Hackmaster

[Voadam]

They are probably going to get rid of a lot of this in the new edition of HM.

I expect so. The Kenzer people have stated the over the top humor issues were a license provision for material that was direct conversion of older materials they were granted as part of their settlement for the unauthorized reprint of their stuff in the Dragon CD. They said that things like their original hackmaster modules (Slaughterhouse Indigo, etc.) were not required to contain such parody gross out humor. As I believe their new system will not be under a license at all I expect it to be closer in tone to their wholly original works. None of their Kalamar gaming stuff I've seen for instance has that style of humor in it.

 

[w_earle_wheeler]

If you like HackMaster, be sure to read the comic/magazine Knights of the Dinner Table.

The one good thing about the big "change" in the upcoming HackMaster edition: I think it will serve to keep the old HackMaster as a separate and desirable entity. I feel that one can use the HM PHB, DMG, Monster & Character splatbooks to run a pretty viable AD&D 2e style of game.

Once I actually played the game, I didn't find it as complex as it seemed. Character creation is the most complex part of it.

 

[Mark Plemmons]

David Kenzer's posting some spoilers about HackMaster BasicHERE at the moment, for those who are interested.

 

[Remathilis]

I can't wait until I run Robinloft! These modules look really fun. I already have two players that are going to play it. Dont get me wrong I own the 4E books, but there was too much of a video game rpg in it for me. I also didn't care for the new races. A nice set of books but just not for me, I'll go back to the older editions.

And ten posts into a thread on HackMaster, we get our first 4e-diss.

Godwin would be proud.

 

[Darkwolf71]

And ten posts into a thread on HackMaster, we get our first 4e-diss.

Godwin would be proud.

So... 4E is the new Nazi's/Hitler? I'd say you just slammed the game much harder than Amp did.

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Hackmaster doesn't do much for me. I find the satire/humor off-putting and distracting, and I'm not a big fan of kickers, critical hits, et cetera. I think the HM rules are more like 2e than 1e (and I prefer 1e). So HM adds elements that I don't like. The elements that I *do* like about Hackmaster are already present in TSR D&D, so I'd rather stick with that.

I did like the City of Brass and Slaughterhouse Indigo better than most of the HM stuff, though.

 

[thedungeondelver]

HACKMASTER gave me, if nothing else, a chart in the GAME MASTERS GUIDE that paralleled the one in the DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE as suggestions for spell costs as cast by NPC clerics, but for magic-users.

So never let it be said that I didn't get some use out of it.

 

[Holy Bovine]

I had a bunch of HM stuff about 4 years ago. Played it a couple of times (and tried to read the cramped tiny font in the GMG) and just felt it was a joke looking for a game. Once the 'funny' wears off and you start trying to play the game it really isn't worth the (monumental) effort.

 

[Betote]

HM is a good game that solves some of the bugs of 1e/2e AD&D (skill system), adds some interesting new features (open die rolls, % for all the abilities) and has some other rules planted there as humor (I think mainly because of the license): (Honor, the alignment chart, PC generation charts...) which you can use or not.

I think of HM as an AD&D 3e, and when I run it I try to avoid those rules that I don't like and use the ones I think are improvements to the game. Truth is, I never really liked AD&D, but I find myself reasonably comfortable with HM. Not as comfortable as with RC or 3.5, but close enough

And the GMG is a must-have for a D&D DM. It's full of useful advice and bits (I use some of the magic items and the random dungeon tables for my RC games, for instance).

 

[Mark Plemmons]

HackMaster Basic (HMb, for those of you that like abbreviations) has gone to press! We plan to get it right before Origins or a little sooner.

I'll try and get some PDF previews up soon.