The upcoming Scalemail RPG, a d20 OSR game, was developed and written by Mike Larrimore whose previous works include Destined, Deneb Adventure 1: The Lost Duke, and more. It will be coming to Kickstarter in the upcoming months, and Mike was kind enough to talk with us again about his work. A Scalemail Quickstart Guide is out now and the Scalemail prelaunch Kickstarter page is open.
Charles Dunwoody (CD): Thanks for talking with us again, Mike. Scalemail is not a retroclone but instead has unique attributes, a variety of ancestries for PCs to play, and more. How did you come up with combining a die-based attribute with a d20 roll? Did this evolve during playtesting or was this resolution mechanic always the core?
Mike Larrimore (ML): The influence for it came from a few different places. First and foremost, I was a big fan of a game called Alternity, which was one of the last gasps of TSR before they were acquired by Wizards of the Coast. It used a similar mechanic and we found it quite fun during our sci-fi adventures using that system. Earthdawn also used the same style of mechanic, and one of the many permutations of what became Fifth Edition D&D got rid of static modifiers and used dice. I was rooting for that one because I found it to be a lot of fun. So, I started with the mechanic at the beginning of Scalemail, and during playtesting I found people always fought against me changing it when I attempted other die resolution options. It’s a bit more of a gamble, which people seemed to enjoy, and I designed it so even when things aren’t in your favor and you are subtracting a die from your d20, you always have a chance to succeed.
CD: Players can play an anthropomorphic fox ancestry, a Wilder infected with civilization. What inspired including this ancestry and what role do Wilders play in a world using the Scalemail rules?
ML: The Wilder were another early addition. A lot of games have anthropomorphic animal character options, but they are often limited to a specific type, such as catfolk or frog folk. With the Wilder, you can make nearly any animal you choose. All of the ancestries in the game can be customized by players by choosing traits, so no two elves or dwarves are the same. Wilder have the most options, letting you build anything from a walking, talking cod to a haughty goose person. One of my favorite characters from the playtest was a slow-talking duelist known only as the Slothbuckler. The Wilder themselves are a mystery. Their creation is spontaneous and seems to be a result of the spread of civilization. When an animal gets too curious about the other folk of the world, sometimes they change into a bipedal version of the base creature and their head is filling with deep thoughts and new words. Its somethings players can explore and flesh out if they choose. Players can also create undead characters using something I call Remnants, which are skeletons that retain a fragment of their former souls and selves. Like Wilder, their origins remain mysterious.
CD: Before we get to GM support, I have to ask. With all the current d20 fantasy options, what inspired you to create an OSR style RPG updated with modern twists? What made Scalemail so exciting for you that you just had to bring it to life?
ML: I can’t speak for other OSR creators, but I think a lot of us want to recapture something we feel is missing from some of the mainstream options. I love D&D and have been playing different versions of it for 40 years now, but when you play a game that long it loses a bit of the wonder and freshness. I wanted to try my hand at making a game that I would want to play to recapture a bit of that wonder, and I am hopeful other people will find something in Scalemail they enjoy. I wanted to keep the rules simple and streamlined so it’s easy to teach to new players and younger gamers, but also keep some depth and options for experienced players. I wanted character creation to remain level based, but also add freeform elements so you can craft your ideal adventurer as you advance. And most of all I wanted it to play fast and fluid so you have more time to tell stories and less time stuck looking up rules.
CD: For GMs used to running D&D or Pathfinder, what would you say to encourage them to run a campaign using Scalemail?
ML: I think for a lot of us gaming time is limited. Even when I was younger it was hard getting everyone’s schedules to line up, and to find a few precious hours to sit around a table with your friends and go on adventures. As much as I like D&D, when you only have three to four hours to play a combat that takes an hour or more eats up a large chunk of that precious time. So, as I mentioned above, I wanted Scalemail to play fast. Combat is quick and dangerous, with low life point values. Players make all the rolls, so they need to stay engaged in the game, and the GM, called the Narrator, can focus more on telling the story and breathing life into the world. Enemies are easy to manage and give the Narrator options to put some variety into encounters. But the foundations of Scalemail are familiar enough that anyone who knows D&D or Pathfinder will pick up the rules quickly, and it’s easy to convert adventurers and campaigns through these common foundations.
CD: Is Scalemail an homage to the original Chainmail? If yes, in what way did any rules or the spirit of that first ruleset transfer over to Scalemail?
ML: The name is definitely inspired by the original Chainmail and meant to honor it. I also chose that name because it is my first attempt at my own game, and it made me think back to the pioneers who put us all on this path. The name is also a reference to a few systems in the rules, such as the variable dice that modify the d20 rolls are part of what’s called the “Mod Scale.” Also, the attributes that define what dice are rolled with the d20 have the acronym SCALE: Strength, Charm, Agility, Logic, and Ego.
CD: How do you envision a GM using Scalemail, and what type of fantasy world do you see a GM creating?
ML: As I mentioned before, only the players roll dice so the Narrator’s job is to guide the story and run any NPCs and enemies they encounter. The GM for any game system has to wear a lot of hats, and I wanted to make it as simple as possible for them so they can focus on the details and making the game entertaining for their players. The full rulebook will have everything they need to play the game, from rules for environmental dangers, downtime outside of adventures, traps and treasures, and an extensive bestiary to bring a variety of challenges to bear. I prefer a game where you have everything you need in a single volume, and that is what the final book will have. As for a setting, the main book will include a sample world known as Motus. It is a place that was crafted from the deep emotions of divine beings known as the Patrons, but recently a perpetual fog known as the Murk has been enveloping the lands to the south. Anyone caught within is afflicted with a deep malaise that saps their hope, and the Murk creates foul creatures known as Murkborne that help spread its plague of despair. While setting details can be found throughout the book, the core game is designed that it can be easily adapted for any fantasy setting. Scalemail leans more towards exploration and heroic tales, but there are optional rules that allow you to tailor the game to your story needs.
CD: For a first-time GM, where do you suggest they start getting ready to run Scalemail and what advice and tools does your RPG provide to keep a campaign running smoothly?
ML: We are fortunate to live in a time where there is a wealth of information on how to start and run a good RPG campaign, and I am a big advocate of watching videos and reading books that focus on GM advice, even if you are experienced. Every game I figure out something new or my players manage to surprise me, and that is a big part of the fun. The book has a section of advice and tips for Narrators, cobbled together from my own experiences over the years. Some of it is more generalized, such as ways to resolve conflicts, how to use the rules and when to ignore them, and developing a story made up of main quests and side quests. All of these tips can help new Narrators who are starting their first games with Scalemail. There are also guidelines on advancing the characters, doling out treasure, and running enemies in combat.
CD: Thanks for talking with EN World again, Mike. Any final thoughts about RPGs you’d like to share?
ML: I am happy we live in a renaissance era of the hobby. So many great creators out there bringing their own takes to gaming, innovating, and giving us more tools to tell out stories. I am a big supporter of indie games and small studios, and have been lucky to have the opportunities to add to some of their games. Scalemail is my addition to the hobby, and I hope helps people gather together and tell a story together. Thank you for the opportunity to talk about it and I hope people check it out!
Mike Larrimore (ML): The influence for it came from a few different places. First and foremost, I was a big fan of a game called Alternity, which was one of the last gasps of TSR before they were acquired by Wizards of the Coast. It used a similar mechanic and we found it quite fun during our sci-fi adventures using that system. Earthdawn also used the same style of mechanic, and one of the many permutations of what became Fifth Edition D&D got rid of static modifiers and used dice. I was rooting for that one because I found it to be a lot of fun. So, I started with the mechanic at the beginning of Scalemail, and during playtesting I found people always fought against me changing it when I attempted other die resolution options. It’s a bit more of a gamble, which people seemed to enjoy, and I designed it so even when things aren’t in your favor and you are subtracting a die from your d20, you always have a chance to succeed.
CD: Players can play an anthropomorphic fox ancestry, a Wilder infected with civilization. What inspired including this ancestry and what role do Wilders play in a world using the Scalemail rules?
ML: The Wilder were another early addition. A lot of games have anthropomorphic animal character options, but they are often limited to a specific type, such as catfolk or frog folk. With the Wilder, you can make nearly any animal you choose. All of the ancestries in the game can be customized by players by choosing traits, so no two elves or dwarves are the same. Wilder have the most options, letting you build anything from a walking, talking cod to a haughty goose person. One of my favorite characters from the playtest was a slow-talking duelist known only as the Slothbuckler. The Wilder themselves are a mystery. Their creation is spontaneous and seems to be a result of the spread of civilization. When an animal gets too curious about the other folk of the world, sometimes they change into a bipedal version of the base creature and their head is filling with deep thoughts and new words. Its somethings players can explore and flesh out if they choose. Players can also create undead characters using something I call Remnants, which are skeletons that retain a fragment of their former souls and selves. Like Wilder, their origins remain mysterious.
CD: Before we get to GM support, I have to ask. With all the current d20 fantasy options, what inspired you to create an OSR style RPG updated with modern twists? What made Scalemail so exciting for you that you just had to bring it to life?
ML: I can’t speak for other OSR creators, but I think a lot of us want to recapture something we feel is missing from some of the mainstream options. I love D&D and have been playing different versions of it for 40 years now, but when you play a game that long it loses a bit of the wonder and freshness. I wanted to try my hand at making a game that I would want to play to recapture a bit of that wonder, and I am hopeful other people will find something in Scalemail they enjoy. I wanted to keep the rules simple and streamlined so it’s easy to teach to new players and younger gamers, but also keep some depth and options for experienced players. I wanted character creation to remain level based, but also add freeform elements so you can craft your ideal adventurer as you advance. And most of all I wanted it to play fast and fluid so you have more time to tell stories and less time stuck looking up rules.
CD: For GMs used to running D&D or Pathfinder, what would you say to encourage them to run a campaign using Scalemail?
ML: I think for a lot of us gaming time is limited. Even when I was younger it was hard getting everyone’s schedules to line up, and to find a few precious hours to sit around a table with your friends and go on adventures. As much as I like D&D, when you only have three to four hours to play a combat that takes an hour or more eats up a large chunk of that precious time. So, as I mentioned above, I wanted Scalemail to play fast. Combat is quick and dangerous, with low life point values. Players make all the rolls, so they need to stay engaged in the game, and the GM, called the Narrator, can focus more on telling the story and breathing life into the world. Enemies are easy to manage and give the Narrator options to put some variety into encounters. But the foundations of Scalemail are familiar enough that anyone who knows D&D or Pathfinder will pick up the rules quickly, and it’s easy to convert adventurers and campaigns through these common foundations.
CD: Is Scalemail an homage to the original Chainmail? If yes, in what way did any rules or the spirit of that first ruleset transfer over to Scalemail?
ML: The name is definitely inspired by the original Chainmail and meant to honor it. I also chose that name because it is my first attempt at my own game, and it made me think back to the pioneers who put us all on this path. The name is also a reference to a few systems in the rules, such as the variable dice that modify the d20 rolls are part of what’s called the “Mod Scale.” Also, the attributes that define what dice are rolled with the d20 have the acronym SCALE: Strength, Charm, Agility, Logic, and Ego.
CD: How do you envision a GM using Scalemail, and what type of fantasy world do you see a GM creating?
ML: As I mentioned before, only the players roll dice so the Narrator’s job is to guide the story and run any NPCs and enemies they encounter. The GM for any game system has to wear a lot of hats, and I wanted to make it as simple as possible for them so they can focus on the details and making the game entertaining for their players. The full rulebook will have everything they need to play the game, from rules for environmental dangers, downtime outside of adventures, traps and treasures, and an extensive bestiary to bring a variety of challenges to bear. I prefer a game where you have everything you need in a single volume, and that is what the final book will have. As for a setting, the main book will include a sample world known as Motus. It is a place that was crafted from the deep emotions of divine beings known as the Patrons, but recently a perpetual fog known as the Murk has been enveloping the lands to the south. Anyone caught within is afflicted with a deep malaise that saps their hope, and the Murk creates foul creatures known as Murkborne that help spread its plague of despair. While setting details can be found throughout the book, the core game is designed that it can be easily adapted for any fantasy setting. Scalemail leans more towards exploration and heroic tales, but there are optional rules that allow you to tailor the game to your story needs.
CD: For a first-time GM, where do you suggest they start getting ready to run Scalemail and what advice and tools does your RPG provide to keep a campaign running smoothly?
ML: We are fortunate to live in a time where there is a wealth of information on how to start and run a good RPG campaign, and I am a big advocate of watching videos and reading books that focus on GM advice, even if you are experienced. Every game I figure out something new or my players manage to surprise me, and that is a big part of the fun. The book has a section of advice and tips for Narrators, cobbled together from my own experiences over the years. Some of it is more generalized, such as ways to resolve conflicts, how to use the rules and when to ignore them, and developing a story made up of main quests and side quests. All of these tips can help new Narrators who are starting their first games with Scalemail. There are also guidelines on advancing the characters, doling out treasure, and running enemies in combat.
CD: Thanks for talking with EN World again, Mike. Any final thoughts about RPGs you’d like to share?
ML: I am happy we live in a renaissance era of the hobby. So many great creators out there bringing their own takes to gaming, innovating, and giving us more tools to tell out stories. I am a big supporter of indie games and small studios, and have been lucky to have the opportunities to add to some of their games. Scalemail is my addition to the hobby, and I hope helps people gather together and tell a story together. Thank you for the opportunity to talk about it and I hope people check it out!
