Conan RPG

[Nightfall]

Thanks Trancer and T-billy!

 

[Odhanan]

(though it's not the new "favorite RPG Supplement for any Game, Period" title holder)

Thanks for your insight, Billy. What would that one supplement be, out of curiosity?

PS: with now Favorite supplements, the thread!

 

[Teflon Billy]

Thanks for your insight, Billy. What would that one supplement be, out of curiosity?

PS: with now Favorite supplements, the thread!

Posted

 

[francisca]

Just here to chime in and say TB is correct. Conan is a great game. It does a great job of capturing the Hyborian feel both thematically and mechanically.

You could easilly run a Hyborian game using IH. The advantage of the Conan RPG over IH for such a game is the magic system, which feels just right for the Hyborian Age, IMO.

TW has been brought up. GR did a bang up job with it. It's very well done. To me, TW feels like stock D&D with a different magic system smoothly slid into place. Obvioulsy, it's more than that, but that is what stick in my mind best. A Hyborian game, where magic doesn't come into play much, would be work well with TW, in my estimation.

Any of the above could pull of Lankhmar. We'll see if RuneQuest can do so.......

 

[edemaitre]

I like the OGL Conan RPG, which I think does a decent job of depicting the world of Robert E. Howard's pulp fantasy novels using D20-style rules. Some of us remember the AD&D1 version of the game, as well as the well-written GURPS sourcebook. I also recommend Dark Horse's current Conan and Red Sonja comic books.

I agree that Green Ronin's Thieves' World is excellent for fans of that fantasy anthology series, although comparing the back-alley intrigues of the city of Sanctuary with the epic barbarians of Hyboria is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. Like the recent game based on the Black Company mercenary-themed books, they are both "low fantasy," where magic is mysterious and rare and swordsmanship a necessary survival skill.

Less successful, IMHO, was the D&D3.0/D20 adaptation of Melnibone, based on Michael Moorcock's Elric stories. It had good dark fantasy flavor, but the rules and descriptions didn't pull me in, and that version wasn't well supported. Now, if only any of these were made into a decent television/movie series, we'd be all set! As much as I love the "Lord of the Rings," "Narnia," and "Harry Potter" films, there are more subgenres of fantasy yet to become popular...

 

[freebfrost]

Conan is great - Mongoose has done a great job in fleshing out the details for Hyboria that were never supplied by Howard. As previously mentioned, the emphasis is on character skills and abilities as opposed to equipment, and the gritty nature of the game makes for a game where even high level characters can legitimately be taken down by 1st level mooks with one (lucky) hit. Magic is something truly to be feared as DCs are not static but are essentially opposed rolls. Combat, even with its many new options, is quick and flows well.

Plus you get to use d12's for weapon damage!

 

[Akrasia]

... Running a Conan game using Iron Heroes would be a blast too. Haven't tried it, but I would like to, with Aquilonian characters or something.

I think that the 'feel' of Conan is completely inappropriate for IH. In contrast, the Conan RPG captures the 'grimness' and 'grittiness' of Howard's Hyboria quite well.

 

[JustaPlayer]

IMO Conan is a great set of rules and very good in capturing the feel of the Howard novels. Yes, the first printing suffered grievously from lack of editing. A real shame for such I good line. It's very low magic, just like the novels. The magic system is done with more thought than was put into IH and it shows.

People say Mongoose is hit or miss, and I agree with this when it comes to lines which they aren't licensing. Their licensed products seem to be almost always top notch though.

But..... If Conan switched to the RuneQuest rules, may the Mongeese burn in the 9th pit.

 

[Akrasia]

....But..... If Conan switched to the RuneQuest rules, may the Mongeese burn in the 9th pit.

I feel the opposite. However Mongoose Matt has made it clear that Conan will stay d20/OGL.

 

[Melkor]

D20 Conan is my favorite version of the D20 rules.

I agree with what Teflon Billy said - It really focuses on characters over equipment, and with the changes (to the D20 system) made to combat, every fight is one where I am on the edge of my seat and nervous.

My favorite supplements so far are "The Pirate Isles", "Free Companies", and the adventure module "Tower of the Elephant". I don't yet own "Road of Kings", but will be picking it, and the Stygia sourcebook up soon enough.

I had really gotten tired of D&D when I picked up D20 Conan, and it was (and continues to be) a refreshing change.

I'm also excited about the possibility of a Runequest Conan.