Kaptain_Kantrip
First Post
Okay, I spent most of the past twenty gaming years as a D&D player. I had an excellent DM, so why not? But my DM recently became too busy with work and family to properly do the job anymore, and said I would have to take over indefinitely or we would have to quit gaming for the near future. ACK! Horrors! 
So I decided to experiment with a D&D 3e/Call of Cthulhu d20 hybrid house rules set meant to be used with the Harn setting (available from Columbia Games at http://www.columbiagames.com ), which I had recently purchased as an alternative to Greyhawk, FR, and our own home brew world (I was seeking a lower fantasy, more realistic experience). Harn meshed well with Cthulhu. Harn had like a million free online fan pages that filled in even more detail than the already incredibly detailed published materials. Suddenly, I had so much great detail I could concentrate on my plot instead of developing background (setting) details! I had a great grasp of the various local NPCs, conflicts, histories and customs... daily life was no sweat to create. Suddenly, I had absolute freedom not to worry about creating a believable setting (since it was already done!) and with that, my ability to plot vastly improved.
I built upon 100 Bushels of Rye (a great introductory Harn adventure from Columbia Games) and the free online Loban village NPC details, mixing in an old witch cult, ancient ruins and hidden Cthuloid horrors. It fit perfectly. I swapped out the Nolah (Harnic troll, very different from D&D trolls) for Cthulhu's Spectral Hunter (invisible insane monster). I built in bloodlines for the PCs and certain NPCs from the cult, worked in strange dreams and stranger events, created a real feeling of doomed destiny to join and rebuild the cult (of course they had free will to avoid this fate, but you know those easily corruptible PCs, LOL).
We switched over to HarnMaster Core rules (also available from Columbia Games) after the first three sessions, and after some initial rules confusion, HM (HarnMaster) really enhanced the campaign even further. Things become even more deadly! With no levels or XP to gain, the PCs knew when to run and when to fight. HM thus enhanced the already grim and gritty setting, making it even more terrifyingly real, where every wrong decision could lead to death or worse! We love the graphic, detailed combat and injury tables. Healing is much more realistic (and uncertain). Magic and psionics are much more unstable and unpredictable. After four sessions, we finally figured out almost all the HM rules/house rules we want to use, but we haven't wanted to learn a non-D&D/d20 system since 1988, so this is a major "breakthrough" for our group. We are having the most fun we've had in twenty years of gaming now that we've switched! YMMV, of course, but it's working out well for us.
Anyway, HarnMaster allows me as GM to not worry so much about rules as about the results the players and I want to achieve. For example: Want to use your psionic power? How do you summon it up and what do you try to direct it to do? I allow for different effects (within reason) for the same talent. Take Charm: You can "freeze" targets in place as per HM, or you can seek to influence, rather than overwhelm, your target's mind, by gainig a bonus (how much depends on your success level) to Communication skills for a limited time. Players have fun trying to figure out new ways to use their abilities, skills, etc., because nothing is truly set in stone. HM encourages creative problem solving rather than rules lawyering, which allows EVERYONE to concentrate on fun ways to advance the story without knowing exactly what might happen... it could be good, it could be bad, or indifferent, but they are really using their imaginations with HM, and talking more in battle, talking to more NPCs and each other out of battle, and just really enjoying themselves and getting into character. They consider their actions far more carefully in the Harn setting, where every action may be watched and punished. They fear the law, authority figures, their fellow citizens (no matter how harmless) and even think twice about just going out for a walk in the woods for fear of bandits, barbarians or worse...
I like high fantasy, low fantasy, mid fantasy, any kind of fantasy, and I'm not ditching my d20 or D&D collection, LOL, but I am sticking with Harn and HarnMaster rules for the forseeable future. I've had the "low fantasy" itch for awhile now and Harn is letting me scratch it to my heart's content!
Harn and HarnMaster have made me a better GM. Thanks to Columbia Games, N. Robin Crossby (Harn and HM creator) and everyone else who contributed over the past decades! Thanks especially to the other internet uber-Harniacs who "filled in the blanks" and helped turn me into (ta-da!) SUPER-GM!
In closing, this thread is not about whether d20 or Harn or any other system or setting is better, but about my own personal experience and preferences (and those of my players), which I hope will be of some interest to you on this forum.
_________
ABOUT HARN (THE SETTING)
Harn (the setting) has been in print since 1983 and is one of the most critically acclaimed and detailed fantasy worlds ever created. Author N. Robin Crossby is a medieval history professor and injected an incredible level of historically accurate detail to his setting. Harn is equivalent to 12th century Britain, but with the inclusion of realistic magic, psionics and monsters. If you are looking for a believable, realistic, gritty "low fantasy" setting, Harn is very hard to beat indeed. There have been four recent HarnMaster/d20 dual stat books put out, including Web of the Widow (adventure), Trobridge Inn (adventure/location sourcebook), Evael: Kingdom of the Elves and Nasty, Brutish and Short: The Orcs of Harn. No Harn product will ever develop the setting past the year 720, meaning the GM is free to run his campaign as he sees fit without worrying about being contradicted by future official products. Harn provides more detail than you'll ever need, freeing you up to work on your plot without sweating the more mundane details. You'll also have an answer for just about any question the PCs could ever conceivably ask, a massive time saver for the GM! Don't think that there is so much detail you aren't free to tinker with or add things of your own, however. The setting is yours and you are free to do with it as you will. Raise or eliminate magic. Raise or elimate monsters. A lot of "personal taste" areas are deliberate left vague so you can easily suit the setting to your group's needs.
Harn is perfectly usable as a setting with GURPS, HERO System, or any other skill-based system. It tends to lose something vital in the transition to level-based, cinematic systems like d20, but it can be done, and many people play Harn d20, especially those new to the setting like I was a few months back. There is a free d20 Harn Guide pdf in the links below.
ABOUT HARNMASTER (THE RULES)
HarnMaster (the rules) were added in 1987, with a second revised edition (HarnMaster Core) released in 1997. HarnMaster is a skills based system that stresses realistic advancement and realistic power levels for characters. There are no Elminsters or Iuz's running about. Any character, no matter how powerful or well-armored or magically protected, can be killed by Joe Peasant and his pitchfork if he's not careful! Combat is intensely realistic, brutally graphic and extremely deadly. You can choose from many different offense or defense options, each with their own strengths and weaknessses! Want to block, parry, dodge, ignore or counterstrike? You can! Healing is realistically slow, even with magical or psionic aid to speed things along.
HarnMaster (and Harn World) are not about playing peasants chasing lost pigs as some people have suggested. It is about realistic heroes facing realistic challenges in a realistic world... Harn and HarnMaster are about realism. If that's your cup of tea or sparks your interest, I hope you'll investigate by following some of the links provided below.
_________
HARN LINKS!
For those of you not familiar with Harn (the rules independent setting) or HarnMaster (the optional rules system for the setting), you should visit these sites to check it out:
Columbia Games (where to buy Harn & HarnMaster in print or pdf)
http://www.columbiagames.com
Swords & Shields (awesome free Harnic downloads, including fully detailed villages, castles and the incredible new 78 page Harnic Encounters pdf, which will give you an idea of why Harnic adventures are very different from your typical D&D ones)
http://www.swordsandshields.org/downloads.htm
Harn Religion Team (see a preview of how much more detailed and realistic Harnic religions are compared to their D&D counterparts!)
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/harn-religion-team/
d20 clerical domains for Harn gods
http://www.jumpspace.net/DnD/World/powers.html
Introduction to Harn (brief 2 page pdf overview)
http://w1.406.telia.com/~u40607850/download4/harn.pdf
Shadow of Bukrai (another great site, which also features a free pdf Harn/d20 Guide and d20 vs. HarnMaster combat examples!)
http://www.nine.addr.com/downloads.htm
Tales from Lynfanna Hundred (village maps and much more)
http://www.minarsas.demon.co.uk/harn/lynnfana/index.htm
Interactive Online Atlas of Harn! Click regions on the map for more information.
http://home.pacific.net.au/~john.carney/rpg/hunterofsleep/atlas.html
So I decided to experiment with a D&D 3e/Call of Cthulhu d20 hybrid house rules set meant to be used with the Harn setting (available from Columbia Games at http://www.columbiagames.com ), which I had recently purchased as an alternative to Greyhawk, FR, and our own home brew world (I was seeking a lower fantasy, more realistic experience). Harn meshed well with Cthulhu. Harn had like a million free online fan pages that filled in even more detail than the already incredibly detailed published materials. Suddenly, I had so much great detail I could concentrate on my plot instead of developing background (setting) details! I had a great grasp of the various local NPCs, conflicts, histories and customs... daily life was no sweat to create. Suddenly, I had absolute freedom not to worry about creating a believable setting (since it was already done!) and with that, my ability to plot vastly improved.
I built upon 100 Bushels of Rye (a great introductory Harn adventure from Columbia Games) and the free online Loban village NPC details, mixing in an old witch cult, ancient ruins and hidden Cthuloid horrors. It fit perfectly. I swapped out the Nolah (Harnic troll, very different from D&D trolls) for Cthulhu's Spectral Hunter (invisible insane monster). I built in bloodlines for the PCs and certain NPCs from the cult, worked in strange dreams and stranger events, created a real feeling of doomed destiny to join and rebuild the cult (of course they had free will to avoid this fate, but you know those easily corruptible PCs, LOL).
We switched over to HarnMaster Core rules (also available from Columbia Games) after the first three sessions, and after some initial rules confusion, HM (HarnMaster) really enhanced the campaign even further. Things become even more deadly! With no levels or XP to gain, the PCs knew when to run and when to fight. HM thus enhanced the already grim and gritty setting, making it even more terrifyingly real, where every wrong decision could lead to death or worse! We love the graphic, detailed combat and injury tables. Healing is much more realistic (and uncertain). Magic and psionics are much more unstable and unpredictable. After four sessions, we finally figured out almost all the HM rules/house rules we want to use, but we haven't wanted to learn a non-D&D/d20 system since 1988, so this is a major "breakthrough" for our group. We are having the most fun we've had in twenty years of gaming now that we've switched! YMMV, of course, but it's working out well for us.
Anyway, HarnMaster allows me as GM to not worry so much about rules as about the results the players and I want to achieve. For example: Want to use your psionic power? How do you summon it up and what do you try to direct it to do? I allow for different effects (within reason) for the same talent. Take Charm: You can "freeze" targets in place as per HM, or you can seek to influence, rather than overwhelm, your target's mind, by gainig a bonus (how much depends on your success level) to Communication skills for a limited time. Players have fun trying to figure out new ways to use their abilities, skills, etc., because nothing is truly set in stone. HM encourages creative problem solving rather than rules lawyering, which allows EVERYONE to concentrate on fun ways to advance the story without knowing exactly what might happen... it could be good, it could be bad, or indifferent, but they are really using their imaginations with HM, and talking more in battle, talking to more NPCs and each other out of battle, and just really enjoying themselves and getting into character. They consider their actions far more carefully in the Harn setting, where every action may be watched and punished. They fear the law, authority figures, their fellow citizens (no matter how harmless) and even think twice about just going out for a walk in the woods for fear of bandits, barbarians or worse...
I like high fantasy, low fantasy, mid fantasy, any kind of fantasy, and I'm not ditching my d20 or D&D collection, LOL, but I am sticking with Harn and HarnMaster rules for the forseeable future. I've had the "low fantasy" itch for awhile now and Harn is letting me scratch it to my heart's content!
Harn and HarnMaster have made me a better GM. Thanks to Columbia Games, N. Robin Crossby (Harn and HM creator) and everyone else who contributed over the past decades! Thanks especially to the other internet uber-Harniacs who "filled in the blanks" and helped turn me into (ta-da!) SUPER-GM!
In closing, this thread is not about whether d20 or Harn or any other system or setting is better, but about my own personal experience and preferences (and those of my players), which I hope will be of some interest to you on this forum.
_________
ABOUT HARN (THE SETTING)
Harn (the setting) has been in print since 1983 and is one of the most critically acclaimed and detailed fantasy worlds ever created. Author N. Robin Crossby is a medieval history professor and injected an incredible level of historically accurate detail to his setting. Harn is equivalent to 12th century Britain, but with the inclusion of realistic magic, psionics and monsters. If you are looking for a believable, realistic, gritty "low fantasy" setting, Harn is very hard to beat indeed. There have been four recent HarnMaster/d20 dual stat books put out, including Web of the Widow (adventure), Trobridge Inn (adventure/location sourcebook), Evael: Kingdom of the Elves and Nasty, Brutish and Short: The Orcs of Harn. No Harn product will ever develop the setting past the year 720, meaning the GM is free to run his campaign as he sees fit without worrying about being contradicted by future official products. Harn provides more detail than you'll ever need, freeing you up to work on your plot without sweating the more mundane details. You'll also have an answer for just about any question the PCs could ever conceivably ask, a massive time saver for the GM! Don't think that there is so much detail you aren't free to tinker with or add things of your own, however. The setting is yours and you are free to do with it as you will. Raise or eliminate magic. Raise or elimate monsters. A lot of "personal taste" areas are deliberate left vague so you can easily suit the setting to your group's needs.
Harn is perfectly usable as a setting with GURPS, HERO System, or any other skill-based system. It tends to lose something vital in the transition to level-based, cinematic systems like d20, but it can be done, and many people play Harn d20, especially those new to the setting like I was a few months back. There is a free d20 Harn Guide pdf in the links below.
ABOUT HARNMASTER (THE RULES)
HarnMaster (the rules) were added in 1987, with a second revised edition (HarnMaster Core) released in 1997. HarnMaster is a skills based system that stresses realistic advancement and realistic power levels for characters. There are no Elminsters or Iuz's running about. Any character, no matter how powerful or well-armored or magically protected, can be killed by Joe Peasant and his pitchfork if he's not careful! Combat is intensely realistic, brutally graphic and extremely deadly. You can choose from many different offense or defense options, each with their own strengths and weaknessses! Want to block, parry, dodge, ignore or counterstrike? You can! Healing is realistically slow, even with magical or psionic aid to speed things along.
HarnMaster (and Harn World) are not about playing peasants chasing lost pigs as some people have suggested. It is about realistic heroes facing realistic challenges in a realistic world... Harn and HarnMaster are about realism. If that's your cup of tea or sparks your interest, I hope you'll investigate by following some of the links provided below.
_________
HARN LINKS!
For those of you not familiar with Harn (the rules independent setting) or HarnMaster (the optional rules system for the setting), you should visit these sites to check it out:
Columbia Games (where to buy Harn & HarnMaster in print or pdf)
http://www.columbiagames.com
Swords & Shields (awesome free Harnic downloads, including fully detailed villages, castles and the incredible new 78 page Harnic Encounters pdf, which will give you an idea of why Harnic adventures are very different from your typical D&D ones)
http://www.swordsandshields.org/downloads.htm
Harn Religion Team (see a preview of how much more detailed and realistic Harnic religions are compared to their D&D counterparts!)
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/harn-religion-team/
d20 clerical domains for Harn gods
http://www.jumpspace.net/DnD/World/powers.html
Introduction to Harn (brief 2 page pdf overview)
http://w1.406.telia.com/~u40607850/download4/harn.pdf
Shadow of Bukrai (another great site, which also features a free pdf Harn/d20 Guide and d20 vs. HarnMaster combat examples!)
http://www.nine.addr.com/downloads.htm
Tales from Lynfanna Hundred (village maps and much more)
http://www.minarsas.demon.co.uk/harn/lynnfana/index.htm
Interactive Online Atlas of Harn! Click regions on the map for more information.
http://home.pacific.net.au/~john.carney/rpg/hunterofsleep/atlas.html
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