From the thread "An Interview with Lawrence Whitaker," this was mentioned. I'd love to hear more about it. Don't know as I'd ever use it, but it does sound very, very intriguing.
I mention this because the one drawback I've had with Mythras was getting others to play it. It was such a big drawback that I stopped trying. If others have had that experience, knowing about a "bridging" product might give them a better chance.
Soooo... Tell me about it!
I can answer some of your questions while responding to the next quote.
My group, for instance, wondered why they should play Classic Fantasy when they already play D&D.
Hi, I'm Rodney Leary and the author of Classic Fantasy.
I get the "why should I play Classic Fantasy when I can just play D&D" comment all the time. The simple answer is that if you enjoy D&D, you don't need to play Classic Fantasy, it isn't for you. However, there are many people, myself included, that dislike the D&D game mechanics; escalating hit points, restrictive alignments, block of hit points that have no effect till their gone, etc.
However, these same people may love the tropes; dungeons, fire balls, lightning bolts, paladins, rangers, elves, magic items, and so on.
Classic Fantasy captures the feel of 1st and 2nd edition D&D and wraps it all up in a different package, one where there are levels, called ranks, that don't give you more hit points or let you raise your skills. Instead they simply gauge how powerful you are and determine when you are eligible for new class specific special abilities.
And skills, these are not locked to your level in any way. You can spend experience after any session to raise your skills. And only by getting several skills to a certain benchmark will you be able to go up in level. This happens automatically. Unlike D&D, your level does not determine your skill, your skill determines your level.
Classic Fantasy stays exciting regardless of your level or what your fighting. My group only enjoyed D&D at low levels, where even a lowly kobold could be a challenge. They lost interest when the threat of death was lost. I remember having a brigand ambush the party on the road when they were mid level, leveling a heavy crossbow at the chest of the lead character and demanding their valuables. That character, a fighter, simply told the brigand to go ahead and shoot, knowing that any hit point loss would be meaningless.
This could happen in Classic Fantasy, but if the brigand rolls a successful hit, and the character fails to evade the shot, it could be all over, regardless of the character's level. Because in Classic Fantasy, as well as Mythras, character's have body locations with their own hit points. These hit points determine if the character has taken a minor wound, serious, or major wound, and damage represents real injury, with debilitating effects.You will
typically never get more hit points. That sword that could kill you with one swing as a low level character can still kill you at high level. Still with one swing.
So if you never get more hit points, how do you survive fighting more powerful creatures? By raising your skills to evade and parry. You don't survive because can take more damage than an elephant, you survive because you don't get hit in the first place.
There are of course many more things that make Classic Fantasy a different experience from playing D&D. And if you really enjoy D&D, the "why would I want to play Classic Fantasy when I can just play D&D" comment is moot. You don't need to. But if you love the tropes, but find yourself wanting to try something a little different, while not straying too far from home, then Classic Fantasy could be for you.
Rod
