Castles & Crusades: Player's Handbook

[Dragonhelm]

Then some of us are weird and like both C&C and D&D 3e.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Has anyone done a review that talks about C&C as it's own game if you've never played any rpgs before? One thing I've heard in a negative light, is that it assumes some familiarity with the whole RPG thing. True/False?

 

[qstor]

That said, C&C is good for fast-paced games, and works when the players aren't terribly interested in spending a lot of time dealing with skills and feats, and all that number crunching. You can make a character lickaty-split with C&C, and get right into the action.

Where I feel C&C kind of breaks down is in its lack of cohesive multi-class and/or dual class rules, and the "black box" nature of the experience point system. The classes aren't balanced, which is why some advance faster than others. Some character concepts are also hard to create using the rigid archetype system that C&C has.

I got the monster and the Players book. I think the lack of skill system is what kinda bugs me about the C&C system.

Mike

 

[Henry]

Has anyone done a review that talks about C&C as it's own game if you've never played any rpgs before? One thing I've heard in a negative light, is that it assumes some familiarity with the whole RPG thing. True/False?

If there's one glaring downside to the game, it's that it IMO is not written enough for a novice player; as is, it does require a GM to explain some things, and gloss over the sparsely explained parts. C&C is a good enough game to represent an iconic storybook-type hero; If you don't want to specify that your guy has X amount of training in eveyr single possible skill, you won't need that much detail.It's enough to say that Conan is expert at ambushes and feats of physical dexterity and strength; it's enough to say that regardless of pursuit, Conan is NOT the man to go to for engineering problems, accounting issues (he's the classic "ale and whores" adventurer) or ANYTHING remotely brainy in pursuit; so just by virtue of INT being medium to low, and WIS being average, we've got that represented any time he makes a skill roll in those avenues.

Rangers are good at tracking, assassins and illusionists are good at disguise, etc. Are they good at accounting? Maybe; if they have decent INT, and they're high level, maybe they ran across a situation where they had to know about it - a check will tell you.

If I were playing 3E, I'd know immediately if they'd had any special training - they either have ranks in the Knowledge/Profession, or they don't. But one way, we've glossed over it, and the other way, you know for sure - each has its advantages, and for a starting roleplayer, the simpler the better for my taste. If I can hook 'em on the fun of the communal game, then I can figure out where strength lies later - the power-gain, the butt-kicking, the story, the role, or the micromanagement. Then I can take 'em where they need to go.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Does anyone know if that revised printing with the new layout/errata has hit the stores yet?

 

[Akrasia]

Does anyone know if that revised printing with the new layout/errata has hit the stores yet?

I asked a very similar question over at dragonsfoot.org.

It looks like it will not be available until just after Christmas (the revised version is supposed to be sent to the printers this Friday, and it will take at least 3 weeks for it to become available).

 

[Breakdaddy]

My personal opinion? There's a lot of slighting of C&C, but then there's also a lot of perceived slighting of C&C that isn't meant to be; however, I've seen proponents in the past so used to defending against the genuine insults that they overreacted to the perceived slights and lost sight of why they were proponents in the first place: Because there's another choice out there, and it suits them. Then both sides get entrenched in lop-sided positions, denying that their game has any bad points, and making statements they wouldn't ordinarily make.

It totally covers over the fact that we're all gamers, looking for ways to maximize our good times, and want to help others do the same; hence, regardless of game, we're in the same boat.

Some true words of wisdom there.

 

[Breakdaddy]

Does anyone know if that revised printing with the new layout/errata has hit the stores yet?

Hey Joe, Akrasia. I talked with Steve over at Troll Lord today and he says we are looking at a early to mid January release on the 2nd printing.

 

[Henry]

Hey Joe, Akrasia. I talked with Steve over at Troll Lord today and he says we are looking at a early to mid January release on the 2nd printing.

Somehow that strikes me as perfect irony, symmetry, what have you; both in that they released the first printing that same time of year, but TSR's printings were at the same time, too. My first copy of Moldvay was in January of 1981, so it gets me goose-pimply from a nostalgia point of view.

 

[Breakdaddy]

Somehow that strikes me as perfect irony, symmetry, what have you; both in that they released the first printing that same time of year, but TSR's printings were at the same time, too. My first copy of Moldvay was in January of 1981, so it gets me goose-pimply from a nostalgia point of view.

Hehe, so I guess you are getting a copy then?