Last night, I ran a game in what has become an ongoing campaign using the RCFG ruleset as it exists to date (by the end of next week, a PDF of everything now available will be released as well, for anyone interested). The party consisted of a 1st-level Barbarian, a 2nd-level rogue, and (for his first game using this ruleset) a 1st-level sorcerer (necromantic spell source).
It took half the session to get the sorcerer completed, partly due to unfamiliarity with the new ruleset, and partly because the player in question was used to 3e and 4e, where initial choices can come back to bite you later. In the end, he was quite pleased with a game which was more player-choice-in-game-driven, and less character-build-driven.
(And while I realize that you can do both with any ruleset, his unsolicited comment was that this aspect of the RCFG ruleset "really helped with role-playing".)
I made use of
The Pod Caverns of the Sinister Shroom (
GROGNARDIA: REVIEW: The Pod-Caverns of the Sinister Shroom), which I picked up here in Toronto at The Hairy Tarantula. It took no more time to prep than was required to read and understand the module. I was able to do all conversions necessary on the fly without pause or difficulty.
The players had a blast. I had a blast. It was, simply put, the best gaming experience I have had, in terms of energy and players thinking about aspects of the game environment as though they were there, since high school. You really can recapture that feeling!
If you are interested in RCFG, or old-school gaming at all, I strongly urge you to dust off your favourite 1e adventures, and pick up some of the newer OSRIC, Basic Fantasy, and Labyrinth Lord materials. Expeditious Retreat's
The Pod Caverns of the Sinister Shroom obviously gets a big thumbs-up from me. They are easy to modify from one system to another, and still offer a heck of a bang for the buck in terms of page count and materials.
Really, last night was the embodiment of all the reasons I enjoy gaming. I hope the best for all En Worlders in their games, and hope that all of our future gaming is at least half as good!
RC