Hackmaster: Is It Worth It?

[The Green Man]

Recently, I've purchased the 1E Players' Handbook, Dungeon Masters' Guide, and Monster Manual, with copies of Monster Manual II and Fiend Folio on the way. While I purchased these as collectors' items, my gaming group has also expressed interest in running the GDQ modules. Here's my question.

Knowing about the issues some people have with 1E, and not wanting to make this into an argument of the relative merits of 1E vs. 3E, my question concerns Hackmaster. Is it worth it to pick up these books in effort to get a more "runnable" game? Or would 1E work just fine? (Not counting on the fact that I don't know whether 1E material would translate exactly into Hackmaster terms.)

For those of you with Hackmaster, how exactly is it different than 1E? What does it add, delete, or do differently?

 

[mattcolville]

Do you like KODT?

Read KoDT. If you wish D&D had Social Engagement Modifiers to a Ballroom Dancing Chart, or Mentoring rules so you can have Gonad II ready to play when Gonad One dies, then Hackmaster is for you.

If you could never understand why you roll 1d20 to hit, but % dice to make a Find Traps roll, then it's not for you.

 

[rounser]

A DM designing a campaign for Hackmaster needs their tongue very firmly planted in their cheek. Most DMs tend to see their campaign worlds and adventures as very serious undertakings indeed, as if they were thwarted novelists or something - Hackmaster is not the right toolkit to do this sort of thing.

If you can get over this mental hurdle, and can jive with the idea that verisimilitude and game balance isn't always the straightest line towards having a good time with your mates, have a look at it.

Hackmaster is basically 1E (and a fair bit of 2E) with buckets of "cool fun stuff" tacked on in the form of rules, monsters, spells and (importantly) attitude. Character creation takes a lot longer, but the results are funky enough to be worth it. The array of goodies in the GMG and Hacklopedias is staggering.

I think that running GDQ straight with the Hackmaster rules would kind of miss the point - you'd want to inject HM monsters in there at least, and possibly overhaul the adventure somewhat in other ways to make it fit the theme of the game.

Another consideration: Drow are wusses who hide underground in HM - Grunge Elves are their evil counterparts on the surface who kick ass and take names, and consider the drow to be a bunch of cowards. I doubt GDQ would be affected much by this (they're hiding underground like a bunch of cowards in that, too) but you can see how this detail would alter the attitude of the PCs to that adventure, and the way you'd play the drow...

 

[ColonelHardisson]

That's a good question. Personally, I love HackMaster. The PHB and GMG are two of the best RPG purchases I've ever made.

While HM is perhaps best played tongue-in-cheek, especially if the players have played 1e, by no means does that mean it can't be used for a campaign as serious as any other D&D campaign.

The main difference, in my view, is in character creation. It's more complex and detailed, with Quirks and Flaws and Building Points. It can help with finding character "hooks," but can also result in some strange PCs - especially if the player loads up on flaws to get more BPs.

I think the best use of HM, especially if you have the 1e books, is as a resource. The d10,000 critical hit and random encounter tables are there just in case you take a hankerin' for such stuff (they're useable, but the crit tables could slow down 1e play).

Overall, I'd recommend the GMG most of all, but the PHB comes in a close second.

 

[rounser]

While HM is perhaps best played tongue-in-cheek, especially if the players have played 1e, by no means does that mean it can't be used for a campaign as serious as any other D&D campaign.

To be more clear:

Col is right, Hackmaster is designed for full-on, long-term, serious campaigns.

What I meant was that some of the amusing or parody-oriented elements of the game would probably jar with someone trying to run a totally serious, non-incidental teh funney not allowed, campaign.

 

[Geoffrey]

Typically, I'd say to buy HackMaster. But if all you want to do is run the G-D-Q modules, then the 1st edition MM, PH, and DMG are your best bet.

Some of the things that HackMaster has that OAD&D doesn't:

1. Easier to have ability scores in the 19-25 range.

2. More PC races, including: grunge elves, gnome titans, gnomelings, half-ogres, and pixie-fairies.

3. More PC classes, including: berserkers, dark knights, knight errants, and battlemages.

4. Magic-users are similar to 2nd edition: illusionists being simply one of many specialist M-Us.

5. Discretionary allocation of thieving skill points (as in 2E)

6. The bard is a regular class (as in 2E).

7. There are extensive social background tables to roll on in making a character.

8. The game includes rules for honor and fame.

9. You can choose quirks and flaws when making your PC.

10. There are many skills, talents, and proficiencies that are selected from when making a PC.

11. Ability scores rise as a character rises in level.

12. There are extensive rules for critical hits, fumbles, and mishaps.

13. There are a lot more monsters, magic items, and spells (including 20 different types of fireballs).

Overall, HackMaster is a more detailed and time-consuming game than is OAD&D. With a group of dedicated players who want a full-scale campaign, HackMaster would probably be the way to go. But with your situation, I'd stick with OAD&D. Then I'd go buy HackMaster and start a group!

 

[adndgamer]

If I were you, I'd go down to my local game shop, and look through Hackmaster. It's basically 1e, but with some add-ons. I guess, that's my only advice. I love it. Good luck!

 

[mzsylver]

Re: Do you like KODT?

If you could never understand why you roll 1d20 to hit, but % dice to make a Find Traps roll, then it's not for you.

*sheds a tear*

one of the things i miss most in 3e is percentile dice. they were thief skills... now all you use percentiles for is stabilization & miss chance.

...getting back to the topic however...

if you want to run a simple, fun 1e campaign - stick with what you bought. Hackmaster ROCKS and i highly recommend picking it up, however it takes a lot of time to make the characters & a lot of extra work.

happy gaming!

 

[Bull]

In a word... Yes.

In two words, Hell yes.

In more than two words, read the colonel's post

Bull