Torchbearer
At least take a look at the system (which is free) here : http://files.crngames.com/cc/tsoy2/solar_system.html, because I think it will satisfy your "no sub-system" criteria. In fact, it uses a unique "sub-system", that is "bring down the pain", which is very easy to grasp.
In the book, you also get a setting which didn't really work for me.
BTW, I think I heard somewhere that Thor and Luke are also working on a setting for Torchbearer.
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Piratecat
Sesquipedalian
Oh, nifty. I got to partner with Clinton R. Nixon on Pelgrane's upcoming fantasy/western game Owl Hoot Trail. I really like his work.
Thanks for the interest guys!
For the record, I want to say that I wouldn't consider Torchbearer a game for people that don't like Basic D&D. Luke and I both love D&D. He just finished running a year-long B/X game and my copy of Moldvay is one of my cherished RPG books. We've also been playing through Dwimmermount using ACKs. We even have a Burning Wheel campaign set in Mystara that's been running for the past 7 years (and is now drawing to a close). I think our love for dungeon exploration and B/X D&D suffuses Torchbearer.
So why make a new game rather than just playing D&D? I was inspired by our game Mouse Guard, which, IMO, makes dealing with environmental hazards interesting and fun. Everything from coping with bad weather to crossing a fast-flowing river is an adventure in Mouse Guard. Keeping yourself fed and warm can be fun in the right context. I wanted to bring that feeling to the exploration of the dungeon environment.
Also, when playing D&D, keeping track of details like light and encumbrance and movement rates and so forth can be a bit tedious, which I suspect is why so many groups hand-wave that stuff. But I think that the results of keeping track of those details make the game much more interesting. I very much like those elements of the game, even though they can be a pain in the butt to track. One of my favorite things in James Raggi's LotFP, for instance, is his encumbrance system.
I wanted a game that focused on those issues but kept the overhead to a minimum. For encumbrance, for instance, you don't have to add or subtract various weights. You just have to note where on your person you're carrying an item. If you already use your character sheet to write down the items you're carrying, the amount of overhead you're adding to your experience is negligible.
Most of all, I wanted a game that encourages you to think about the "reality" of dungeoneering: a game that asks you to think about your light sources, crawling on your belly through a tight squeeze, or coping with hunger, exhaustion and fear.
I think we've succeeded in making a game that does these things, and I think in play it feels very different from both D&D and Dungeon World while still hitting many similar notes. You guys will have to be the judge of whether I'm right. I know it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but if the above sounds interesting to you, I suspect you'll like it.
For the record, I want to say that I wouldn't consider Torchbearer a game for people that don't like Basic D&D. Luke and I both love D&D. He just finished running a year-long B/X game and my copy of Moldvay is one of my cherished RPG books. We've also been playing through Dwimmermount using ACKs. We even have a Burning Wheel campaign set in Mystara that's been running for the past 7 years (and is now drawing to a close). I think our love for dungeon exploration and B/X D&D suffuses Torchbearer.
So why make a new game rather than just playing D&D? I was inspired by our game Mouse Guard, which, IMO, makes dealing with environmental hazards interesting and fun. Everything from coping with bad weather to crossing a fast-flowing river is an adventure in Mouse Guard. Keeping yourself fed and warm can be fun in the right context. I wanted to bring that feeling to the exploration of the dungeon environment.
Also, when playing D&D, keeping track of details like light and encumbrance and movement rates and so forth can be a bit tedious, which I suspect is why so many groups hand-wave that stuff. But I think that the results of keeping track of those details make the game much more interesting. I very much like those elements of the game, even though they can be a pain in the butt to track. One of my favorite things in James Raggi's LotFP, for instance, is his encumbrance system.
I wanted a game that focused on those issues but kept the overhead to a minimum. For encumbrance, for instance, you don't have to add or subtract various weights. You just have to note where on your person you're carrying an item. If you already use your character sheet to write down the items you're carrying, the amount of overhead you're adding to your experience is negligible.
Most of all, I wanted a game that encourages you to think about the "reality" of dungeoneering: a game that asks you to think about your light sources, crawling on your belly through a tight squeeze, or coping with hunger, exhaustion and fear.
I think we've succeeded in making a game that does these things, and I think in play it feels very different from both D&D and Dungeon World while still hitting many similar notes. You guys will have to be the judge of whether I'm right. I know it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but if the above sounds interesting to you, I suspect you'll like it.
Thanks for your reply here !
It may be just some bad habit left of too much time spent playing (A)D&D which is a game tryng to do everything, but I was a bit sad not to find a "travel" phase in Torchbearer, the logistics of getting to (or back from) the dungeon could be fun too
It may be just some bad habit left of too much time spent playing (A)D&D which is a game tryng to do everything, but I was a bit sad not to find a "travel" phase in Torchbearer, the logistics of getting to (or back from) the dungeon could be fun too
Travel is part of the adventure phase!
I look forward to hearing what you think, good or bad!
LostSoul
Adventurer
Thor, I was wondering if you could go into some of the details of Torchbearer: how you handle finding traps and/or hidden NPCs.
Is it like what we see in the Old School Primer, where the player makes some decisions through the PC, and the DM adjudicates the result; or more like 3E, where the Rogue Takes 20 on his Search check?
I guess the same goes for hidden NPCs - do you make a surprise roll or take into account the readiness of the PCs in some way?
Anyway, those B/X write-ups that you guys did were very interesting to read.
Is it like what we see in the Old School Primer, where the player makes some decisions through the PC, and the DM adjudicates the result; or more like 3E, where the Rogue Takes 20 on his Search check?
I guess the same goes for hidden NPCs - do you make a surprise roll or take into account the readiness of the PCs in some way?
Anyway, those B/X write-ups that you guys did were very interesting to read.
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