long long post about my system of choice problem...
If you look up in the thread a bit, die_kluge gave you a direct link to the HARP Lite pdf. It is actually about half of full rulebook (missing a few professions, races, Blood Talents, spells, monsters, etc), and still fully playable in its own right. You can check it out, and if you decide you like it, then go after the print version of the book.Spell said:
mythusmage said:
Funny! Especially after looking up the definition of "salvage" in my unabridged dictionary. Now, I have the image of the game designers taking what was salvable from all the Deadlands material (maybe a little d20, too?) and relaunching it with a new name.
Also, thanks for letting me know that my SW link was 404. I fixed it.
scadgrad
First Post
Spell,
I've walked in your shoes and I can tell you from first hand experience, C&C is your best choice for running old school modules, short of running AD&D or BD&D (for the X series for example). I actually prefer the 3.X elements of C&C since I think those improvements makes the game a bit smoother/quicker to run. Blasphemy for a grognard like me I know, but there it is. One other point that needs to be made, this site is dominated by a large contingent of 3.X fans so I don't think I'd take too much away from the overwhelming suggestions that you continue to play 3.5. That's fine for the players, but for a DM who wants to play old school mods, the work load is just outrageous.
I've converted at least half a dozen AD&D mods to 3.X and it's one of the primary reasons that I switched to C&C. You can play the Desert Nomad series w/out any prep time other than reading it and maybe double-checking the spell-casting NPCs. It's actually more difficult to convert 3.X mods to C&C than it is old school modules, but even then, you can do everything but the 3.X NPCs on the fly. I got to the point with my 3.5 campaign that after some dozen or so hours of prep time to get S2 White Plume Mountain ready, I swore I'd never do it again. 3.5 is great for what it is, but if you really want old school, C&C is the better choice.
For what it's worth, True20 looks to be a fine rules lite game. I'm just making my way through it right now and though I really like it, I don't feel like AD&D and BD&D mods will be effortless conversions, not like C&C, with which you can pretty much run the mod as is (converting Movement stats and AC on the fly is child's play).
The typos and editing in C&C are totally overblown by most reviewers. They are certainly a problem and need to be corrected, but it's not like they make the game unplayable. After a brief read you'll be ready to play w/ no problems. I mean, really, you already know how to play it. If you've played 3.X and AD&D it's just basically a blend of the two. By the way, the M&T book has far fewer editing problems and is available now.
I'd say pick up C&C and see if you can't find some players who'd like to have a go at the Desert Nomads (a great series! Hell if you were in Richmond I'd play). If they happen to be 3.5 fans then meet 'em halfway; give 'em feats, attribute bonuses, and then have at it. It won't have a bit of an effect on your prep time. Plenty of customization for your players and single line stats for the DM; it's a thing of beauty really.
You might drop over to the C&C forum at Dragonsfoot for more opinions. Good luck.
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=37
I've walked in your shoes and I can tell you from first hand experience, C&C is your best choice for running old school modules, short of running AD&D or BD&D (for the X series for example). I actually prefer the 3.X elements of C&C since I think those improvements makes the game a bit smoother/quicker to run. Blasphemy for a grognard like me I know, but there it is. One other point that needs to be made, this site is dominated by a large contingent of 3.X fans so I don't think I'd take too much away from the overwhelming suggestions that you continue to play 3.5. That's fine for the players, but for a DM who wants to play old school mods, the work load is just outrageous.
I've converted at least half a dozen AD&D mods to 3.X and it's one of the primary reasons that I switched to C&C. You can play the Desert Nomad series w/out any prep time other than reading it and maybe double-checking the spell-casting NPCs. It's actually more difficult to convert 3.X mods to C&C than it is old school modules, but even then, you can do everything but the 3.X NPCs on the fly. I got to the point with my 3.5 campaign that after some dozen or so hours of prep time to get S2 White Plume Mountain ready, I swore I'd never do it again. 3.5 is great for what it is, but if you really want old school, C&C is the better choice.
For what it's worth, True20 looks to be a fine rules lite game. I'm just making my way through it right now and though I really like it, I don't feel like AD&D and BD&D mods will be effortless conversions, not like C&C, with which you can pretty much run the mod as is (converting Movement stats and AC on the fly is child's play).
The typos and editing in C&C are totally overblown by most reviewers. They are certainly a problem and need to be corrected, but it's not like they make the game unplayable. After a brief read you'll be ready to play w/ no problems. I mean, really, you already know how to play it. If you've played 3.X and AD&D it's just basically a blend of the two. By the way, the M&T book has far fewer editing problems and is available now.
I'd say pick up C&C and see if you can't find some players who'd like to have a go at the Desert Nomads (a great series! Hell if you were in Richmond I'd play). If they happen to be 3.5 fans then meet 'em halfway; give 'em feats, attribute bonuses, and then have at it. It won't have a bit of an effect on your prep time. Plenty of customization for your players and single line stats for the DM; it's a thing of beauty really.
You might drop over to the C&C forum at Dragonsfoot for more opinions. Good luck.
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=37
Herobizkit
Adventurer
I will echo the option of adapting the Blue Rose setting to your campaign. It is very rules light, lots of room for customization, and all you need is in the one book.
For that REAL OLD SCHOOL feel, I would use use the OD&D Rules Cyclopedia, and modify to your own tastes. (4000 xp to level an 'elf'... seriously... ) Diaglo, I dunno how you still do it. And, try and track down the "Known World" campaign supplements (ost famous of which being The Republic of Karameikos, The Principalities of Glantri, and The Orcs of Thar) to accompany the same rules... and off you go.
For that REAL OLD SCHOOL feel, I would use use the OD&D Rules Cyclopedia, and modify to your own tastes. (4000 xp to level an 'elf'... seriously...
) Diaglo, I dunno how you still do it. And, try and track down the "Known World" campaign supplements (ost famous of which being The Republic of Karameikos, The Principalities of Glantri, and The Orcs of Thar) to accompany the same rules... and off you go.
As a pale imitator (should that be a prestige class?), here is a brief list of editions:
OD&D: the white box "collector's edition", Diaglo's fave
BECM or Rules Cylopedia D&D: various boxed sets or the Rules Cylclopedia, sometimes called OD&D, demi-human races are their own classes
AD&D: the hardback books, 1st and 2nd ed reasonable compatable
3rd ed D&D: the current edition, they dropped the A, not entirely backward compatable
Not technically D&D but:
C&C: sort of like AD&D with some d20isms, compatable with older editions
As for my recomendations:
3rd ed is only a so-so fit for sword & sorcery style adventures, and running old modules takes a bit of conversion (but it sounds like you would like converting the monsters). I would only use this if getting players for other systems were difficult (most of the folks I game with want either 3rd ed or high-point sci-fi GURPS.
C&C or some old version would work quite well if you can get the players. C&C has the advantage of being in print, but that may not matter to your players. I doubt the typos would hurt you English, as your written English is better than many posters I read.
Blue Rose/True20 (Blue Rose is in print and is setting + rules, True 20 is a pdf of most of the rules) is a good, very open-ended system (but not entirely rules lite). I would not try to run sword and sorcery with this system, but some seem to think it would work. Conversion of old modules would be quite a chore.
Various gritty d20 games (Grim Tales, Iron Heroes, Conan) seem custom designed for fast paced sword & sorcery. Conan is the only one I own, and I think its great. It would take some tweaking to use it out of Howard's Hyborean setting, but its got a great magic system (spells are powerful, often dangerous to cast, and often evil; but no artillery or teleport spells). Be warned, the Atlantean edition is corrected, but if you get the original edition on Ebay or used somewhere, the editing and typos are atrocious. I don't know if it is the the power of a RPG book to mess with some non-native speaker's English. But if it can be done, 1st printing Conan is the book to do it.
Don't know if that helps
OD&D: the white box "collector's edition", Diaglo's fave
BECM or Rules Cylopedia D&D: various boxed sets or the Rules Cylclopedia, sometimes called OD&D, demi-human races are their own classes
AD&D: the hardback books, 1st and 2nd ed reasonable compatable
3rd ed D&D: the current edition, they dropped the A, not entirely backward compatable
Not technically D&D but:
C&C: sort of like AD&D with some d20isms, compatable with older editions
As for my recomendations:
3rd ed is only a so-so fit for sword & sorcery style adventures, and running old modules takes a bit of conversion (but it sounds like you would like converting the monsters). I would only use this if getting players for other systems were difficult (most of the folks I game with want either 3rd ed or high-point sci-fi GURPS.
C&C or some old version would work quite well if you can get the players. C&C has the advantage of being in print, but that may not matter to your players. I doubt the typos would hurt you English, as your written English is better than many posters I read.
Blue Rose/True20 (Blue Rose is in print and is setting + rules, True 20 is a pdf of most of the rules) is a good, very open-ended system (but not entirely rules lite). I would not try to run sword and sorcery with this system, but some seem to think it would work. Conversion of old modules would be quite a chore.
Various gritty d20 games (Grim Tales, Iron Heroes, Conan) seem custom designed for fast paced sword & sorcery. Conan is the only one I own, and I think its great. It would take some tweaking to use it out of Howard's Hyborean setting, but its got a great magic system (spells are powerful, often dangerous to cast, and often evil; but no artillery or teleport spells). Be warned, the Atlantean edition is corrected, but if you get the original edition on Ebay or used somewhere, the editing and typos are atrocious. I don't know if it is the the power of a RPG book to mess with some non-native speaker's English. But if it can be done, 1st printing Conan is the book to do it.
Don't know if that helps
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