Castles & Crusades - Who interested in a PBEM?

[catenwolde]

This is a "gaming philosophy" point, but I've always *liked* big discrepencies in stat scores, and never considered "balance" to be a vital issue in an rpg. C&C goes a long ways towards making stat differences less important by reverting back to a bonus model closer to 1e, and Primes and character level are more important in most ways.

Okay, it's easy to say that when I rolled two 17's - but I rolled those with 3d6 straight! Would I have gotten better results with 4d6? Odds are I wouldn't have the 5 Cha ... And, so far the stat's for the characters are pretty close to the arrays shown. I say roll the bones and let them lie!

This is more or less a non-issue,and I don't mean to argue! Just stating that (from my point of view) the other PC's are welcome to any stat discrepencies they can roll up! Especially if someone puts something better than a 5 in Charisma ...

Cheers,

Christopher

 

[S'mon]

I would like to precise something: as a PBEM this will be free-form, meaning you cannot really have a good experience of the working of the game mechanics.

But you are doing the rolls behind the scenes, right? Not rulesless? That's how most (good) D&D PBEM GMs do it anyway, keep the rules out of sight, I think I'll still get a good idea of how it works out in play. Systems always effect the feel of a game, I find - my homebrew feels very different under homebrew PBEM rules than under D&D rules.

Edit: Anyway, I'm looking forward to lurking & seeing how it goes.

 

[S'mon]

Hi catenwolde - I'm ok w stat discrepancies in tabletop game, although it can cause some difficulty when 2 PCs are ca 50-point and the rest are ca 30-point. In PBEMs though I (when GMing) prefer PCs with similar stats because unless you use a secure system there's always the possibility of cheating, and the honest player with the 23-point PC may be suspicious and resentful of the 55-point guy. I think using a decent array is the best solution, then all PCs can be comparably heroic.

 

[S'mon]

Hi Turanil - I received your email re playing a mysterious stranger! Yippee!

-Simon

 

[S'mon]

-- Characters begin at 3rd level. 3rd level is the commoner's average level, for a person in his/her thirties with normal experience and ambition. Then, only the more ambitious and gifted will rise above that. Of course, most commoners are tradesmen or men-at-arms (very simple classes of my own) rather than wizards and the like. So PCs are in their late twenties early thirties, with only casual everyday life experience and academic studies.

I think this is a really good approach to level distribution BTW. Could you send me your tradesman & man-at-arms NPC classes? I'd find them very useful for creating my own C&C campaign - C&C PHB omits such things. I was thinking something like warrior/man-at-arms d8 hd, good Phys, att 1/hd (like standard monsters), commoner maybe att 1/2 hd or 1/3hd, d6 hp.

 

[Breakdaddy]

Woohooo, picked up my copy of M&T today! Thanks Steve and Davis!

 

[Turanil]

I think this is a really good approach to level distribution BTW. Could you send me your tradesman & man-at-arms NPC classes? I'd find them very useful for creating my own C&C campaign - C&C PHB omits such things. I was thinking something like warrior/man-at-arms d8 hd, good Phys, att 1/hd (like standard monsters), commoner maybe att 1/2 hd or 1/3hd, d6 hp.

Can you get a look at the Keeper's Den link below? On this messageboards dedicated to C&C, go to the "Classes" forum and see my NPC classes.



Concerning the M&T: Alas I am not going to get this book soon. It must first been made available at Amazon.fr, then I must have enough money to spend in frivolities which is not the case right now.

 

[Akrasia]

Turanil:

I have already generated my PC's stats. I'll send you the PC once I finish it up. If you want me to redo the stats at that time, no problem, but for now I'll stick with the ones I have.

As for choosing spells known, I am working on the following rule: the PC knows as many spells as he can cast per day + bonus for high INT + 3 spells (one pick/level). If you would prefer some other method, let me know.

Thanks

 

[Breakdaddy]

Which reminds me: I need to dig in to the book and come up with my clerical spell array. I assume I can get anything from my Clerical spell list in the book, Turanil? Anything prohibited/banned? Anything that my Deity REQUIRES me to have in my repertoire?

 

[Turanil]

Akrasia: Okay for that number of spells. Tell me what you want, and then I will give you spells as I also see fit my campaign.

Breakdaddy: Clerics have access to all the listed cleric spells when they memorize at the beginning of the day. Just choose spells that won't go against your faith's ethics. As you can see, there are spells who would fit a satanist priest but certainly not a good priest. I let you judge of what spells.