Microlite20 : the smallest thing in gaming

[kroh]

I was just thinking...

Our eight pages covers roughly the same territory (in a trimmed-down manner, I'll grant you) as three 300+ page books...

...and the supplemental material for those books is about 95% table-ready for games played using our eight pages.

Works for me, too!

Regards,
Darrell

I bet that will make some people mad (rules writers) when they stop to think what people here did. You took the rules and made them fit the game and not the other way around. The thing about rules is that they should be meant to explain and not restrain. The more rules you add the tighter you restrict something. When the object of the game is to have fun pretending to act out our favorite genres, the more time we have to look for something in a rule book the less time we are doing what we enjoy. That is why video games sucked so many of our players out of the industry (including me for a long time). We all got sick of listening to people bicker about obscure rules about how long it takes a fighter versus a wizard to choke on a chicken bone or wait ungodly amounts of time for my DM to look up this or that rule. Instead we went for something that had the rules built in.

With a system this lite you can pretty muc rule or caveat anything on the fly. Pretty soon the rules are built into the players and Bammo...You start having fun!

Fast and Light... I like the way you're thinking.

Regards,
Walt

 

[EvilDwarf]

I would vote against adding CHA as an extra stat/ability and be disappointed to see another stat included. I've really been digging what you guys are up to here, as I love dabbling with the system, too.

I ran an entire campaign--one that we all enjoyed--using only three abilities of Fortitude, Reflex, and Will. If you look at the definitions of these three areas of saving throw found in the DMG on pg. 33, you find that these three "abilities/stats" cover all you need, really: Fort reflects physical toughness, Reflex reflects physical and sometimes mental agility, and Will reflects inner strength, willpower, mental stablility, and power of the mind.

If you're going quick and dirty, three seems to be the charm.

Keep up the good work, and congrats on a truly inspired concept.

 

[MeepoDM]

I would vote against adding CHA as an extra stat/ability and be disappointed to see another stat included. I've really been digging what you guys are up to here, as I love dabbling with the system, too.

I ran an entire campaign--one that we all enjoyed--using only three abilities of Fortitude, Reflex, and Will. If you look at the definitions of these three areas of saving throw found in the DMG on pg. 33, you find that these three "abilities/stats" cover all you need, really: Fort reflects physical toughness, Reflex reflects physical and sometimes mental agility, and Will reflects inner strength, willpower, mental stablility, and power of the mind.

If you're going quick and dirty, three seems to be the charm.

Keep up the good work, and congrats on a truly inspired concept.

Hehe, Microlite20 brings another out of lurking mode to post (like myself) - welcome aboard!!

That's basically why I was thinking against CHA as well. If it were made "official", it would be one of the first things (only?) I'd houserule out of the system, probably. Plus, Greywulfs response a page back on the subject fits right along with my own gaming style.

the more I looked at the skill breakdown the more I saw that CHA wasn't really needed as the typical CHA-based skills could really be covered by MIND or even (in the case of Perform) DEX. And it opened up Charisma as being something to actually role-play, rather than quantify.

 

[greywulf]

8 pages! My how it has grown. I hope the original rules - your first document - will always remain its own entity.

I agree, Meepo

I plan to offer a single-page (or maybe one double-page) downloadable .pdf offering the core system, then Darrell's Monsters, Spells, Equipment and GM Guide as additional downloads.

Maybe Darrell and I could work on putting together a "complete" 8 page pdf as an optional download of the Whole Darned Thing as well, for the completists who just have to own every supplement When everyone is happy with the rules, that is.

The vote still seems to be out in the great CHA debate, and I like EvilDwarf's Fort/Ref/Will as stats idea so much I wish I'd thought of it first.

I'll try to find a space in the core rules for Optional Extras, and put "add CHA as a stat" in there. That should please everyone. I'll put something about Rogue Sneak attack and Fighter getting +1/+1 every five levels in there too.

I ran a quick game for a friend last night by phone (no, really. I heard him roll the dice and everything). He played a Cleric trying to find his lost Holy Symbol which fell down a hole into a Zombie infested ancient catacomb. Don't you just hate it when that happens? The adventure was totally on the fly, so preparation, nothing. He'd missed the last few gamer group sessions, and wanted to know what the other guys were talking about.

He liked the rule that spell-casters can choose spells that cost 1HP less to cast, and pointed out that it simulates Clerical Domains pretty well too, with the Church (or the God) deciding which spells are easier to cast. I hadn't thought about it like that. S'good.

More later, and a new version of the core rules too.

Oh, and Darrell, I've put your excellent GM Guide up at http://home.greywulf.net/m20. Thanks!

 

[kroh]

He played a Cleric trying to find his lost Holy Symbol which fell down a hole into a Zombie infested ancient catacomb.

That happened to me last night... Only instead of the holy symbol it was my tv remote and instead of zombies it was my dog...

doesn't she look vicious!?!

 

[greywulf]

That happened to me last night... Only instead of the holy symbol it was my tv remote and instead of zombies it was my dog...

doesn't she look vicious!?!

Lol!

At least CR 10, I'd say. Especially with those gorgeous eyes

 

[Technomancer]

8 pages! My how it has grown. I hope the original rules - your first document - will always remain its own entity.

Yeah, I remember when this was a light, simple set of rules. But then they had to go tack on rules for this and that and all kinds of supplemental material and now we've got this bloated monstrosity

Seriously, I'm looking forward to actually trying this out sometime.

 

[MeepoDM]

Yeah, I know, I know!

I just really dug the idea of a single page rulebook that can be folded up and stuck in a module or dungeon magazine and played with on the fly. Darrell's stuff is excellent, no question about it. I hope I didn't imply otherwise. It certainly was needed if one was to ditch the PHB/DMG/MM altogether at the table! If it is all combined one day, I hope there will be the "complete" version and also the single page starter that Greywulf created for us all of...a few weeks ago? Is that possible? Seems like this thing has been around forever...!

Very cute dog. He must be part Wight because I feel the energy draining from my knees as I peer into his soulful eyes... I miss my dog! *sigh*

Definitely give it a whirl, Technomancer. Setup a one-shot game and see how you like it! I was surprised at how fast it flowed compared to D&D 3.5 and even Original/1st ed. D&D (where my gaming heart will always lie). No charts, no rules to reference, just 100% interaction!

 

[MeepoDM]

Oh, and I *LOVE* the idea of Fort/Reflex/Will as the name of the stats!! Might be confusing for those expecting them to be all out Saves, but what a great idea, EvilDwarf!

 

[eyebeams]

I would vote against adding CHA as an extra stat/ability and be disappointed to see another stat included. I've really been digging what you guys are up to here, as I love dabbling with the system, too.

I ran an entire campaign--one that we all enjoyed--using only three abilities of Fortitude, Reflex, and Will. If you look at the definitions of these three areas of saving throw found in the DMG on pg. 33, you find that these three "abilities/stats" cover all you need, really: Fort reflects physical toughness, Reflex reflects physical and sometimes mental agility, and Will reflects inner strength, willpower, mental stablility, and power of the mind.

My own short system, Quick20 uses saves as ability scores as well, along with a third stat called Might to cover Strength and aspects of BAB. It works quite well, though Quick20 resembles True20 more than it does the SRD.