Buy Dangerous Journeys?

[Sulimo]

I thought it was OK. Didn't play more than one or two sessions though. At that point the group decided it would be better just to the use the setting elsewhere (not that we actually got around to that).

Now the Campaign sourcebook on the other hand, I REALLY liked that. And the original Necropolis was just cool.

Now if only the lost sourcebook Ascalon would turn up.

 

[widderslainte]

I liked it, but I'm a Gygax fan. It's certainly not without flaws. It's no more obtuse than the first two editions of AD&D. But it's most definitely not rules light (or even rules medium).

Most people get disgusted by character generation. But I've found the game runs really smoothly. There's a lot of detail, but not much reference to tables. Everything is out there on the character sheet.

It has, by far, the coolest armor/critical hit/hit location system I've seen.

It's funny though, the biggest complait I hear is of the terms and acronyms, yet if you read the TSR's lawsuit, they do a laundry list of the terms as evidence of it's similarity to AD&D.

 

[Tetsubo]

I've been waiting to find a copy used. I really want to add this to my Bad RPG collection.

 

[howandwhy99]

Mythus

I won't pass any judgement on the game, but we did play it for about six months when it came out. Our "JourneyMaster" even managed to pick up the Bestiary from GDW by mail. Honestly, if it weren't for him, none us would have been able to understand how to play our characters.

However, that said:

If you can find the game, it has miles and miles of interesting ideas that would fit the flavor of any 1st edition game. There are plenty of extras we probably would have seen in the later books of 1st edition. For example, a HUGE table for gems and minerals and the effects they could have when used magically, ditto on herbs for herbology (one of the many "magic-producing" skills).

The "MagicK" system has its own 2nd book. It's based on levels and magic points. It reminds me more of the incremental style systems of OAD&D than the descriptive? ones in WoD and Ars Magicka. I think it's trying to be both. You're character will most likely use magic, know hundreds of spells that are often similar, and gain hundreds of "Heka" points to spend based off of skills (mostly).

At it's heart the game had a single mechanic to deal with die rolls called a DR - difficulty rating. It scaled like D20, but was percentile-based and involved multiplication or division, so it may not have been to everyone's tastes.


However, it also has miles and miles of rarely edited text just like 1st edition. I'd say the formatting is somewhat better, but the sheer size and number of all the skills (over 200 if you count subskills) and specialty rules is off-putting. If this could have come out like 2nd Ed. with more support and split up into splat books with larger fonts, (and better editing) I predict that it would have done better than 2AD&D, but not 3rd. (IMHO)

The game does have a some mechanical problems, as well. Distances are a pain. Not only tough to find, but based off of old-world lengths such as "rod" and "chain". The sheer number of everything (classes, skills, spells) is overwhelming for even the most diehard players. And the text is riddled with archaic word choices. Magic=Heka, Wizards=Dweomercraefters, Skills=Apotropaism, as well as Buffoonery, Clothwork, Domestic Arts & Sciences, even Musical Composition (separate from Poetry/Lyrics).

I agree with both Henry about the rules and with Thalmin about the density of the text. The flavor of the magic system is were the archaic rules really shine. Things "feel" like old school magic. Pentacles, magic boosting via pacts with demons, the "Laws of Magick", and the most intricate, drawn-out, magic creation system you will ever find. In my mind, this is what 3rd Ed. would look like if they had done a point-buy system for spell and magic item creation.

If you like Gygax's writing style , organically created rule systems, and world-building, this is a must have. It's what he was essentially working on from 1985 - 91.


Okay, so ignore the first 5-6 words of this post. I enjoy the books, but will no longer play the game. If you are a diehard 1st Ed. player, you will find something here for you. If you really like Necropolis, chances are you'll like the world setting, too. If you plan on playing the game, I'd suggest against it. So many things are really nice, like 15 magic systems, that aren't portable. But the amount of memorization is just too much.

When I originally got these books (still have 1+2+Necropolis) I devoured them. Now they sit in the closet. If you have any specific questions I'd be happy to answer them. (so I'll stop writing my own little novel )

PS: JohnSemlak, if you are looking to broad your mind with non-D&D fantasy RPG's, I'd suggest another route.

 

[mythusmage]

A Brief History, Plus Other Stuff

Mythus was not supposed to be the first game published, that was to be Unhallowed, a modern day/near future horror game. But one of the partners in the project insisted on a fantasy game, so Mythus came about.

It was a rush production, and the editor, one Larry Smith, was given a month to go through the entire 1 million word manuscript. It would take him 3 months to make the single pass the book got. Among some fans it would become known as, "Errata Journeys".

The core mechanic is: Low roll linear using percentiles against a target number. (d20 uses a high roll linear using a d20 against a target number.). The target number is the character's rating with a skill (called "STEEP" in DJ). The target number can be modified by addition, subtraction, and/or multiplication. A "Routine" task is much easier than a "Difficult" one.

A large part of the difficulty folks have with the game lies with the vocabulary. Gary used it in large part to minimize the chance TSR would take legal action against him (Relations between him and Lorraine Williams were never what one could call "friendly"). But terms such as "Heroic Persona" for Player Character and "Physical Muscular Power" (PMP) for Strength and Constitution can be off putting when you're used to the "traditional" nomenclature.

Character creation is involved. In the case of a spell user or a rich character, involved indeed. (For real fun try creating a rich, elderly spell user.) This is one game where you really should set up a day to create characters before you start play.

Overall the game really isn't that hard to learn. Gary's prose, the lack of real editing, and the lexicon make it seem harder to learn than it really is. Don't approach it as something you need to cram for, that will set you up for failure. Find a comfortable chair, set up a lamp so it "peers" over your shoulder, with the light shining down on the book. Turn off every distraction, including the phone. No TV, radio, or computer. Put a message up on your front door telling callers to come back later. Sit comfortably, rest the book on your lap. Above all, don't force your eyes to focus on the page, you'll just get frustrated and your eyes will get tired. Let your eyes focus. They will, that's what they're designed for. Your eyes know more about focusing than you ever will. Now read. Don't try to figure out what Gary was trying to say, just read. Understanding will come with time. Mythus is not a set of instructions to be devoured, it's a set of guidelines to be absorbed. Give yourself the time to absorb them.

There's more to be said on the subject, but a message board really isn't the place for a lengthy article.

 

[Golem Joe]

Dangerous Journeys

I'll say upfront that I love this game. The core books are used almost as much as my 1st ed DMG when it comes to my fantasy campaigns. There are a HUGE number of ideas in these books, many of them are easily portable just about anywhere.

The Advanced version of the game can be a bear to puzzle through. On the plus side, there is a Basic version of the rules available in the first core book that teaches all the core concepts beautifully. The core of the game system is extremely modular, and its very easy to build an easy, workable game from the basic rules by simply including the elements you like from the advanced game. That's what I ended up doing, and it worked beautifully.

If you are interested in PLAYING the game, definately track it down in publishe form -- not hard to do on eBay. If you just want to loot it for ideas, go with the ESD version. Who knows, you may find the game to your liking. It probably wouldn't be hard to convert a good 75% of the none-mechanical concepts to DnD with no effort whatsoever.

Cool elements of the game system?

* The DR system. Difficulty ratings as a multiple of your skill rating. Easy as skill x4, Moderate skill x2, Hard skill x1, etc.
* The Critical Location system. Beautiful!
* The magick skills. Sorcery, Mysticism, Hekaforging, Apotropaism, its all there!

Annoying elements of the game system?
*3 Traits, derived from 6 sub-traits, each derived from 3 more sub-sub-traits. (NP once you design a spread sheet, however)
*The magic point recovery system.
*Hekaforging (making magic items) is VERY vague!
*The editing.
*The lack of a full bestiary on Phaeree creatures (T$R forced the settlement before it could be published).

 

[Noj]

Mythus Prime

I just want to back up what Golem Joe said. If you start off with the Mythus Prime rules and then gradually introduce those elements of Advanced Mythus that your group finds appealing the game is quite easy to master.

If, on the other hand, you jump straight into the Advanced Mythus rules you'll be taking on a big challenge.

Mythus Prime makes up the first 55 pages of the Dangerous Journeys/Mythus core rulebook. Those 55 pages include an introductory scenario. Mythus Prime is a *simple* set of rules, very easy to learn.

I believe that the bad press surrounding Mythus comes from player groups bypassing Mythus Prime and going straight into the Advanced Mythus rules.

Of course the best option is to get Gygax's Lejendary Adventure game. It has the flexibility of Mythus combined with rules light mechanics that make it a breeze to learn and play.

Cheerio!
Jon

 

[SurgicalSteel]

I've noticed the Mythus Dangerous Journeys by E.Gary Gygax rulebook is available in ESD format. I'm thinking of buying it.

Any advice on it--did people like it?

I've looked seriously at very few Non-D&D fantasy RPGs, and I thought this might be worth picking up to broaden my mind, so to speak.

The best use of Mythus is as a universal supplement, the specific items being:

Mythus Magic
Epic of Aerth
Necropolis

The Bestiary is basically crap.
The best part of the core rulebook is the skill section.

Ignore the mechanics and use the material.
That is easily the best part Mythus (just like 1st Ed. AD&D, surprise surprise)

 

[johnsemlak]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I think I'm going to put it on my 'to buy at some point' list. I'd like to see it sometime, but maybe later. Its an ESD, so it should be around for a while.

It's too bad the Aerth setting ESD isn't available.

I am looking seriously at Lejendary Adventures as well, but it's a bit more of an investment than a $5 ESD.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

I also think it would be great to pick up for the ideas. The Epic of Aerth book is, in particular, worth looking for. It is very rules-light, and presents a campaign setting that could be used for just about any fantasy RPG.