:43.128-04:00So tell me James, if a party of adventurers reach ...<i>So tell me James, if a party of adventurers reach level 20 in this game, would all Fighters hit on everything but a 1, and would all non-Fighters miss on everything but a 20?</i><br /><br>Fighters max out at a +10 bonus at 9th level, while all other classes get +1 at 1st level and never improve. A natural 20 is always a hit and natural 1 is always a miss. Because there are no standard magic items in the game, AC isn't likely to inflate the same way that it does in many iterations of <i>D&D</i>, which means that, while the fighter does have an advantage over other classes for hitting in combat, other classes still do have a chance to hit. They're definitely less effective than the fighter, though.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-38631220965319900992010-08-25T20:22:41.084-04:002010-08-25T20:22:41.084-04:00What is 'weird' about it?
This is a topic ...<i>What is 'weird' about it?</i><br /><br>This is a topic I'll discuss at greater length when I get around to reviewing the Referee Book and summing up my opinion of the whole package. In brief, "weird" in this case refers primarily to the "weird tales" of the pulp era, such as those written by Lovecraft and Smith, among others. These stories were not quite horror and not quite fantasy and often evoked strong -- and dark -- emotions in their readers. WF tries to mine that rich vein for ideas. How well it succeeds is something I'll get to in my later posts.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-435451532657787892010-08-25T20:20:35.857-04:002010-08-25T20:20:35.857-04:00I'm mainly just looking for some cool, fun ide...<i>I'm mainly just looking for some cool, fun ideas that I can incorporate into my game, no matter what rule set I'm using.<br /><br />Does "WF" have any of that?</i><br /><br>It does, but less in the Rules Book and more in the Magic and Referee Books, which will be reviewed soon.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-4829430186418536382010-08-25T19:46:08.304-04:002010-08-25T19:46:08.304-04:00But if you are going to go that route, I don't...<i>But if you are going to go that route, I don't see why you don't just go with Ability-based Saves, modifier by class a la Spellcraft & Swordplay.</i><br /><br />Someone blogged a very workable ability-based saves system many months ago. I have toyed, off-and-on, with implementing something similar.Aaron E. Steelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789462075611254929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-36540692445100167482010-08-25T17:52:32.563-04:002010-08-25T17:52:32.563-04:00Also, remember that the "Weird" is used ...Also, remember that the "Weird" is used very specifically; technically really, coming from "Weird Fiction" (i.e. the stuff written by Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, et.al.).<br /><br /><br />Two thing that annoyed me (and maybe just me):<br /><br />1. The dictum that if a PC's modifiers don't add up to at least 0, discard the character.<br /><br />2. The overly-complex method of determining starting HP. Seriously, just say Max HP at 1st level and get on with it. That is, why bother to roll if you disregard half the possible outcomes?<br /><br />One thing I found very intriguing:<br /><br />1. The idea that WIS helps against cleric spells and INT against magic-user spells. <br /><br />But if you are going to go that route, I don't see why you don't just go with Ability-based Saves, modifier by class a la <i>Spellcraft & Swordplay</i>.Matthew Slepinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04056247825064943944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-30169411093108213052010-08-25T15:12:49.403-04:002010-08-25T15:12:49.403-04:00Although there are traces througout, the Weird par...Although there are traces througout, the Weird part of Weird RPG is most pronounced in the Referee and Magic booklets.Aaron E. Steelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789462075611254929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-66407249345349142882010-08-25T13:40:35.581-04:002010-08-25T13:40:35.581-04:00Rogzombie said...
What is 'weird' abo...<i>Rogzombie said...<br /><br /> What is 'weird' about it? </i><br /><br />I've been trying to get a handle on that, too. I looked at the freely available parts on the website and I didn't really get a sense that anything was "weird". It looks to be just another, albeit very well-done, retro-clone (which I'm totally fine with - that's not a slam. I just don't get what's "weird" about it).Martin R. Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11672657745232101753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-40800474341527539042010-08-25T12:07:31.108-04:002010-08-25T12:07:31.108-04:00It also seems that all classes start off with at l...It also seems that all classes start off with at least half their die in HP, whereas the Fighter starts off at least 8.Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09358099916267465455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-27781474309201061262010-08-25T12:00:16.253-04:002010-08-25T12:00:16.253-04:00Nicely reviewed. I like the return to the three-a...Nicely reviewed. I like the return to the three-alignment system, although detect evil, protection from evil, and other 'evil' warding spells in the spell book should have been renamed.<br /><br />Not that it makes much difference to the review, but if I recall correctly, in Weird RPG, 0-level fighters get a d6 for hit points, while 1st level fighters get a d8. Everyone else gets a d6 to start.Aaron E. Steelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789462075611254929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-2365697488517681952010-08-25T11:35:34.053-04:002010-08-25T11:35:34.053-04:00I find it intriguing to find out that only Fighter...I find it intriguing to find out that only Fighters increase in a chance-to-hit as they level up; I take it this means that AC doesn't scale very much, otherwise all other classes would never find themselves hitting. Apart from that worry, I also wonder at exactly how much a Fighter increases.<br /><br />So tell me James, if a party of adventurers reach level 20 in this game, would all Fighters hit on everything but a 1, and would all non-Fighters miss on everything but a 20?Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09358099916267465455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-45522866365523503042010-08-25T05:47:38.868-04:002010-08-25T05:47:38.868-04:00Martin, WF has so many new, great and transplantab...Martin, WF has so many new, great and transplantable ideas that I reached the point where it was simpler for me to just adopt the entire system. If you are worried about the financial investment grab the PDF - if you're really tight for cash, the Magic and Rules booklets are a free download from Jim's site.<br /><br />I confess, I thought I'd seen everything OSR had to deliver but I was wrong!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-91393668155693410872010-08-25T01:46:48.713-04:002010-08-25T01:46:48.713-04:00What is 'weird' about it?What is 'weird' about it?Rogzombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07032567416650048390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-12435253068337712362010-08-25T01:14:29.776-04:002010-08-25T01:14:29.776-04:00So... not to be totally blasphemous, but since I&#...So... not to be totally blasphemous, but since I'm running a 3.5/Pathfinder game, is there anything in the boxed set that would give me ideas for making my game more "old school" or different? The description of "Weird" Fantasy Roleplaying intrigues me, and I have bought a few old-school things that I've really liked as far as "idea fodder" (like <i>Knockspell</i> and <i>Fight On!</i> magazines) but I don't really need another rule set. I'm mainly just looking for some cool, fun ideas that I can incorporate into my game, no matter what rule set I'm using.<br /><br />Does "WF" have any of that?Martin R. Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11672657745232101753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-77946298785221920012010-08-25T00:37:39.168-04:002010-08-25T00:37:39.168-04:00Rob,
The main thing I like about Jim's approa...Rob,<br /><br />The main thing I like about Jim's approach is that his skill set is small and focused almost entirely on dungeoneering activities, at which the specialist/thief can improve over time, but which are available to all other classes and, at which, they can be just as good as the specialist/thief, assuming he hasn't devoted points to improving that area as he's leveled. I also prefer the D6 resolution mechanic, but that's pure esthetics talking.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-75993389889722325222010-08-25T00:30:41.183-04:002010-08-25T00:30:41.183-04:00Looks like your thinking on the Rouge/Thief/Specia...Looks like your thinking on the Rouge/Thief/Specialist issue has been evolving. How would compare my approach in the Majestic Wilderlands vs that in Lotfp? Aside from the fact he uses a d6 and I use a d20.Robert Conleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03863009007381185340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-52109732408714686342010-08-24T21:52:15.747-04:002010-08-24T21:52:15.747-04:00A litmus test for "true spirit of OD&D&qu...A litmus test for "true spirit of OD&D" is disproportionately extensive maritime rules.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00155926145150934199noreply@blogger.com