What is HackMaster???

[Griswold]

Ok, I know that it is an RPG based on first or second edition rules, but aside from that what's the difference? My FLGS doesn't stock the books so i can't take a gander and to be honest I didn't come away with much of a conceptual idea from Kenzer's website.


Thanks a bunch,

Gris.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Well, as you said, it's pretty much 1e and 2e, with the best parts of both tossed into the mix. If you know how to play either of those two editions, you know how to play HackMaster, pretty much. They added stuff like Honor and percentile scores for every ability, plus jammed an enormous amount of other information into the PHB and GMG, like a 10,000 entry critical hit chart, ways to make your dice lucky, the Smart Ass Smackdown table, random generation tables for all kinds of things, etc.

The main difference is that there is a lot of humor injected into the game. The Hacklopedias of Beasts contain a lot of well-known monsters, but also a lot of very conceptually funny critters like the Blind Wretched Pursuer.

 

[Ranger REG]

There is no difference, other than the fact that it started off as a joke.

It was the main prop element for their comic book Knights of the Dinner Table. The game they play is Hackmaster.

Kenzer & Co. decided to publish a Hackmaster RPG. What became a parody or satire of past RPG, has now become a strong-selling product to rival 3rd edition.

The rules material is based on a combination of 1st and 2nd edition AD&D rules. So if you're a longtime gamer, you might feel nostalgic or traumatic when you see oodles of charts and tables.

 

[Sulimo]

Yeah. What I want to know though, is when the campaign setting is going to be published? I'm more interested in that than the rules.

Or setting information for Nitro's campaign...well, I think it was Nitro, with gods from pop-culture.

 

[thundershot]

HackMaster is D&D 3rd Edition in the Mirror Universe.


It's also very difficult to convince people to play...


Chris

 

[Aaron L]

I think I'm going to have to break down and get Hackmaster.

 

[Beckett]

HackMaster is D&D 3rd Edition in the Mirror Universe.


It's also very difficult to convince people to play...


Chris

Depends on the area. My group took to Hackmaster much faster than they did D&D3e.

 

[bloodymage]

Well, I haven't gotten through the GMG yet and I haven't played yet, so I don't feel qualified to get up on the HackMaster soapbox.
I did go to the HM forums, though, and found what I thought was the most descriptive post on the game, if a bit emotional. This is what Chris Seconus on the KenzerCo boards had to say:

Sputter...gasp!?!?? Do you need to ask? The problem with 3e is that its got no soul. Its a rule set. It can do fantasy, it can try to do lots of other things, but it cannot compare to HackMaster.

D20 is an engine designed to make WotC money. No body at Hasbro gives a damn if you have played for 20 years or just picked up your first PHB at the local Walden Books yesterday. They care about making that 29.95 plus tax. They care about making you want that next hardback. They've got it down. New book every month, new Corebook every quarter. Take a look at the Origins awards; D20 got slapped down. The 3rd party publishers are scrambling to get out anything d20 because they know it can sell. 85% of it is garbage! Slayer's guides! Ring's of Power! That logo must mean its good, right?

Wrong. Thats what the awards said. And I agree.

HackMaster is a way for K&C to make money too. Duh. But its more. Its gaming for the sake of Gaming. It's pure. It's parody. It's a game that lets you say, "Yes, I'm sitting around a tabe playing pretend with my pals." I dunno, its hard to explain. D20 is like a major Hollywood flick; Its made to appeal to several demographics and it is made to cater to the massses. Like "Gone in 60 Seconds"(the remake), its a fun ride, but when you step away, there's nothing there but flash and stars and money spent... its sort of empty. Fun, but empty. HackMaster is like the movie you love, but not alot of people get, you know? The movie you can tell that was made because someone wanted to share _something_ with the world, not the move that was made because the numbers said so...

Anyhoo, I vote for HackMaster...

The complete thread is here.

OK. I didn't post this to start a war over which is the "better" system. I'm simply trying to give Griswold a little more information than what he's gotten so far and I thought this described how the difference in the "feel" of the two systems might be. I think it's a great system, but I'm just an old grognard. Enjoy.

Edit: Here's another thread you might be interested in.

 

[ranix65]

I haven't had a chance to game HAckmaster yet, the HAckmaster DM in my area had a nervous breakdown(seriously, although it is kind of a funny coincidence, and last time I saw him he even brought it up as being funny to him) before we had a chance to game. I will say though, that While D&D 3e may not have much soul on it's own, with just WotC in it, it's the players that truly bring the game and the world to life. Just the same as in HAckmaster, I'm sure. And even Rifts, that horrible system for a great setting.

 

[Tsyr]

Considering some of the times in the past when the Col and I were the sole defenders of Hackmaster around here it seemed, this is a refreshing turnout

I agree with most of what has been posted above... the game has soul. The game is good.

With a caveat.

It's a pain to learn again if you have forgot all of your 1E/2E from playing 3E, or if you never played them in the first place. Tables... and tables... and tables... The GM screen is nearly a must for the GM... And it's the best GM screen I've ever seen. It has all the complexity of 1E/2E, with a few of it's own things thrown in (All stats are now fractional, for example... the honor system... building points... )