OSR New Edition of HackMaster!!!

[Jahydin]

Yea, that bestiary. Still want it.

Really is a work of art! The eye witness journal entries, sell value and special uses of the various monster parts, size chart, etc.. So cool!

Cost, lack of availability, and low probability of it hitting the table makes it really hard to justify a purchase for sure though. Here's hoping the new version is more accessible.

Oh, and this really is one of the most clever ways of conveying monster info too. I was sad it never caught on for other games...

 

[Jahydin]

I don't think HM qualifies as a D&D Variant since HM 5e.
I'll be following this with interest.

How come? I feel like the DNA is still a match, just evolved a bit. Still more AD&D like than 3x for instance.

 

[Jahydin]

I think the new edition would benefit from framing its crunchy bits as modules that can be added or removed from the game. Obviously as a GM you have "permission" to trim the game in any way you feel, but it helps when the game is designed with that in mind. But that was sort of the biggest hurdle for new players to overcome.

I feel like the original "Basic Edition" should have been more stripped down to ease new players in a bit better. Then the core books could have added in another layer of crunch to bring it closer to Kenzer's "vision". Finally, the really nitty-gritty could be in extra class splat books.

Once you get past how heavy it is, the system inside is beautiful. The Monster Books are such a fun read!

This is so true!

 

[Jahydin]

Mine ended up a casualty of one of my periodic purges. "I am never actually going to play this." Ugh. So dumb.

You have no idea how many times I've said this myself. Currently missing all my Star Wars RPGs I sold off (D6 and Saga releases).

 

[dead]

I hope they simplify it, too, but people with ultra-crunchy RPGs don't tend to do that. (Unless maybe they do a separate "basic set" release but that usually only gets token attention.) And the blurb suggests it is just a rules refinement plus even more options added.

I hope I'm wrong, though, and instead they have been busy simplifying the system from the ground up and making it more accessible - but still retaining the spirit of HackMaster.

Interesting it is not called 6th Edition but the 25th Anniversary Edition (or HM XXV). Maybe it's more like a 5.5 Edition update.

 

[Matrix Sorcica]

How come? I feel like the DNA is still a match, just evolved a bit. Still more AD&D like than 3x for instance.

opposed rolls in combat, other dice than d20 used for combt rolls, second counting up in battle, from the top of my head. But anyone's mileage might vary, so no biggie.