Anyone playing in the CONAN world?

[Matchstick]

* If I had it to do again, I'd probably run IRON HEROES in Hyboria. I'd like to see those kinds of battles and the ability to have low magic without the players like they're missing out on something (which the CONAN RPG actually brings to the table with their rulebook..but like I said, my players didn't want it).

This is interesting, as I was reading the thread I was thinking to myself "what about Iron Heroes?" IH seems like an excellent choice for a Conan game.

 

[The_Gneech]

As yourself this question: if your typical D&D group changed to the situation below, what would happen to player thinking? Would your players walk away because everyday wasn't christmas like in the typical D&D game?
* face human opponents 95% of the time that have discernable cultures (stygian, shem)
* face one wizard every game who was more ego than power (laugh)
* face one 'monster' every game that was RUN OR DIE
* only found charged magical items (including swords for the sake of argument)
* had to save their buff spells for emergencies
* have more FEATS but fewer hit points in advancing levels (always leaving you eligible to be killed by someone)
* got x.p. for the role-playing of spending loot equal to that of killing stuff
* no resurrection/raise dead/cure disease/fly/teleport/create food& water/endure elements
* the spellcasters in your party were NEVER really that powerful and clerics didn't exist
* power over people was more 'powerful' than the riddle of the steel
* your party was never balanced
* you'll use a LOT of Action Points to stabilize
* you can make cool actions with skill checks that will give you a simple +2 or better bonus (for example, swing from a chandalier onto a group of enemies..take a -4 climb per +1 to hit DC 10)..this the ONLY Iron Heroes rule I use.

Yarr! Sign me up!

-The Gneech

 

[ruleslawyer]

This is interesting, as I was reading the thread I was thinking to myself "what about Iron Heroes?" IH seems like an excellent choice for a Conan game.

IMHO, Iron Heroes is an excellent choice for a Conan game; however, it is less thoroughly tailored to the Hyborian setting than the OGL Conan rules, and thus just doesn't seem as "right" as using the Conan rules in the first place. That said, I can think of using lots of IH rules in my Conan game:

1) Rapid feat acquisition and masteries. More feats make for more fun; mastery feats make for cooler things to do in combat. I can absolutely see Conan having the Foe Hammer or Vorpal Hurricane masteries.

2) Stunts and combat challenges. More fun things to do in combat, and very cinematic in feel.

3) Zones. These are used all the time in the stories, whether the pillar that the ancient ape-being collapses on Conan or the chair he grabs to use against the Red Priest.

4) Ability checks. The IH ability check mechanics allow PCs to do some pretty amazing things at the expense of strain, which effectively simulates some of the stuff in the stories.

IH's skill system is probably way too OTT for Conan, since it encourages loads of acrobatics and enables some stuff that's superhuman even by the standards of the REH stories.

 

[Matchstick]

IMHO, Iron Heroes is an excellent choice for a Conan game; however, it is less thoroughly tailored to the Hyborian setting than the OGL Conan rules, and thus just doesn't seem as "right" as using the Conan rules in the first place. That said, I can think of using lots of IH rules in my Conan game:

1) Rapid feat acquisition and masteries. More feats make for more fun; mastery feats make for cooler things to do in combat. I can absolutely see Conan having the Foe Hammer or Vorpal Hurricane masteries.

2) Stunts and combat challenges. More fun things to do in combat, and very cinematic in feel.

3) Zones. These are used all the time in the stories, whether the pillar that the ancient ape-being collapses on Conan or the chair he grabs to use against the Red Priest.

4) Ability checks. The IH ability check mechanics allow PCs to do some pretty amazing things at the expense of strain, which effectively simulates some of the stuff in the stories.

IH's skill system is probably way too OTT for Conan, since it encourages loads of acrobatics and enables some stuff that's superhuman even by the standards of the REH stories.

Heh, I stayed carefully away from comparisons since I've not seen the OGL Conan rules.

I was thinking this morning as a drove in to work that Conan would probably be (once I got past the terminology) a pretty dang good IH man-at-arms. The floating feats would be perfect for Conan's ability to adapt to any situation and weapon.

 

[Emirikol]

I don't know anybody who actually uses Conan in their games (not since the CONAN TSR modules of the 80's).

The interesting thing about non-Conan CONAN-World games is the dynamic of a "D&D" group in a setting with stories written as first-person shooter.

I think it's actually easier as a group setting than most D&D worlds.

Thoughts? Experiences?

jh

 

[The_Gneech]

The interesting thing about non-Conan CONAN-World games is the dynamic of a "D&D" group in a setting with stories written as first-person shooter.

I think it's actually easier as a group setting than most D&D worlds.

Could you elaborate on this? I'm not sure what you mean.

-The Gneech

PS: GURPs did some cool things w/ Conan in the '90s, including a small run of pretty enjoyable solo adventures.

 

[Matchstick]

I'm not really sure what the question is there either.

Do you mean that the stories are written with a single hero, and that the D&D group dynamic (thus forcing the D&D "story" to be from a group perspective) is interesting in contrast with that single hero?

If that's the case I guess I'd say in my mind that might actually take away from my interest in a Conan world. When I play in a setting based on a book I can't help but go into that game with the preconception that the game is going to be similar to what I've read. In this case I think a D&D party would feel rather shoehorned in and would affect my immersion. IH is less magic dependent, it has more of a dirty, lived in world feel to me, and I'd have less issue with a group of Iron Heroes getting together to plunder and pillage and rescue maidens.

For me it comes down to westerns. Though many western stories have just one or two "stars" using IH to me would be like the Dirty Dozen; recruiting a group of fighters that are (mostly) heroes in their own right to work together, and it fits well into the genre. Using D&D would be like taking the DragonLance crew and inserting them into the Wild West. It's not that it wouldn't work on some level, but on some levels (for me) it just wouldn't fit.

Also, I would expect that such a situation would be easier for a group. Seems like you're saying that an encounter balanced for a single player would be easier for four players (if you didn't adjust the encounter). And that's pretty much an "of course".

If I've misunderstood, please let me know. I find this an interesting question.

I mentioned Conan because it seems like if you're going to play in a world drawn from and around a character like that, it might (and this could be an interesting discussion as well) be a good test of your chosen system to see how well it can model that character. I think Conan could be modelled pretty darn well in IH, but I admit to not spending any cycles thinking about him and D20. Mostly because the item dependency in (untweaked) D20 would seem to preclude him being modelled.

 

[Emirikol]

For me it comes down to westerns. Though many western stories have just one or two "stars" using IH to me would be like the Dirty Dozen; recruiting a group of fighters that are (mostly) heroes in their own right to work together, and it fits well into the genre. Using D&D would be like taking the DragonLance crew and inserting them into the Wild West. It's not that it wouldn't work on some level, but on some levels (for me) it just wouldn't fit. Also, I would expect that such a situation would be easier for a group. Seems like you're saying that an encounter balanced for a single player would be easier for four players (if you didn't adjust the encounter). And that's pretty much an "of course".

Yes, that's what I'm trying to say. It just seems to work better to adapt material from the Conan stories to a group of D&D characters than it would be to go back and try to 're-enact' what happened with a single or tiny group of characters (which is why I don't think that first-person-shooter tabletop RPG's have ever worked very well).

I mentioned Conan because it seems like if you're going to play in a world drawn from and around a character like that, it might (and this could be an interesting discussion as well) be a good test of your chosen system to see how well it can model that character. I think Conan could be modelled pretty darn well in IH, but I admit to not spending any cycles thinking about him and D20. Mostly because the item dependency in (untweaked) D20 would seem to preclude him being modelled.

That's the thing about the Conan stories. I think the character development is VERY WEAK, but the world and local environment breakdown is AWESOME. Yes, this is blasphemy..I think that the Conan character is nothing more than a piece of muscled, emotionless cardboard in fun pulp stories.

..and that's exactly WHY the Hyborian world is so perfect for RPG gaming. You dont' have other characters wrecking it for you. They can exist in name, but it's not like some worlds..which I will mention next. It actually comes down to conversion of 'stories' into juicy gaming material.

Let me compare it to FR or DryZit, or Dragonlance stories. They are so wrapped up in the characters that they would make HORRIBLE stories to convert for actual gaming (and attempts at that stuff have easily shown that too). FR less so of course because it is an ACTUAL gaming world..but then let's count on Elminster and the gods coming down every morning to save or ruin the day..or worse..plots that revolve entirely around gods and cults and the endlessly problem-solving appearance magic.

Conversion of stories..easier with Conan because of the pulp-nature of the stories. That's what makes playing in Hyboria so easy.

Thoughts? Experiences?

jh
..

 

[Emirikol]

Sean Moore's Conan Stories Convert Best to Gaming

I just wanted to comment on which stories convert best. HANDS DOWN, I think that REH and Sean Moore's conan stories convert best to gaming material.

I've essentially run CONAN THE HUNTER in Brythunia and it gives a ton of source material very conducive to gaming. PRobably because Sean was a gamer (Mitra rest his soul..I pass his memorial marker daily in Superior, CO). The essential cool stuff that makes Conan the Hunter good for D&D in Hyboria is things like "Snakemen" "Druids of Wiccana" and lots of Brythunian slave girls

Another favorite of mine is "Grim Grey God." The material that I'm usign from that book in my SHem/Zamboula campaign is OUTSTANDING. Tevek Thul the necromancer is awesome as is the ruined city for the grim grey god.

Any of you converted any of the other stories for gaming?

jh