Dungeon Crawl Classics What is cool to you from a player perspective?

[Rainbow Scissors]

I have not played DCC. I likely won't because my group primary plays 5E (but have started to dabble in Shadowdark).

However, I did have some of the Whiterock stuff for 3rd Edition. I don't even remember where I got it. I think I bought it used at a convention.

I was looking at the various products on Backerkit. Descent of the Ancient Fane has a cookbook as an add-on option?

Tyche's Pouch of dice is interesting. Those might come in handy if my group starts to play retroclones or OSR games.

 

[Voadam]

What are people's experiences with DCC once you have gotten past the funnel and into actual levels and character classes?

Is it just slightly more competent characters but still lots of random death and replacement characters or does it get to be more like mid level older D&D where you can reasonably choose to go into combat and be a bit of a pulp hero who will generally survive and continue?

I know the Goodman DCC modules are still generally gonzo 70s fantasy flavor across the level spectrum, but how is the tone of the gameplay beyond level 0?

 

[payn]

What are people's experiences with DCC once you have gotten past the funnel and into actual levels and character classes?

Is it just slightly more competent characters but still lots of random death and replacement characters or does it get to be more like mid level older D&D where you can reasonably choose to go into combat and be a bit of a pulp hero who will generally survive and continue?

It stays pretty OSR, meaning if you get foolhardy its going to get your PC killed. PCs can take a few more hits, but if you engage every combat gingerly, then its not going to work out for you.

I know the Goodman DCC modules are still generally gonzo 70s fantasy flavor across the level spectrum, but how is the tone of the gameplay beyond level 0?

Weird and oh so wonderful. Very skill play focused not pulpy take your lickins and keep on tickin' modern play.

 

[Distracted DM]

What are people's experiences with DCC once you have gotten past the funnel and into actual levels and character classes?

Is it just slightly more competent characters but still lots of random death and replacement characters or does it get to be more like mid level older D&D where you can reasonably choose to go into combat and be a bit of a pulp hero who will generally survive and continue?

I know the Goodman DCC modules are still generally gonzo 70s fantasy flavor across the level spectrum, but how is the tone of the gameplay beyond level 0?

Whenever I see peoples' only experience with DCC is having played through a funnel, I know they didn't get a good view of the actual game. Funnel characters are level 0's- they can't do much!

My intro to DCC was a 2hr one-shot with level 3 premade characters at the GAMA trade show, by Good Games' own people. How much more fun is the game when you get to actually engage with the vast majority of the ruleset? Very. You get to use mighty deeds, you get to cast magic- you get to actually (probably) survive getting knocked out in a fight!

DCC's core rules say (IIRC) if a character gets brought to 0HP, it takes a number of rounds equal to their level to bleed out/die. So level 0, instadeath. A level 1 character has 1 round for their allies to patch them up, level 2 has 2 rounds, etc. And most importantly, when the fight is over and your companions roll you over, you make a luck check to see if you weren't actually slain, you were just knocked unconscious and it turns out you're not dead!

Once your character gets a couple levels under their belt, they're much less likely to die.

Not only that, but the Lankhmar supplement has heroic rules that make characters a bit more sword-and-sorcery tough- it even skips the funnel entirely.

The DCC book heavily suggests that you play through the funnel to start a campaign- and it's probably right, that is a fun way of forming a party, it gives them a shared narrative on why they all came together in the first place. BUT I think it should include some additional advice to pitch the game to new players: run a one-shot with level 2 or 3 characters.
This is literally how Goodman Games showcases their games at tabletop trade shows! Why not suggest it for your player base?!

 

[payn]

Whenever I see peoples' only experience with DCC is having played through a funnel, I know they didn't get a good view of the actual game. Funnel characters are level 0's- they can't do much!

My intro to DCC was a 2hr one-shot with level 3 premade characters at the GAMA trade show, by Good Games' own people. How much more fun is the game when you get to actually engage with the vast majority of the ruleset? Very. You get to use mighty deeds, you get to cast magic- you get to actually (probably) survive getting knocked out in a fight!

DCC's core rules say (IIRC) if a character gets brought to 0HP, it takes a number of rounds equal to their level to bleed out/die. So level 0, instadeath. A level 1 character has 1 round for their allies to patch them up, level 2 has 2 rounds, etc. And most importantly, when the fight is over and your companions roll you over, you make a luck check to see if you weren't actually slain, you were just knocked unconscious and it turns out you're not dead!

Once your character gets a couple levels under their belt, they're much less likely to die.

Not only that, but the Lankhmar supplement has heroic rules that make characters a bit more sword-and-sorcery tough- it even skips the funnel entirely.

The DCC book heavily suggests that you play through the funnel to start a campaign- and it's probably right, that is a fun way of forming a party, it gives them a shared narrative on why they all came together in the first place. BUT I think it should include some additional advice to pitch the game to new players: run a one-shot with level 2 or 3 characters.
This is literally how Goodman Games showcases their games at tabletop trade shows! Why not suggest it for your player base?!

I completely agree. I played probably half a dozen one-shots before I was ever run through a funnel. While I enjoy the funnel, I dont think its necessary at all.

 

[Argyle King]

What are people's experiences with DCC once you have gotten past the funnel and into actual levels and character classes?

Is it just slightly more competent characters but still lots of random death and replacement characters or does it get to be more like mid level older D&D where you can reasonably choose to go into combat and be a bit of a pulp hero who will generally survive and continue?

I know the Goodman DCC modules are still generally gonzo 70s fantasy flavor across the level spectrum, but how is the tone of the gameplay beyond level 0?

Something that I feel DCC offers that is missing from contemporary D&D is the "adventure for it" mindset that informs a lot of the design. It's tough to describe things like feel or tone, but it's there.

In D&D, if I wanted my wizard to be smarter or gain spells; the way to do that would most often be by gaining feats, levels, or magic items. In DCC, I am encouraged to "adventure for it." Seek out a lost scroll or artifact or maybe training from an old wizard (or any number of other things) from engaging with the game world and working with the DM to figure out how to achieve what I want to achieve.

I would also say that DCC offers a lot of risk-vs-reward choices. I can spellburn (burn attribute points) to increase my chances of success. As the player I can choose or not choose to sacrifice during a big moment -much like a movie or book character would try to push beyond their normal limits during an especially dramatic moment.

There is certainly a lot of gonzo fantasy available for DCC, but that tone can be altered through choice of adventures and 3rd Party Products. DCC leaves enough blank (or minimalist) areas of the rules that you can skewed the system toward certain things without breaking the underlying idea of the game. Even with just the current Whiterock campaign, you can see a variety of different approaches among the 14 different Backerkit projects.

To me, playing DCC feels like a lot of the 80s-90s fantasy movies (i.e. Beastmaster, Dragonslayer, etc) and novels that I grew up with. I mixed in a few bits and pieces from other things that I liked (such as some of how deities and spirits function in Kingdoms of Africa -and from Divinities & Cults; sword & sorcery vibes from zines; and the occasional weird thing from MCC). I'm still fine tuning things for my group.

Kingdoms of Africa – Print + PDF - Goodman Games Store https://share.google/dOOX10A83EraBy7sq

Divinities and Cults (DCC RPG) - OSRDAN Games | DriveThruRPG https://share.google/Z6EWt1XjOFAQvAdVL

Edit: some of the links weren't working

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

What are people's experiences with DCC once you have gotten past the funnel and into actual levels and character classes?

Is it just slightly more competent characters but still lots of random death and replacement characters or does it get to be more like mid level older D&D where you can reasonably choose to go into combat and be a bit of a pulp hero who will generally survive and continue?

I know the Goodman DCC modules are still generally gonzo 70s fantasy flavor across the level spectrum, but how is the tone of the gameplay beyond level 0?

Each judge probably runs differently, but in my experience most of the deadliness comes in at the Funnel. Which serves to set the tone, that you need to be cautious and play smart. I've had plenty of close calls in games I've run and con games I've played in, but I think I only had three characters die outside of a Funnel in close to a decade of playing it.

 

[Voadam]

Something that I feel DCC offers that is missing from contemporary D&D is the "adventure for it" mindset that informs a lot of the design. It's tough to describe things like feel or tone, but it's there.

In D&D, if I wanted my wizard to be smarter or gain spells; the way to do that would most often be by gaining feats, levels, or magic items. In DCC, I am encouraged to "adventure for it." Seek out a lost scroll or artifact or maybe training from an old wizard (or any number of other things) from engaging with the game world and working with the DM to figure out how to achieve what I want to achieve.

I would also say that DCC offers a lot of risk-vs-reward choices. I can spellburn (burn attribute points) to increase my chances of success. As the player I can choose or not choose to sacrifice during a big moment -much like a movie or book character would try to push beyond their normal limits during an especially dramatic moment.

There is certainly a lot of gonzo fantasy available for DCC, but that tone can be altered through choice of adventures and 3rd Party Products. DCC leaves enough blank (or minimalist) areas of the rules that you can skewed the system toward certain things without breaking the underlying idea of the game. Even with just the current Whiterock campaign, you can see a variety of different approaches among the 14 different Backerkit projects.

To me, playing DCC feels like a lot of the 80s-90s fantasy movies (i.e. Beastmaster, Dragonslayer, etc) and novels that I grew up with. I mixed in a few bits and pieces from other things that I liked (such as some of how deities and spirits function in Kingdoms of Africa -and from Divinities & Cults; sword & sorcery vibes from zines; and the occasional weird thing from MCC). I'm still fine tuning things for my group.

Kingdoms of Africa – Print + PDF - Goodman Games Store https://share.google/dOOX10A83EraBy7sq

Divinities and Cults (DCC RPG) - OSRDAN Games | DriveThruRPG https://share.google/Z6EWt1XjOFAQvAdVL

Edit: some of the links weren't working

Is such an "adventure for it ethos" stated or supported at all in the main book (which I have not read through)? My experience of tone is more from the modules and sourcebooks, both Goodman and 3rd party things like the Divinities and Cults ones you mention and even things like the Pax Lexque setting stuff, MCC stuff, and even the Weird Frontiers stuff. Adventure for it seems to be something that is for a more PC action driven game in a sandbox or improv reacting to PC prompts style of DMing while modules are fairly oriented to the DM giving the PCs a specific quest or situation with pre-defined loot not tailored to PCs for them to quest after specifically.

The adventure to get stuff motto is something I have heard about D&D throughout its existence since I started with 1e, but I have really found the adventure to get unknown loot to be the common style over adventure to get specific stuff the PC wants. If you want to get specific stuff crafting or buying seems to have been the more default systems all the way back to 1e with its existing but tough guideline rules for high level PC crafting and xp sale value for magic items in the DMG and some potions being for sale in the small low level town of Nulb in the Temple of Elemental Evil. 3e was sort of the height of get lots of what you want with fully done out ready to go rules for PC crafting and market buying where I saw the most crafting and purchasing. There it was more adventure to get enough money to craft or buy what you want.

 

[Argyle King]

Is such an "adventure for it ethos" stated or supported at all in the main book (which I have not read through)? My experience of tone is more from the modules and sourcebooks, both Goodman and 3rd party things like the Divinities and Cults ones you mention and even things like the Pax Lexque setting stuff, MCC stuff, and even the Weird Frontiers stuff. Adventure for it seems to be something that is for a more PC action driven game in a sandbox or improv reacting to PC prompts style of DMing while modules are fairly oriented to the DM giving the PCs a specific quest or situation with pre-defined loot not tailored to PCs for them to quest after specifically.

The adventure to get stuff motto is something I have heard about D&D throughout its existence since I started with 1e, but I have really found the adventure to get unknown loot to be the common style over adventure to get specific stuff the PC wants. If you want to get specific stuff crafting or buying seems to have been the more default systems all the way back to 1e with its existing but tough guideline rules for high level PC crafting and xp sale value for magic items in the DMG and some potions being for sale in the small low level town of Nulb in the Temple of Elemental Evil. 3e was sort of the height of get lots of what you want with fully done out ready to go rules for PC crafting and market buying where I saw the most crafting and purchasing. There it was more adventure to get enough money to craft or buy what you want.

Away from books at the moment, but I believe that ethos is specifically stated in the core book.

I'll check later on and get back to you with a page number.

 

[Argyle King]

Is such an "adventure for it ethos" stated or supported at all in the main book (which I have not read through)? ...

In the Core DCC book, there are two pages in particular that I believe to be relevant.

-Page 306-
"Questing for the impossible...
...modern roleplaying games contain a surfeit of rules defining spells, rituals, feats...
...raising the dead, improving an ability score, gaining weapon skill, receiving a divine boon are acts of dice-rolling and nothing more. DCC RPG argues against this approach, and instead makes one simple request of both player and judge: follow the examples set by mythology and fiction...
...resolve such acts with a quest!"

There are some example ideas given on the same page.

-Page 451-
"The Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game plays like a 1974 game. The rules set deliberately omits many modern concepts...
...that said, some judges do wish to expand the game to suit their own style...
...feats, skill points, prestige classes...
...these spaces are 'blank' within the rules so the judge can easily add in those parts they feel are necessary...
...think of it as a map with many undefined places...
... you as the judge should fill in those regions of the map that most benefit your style of play."