Xcrawl has been around for 20 years, first published as a D&D Third Edition supplement and then a Pathfinder version. It’s been circling around Goodman Games for a few years before finally landing a Kickstarter for XCrawl Classics. Dungeon Crawl Classics seems like a good system for a game that celebrates a killer trap mentality and a dark sense of humor. It’s easier to rebuild a new character after the last one took an acid arrow to the face than in Third Edition based systems. I was able to pick up an early copy at Gen Con as one of my most anticipated titles of the year. Is the game a ratings blockbuster? Let’s play to find out.
Xcrawl Classics is a dystopian fantasy game created by Brendan LaSalle. It takes dungeon crawling out of the dark and in front of the harsh lights of reality TV. This is a modern setting where dungeon crawls are a gigantic media sensation akin to pro sports in America that also included the theatricality of professional wrestling. Xcrawl teams travel the country challenging DJs, or Dungeon Judges, to defeat the Judges’ most diabolical traps and challenges in front of a live audience. Survive The Games and the crawlers will be lauded with fame and fortune. Fail, and they are likely to end up a pile of broken bones swept away with the empty beer cups in the venue after everyone goes home.
The classes mostly follow the same format as classic DCC though they’ve been altered to fit the game. Standouts include the Athlete, which adapts the Mighty Deeds die to incorporate grapple tactics on monsters, allowing players to live the dream of powerbombing a troll through a table. Rather than a cleric, the game offers the Messenger which offers healing power plus holy favors based on the god’s domain rather than rigid spell lists. Though the main classes stick to the old school “race as classes” ideal of its forerunner, it also offers an interesting deviation away from the old school style. The Specialist, who occupies the rogue slot full of sneaky sneaky tactics and particular sets of skills, offer nine subclasses that focus on different areas of rogue abilities ranging from stealth, murder to trickster magic thank sneak evles and halflings into the game.
Fame and mojo round out the biggest new rules in XCrawl Classics. Mojo represents the heightened sense of teamwork that Xcrawl teams rely on to survive. Players generate Mojo on their own through good rolls, fun roleplaying or taking actions based on their classes. They can spend Mojo to influence rolls, but the catch is that they can only do it for other players. I love the idea that aid another actions are built into this game outside of the regular action economy. It allows players to help in clutch moments by taking the narrative to describe a well-timed distraction or a follow up strike. It really drives home the moment when a player makes a no-look pass to a teammate or a wrestler breaks the pin to save his tag team partner. There’s a risk to holding on to Mojo for too long as well, because if anyone rolls a 1 on a check, the whole team’s Mojo resets to zero. It really translates that hearbreaking feel of a pick six or a solo homerun from the other team quieting down the home crowd.
Characters also rack up Fame as they succeed at conquering challenges, while gaining bonus points for grandstanding during a match. The book lists a lot of things that a character can use their fame to get, such as magazine covers and sneaker contracts, but I would like to see some discussion about how superstar athletes can play politics to affect the outcome of The Games. Stories about backstage influence and rule bending are vital to the sport genre. Can a crawler use their fame to get a DJ to offer easier challenges? Can an intelligent monster be starstruck by a player and take a dive? I like the narrative implications of burning fame but I hope we see some rules for using it in the arena directly.
XCrawl Classics also allows the setting to adapt with the times. The game is heavily inspired by media like Rollerball, The Running Man and Smash TV, and the satire of a media soaked culture remains sharp as ever. The included funnel adventure, “Xcrawl’s Got Talent” feel like modern day shows that have taken a step towers the fictional deathsports of our youth, like American Ninja Warrior or Wipeout. Replacing the 0-level dirtfamers and elven barriters with hairdressers and sales reps seems like a natural fit. If you pitch this game to younger players, saying “it’s Squid Game but D&D” will work just as well as anything else.
Bottom line: XCrawl Classics finally allows a clever setting to fit with a system that’s built for the style of game it encourages. It’s a strong entry in an underrepresented genre of sports related role playing games.
