Conan (Atlantean ed.) --- the ugly?
- Thread starter Aus_Snow
- Start date
Aus_Snow said:Yuan-Ti, I think you've helpes *sell* at least some version of it to me. Sheesh, all I do is ask for teh bad, and what do I get?
Not intentional perhaps, but there it is.
Sorry.
It really is a nice game system, though, and near as perfect for running Conan. If I were you, I would pick up the pocket edition ($20 retail, I think) to check it out. If you decide you really like it, you can always upgrade to the full size for yourself and use the pocket as a "player's handbook". I haven't seen the pocket edition, yet. I only know it has all the rules in it. It may not have the setting information, however, so keep that in mind when deciding which edition to grab.
Yuan-Ti said:Sorry.
I haven't seen the pocket edition, yet. I only know it has all the rules in it. It may not have the setting information, however, so keep that in mind when deciding which edition to grab.
It seems to have all the rules (I haven't read it all yet). The setting info is restricted to cultural info required to generate characters from across the entire world (with stuff on looks, customs, equipment, religions etc.), pretty good though, plus sections on the pantheons of different countries and magic as practised in the world of Hyboria. Whether the Atlantean ed. has more I cannot say, but obviously that's what Road of Kings is for.
Dave
Eremite
Explorer
The bad?
It might take a normal D&D group a while to get used to the deadlier combat and lack of magical healing.
As a DM, I'm not sure if I can create a campaign as easily as I can for, say, FR or Greyhawk with their more familiar D&D-isms.
Anyway, the books are available quite cheaply at drivethrurpg.com and the pocket edition makes for a good PHB at only AUD39.95 or so (that's what I paid for it in Brisbane today).
It might take a normal D&D group a while to get used to the deadlier combat and lack of magical healing.
As a DM, I'm not sure if I can create a campaign as easily as I can for, say, FR or Greyhawk with their more familiar D&D-isms.
Anyway, the books are available quite cheaply at drivethrurpg.com and the pocket edition makes for a good PHB at only AUD39.95 or so (that's what I paid for it in Brisbane today).
Remus Lupin
Adventurer
jaerdaph said:
Did they? It was my impression that those of us who bought the faulty edition were offered the improved edition at a discount, not free. Thus, I still have my old, error-filled edition.
MonsterMash
First Post
I've just picked up the pocket edition (already own the original version which I picked up cheap on ebay) and I'll post some notes soon. It does omit Howard's Hyborian Age essay for definite, but does have some setting information including the section on running games in Conan's world.Yuan-Ti said:Sorry.
I haven't seen the pocket edition, yet. I only know it has all the rules in it. It may not have the setting information, however, so keep that in mind when deciding which edition to grab.
Gort
Explorer
To be honest, having seen both the atlantean and the original version, neither has enough typos that it actually makes much of a difference. Sure, you'll spot them and have a chuckle, but it won't detract from your enjoyment of the game.
One thing I don't get though - the Atlantean version removes some of the typos from the original, but it also adds NEW ones that weren't in the original! What's up with that?
Anyway, the system's really cool - my regular group has just begun playing it and it's a blast. It achieves a large number of things that I've been trying to house-rule into my regular D&D campaigns, namely...
1. Removal of "mundane magic" from D&D. That is, magic items that serve only to increase numbers, rather than doing anything cool. For example, a +1 sword, or a +2 belt of strength. They're not interesting, so where's the magic? Conan removes these and replaces them with class defense bonuses, +1 to all stats at 6th, 10th, 14th level and so on. There ARE magic items, but they all do very specific things, such as magical daggers for sacrificing victims and suchlike.
2. Armour as DR rather than AC bonus - I always thought it kind of ridiculous that a 20th level fighter is as easy to hit when he spars as a 1st level fighter. Armour's still great to have (who doesn't want 10 DR?) but you can still fight outside of it if the situation requires.
3. Getting rid of the "spellcasters can do pretty much anything once they hit a high enough level" thing that D&D suffers from at higher levels. Even at high levels, spellcasters won't be teleporting, flying, and invisible on a 24-hour basis. They will be very powerful, but more in the "I can kill you with my mind" kind of way than in the "I have 74 different buffs running at any given moment" kind of way.
4. Magical power coming with a price - you can gain a lot of power by dealing with demons, but you gain Corruption. This is kind of like madness, but if you go too far, you'll be possessed by a demon and your soul will be sent to hell. I like it.
Conan is my current favourite system for adaptation purposes as well. I'm seriously thinking of running a campaign set in the world of Midnight using the Conan ruleset - I think it could work very well.
One thing I don't get though - the Atlantean version removes some of the typos from the original, but it also adds NEW ones that weren't in the original! What's up with that?
Anyway, the system's really cool - my regular group has just begun playing it and it's a blast. It achieves a large number of things that I've been trying to house-rule into my regular D&D campaigns, namely...
1. Removal of "mundane magic" from D&D. That is, magic items that serve only to increase numbers, rather than doing anything cool. For example, a +1 sword, or a +2 belt of strength. They're not interesting, so where's the magic? Conan removes these and replaces them with class defense bonuses, +1 to all stats at 6th, 10th, 14th level and so on. There ARE magic items, but they all do very specific things, such as magical daggers for sacrificing victims and suchlike.
2. Armour as DR rather than AC bonus - I always thought it kind of ridiculous that a 20th level fighter is as easy to hit when he spars as a 1st level fighter. Armour's still great to have (who doesn't want 10 DR?) but you can still fight outside of it if the situation requires.
3. Getting rid of the "spellcasters can do pretty much anything once they hit a high enough level" thing that D&D suffers from at higher levels. Even at high levels, spellcasters won't be teleporting, flying, and invisible on a 24-hour basis. They will be very powerful, but more in the "I can kill you with my mind" kind of way than in the "I have 74 different buffs running at any given moment" kind of way.
4. Magical power coming with a price - you can gain a lot of power by dealing with demons, but you gain Corruption. This is kind of like madness, but if you go too far, you'll be possessed by a demon and your soul will be sent to hell. I like it.
Conan is my current favourite system for adaptation purposes as well. I'm seriously thinking of running a campaign set in the world of Midnight using the Conan ruleset - I think it could work very well.
GlassJaw said:
The nice thing about the magic system in Conan is that it is easy to switch it out. Only one class has anything to do with magic, so you could even play in a no-magic world using Conan. Someone on the Mongoose boards, I remember, was using Conan in the Greyhawk setting (although he was using some other magic system I believe). Why not? It's a great fit for a setting that was originally described in low-magic terms. Magic Users, in those days of D&D, were supposed to be rare, after all.
I would seriously consider using Conan for any fantasy setting -- and change the magic system if you want more, less, or different magic in your campaign.
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