Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG

I'd meant to draw this to everyone's attention last week, but, as was typical throughout October, I was distracted by other things and it slipped my mind until Joe Bloch reminded me of it. Over at Cyclopeatron, there's a post describing an in-store playest of Goodman Games's upcoming (scheduled for late 2011 release, I believe) Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game with Joseph Goodman.

I have to admit that, until now, I was unclear on just what the purpose of the DCC RPG was and what niche Goodman intends it to fill. Fortunately, the Cyclopeatron post answers some of that, the most intriguing part being the following:

According to Joe, his personal motivation behind DCC is to offer an RPG that can, as closely as possible, emulate all of the books presented in the Appendix N of the original AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide. Joe said he is systematically reading every book in Appendix N in order to formulate the game mechanics for DCC. One specific example of this is turning. Joe replaced the traditional cleric’s turn undead ability with a more general turn unholy in order to more closely mirror turning as envisioned Poul Anderson and Lord Dunsany. Another example is the totally revamped magic system where the success and/or side-effects of spellcasting can be unpredictable:

That alone piques my interest, but I'll need to know more before I stand up and cheer just yet. One of the fascinating things about D&D is that, while its inspirations are clear, it was never designed to emulate those inspirations in a slavish way, which is why, "Vancian" spellcasting no more faithfully mirrors what we see in The Dying Earth than does the alignment system map perfectly onto Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions version of the same. So, it'll be fascinating to see exactly how Goodman uses the early hobby's literary inspirations to create a new fantasy RPG.

I Have to Admit

This is a pretty cool ad. Thank to Jeff Rients for the original image.

Old School News Round-Up

A couple of quick news items of interest to readers of this blog:

• According to various sites, Black Blade Publishing is the previously-mysterious company that will be publishing Swords & Wizardry for distribution in game and book stores. They'll also -- unless the plans have changed since Matt Finch first talked about this several months ago -- be producing a line of S&W support products, although I have no clue as to what those products might be. My guess is that they'll be primarily adventures, with the occasional supplement, but I have no special knowledge on this matter.
• Goodman Games has released The Dungeon Alphabet, written by fellow blogger Michael Curtis. The book is an expanded version of a great series he did on his blog and ought to be excellent. I consider the original Dungeon Alphabet series to be one of the best things old school blogging has produced and serves as a terrific primer for anyone trying to make sense of the Old Ways, particularly as they pertain to dungeon design.

REVIEW: Points of Light II: The Sunrise Sea

Writing reviews to "sequels" is always difficult for me, especially if the follow-up product shares a lot in common with its predecessor. On the one hand, I could just point readers to my review of the original Points of Light and say, "It's just like this but with new settings." On the other, I could cover a lot of the same ground and use examples from the new product to make the same points as I did in the original. The second approach is particularly tempting in this case, because Points of Light II by Robert Conley and Dwayne Gillingham shares most of Points of Light's virtues without introducing (many) vices of its own.

Before elaborating on that point, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. Points of Light II is longer than the original, being 64 pages in length rather than 48 (with a corresponding increase in price to $15.99 from $12.99). Otherwise, the book is physically remarkably similar to its predecessor, including the artwork and the attractively minimalist cartography. The main difference I noted was the presence of what seemed like more mini-maps for settlements than was included in Points of Light, but it's possible I'm mistaken on this point. Regardless, if you liked the look and layout of the original, you will find nothing to complain about in this product.

As in the first book, Points of Light II offers four sandbox setting for use with any fantasy roleplaying game, although, again, it's clear that Dungeons & Dragons players are its target audience. Interestingly, Points of Light II, while still very stat-light, employs some D&D IV-specific terminology in describing monsters ("brute," "elite skirmisher," etc.) that I found both jarring and unncessary. Similarly, the overall power level of the new settings seems higher than that in the original, with a number of encounters being being at levels 20 or more -- another concession, I think, the advancement scheme of the new edition of D&D that was wholly absent in the initial release.

Points of Light II's four settings are all very well done, as you'd expect from its authors. If anything, they're all much more imaginative than those of its predecessor.

• The Golden Shores: This is a kind of fantasy "age of colonization" setting, complete with valuable resources to exploit, a restive aboriginal population, and shadowy enemies. It's by far my favorite of the four settings.
• Amacui: If "the Golden Shores" is a fantasy version of the colonization of North America, then Amacui is more like the conquest of South (or Central) America, complete with Aztec analogs, albeit ones in a much better position to defend themselves against outsiders.
• The Misty Isles: This setting is an archipelago consisting of many islands that vary in terms of their inhabitants and challenges -- think The Isle of Dread spread over many islands.
• Mazatl: This is the oddest of the four settings in my opinion: the volcano home of an evil god. It's a very portable setting, I think, but one that struck me as being much more limited in scope compared to the other three. Mazatl is really more of a locale than a setting, if that distinction makes sense.

As you can see, Points of Light II focuses more on exotic, far-off settings than did its predecessor. That's both its biggest selling point and its greatest potential pitfall. I think this product is more likely to appeal to experienced gamers looking for a change of pace than it is to new gamers or those new to the idea of sandbox play. That's a very small criticism, since there's a lot in these settings that can easily be transplanted elsewhere without much difficulty. Likewise, it's no crime to cater to experienced gamers, who are often just as in need of new ideas as their neophyte brethren.

Each setting in Points of Light II is longer and includes more keyed areas than its predecessor. Again, this needn't be a vice, since the descriptive text remains every bit as laconic and suggestive as in Points of Light. The mythology and background of the first book is carried over to this one, but it's generally thin enough that it can be easily discarded. Plus, each setting includes adaptation notes that point out how one might make changes to a setting so as to maintain its feel seamlessly. The notes are brief but then, as I noted, the settings are broad enough in conception that adaptation shouldn't take much effort in any case.

Points of Light II is thus a very good product. It's a little less "primal" than its predecessor, which focused on more iconic fantasy RPG campaign settings, but I have no doubt many will find this a selling point. There's a lot to like here and I hope we'll be seeing more work by Conley and Gilllingham in the future -- perhaps some smaller scale adventuring locales?

Presentation: 8 out of 10
Creativity: 8 out of 10
Utility: 7 out of 10

Buy This If: You're looking for some exotic settings for your next sandbox campaign.
Don't Buy This If: You have no interest in sandbox gaming or your settings tend toward familiar fantasy tropes.

Another Perspective

Joseph Goodman of Goodman Games has weighed in on the topic of how well the current edition of Dungeons & Dragons is doing from his perspective. He offers some very interesting data, which, if accurate, suggests that things aren't as gloomy for third party publishers as Clark Peterson suggested in his recent post on the same subject.

I have no horse in this race myself, since, as I've repeatedly said, 4e holds even less interest for me than 3e. Nevertheless, it's interesting to see someone step up and attempt to put things into a historical context. I'm not sure what to make of it all, but it's good that there's open discussion of this topic, as I find it all very fascinating.

Goodman Games' Big Announcement

For several weeks now, there have been hints that Goodman Games has been up to something of possible interest to the old school community. Now we know what it is: an agreement with Black Blade Publishing to publish adaptations of the Dungeon Crawl Classics line of adventures for First Edition fantasy role-playing games, starting with Secret of Smuggler’s Cove, adapted from Dungeon Crawl Classics #7: Secret of Smuggler’s Cove.

Black Blade is a new company, founded by Jon Hershberger (a name unfamiliar to me) and Allan Grohe (who needs no introduction). From the looks of it, the "First Edition Dungeon Crawls" will have new cover art inspired by the monochrome TSR modules from the 1970s, as well as new cartography. The interior art looks identical to the D20 versions published a few years ago. Of course, the game mechanics will be "fully compatible with the First Edition of the world’s most-popular fantasy role-playing game, any of the other early editions of that game, or any of their modern simulacra." I presume this means AD&D rules with the serial numbers filed off -- a pity they don't use OSRIC.

I'm of multiple minds about this announcement. On the one hand, adventures were the mainstay of old school gaming and having more quality modules available is a good thing, particularly for those who might want models for how to design old school scenarios. The Dungeon Crawl Classics line contained a number of superb adventures and I'm happy to own a large number of them myself. I suspect, though, that I'm not alone in this regard, meaning that many old schoolers might not be willing to buy the same module twice. One of the joys of older games is how easy they are to stat up on the fly, making these new releases largely redundant for me and, I imagine, many others. And given that the initial release is somewhat expensive ($16.00), I do worry that they'll have a harder time finding an audience than they ought to.

Still, I think it's a positive development to see an established game company like Goodman dipping its toes into the old school pond. I hope this presages more daring support both from Goodman and from other similarly established companies in the future. I'd kill to see Paizo try their hand at something along these lines, given both their terrific production values and their staff's clear love for the history and traditions of the hobby. I don't imagine I'll see it, but a guy can dream, can't he?

REVIEW: The Random Esoteric Creature Generator (Goodman Games Edition)

It's a strange thing to be in the position to review the same book twice, but that's exactly the position that James Raggi's The Random Esoteric Creature Generator puts me in. I reviewed the original, self-published version of this terrific little product back in May. Since then, Goodman Games has opted to publish its own version of the book, as part of its line of system-neutral products intended for use with an edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Goodman is clearly hedging its bets on the question of supporting 4e with this line and I can't say I blame them. The terms of the GSL as they stand today simply aren't a solid basis for a long-term business plan. And, as I've noted many times in this blog, there is a sizable minority of the buying public for whom 4e was a bridge too far, the final straw that has sent them looking around for alternatives.

Whether that minority will itself prove a sturdier basis for a business plan is likewise in question, which is why I expect Goodman Games, one of the great success stories of the 3e/D20 era. sees system-less offerings like this one as an experiment. If publishing books like The Random Esoteric Creature Generator (henceforth RECG) is a good example of the kinds of experiments in which Goodman Games intends to engage, I am a very happy man. Like the inspired Points of Light before it, the RECG is a terrific example of old school design principles offered up for the consideration of contemporary gamers who probably have no idea to what "Appendix D" refers or why it's important -- nor should they. Much as I love the history of this hobby and its details and much as I consider knowledge of such things important, ultimately, they're immaterial to the health of the hobby in its traditional form. What does matter is that concepts and spirit of the old school continue to animate a new generation of designers and gamers. If the RECG is any indication, we need not worry that the Old Ways have been forgotten.

The text of Goodman's version of this book is virtually identical to that of the self-published version I previously reviewed. There are changes here and there, but they're small and hardly worth discussing. In essentials, everything I wrote back in May applies to this new edition. I still very much like the RECG and believe it to be a superb aid to the referee looking to add spice to his ongoing campaign. Indeed, I have to give a great deal of credit to Goodman Games for putting James Raggi's unique voice before the public eye. Too many gaming products today are written in a bland, technical manual-esque style that makes one question whether they were written by human beings at all. The RECG, especially in its final pages -- entitled "Putting It All Together" -- is a quirky, eccentric work, filled with equal parts whimsy and insight. I don't agree with every iota of its advice, but that's frankly a good thing. Like the best old school products, this one demands that one engage its text by re-considering one's prejudices and presumptions. Even if one decides that Raggi's perspective is somehow flawed on this or that issue, one can't help but be gratified that a gaming product published in 2008 made one think about such matters. Goodman must really be congratulated on this score.

Where the new edition of the RECG differs from its predecessor is in its graphic design and presentation. While the original was a digest-sized 28-page booklet filled with the artwork of a single artist, Goodman's version is a typical 8½ x 11 volume with a softcover and illustrated by several different artists. The differences here are quite striking and I must admit that I find it hard to choose which approach I prefer, because Goodman did an excellent job in finding a new "look" for this product that is appropriate to its content. I've often been critical of Goodman's 3e Dungeon Crawl Classics modules, because I felt they aped the look of the old TSR D&D modules to the point of parody. The RECG, though, gets its own unique appearance, its cover looking a bit like a worn leather notebook in the center of which is a color illustration by Doug Kovacs showing an armored fighter engaged in battle against a wormy creature that's trampling a hapless wizard beneath it. The majority of the interior art -- black and white, of course -- is by Brad McDevitt and is quite well done. McDevitt's pictures showcase a wide variety of bizarre creatures, highlighting the freaks and oddities the RECG is designed to create. Other pieces of artwork were done by David Griffith and William McAusland, the latter particularly standing out for a series of illustrations that recall work by Dave Sutherland from the AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide.

All in all, I like the presentation of the RECG, but I will admit that some of the charm of the original self-published version, rough though it was, has been lost. On the other hand, I think the new style is better suited to what contemporary gamers expect out of a gaming product. Given that this new style harkens back to the past without being a slave to it, I cannot complain too much, if at all. More to the point, if the new presentation is effective in attracting those who might otherwise be turned off by the more do-it-yourself look of other old school products, it was worth it to have made the change.

The Goodman Games edition of The Random Esoteric Creature Generator is every bit as good as the original version and benefits slightly from having had an independent editor and developer. The result is a product that is probably more accessible to newcomers, while still retaining the unique voice of the original. I am encouraged by its publication, because it means that the old school revival is being noticed by the mainstream of the hobby and, more importantly, is being presented on its own terms rather than bent and twisted to serve some other agenda. I will definitely be keeping my eye on future releases from Goodman in its system-less line. If future ones are as good as the RECG and Points of Light, I will be pleased. I'll be even more pleased if other publishers take note of what Goodman has done here and follow suit. This could signal the start of something big.

Final Score: 4½ out of 5 polearms

REVIEW: Points of Light

Points of Light, written by Robert Conley and Dwayne Gillingham, packs more old school goodness in its 48 pages than any product published in 2008 has any right to. Don't believe me? Take a look at the 11-page PDF preview and then come back here. Even a quick skim of that preview will make it clear what I'm talking about. Quite simply: Points of Light is the Wilderlands of High Fantasy for the 21st century -- and in some ways it's better. Hyperbole comes easily to me, doesn't it? Perhaps. Let's take a closer look at the book before continue with my effusive praise.

Points of Light describes four different settings, each one broadly consonant with the notion of a dangerous wilderness punctuated by small outposts of civilization. As everyone knows, this is the default setting assumption of 4e and the book's title is an allusion to it. I'll grant you that, when I first heard the title, I wasn't enthused. Like most things about 4e, "Points of Light," as a phrase, reminds me too much of my college philosophy classes, where 18 year-olds, confronted with Plato's dialogs for the first time, suddenly think thoughts they believe no one has ever thought before, failing to realize of course that Plato has been read and analyzed for 2500 years and that there are very likely no new thoughts about the great thinker. By the same token, "points of light" isn't new at all; it's been a setting assumption of D&D from the start. The formalization of the concept -- and the creation of jargon to describe it -- is a good indicator to me of how rootless 4e is, but that's a topic for another time. I don't blame the authors of Goodman Games for adopting the title in an effort to sell the product to players of the new edition, who could certainly learn a few things about the old school from its tightly-written pages.

Despite its title, Points of Light is not, in fact, a 4e product; indeed it's not a product for any system, since it contains almost no game stats at all. What stats it does include, such as references to classes and levels, for example, suggests that it's intended for D&D, but I have no doubt it'd be easily adaptable to any fantasy roleplaying game built on the same concepts as D&D. I was mostly quite pleased with this approach, as it increased the utility of the book a great deal and makes adaptation a snap. My only quibble -- and it's a tiny one -- is that some "high-level" NPCs are in fact given specific levels (Clr12, for instance). I'd have preferred that such things remain vague, so each referee could decide for himself what constitutes high-level. Now, such things are supremely easy to change, so I cannot complain too vociferously. I know from experience, though, that, if something is written in the book, at least some referees or players will expect it to be so and, in a toolkit product like this, the fewer expectations that are introduced, the better.

The meat of the book are the four settings it describes, each with an accompanying one-page hex map (each hex representing 5 miles). Each setting is given a capsule history of three or four paragraphs to "set the scene" and Adaptation Notes that give some ideas about how to customize it to suit the needs and interests of each referee. There is also a table of random encounters and random rumors to give the referee something from which to work in making the settings his own. The descriptions of the settings are divided into sections: Geography, describing terrain features and Locales, describing fixed "encounters," whether they be settlements, monster lairs, ruins, etc. Each hex is numbered and there is an entry in the appropriate section if the hex contains anything noteworthy. These entries are typically no more than a single paragraph, with a few (generally settlements) containing a little more detail (and possibly a thumbnail map). There's just enough detail here to spur the referee's own imagination and give a sense of a greater whole, but not so much that it's hard to change the details if so desired.

The four settings included in Points of Light are as follows:

• Wildland: An area analogous to an outlying province of the Roman Empire in the 5th century A.D. -- after the legions have gone. As its name suggests, it's a "wild" region, overrun with humanoid and barbarian tribes and only a few small outposts of civilization that cling to the old ways.
• Southland: An homage to the Outdoor Survival map of which OD&D often speaks, this setting is an untamed area "to the south" of civilized kingdoms and where the PCs are expected to go and establish themselves as local lords.
• Borderland: This is a war-torn area where several different factions seek the upper hand. It's a good locale for referees and players who like moral ambiguity and intrigue.
• Swamps of Acheron: The most unusual of the four settings, this one is located in an extraplanar realm dedicated to a Lawful Evil god, meaning that it's also the most limited of the settings. It's also the shortest of the four settings (and the one with the smallest map), which can be seen as either good or bad, depending on one's proclivities

Of the four settings, I found that both Wildland and Southland fired my imagination powerfully and I am already torn between using one or the other as the basis for a new campaign. Borderland is also excellent, but it's a bit less "primal" than the other two. The Swamps of Acheron is a puzzle. There are lots of good ideas within its description, but it's also very esoteric, being extraplanar in nature and the realm of an evil god. Its utility is much less than that of the other three, but the other three are so well-done that I scarcely minded. And of course, the Swamps of Acheron is good; it's just not as good in my opinion as the others, but tastes differ on such things.

The layout of the book is simple and usable. The illustrations are nice black and white pieces, definitely contemporary in their appearance but not of the Elmore strike-a-pose school. The writing is generally very clear and concise, with only a few infelicities here and there. The hex maps are simply gorgeous, a beautiful melding of old school sensibilities with modern technology. Indeed, that's how I could characterize Points of Light in general. It's an old school product with new school production values. The book even includes an extensive index, making it easy to find things, which is a nice if somewhat unnecessary touch in a book of this size. All in all, the presentation of Points of Light should serve as a model for how old school publishers present their own products. I'd have liked different interior art, for the most part, but it's not a huge issue and, given that the book is intended to appeal to a broad spectrum of fantasy gamers, I can't fault Goodman Games for not going with something more strongly connected to older forms of illustration.

If Points of Light has a significant flaw, it's the intimation of a larger setting when you look at all four regions it describes. Certain names, historical events, and concepts reappear throughout the book. Now, none of these things gets much -- or any -- explication in the text, so it's not a huge concern. My worry, I suppose, is that there will be a temptation to use these names and so forth as the basis for creating a larger setting that encompasses them all, as was done with the Dungeon Crawl Classics line. The desire to find coherence and unity where there is no need for either is a powerful force in the RPG hobby today. As it stands, Points of Light gives us the thinnest of details, a pencil outline on a broad canvas that we can then color to our own liking. However, I am sure there will be gamers out there who'd like to know more about the history of the Bright Empire or the teachings of the goddess Delaquain and game publishers have a tendency to cater to such obsessives. I'd hate to see that happen, but I can hardly fault this book for what might or might not happen in possible sequels to it.

Leaving aside my concerns for a future that might not be, Points of Light is nearly perfect -- so perfect in fact that I can reasonably call it the Wilderlands of High Fantasy for the next generation. Like its illustrious predecessor, this is a product that's meant to be used rather than pored over for trivial details. One cannot (yet) talk about the intricacies of any of its settings, because they simply don't exist. In that respect, I think it has more utility than the Wilderlands, but then the Wilderlands has had almost three decades of support products. Given that much time, I fear the "world" of Points of Light would be just as detailed. I hope that does not occur; I hope that the toolkit approach of this volume is kept pristine.

The animating philosophy behind this great book is "imagine the hell out of it," a do-it-yourself perspective that is positively refreshing in a hobby filled with brand building and canned settings. Points of Light is gaming at its best -- a call to each referee to use these raw materials to create their own worlds of the imagination rather than relying on the pabulum spoon fed by game companies looking to develop an IP. I have no idea if Points of Light will appeal to today's gamers; I'd love to find out that it sold like gangbusters. That'd be proof that the old ways aren't quite dead, that the kind of gaming I enjoy is still cherished. Regardless, this is a terrific book and I can't speak highly enough about it. Go out and buy a copy and see for yourself.

Final Score: 5 out of 5 polearms