OGL Horror?

[HeapThaumaturgist]

I didn't see a review for it. I'm a pretty big horror gamer, so I'd like to pick it up. Unfortunately, I'm a grad student and can barely afford food, much less anything else.

As it stands, there's no FLGS ... no LGS, even. I can't find anything other than Wizards books and some of the other big names at bit chain stores. BarnesAndNoble.com (nice discounts) doesn't carry OGL Horror ... so to get it, I'm looking at like almost 50 bucks after shipping.

Anybody out there have this? Anybody using it? Liking it? Hating it? Is it really really new or something? The FAQ posted here the other day was the first I heard of it, but I'm not surprised, as I'm pretty out of the loop anymore.

--fje

 

[Moulin Rogue]

I didn't see a review for it.

Here's a review from GamingReport.

 

[Krieg]

Anybody out there have this? Anybody using it? Liking it?

Have it. Using it to steal ideas/mechanics from. Like it a lot.

Anything in particular you want to know?

(FWIW the link posted by Moulin Rouge does a thorough job of outlining the contents of the book.)

 

[jaults]

Price Owl says you can get it for a lot cheaper than $50... Price Owl is your friend...

Jason

 

[trancejeremy]

There's a review over at RPG.net, too. And one at Yog-sothoth.com (a Call of Cthulhu site. They seem to have liked it)

I ordered (and paid) for one waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back at the end of december (along with some other stuff). I'm still waiting for it

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

PriceOwl rox!!

Well, honestly, the most useful thing about PriceOwl was that it found the book on BarnesAndNoble.com. Apparently they entered the info wrong. I should have searched under the author's name, as that's all they've got right (and the only thing that let me know this was the same book).

One thing ... how easy is it to steal from? The creatures seem to be pretty standard fare, but have no CR (not that it matters, I don't do XP). What's the FX system based on? Looks like a skill system, from the FAQ.

For those that have it ... have you played CoC d20? (or CoC period) How does the sanity system compare? It seems to be based on new saving throws and have a storyteller element involved. In playing, does this seem more entertaining? Less entertaining? Worth tacking on to, say ... a Dark*Matter game?

--fje

 

[jaerdaph]

One thing ... how easy is it to steal from? The creatures seem to be pretty standard fare, but have no CR (not that it matters, I don't do XP). What's the FX system based on? Looks like a skill system, from the FAQ.

I'd say it's very easy to steal from since it's built off the Modern SRD. The new rules for Ties, Horror checks and Shock Points, Organizations and various FX abilities could be used with minimal to no tweaking.

For those that have it ... have you played CoC d20? (or CoC period) How does the sanity system compare? It seems to be based on new saving throws and have a storyteller element involved. In playing, does this seem more entertaining? Less entertaining? Worth tacking on to, say ... a Dark*Matter game?

While the Horror checks and Shock points system was definitely influenced a little by the Sanity system from CoC, it's more like Fear, Horror and Madness saves from Ravenloft. There are also new feats in OGL Horror that relate to Horror checks. It would definitely make a good add on to a Dark*Matter game.

At some point, I need to post the notes I took on porting some of the new rules from OGL Horror back into d20 Modern. Maybe I'll get some time this weekend.

More about OGL Horror in this old thread: http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=73655

 

[jaerdaph]

What's the FX system based on? Looks like a skill system, from the FAQ.

For the most part, it's feat based.

Spellcasting - The Spellcasting feat allows you to know and cast a very small handful of spells (equal to your Int, Wis or Cha modifier depending on the ability you use to buy the feat), Knowledge (Occult) checks are used to cast them, and the outcome is based on the result of that roll. There are penalties whenever you cast a spell - usually ability damage. Spellcasting is very limited - you can only know a small handful of spells. The Spell Mastery feat allows you to learn three more spells. There is also a system to use spells from other traditional d20 sources which don't have the variable effects based on the result of a roll as the spells in OGL Horror do.

Psychic abilities - Again, each ability is a feat. You need the Sensitive feat to buy other psychic feats. Concentration is the skill used with psychic abilities, and the result of that roll determines the outcome. Failures can result in backfire, which usually means ability score damage.

Faith also uses feats to access certain abilities, and you need to set a stake - a personal sacrifice - to use them.

Rituals are another ruleset which are group castings with more powerful and dramatic effects than spells, but it is easier for anyone to be able to cast them. There is a primary caster and any number of secondary casters. They usually drain or damage abilities of those participating in the casting.

 

[Razuur]

I love OGL Horror. It is a perfect Generic toolkit that has inspired me to run Horror type games taht are different from my usual horror type games. You can run entire campaigns (of which Dark Matter would be perfect) or one shots with ease.

There is a lot in there - a lot of really great stuff. It has refined classes for fitting the Horror Genre, with level one characters that start off at an equivalent of 3rd level and can progress a further 10 levels.

The equipment sections are neat because they include a lot of your non-standard makeshift weapons that you might see in horror games - so that is really fun.

It has a chapter on Shock, Horror, and Madness which is well done.

It introduces this neat concept called "Ties" which is something that every character has. Ties are things that they care about, and they can be of different strengths. Ties evoke roleplaying, because they force charactes to care about something, but they also grant small bonuses when trying to protect or fight for their ties.

The organization rules, are neat. Giving rules for interacting with organizations such as how to get information or support for them. It also lists organizations and gives them stat blocks. This would work real well with Dark*Matter.

There are some real neat Faith, Ritual and spellcasting ideas. Faith now resides in the pervue of feats, and thus things like turning and blessings are not tied to a class (like they are in DnD's cleric).

And best of all there is a great chapter on GMing horror which i found very valuable despite several years of horror RPing. I think GM advice is often overlooked, and this is good stuff.

Unlike the other OGl books, there is a mini-setting at the back too which couls help some people get off the ground.

There is a FAQ on the Mongoose site with Errata and some more monsters!

I got the product at FRP games for 27 bucks thereabouts, plus shipping - FYI.

Well worth the full price, though. I have ported several ideas into non horror D20 endeavors of mine. It is real easy to steal stuff from.

I hope this helps!

Razuur