Review of Castles & Crusades

[jfiz]

but....

How does choosing dex as a prime help with ranged weapon attacks?

How does choosing con as a prime help with hit points or AC?

The prime system only helps with checks and saves, not combat.

Bolie IV

Ok but you're assuming that combat considerations are the only ways to differentiate these two archetypes. In my opinion, thats simply not true; things that each of these characters will encounter aside from combat can also reveal differences.

The checks and saves you mention....the fighter with con selected at prime will be hardier/better at resisting disease, poisons, certain spells, etc. by way of con saves, and he'll be able to hold his booze better to boot.

The dexy/ranged fighter on the other hand, with dex as prime, will be better at avoiding area effects, performing feats of balance/delicacy etc. and so that will also help to reveal the differences in the two archetypes.

AGain this is just all IMHO, but I think if you rely only on combat to define and differentiate characters, you're arbitrarily limiting the overall degree of differentiation; combat is fairly static in that there are only so many options *mechanically* and I think you need to include other factors outside of combat to get a complete picutre of any character/archetype.

//jfiz

 

[bolie]

So... the prime stats give some differences between the tough melee fighter and the swashbuckler and/or ranged fighter. One can survive poison while the other can survive area spells. This is true in 3e only you also have the possiblity of adding feats and skills to further differentiate. You can even have different types of "tanks" and different types of "swashbucklers".

Again, this is deliberate from what I've read, by Troll Lord.

A couple of other points:

There are 13 classes:

Cleric - like Cleric in 3e, but with no domains.
Druid - like Druid in 3e.
Wizard - like Wizard in 3e.
Illusionist - like Wizard specializing in Illusions in 3e.
Fighter - like Fighter in 3e, but much less flexible (loses lots of feats).
Paladin - like Paladin in 3e.
Ranger - like Ranger in 3e.
Rogue - like Rogue in 3e.
Assassin - like Rogue with feats or Assassin PrC.
Knight - like fighter with mounted combat feats.
Monk - like Monk in 3e.
Barbarian - like Barbarian in 3e.
Bard - like Bard in 3e.

They do provide some of the things that classes with feats provide in 3e, but out of all the possible combinations, the above 13 are only a small portion of what you can do in 3e with skills, feats, and PrCs.

And while I'm playing in Mythmere's campaign and having fun, we are all frustrated by the slow pace of advancement. Admittedly, we started out at high level, but the XP rewards are insignificant compared to how many XP we need to make level, especially the Paladin.

I would love to see consistent and faster XP advancement across the classes. Actually, faster would be nicer than consistent.

Bolie IV

 

[DeadlyUematsu]

Then double or triple the XP awards.

 

[Mythmere1]

Then double or triple the XP awards.

He's just grumbling.

 

[bolie]

Mythmere did double the monster xp awards and has been handing out role-playing awards of 1000 xp for any in-character playing we do. We figure that the 20-30 sessions needed for the Paladin to make level will only be 15 or so with sufficient role-playing awards.

I don't remember old D&D taking so long to level up.

I actually received my copy of the C&C PH, so I'm going to be reading it tonight. So far we've been sharing Mythmere's copy and a second copy that arrived before last session.

And just for the record, in spite of my grumbling, we're having fun.

Bolie IV

 

[Von Ether]

Then double or triple the XP awards.

Funny enough, I said the oppposite (1/3 or 1/2) when old edition lovers say 3.0 level advancement is too fast. Which in turn is what people told me when I used to grumble about the level system mechanic when I was anti-DnD. (The old "Why aren't there thousands of 20th level soliders running around after a good war.)

On thing you can say about CnC, it promotes discussions about DnD that go full circle.

 

[MonsterMash]

Link to RPG.net review

rpg.net review by Akrasia, who I'm surprised hasn't commented in this thread yet.

 

[Akrasia]

Yeah its a pretty good review IIRC.

"Pretty good?!"

Huh?

The review is brilliant. There can be no doubt that the author is a genius.

 

[cleaverthepit]

I almost busted a gut bolie

20-30 sessions for 15th

If you play once a week that's what 6 months

Not that I am saying anything but, it took me almost 8 years to get one 10th level character and you can't believe how happy I was about that

Now I hope advancement is not that slow but what the hey, once you get to that level you sure do feel happy and, I might ad, a little paranoid.

We have been running a regular non-playtest session now. Its only 4 sessions old enough xps have been awarded to bounce a few people to 2nd level. No grumbling yet but I imagine it will come shortly. Also, the games have been heavy on the role play (I actually had a character get a public whipping for sassing a baron - he is lucky I was in a good mood or would have had the character executed!

Anyway, variable xp and advancement systems will be presented in the CKG and relate to campaign style -- from gritty to heroic, munchkin to more subdued and mixed.

Players. We'll never change.

DMs,CKs, GMs. We'll never change.

davis

 

[MonsterMash]

"Pretty good?!"

Huh?

The review is brilliant. There can be no doubt that the author is a genius.

And modest too.