OSR Dolmenwood to be published as a standalone game

[Ralif Redhammer]

Gavin Norman's Wormskin zines really are excellent, some of the most flavorful OSR works I've come across. The weird faery mood, part Vance and part Dunsany, is so good.

I'm optimistic. I'm sure he won't veer too far away from OSE standards, but also the things that will get changed will probably be for the better.
There were a few things in the old "Wormskin" zines that got dropped, and whenever I asked about them on Discord, Gavin's answer was along the lines of "I had to make the decision to not stray too far away from standard BX procedures."
With that restricion now lifted, I hope that a few of the old Wormskin quirks make a comeback. Possibly the exploration procedures.
Also the origin-specific magic items are flavourful!

 

[Malmuria]

This makes perfect sense to me, having run some dolmenwood recently. I also think it's good that you won't need a shelf full of books to run the game at the table, and that people who don't have OSE can get a complete game with this setting.

 

[Aldarc]

This makes perfect sense to me, having run some dolmenwood recently. I also think it's good that you won't need a shelf full of books to run the game at the table, and that people who don't have OSE can get a complete game with this setting.

I am glad that I waited. For me, I could do either the OSE Box Set or wait for Dolmenwood, but not both. I opted for the latter. To hear that Dolmenwood will be a self-contained game? That's incredible news for me!

 

[schneeland]

Gavin has now also clarified what rules changes we can probably expect to see: Dolmenwood Core Rules.

 

[Yora]

Perfectly reasonable things that should all have been done 42 years ago.

 

[schneeland]

Perfectly reasonable things that should all have been done 42 years ago.

Most of it indeed seems quite reasonable. The only thing where I am not entirely sure if I like it is the inclusion of the standard classes.

Edit:
On a second thought, I also hope he reverses his position on race-as-class and at least keeps it as an option, if not as the default.

 

[deganawida]

Most of it indeed seems quite reasonable. The only thing where I am not entirely sure if I like it is the inclusion of the standard classes.

I don’t. Take advantage of the change, and make custom versions of the big four. That’s already been done, to a large extent. If you just keep them in the setting, then don’t include them in the book. Instead, just have a sidebar about OSE classes in Dolmenwood.

Personally, I prefer for this setting the setting-specific classes (love Friar).

 

[reelo]

Most of it indeed seems quite reasonable. The only thing where I am not entirely sure if I like it is the inclusion of the standard classes.

The "classic 4" will, afaik, get a few tweaks. They've always been present in the setting, along with the setting-specific friar, hunter, minstrel, and knight.
But since we now get race/class split, I wonder if the nonhumans (elf, grimalkin, goatfolk, moss-dwarf, and woodgrue) will have any class-restrictions. I sure hope so. I think race-as-class should have stayed intact, tbh.
What I'm also curious about is the new "sorcerer" class. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

The other changes (AAC etc) are perfectly sensible.

 

[Kai Lord]

"Adventuring Skills​

There are a bunch of X-in-6 based skills common to all character classes hidden away in B/X (e.g. listening at doors, searching for traps, the surprise roll, etc). Dolmenwood will present these as a skill system, rather than as ad hoc rolls. There will be 4 skills: Listen, Search, Stealth, Survival. The underlying mechanic for these checks remains the same (i.e. X-in-6 chance of success, with certain races / classes getting an improved chance of success).

Reason: Explaining this "hidden skills system" explicitly makes it easier to understand and apply."

This is a fascinating take on 1d6 checks from B/X (and to whatever extent AD&D.) Is there a comprised reference list of every check that requires a d6 roll already posted somewhere?

 

[reelo]

After having read the Patreon-preview (work-in-progress) of the split Kindred and Classes, I'm on board. Everything makes sense, nothing is too crazy as there's sensible restrictions in place for certain combinations. Humans and Breggle (goatfolk) are pretty much interchangeable as they should be. Fey (elves, grimalkin, woodgrue) kindred are qualified as "godless," and can't be clerics, friars, or knights, for example. Mosslings, who are mortal and not fey, have little to no aptitude for magic and are thus fighters, hunters, mainly.

I'm confident Gavin will be able to draw in a lot of new people who, admittedly, aren't used to race-as-class, while still holding in to old-school sensibilities.