CONAN RPG cover and details released

[Krug]

Talking about Conan covers...

http://previews.diamondcomics.com/big-back.htm

http://previews.diamondcomics.com/products/gems/dec_03/DH_conan.html

Is the release tied to the comic release?

 

[Zander]

Well, it certainly would be cool to have an RPG that captures the flavor of the sword-and-sorcery genre. I'm wondering what kind of approach will be taken towards character classes and party design. Are wizards intended to playable as PC's? If so, do they hurl fireballs at 5th-level like your garden-variety magic-user? How is healing handled if there aren't any clerics? For this book to be true to its source, it'd have to deviate sharply from vanilla D&D.

According to an article in the French RPG mag Casus Belli, there will mostly be humans but from the different regions of Howard's world. It didn't say if they would differ in game terms. As for magic, the article said that there'd be no distinction between the arcane and the divine. It would not be strictly d20 and will deviate in some ways from D&D. For example, dex would be much more important for attacking and not just in the case of finnesse. Also, armour will reduce damage and not be an all-or-nothing protection as in D&D. The rules have been adapted to capture the spirit of the Conan stories but without making the rules more complicated.

 

[Oni]

I'm not all that fond of the cover shown. It seems, well kind of boring.

 

[Zander]

I'm not all that fond of the cover shown. It seems, well kind of boring.

I agree. I would have much preferred one of Frazetta's Conan paintings.

 

[bolen]

Is Frazetta still working. I kind of thought he was a 1970's-80's artist.

 

[johnsemlak]

Is Frazetta still working. I kind of thought he was a 1970's-80's artist.

Well, Necromancer Games' recent release Player's Guide to the Wilderlands has a cover my F Franzetta. Obviously, they're going for the 70s/early-80s feel that Franzetta can offer.

Similarly, Goodman Games have got Erol Otis to do covers for some upcoming Dungeon Crawl Classics.

 

[Felon]

According to an article in the French RPG mag Casus Belli, there will mostly be humans but from the different regions of Howard's world. It didn't say if they would differ in game terms. As for magic, the article said that there'd be no distinction between the arcane and the divine. It would not be strictly d20 and will deviate in some ways from D&D. For example, dex would be much more important for attacking and not just in the case of finnesse. Also, armour will reduce damage and not be an all-or-nothing protection as in D&D. The rules have been adapted to capture the spirit of the Conan stories but without making the rules more complicated.

That sounds like some steps in the right direction. In Conan's world, wizards are the bad guys. I can't recall any stories featuring what could be considered white magicians.

 

[bolen]

one of the latest issues of mongoose's house magazines has quite a bit about the magic system. It will not be the standard D&D magic system

Also they are having codes instead of the traditional alignment issues.

 

[Corinth]

So what, exactly, did Mongoose do that couldn't be done within the limits of the d20 System Trademark License?

 

[johnsemlak]

So what, exactly, did Mongoose do that couldn't be done within the limits of the d20 System Trademark License?

Well, We can only suppose until the product hits the shelves, of course, but...

OGL products can provide rules on character generation and advancement, which STL products can't