Hackmaster. Please explain.

[diaglo]

1) yes, there are people who play this game. visit the KenzerCo message boards.

2) mostly, just remakes. however there are some interesting twists. and actual new material. K1 and the City of Brass come to mind right off.

3) i don't even know how much of the stuff i own. but i think i have hacklopedias 1-8 (Ato Z) plus 9 (monster matrix)... also the DDG, GMG, PG, GMscreen (the best one on the market), character sheets,and A1-4, B1,B2,C1,C2,D1-2,G1-3, I2,I6, K1, S1, S2, S4, and T1-4

i'm sure i'm missing some of the titles...

 

[Spell]

Hackmaster has one great flaw: the Hackopedia. It makes it a game for existing AD&D players rather than for drawing in new DMs.

Yep, I see that as a drawback, too.
On the other hand, since HackMaster is so easily compatible with any previous edition of the game (*), you could easily get a handful of old monstrous compendium/ monster manual and use them in your HM game, at a discount price. Even without taking the trouble of locating a print version of those books, you might opt to download the AD&D 2nd monster manual pdf from those on-line shops, paying just 5 dollars.

bye!

(*) compatible as in "uh, I will add the 20 hp kicker to the creature and I will run it as it is" sense, not in the D&D 3rd edition "Man, I'll lose half an hour to convert that friggin' plush golem!" sense.

 

[Menexenus]

1st or 2nd edition

I am like the original poster in this thread: intrigued by Hackmaster but knowing nothing about it. Here's what I still don't understand: is it supposed to be based on 1st or 2nd edition D&D? I've opened the books before, and font and layout of the books definitely evokes 1st edition AD&D. But in this thread, people are saying that you can easily convert 2nd edition monsters for Hackmaster. So is it supposed to be 1st edition or 2nd edition?

 

[shoplifter]

So is it supposed to be 1st edition or 2nd edition?

A little bit of both (fixed up) to be honest. To me, it feels like a revised 1e that uses a point build for skills/feats (by a different name) and whatever else. The skill system is great, as it actually works compared to 2e's NWPs.

I love the books to death, even if I rarely get to play it. It's certainly worth the $30 to pick up the PHB or GMG. Even if you never play, you'll be ROFL while reading them.

 

[EricNoah]

I don't have them around any more, but I am certain that the "legal fine print" on the books indicates that Kenzer actually licensed the AD&D rules from WotC as the building blocks of this game. So some folks have expressed that Hackmaster (minus the silliness) is an alternate-universe AD&D 3rd Edition (what might have been if D&D hadn't been retooled into the D20 System).

I have always found it a bit confusing -- something of a parody, something of a loving homage, part serious attempt at an RPG. It seems to enrage some people and inspire others. Some Hackmaster threads at EN World have gone down in flames!

 

[Darklone]

One point about Hackmaster: People often think it's a parody... while the HM players consider it to be much more serious than "softy D&D pansy gaming". The game itself is humorous, but it's not silly fun.

 

[MerricB]

I am like the original poster in this thread: intrigued by Hackmaster but knowing nothing about it. Here's what I still don't understand: is it supposed to be based on 1st or 2nd edition D&D? I've opened the books before, and font and layout of the books definitely evokes 1st edition AD&D. But in this thread, people are saying that you can easily convert 2nd edition monsters for Hackmaster. So is it supposed to be 1st edition or 2nd edition?

Well, it's 3rd edition (of AD&D!). I think it draws much more on the rules of 2nd edition than 1st edition, because the 2nd edition rules were clearer in many, many areas. What it does do is put back in material that was axed from the 1st edition rules, and have the entire written in a mostly Gygaxian style. There's a bunch of new material, though.

One area I really dislike is the skill system.

Cheers!

 

[Dogbrain]

I own the HM PHB, GMG, and Little Keep on the Borderlands, because I thought some occasional old-school game would be fun. But I haven't played yet, as the complexity of the thing is putting me off. IMO, there are a lot of unnecessarily complicated rules, lots of tables you have to reference all the time (get a GM screen or it'll bog down play too much), and the amount of bookkeeping required of the GM reminds me unfortunately of the accounting classes I had to take for my degree. Plus, the organization of the books isn't too great, with rules in the PHB being incomplete or distorted versions of those in the GMG.

So, you're saying that it is a very faithful rendering of 1st and 2nd edition AD&D.

 

[Thumper3333]

I know nothing about Hackmaster but it intrigues me.

From what I can gather, it's a spoof of 1st Edition AD&D. What I want to know, however, is:

As everyone else has already said, yes, TONS of people play Hackmaster, and the best place to go is the kenzerco.com forums for help, info and more.

Now, what no one has really said is....it's not a "spoof". It uses the actual rules from 1e and 2e and is a 100% fully playable game. It is nearly identical to the game in the comics, that's what it was made to be, BUT the guys at Kenzer wanted it to be a REAL game, and they worked hard.

Yes, the tables and rules can be daunting, but once you learn them, they are second nature. And some rules you can play without, many people do. Find Honor too confusing? Don't use it, no biggie. Think the penetration dice make you roll too much? Fine....don't use them. In fact, my recomendation, especially for the new to RPGs is to run without those rules the first sessions. Get a feel for the game.....once you learn it more, become more comfortable, add those rules in.....it's an easier learning curve.

As for the complaint about rules contradictions between the GMG and PHB......re-read the GMG....ALL of it. It states that this was done on purpose, so that players would not know all the rules and think they can challenge the GM......again, if you don;t like playing in sanctioned games, then just learn the rules from the GMG......

Now....get out there...and GET YOUR HACK ON!!!!!!

 

[Tewligan]

As for the complaint about rules contradictions between the GMG and PHB......re-read the GMG....ALL of it. It states that this was done on purpose, so that players would not know all the rules and think they can challenge the GM......again, if you don;t like playing in sanctioned games, then just learn the rules from the GMG......

Oh, man...that makes me like it even less than I did before. My D&D group plays Hackmaster a couple of times a month, in addition to our 3e game. I played a couple of games, but dropped out because I was so put off by the ridiculous charts and rules for every little thing. But, in addition to that, they have CONTRADICTORY rules and charts between the books, to keep players on their toes? Ugh. It seems like that would make the PHB nearly useless, since you couldn't trust what you read in it. "Okay, here's that rule you were asking about - oh, better check the DMG as well. Y'know, to make sure the PHB isn't just lying about that."