Help Design the new HackMaster

[mhensley]

Kenzer has a poll asking for input on the new version of HackMaster -

What to call non-divine spell casters?

http://www.kenzerco.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37800

 

[Mark Plemmons]

Thanks for the plug, mhensley!

For those of you who are interested, we added several HackMaster forum threads over the last year to solicit player feedback for the next edition. Although some of these are visible only to playtesters or HackMaster Association members, there are some open to the general gaming community as well. Here are three:

What do you want to see in HM 5th Ed?

Stuff you like in HM

5E HackMaster: Ask the Design Team

 

[jdrakeh]

I can definitely think of three things that I would like to see off the top of my head:

1. More editorial oversight. I purchased the Hackmaster PHB when it was first released and entire tables were completely useless due to lack of editorial oversight. While the errors were not numerous, they were very prevalent and had a direct impact on the product's utility.

2. Less labyrinthine rules. While I understand that overt complexity and redundant mechanics are a big part of the satire, there comes a point when they also impede actual play in a very unfunny manner. I think that the game can have humorous satire without sacrificing playability -- I'd like to see more writers working toward that goal.

3. Hardcover books. Hardcover books are generally more durable than softcover books. And I like them.

 

[mhensley]

I can definitely think of three things that I would like to see off the top of my head:

1. More editorial oversight. I purchased the Hackmaster PHB when it was first released and entire tables were completely useless due to lack of editorial oversight. While the errors were not numerous, they were very prevalent and had a direct impact on the product's utility.

2. Less labyrinthine rules. While I understand that overt complexity and redundant mechanics are a big part of the satire, there comes a point when they also impede actual play in a very unfunny manner. I think that the game can have humorous satire without sacrificing playability -- I'd like to see more writers working toward that goal.

3. Hardcover books. Hardcover books are generally more durable than softcover books. And I like them.

I definitely agree with 2 & 3. I'm still trying to figure out the combat system. As for your first point, I think the HM phb has relatively few errors compared to the books produced by almost any other company. It could definitely be laid out better as there's way too much page flipping in character generation.