Anyone playing in the CONAN world?

[ColonelHardisson]

How many of you have gamed in Hyboria using GURPS (i.e. the FIRST role playing system dedicated to Hyboria)?

What year was that released? TSR's Conan RPG was released in 1985.

 

[Emirikol]

I also agree that the PHB magic system is non-existent in Howard's world. I'm definitely going to pick up the d20 Hyborean rulebook to see the world's take on magic, which is clearly of less power than Faerun's Weave.

I wouldn't call the magic of Hyboria less powerful, I'd just say that it's just not in everyone's hands. Just as it should be, it's typically wielded by sorcerers who consort with demons When it comes to PC's the difficulty of learning and wielding magical powers is obvious..and corruption add's a nice touch (which we like for our SRD game too).

Lastly, I'm very interested in hearing how folks run Age of Worms in Hyborea, as I'm currently running it in Faerun. Certainly Kyuss' worm angle would work wonderfully, and Kyuss himself has a Lovecraftian Cthulhu style which is found in several original Howard stories. I would expect several major changes to setting and characters.

Here are some actual details:
RULE # 1. I don't believe that any DM runs any scenario "as written" because they simply must embellish on them or they'll be boring as hell. The same is true for running them in Hyboria. If you can read ANY given Conan story (comic, book or REH original typed manuscript), you will have no trouble coming up with enough opponents, NPC's, history and plots to change ANY adventure.

RULE # 2. PETTY SPELLCASTERS: Just because an enemy in a scenario can cast magic, doesn't mean that you as a DM needs to use or reveal that to your PC's. For example, if there's drow in an encounter you want to convert, just say they're Shemites (or something) and give them more hits and never use the magic.

RULE # 3. STUFF: You NEED to give your players something to use their LOOT for (I suggest x.p.) Since you will typically be "handing out" fewer magic items. Another technique that I use is to recategorize magic items and say they're non-magical. In our game, we simply say anything that isn't +4 isn't magical. It's just superior masterwork. Obviously, this get's rid of problems associated with not handing out items and it also get's rid of obviously non-relevant items like +1 flaming swords and crap too.

jh

..

 

[Emirikol]

What year was that released? TSR's Conan RPG was released in 1985.

Don't have my book here at work, but I'd be willing to be it would be easy to find out.

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/conan/

 

[S. Baldrick]

I'm not but I wish to gods that I was! By Crom I wish that I was.

I have the pocket source book but I none of the people that I play with are particulary interested in trying it. :\

 

[Karl Green]

I don't have my GURPS one either... but there were two games released back in 1985 for GURPS also: Conan and the Queen of the Black Coast (GURPS) by Robert Traynor (1985) and Conan: Beyond Thunder River (GURPS) by W. G. Armintrout (1985) that I also still have somewhere in my collection (or as the wife calls it "pile of stuff")

 

[DungeonMaster]

I ran it over the summer using the core rules. The core rules are fantastic, and I'm very picky when it comes to rules. They did a great job.
In terms of gameplay it takes some adjusting. Death from massive damage happens very, very regularly as the 20 damage threshold is easily acheived. It's not uncommon to have your players use up all their fate points on "left for dead" repeatedly within a game session. I've read howard extensively and it's quite appropriate.

 

[Dark Seraph]

I am in the market for a new campaign setting that is "low-magic" and "gritty" and I have been advised by a number of gamers that thrive in these Threads that the Conan Campaign Setting is one I should consider seriously.

To assist me in making up my mind could someone who has played or gamed in this setting give me more details regarding the setting and its mechanics and the pros and cons of it from their experience and the precise books (and publisher) I should invest my hard earned RPG$ in?

Thank you.

DS.

 

[Emirikol]

I'm not but I wish to gods that I was! By Crom I wish that I was.
I have the pocket source book but I none of the people that I play with are particulary interested in trying it. :\

Are they not interested because it's 'not D&D'? Or do they fear that 'lower magic' and 'gritty' is just not for them.

jh

 

[DungeonMaster]

To assist me in making up my mind could someone who has played or gamed in this setting give me more details regarding the setting and its mechanics and the pros and cons of it from their experience and the precise books (and publisher) I should invest my hard earned RPG$ in?

The setting has many parallels with the real world but in an ancient and fantastic age. There are few monsters, and when you meet them they are generally very deadly. Encounters are generally with humans and humans are divided into a plethora of races. Race, and by corrolary social structure, is one of the most important and defining characteristics of the setting. If you're a black barrachan you're very different than a himelian.
Mechanics wise the classes, skill system and combat system are very similar to 3rd edition and in general better designed.
Notable differences: Initiative increases with level and is often the deciding roll of combat. Damage caused by weapons is immense, 1-hit kill is very common particularly with the massive damage rule.
The magic system is quite good, but you invariably turn evil in the end when you go the path of sorcery. The numbers are geared for it. In general PCs should not be sorcerors.
There are a lot of little things that many of my players liked: codes of honor, reputation and fate points.
Mechanically fate points allow your PCs to keep their character, otherwise they die really fast. My players described much of the object of the game as keeping your fate points high because some times you need to use a whole pile in a single game session. So you need to accumulate more victories (gambling, stealing, combat, etc...) than defeats to keep going.
From a DM percpective if you don't like crafting NPCs then don't bother. You need to make numerous NPCs for each session. If you enjoy this than it's right down your alley.

 

[S. Baldrick]

Are they not interested because it's 'not D&D'? Or do they fear that 'lower magic' and 'gritty' is just not for them.

jh

It is because they fear the 'lower magic' and 'gritty' settings. There still is hope though. I did loan one of my friends "Hour of the Dragon" and she liked it very much. If I can convert her and then her husband, then perhaps I can convince the entire group to try it out....