Crows, James Introcasos MCDM Dungeon Crawler RPG

[GMMichael]

*Crows * is a dungeon-crawling, survival horror RPG. Player characters are adventurers in a desolate world who dive into horror-infested ruins to find gold, gems, and other valuable treasures to make your home village bigger and better.

*Crows * is unfair. It doesn’t care about your character’s level. Charge at a behemoth without a good plan to take it down, and you’re probably going to end up as a puddle of gore. This game’s math hasn’t been balanced to ensure that players will win most of the time. But this game’s unfairness goes both ways. Come with a clever plan to defeat that behemoth, like dropping the cave ceiling on their head while they slumber or sneaking by them while they're distracted, and you can win the day without a fight. A good plan or clever thinking won’t just save your life, it’ll get you paid—and that’s the whole point.

So it's an OSR? Hmm, maybe not - I don't think there were they/them-identifying behemoths in the old school.

 

[Deset Gled]

Someone else over there said they got to do a playtest in November and has answered a few questions in the comments.

There is a Crows playtest scheduled at PAGE3 (Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo) later this month. I can't make any promises, but I may get some information then.

 

[Mannahnin]

So it's an OSR? Hmm, maybe not - I don't think there were they/them-identifying behemoths in the old school.

Pfft. Try to assign the dread Gazebo a gender.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

OSR != retroclone

 

[Reynard]

I like the idea that advancement is gear based and not level based.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Yeah, it feels like it’s clearly an homage to old style treasure = xp. Can’t wait to see the implementation.

 

[Reynard]

Yeah, it feels like it’s clearly an homage to old style treasure = xp. Can’t wait to see the implementation.

I am hoping it is more like: this armor gives you +5 hp, rather than "you get 100 xp from the armor and level up for 5 hp".

 

[zakael19]

I am hoping it is more like: this armor gives you +5 hp, rather than "you get 100 xp from the armor and level up for 5 hp".

That’s definitely more akin to how the kits work in draw steel.

 

[THEMNGMNT]

This sounds like Knave, which I read for the first time just a few days ago. Character progression is entirely gear based. It's simple and brilliant.

However, I still like some non-gear character progression, so I'm in the process of cobbling together a mashup of Knave and Shadowdark.

Or maybe I'll just wait two years for Crows...?

 

[THEMNGMNT]

Crows' combination of gear, skills, and basebuilding also sounds like a good framework for a post-apocalyptic scifi game. I mean, that's kind of what Mutant Year Zero already does.