OSR New Edition of HackMaster!!!

[Xenolith234]

Hey everyone! Sorry for being so late to the train but I'm one of the designers for the new edition and I'd happily answer any questions.

I did!

The Player Character Codex is going to cover everything character creation related, and with more detail than in the PHB 5th edition for example. I think at the moment its going to be coming in 200ish pages?

The Players Guide to Adventuring is going to be the book you want to have on hand at the table. This beautiful BEAST is going to be closer to 400 pages.

How close are we to the GM Shield stretch goal?

 

[Eli.Ninnemann]

Share! I've been following on Discord and backing the Kickstarter but consider myself a novice for running it (it's next in line for my gaming group, who is
traditionally D&D).

Character creation is always a hoot, and I don't think we saw the same character built twice.

The new Hue and Cry rules are going to take a little bit of getting used to, but it also gives a lot more power to high Cha characters, and your high int (mages) are going to be alerted must faster.

Charisma characters shined a bit more both in social situations with the new base social modifier, and being able to do more morale related things in combat.

All of the changes to the combat moves felt seamless, but we also didn't dabble into Fatigue, Mounted Combat, or Unarmed Combat

How close are we to the GM Shield stretch goal?

Not very close, but interest will probably spike when/if we can get a prototype up and running

 

[Bravesteel25]

How close are we to the GM Shield stretch goal?

I've been watching the project. I don't think I have the capability to back it right now, but I saw this in the comments:

 

[Jahydin]

Just started watching, but wanted to drop it here for others that are interested:

Also, great to see and hear from you @Eli.Ninnemann !
Care to give some backstory on how you got into Hackmaster and how/when you got involved with KenzerCo?

 

[Matrix Sorcica]

I really dislike "better than D&D?" monikers. Better than D&D at what?

 

[touc]

It's long but a good podcast, gets into the history behind the "Dung and Dragons" comic strip joke and to the evolution into a pretty solid game system, lots of explanation of why we do what we do and what we've seen that we want to improve upon. True, it's a "clickbait" title. No one is going to click on a "history of Hackmaster design" title.

The closest dig might be when Dave Kenzer dings D&D for "every 10 years or so" getting rid of the old crew, hiring a new one that doesn't know a thing about the prior edition, and slapping "Tenser" or something on spells so it sounds D&D...yet it isn't close to what it was. He wanted to put out something that played like AD&D, original design, and improved things (with more dynamic, faster play), where characters need other classes (each class has a niche that other classes don't invade, so you want healing you need a cleric, you want traps disabled you need a rogue), victories are hard earned (greater risk of death, greater feeling when death is overcome), and the rules are structured around encouraging role play (e.g. morality resolved through Honor system, a reward for playing your character). I got the impression he, like Gary Gygax, wasn't impressed with D&D 3E and its transition to superhero "Christmas tree" (tons of glittery "plus" magic items) characters.

Dave's very adamant "play what you like." He's confidently proposing you'll enjoy HM, though.

If you're on the HM discord, they're doing a live chat soon now that the Kickstarter is over.

 

[Eli.Ninnemann]

I really dislike "better than D&D?" monikers. Better than D&D at what?

In our opinion, everything. HackMaster is the best RPG out there!

Also, great to see and hear from you Eli.Ninnemann !
Care to give some backstory on how you got into Hackmaster and how/when you got involved with KenzerCo?

I got into HackMaster quite on accident. I can't pass up a deal and I saw all three HARDCOVER 5th edition core books on Bartertown for a pittance. So I bought them, and started reading through the books. At the time I was running a bunch of D&D 3.5, and I convinced one of my groups to play it and fell in love.

Loved the sense of humor, the Count Up system, the in-depth character creation with build points and random flaws and the opposed rolls and penetrating dice. I was hooked. Enough so that I emailed Kenzer&Co to figure out what conventions they came to because no one I knew had heard of this game (Seattle area). I was pretty broke so I hitchhiked across the country to GaryCon to meet the designers and play some HackMaster.

Fast forwards to going to Grad School in the MidWest so I could go to more conventions (which btw CONS ARE AWESOME), I converted all my 3.5 games to HackMaster, started running online games and upgrading the Roll20 character sheets. I started running HackMaster at GaryCon, GameHole, GrandCon, GenCon, Origins, wherever I could. Even tried to start an actual play or two (Ud20 on youtube if you want a chuckle at young Eli).

I got an invite to stay at the Kenzer house for GenCon & we started hanging out. Had a chance to meet the late Steve. I helped at the booth, joined the Hack Pack for Gen Con (Ron Gores is amazing and organizes great games for GenCon), and just generally was super passionate about HackMaster.

Which at the end of the day, is what Kenzer & Co is all about. A bunch of gamers that are passionate about making a game they love. So they asked me to join the team.

Now I have more of a platform from which to shout: HACKMASTER IS THE BEST.

 

[touc]

@Eli.Ninnemann Great story, love it! It mirrors where I'm at: got the books, fell in love quickly with the system (helps that I'm an avid KODT reader), and aiming to run my next campaign in HM (with a group that trusts that whatever I run will be cool).

I'm booked for GaryCon 2027, not sure which folks I game with can make it, but hoping to see some Hackmaster events there!

 

[Eli.Ninnemann]

@Eli.Ninnemann Great story, love it! It mirrors where I'm at: got the books, fell in love quickly with the system (helps that I'm an avid KODT reader), and aiming to run my next campaign in HM (with a group that trusts that whatever I run will be cool).

I'm booked for GaryCon 2027, not sure which folks I game with can make it, but hoping to see some Hackmaster events there!

There will be games there! I know I'm running a few

 

[Jahydin]

@Eli.Ninnemann
Sorry, was away for a few weeks. Awesome story, thanks for sharing!

Hackmaster 4th came out right when I started college. My group and I were heavily into 3e D&D, so was a bit perplexed flipping through it at my FLGS because I couldn't imagine why any would want to play a game like D&D, but not D&D. Every time I went back to the store though, I found myself wondering back to it though; I was slowly falling in love with all the charts, crazy rules, and of course, the art.

Anyways, long story short, huge fan. Just about everything KenzerCo has put out is displayed prominently on my game shelf. Just confirmed payment for my copy of 25th and can't wait to tear into the PDFs when available.