Your thoughts on 'Xcrawl"?

[Dannyalcatraz]

I bought X-Crawl when it came out- wasn't aware of the 3.5 update, I'll have to search that out!

If I may be so bold as to suggest that if/when the base X-Crawl concept of the pro/am LARP dungeoneering goes cold, you might want to check out some of the fiction that (I believe- Melsenschlap, correct me if I'm wrong) inspired its (and a game from R. Talsorian) creation as a source for adventures...if you haven't already, that is.

I speak, of course, of the classic sci-fi movie, Westworld (give its sequel, Futureworld, a pass), and the Dream Park novels by Larry Niven & Steven Barnes.

In the former, the robots that make up the "NPCs" for the immersive role-playing amusement park go amok, killing the guests...

In the books, someone always mucks with the standard flow of a LARP in progress, injecting serious real-world issues into the flow of play. In passing, they also mention using the LARP dungeons for non-competitive uses, like "fat camps" a la the reality TV show, "The Biggest Loser."

 

[Melsenschlap]

I bought X-Crawl when it came out- wasn't aware of the 3.5 update, I'll have to search that out!

If I may be so bold as to suggest that if/when the base X-Crawl concept of the pro/am LARP dungeoneering goes cold, you might want to check out some of the fiction that (I believe- Melsenschlap, correct me if I'm wrong) inspired its (and a game from R. Talsorian) creation as a source for adventures...if you haven't already, that is.

I speak, of course, of the classic sci-fi movie, Westworld (give its sequel, Futureworld, a pass), and the Dream Park novels by Larry Niven & Steven Barnes.

Hey there,

Very interesting!

I have actually never seen Westworld, or read the Dream Park books. I do have a copy of the Dream Park RPG now. (But I just added Westworld to my Netflix queue!)

Dream Park is the most frequent comparison (besides the Running Man movie) that I get - I resist it. Dream Park is still pretend, the players are role playing. Visitors to the park get simulated adventures but are never in an real danger. Xcrawl is at its heart and soul a death sport. It's the difference between "a game within a game" and "a sport within a game."

The biggest influences on Xcrawl:

Gladiator movies, especially Gladiator and Sparticus;

Spacehunter: Adventures in the Negative Zone

Rollerball

The WWF

the Smash TV video game

D and D, of course.

Spacehunter had Molly Ringwald and I loved it when I was about 12, which probably means it would look insanely dumb to my grown up eyes But it had a scene with Ringwald having to negotiate her way through a maze full of death traps while a crowd of savage onlookers screamed for her blood, something that stayed with me for a long time.

In the former, the robots that make up the "NPCs" for the immersive role-playing amusement park go amok, killing the guests...

In the books, someone always mucks with the standard flow of a LARP in progress, injecting serious real-world issues into the flow of play. In passing, they also mention using the LARP dungeons for non-competitive uses, like "fat camps" a la the reality TV show, "The Biggest Loser."

That's interesting! Maybey Goodman Games will let me do a dungeon/ reality TV show - "The Nation's Biggest Coward," where would-be crawlers have to face things they are frightened of and avoid being eaten in order to win some prize.


thanks,

Brendan

 

[Storyteller01]

I'm getting impressions of a voluntary Running Man style game...

 

[Melsenschlap]

WOOHOO!!! Celebrity guest appearance!!


I love what I'm reading of the core book so far (the joys of working for the FLGS; I gets to read my stuff before I buy!! ). I'm really interested in how the other source material compares. How it effects the story and background, that sort of thing.

Thank you very much!

The source book I recommend the most is Sellout!, which really expands the fame/ celebrity aspect of the game. That can really affect the background for the players.

Hope you like them all!

Brendan

 

[Melsenschlap]

I'm getting impressions of a voluntary Running Man style game...

It definitely has the Death Sport aspect to it. The biggest difference is that in the world of Running Man, the audience (mostly) roots for the players to loose - participants are considered the criminal scum of the country, and the dead hunters are memorialized like heroes.

In Xcrawl its just the opposite. Emperor Ronald I created The Games in order to demonstrate the courage and glory of the Empire (at least on the surface . . . ). Xcrawl teams are treated like heroes, given magical treasure and huge rewards and are (again, mostly) treated like the heroes of the nation.

Its interesting - I read the Running Man novella (along with The Long Walk which is, now that I think of it, another widely publicized death sport) when I was very young and I enjoyed it but the movie is closer to Xcrawl - Richard Dawson working the crowd, giving out prizes and discussing senseless death with great geniality . . .

 

[Melsenschlap]

I've pre-ordered the book, and what I've seen is a blast. I LOVE the fluff. That being said, is there anything I should look out for? Odd mechanics, possible abuse, etc?

Yeah - look out for Area 3-3 in the Coney Island Crawl! It's a doozy!!

Seriously I hope this thread helps illuminate any questions you may have.

be well,

Brendan

 

[fusangite]

It's not really to my taste in terms of genre. The modules are very well-crafted but I don't like the way they chip away at how I personally handle my own suspension of disbelief.

 

[bolen]

This is beyond a doubt one of the best games I play at Gen Con for four years and I have yet to advance . I also played a short campaign when I was a student. It is fun for about 4-5 sessions and then it got old. But if you want to be silly and not worry about the logic of ecology of the dungeon It is a good game

I am not so sure how essential it is to have the actual XCrawl book but Brandon is a good guy so I would get it. It is allot of fun. I like spells having copyrights. But actually the Sellout book is the best.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

A little trivia from my home state (where I'm glad I no longer live)...

When Louisiana was trying to fund the building of the Superdome, one of the state senators suggested that one thing they could do would be to pit convicts with death sentences or life sentences against large predators in exchange for commutations or other benefits...

That's right...gladiatorial blood sports in USA in the 1960s.

The measure failed to pass.

20 years later, the suggestion came up again, with the added info that technology had progressed to the point that the 'Dome could be equipped with a floor that favored tennis shoes over clawed paws, giving the convicts an advantage to exploit...

The measure failed to pass.

However, in the X-Crawl campaign setting, the measure probably would have passed the first time out.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Brendan, I have the original 3.0 version of the X-Crawl rulebook. What changes were made in the updated version?

Olaf the Stout