|
|
Post by ogedei on Nov 10, 2017 11:38:50 GMT -5
I've been playing 2d20 for about a year. My group enjoys the system and has never found it to be slow paced. The group is a mix of complete new players to veteran Pathfinder players. Combat runs fast, death is around every corner, while allowing the heroic PCs to cut swaths of enemies down before being confronted by an enemy of equally heroic proportions.
The mechanics are simple focusing around rolling under and gaining successes. I'm not really sure what is overly complex about them. I know some people have disliked the doom/momentum mechanic saying it's too meta, but to each their own, I've always found that it adds a level of tension to the game.
Character generation is strongly concept and story driven, no rolling 4d6 and dropping the lowest to build a random character that can never be the fighter you wanted to play. Character don't start in a place where a single bite from a rat might kill them.
There are places the rules could be tighter or better explained, which sometimes bothers me, other times I see forum after forum after forum of players arguing exact rules semantics over D&D and realized no system is perfect in these things. The developers are plugged into the community on Google+ that any serious rules questions we have had have been answered quickly.
I am quite looking forward to John Carter.
|
|
|
|
Post by finarvyn on Nov 11, 2017 20:57:52 GMT -5
Thanks for the counter-points, ogedei. I'm hoping to see the rulebook in a game store where I can thumb through it and make a final decision. Nice to get input both ways.  |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2017 11:40:39 GMT -5
I picked up the Core Book and the Player's Guide - I have to admit, they look beautiful.
|
|
|
|
Post by niktoo73 on Dec 19, 2017 11:32:32 GMT -5
I picked up the Core Book as I'm working on my own Conan game and wanted ideas. It's great just from a standpoint of summing up the Hyborean Age. And it's gorgeous. Thinking of getting The Book of Skelos and Conan The Barbarian books as well, just for the heck of it.
|
|
|
|
Post by deuce on Jan 5, 2018 1:03:16 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Char-Vell on Jan 5, 2018 8:06:34 GMT -5
I need to get this game, and force people to play it with me!
|
|
|
|
Post by deepermagic on Jan 5, 2018 9:58:59 GMT -5
When I looked at the quickstart pdf a while back I was turned off by it being 2d20. It didn't seem fun to me, or intuitive for less interested players.
I have a hard time even getting enough players together to play D&D, much less have them learn a new system, and one that feels drudgy.
I wonder if Conan would be fun with a version of the Star Wars D6 rules. It's been a while since I've played D6 but I recall it being very fun, fast, story driven, and ultimately, easy to learn.
|
|
|
|
Post by deuce on Jan 5, 2018 11:51:53 GMT -5
Fun fact: I haven't bought an RPG for the system in 25 years. The homebrew system a buddy n' I came up with several years before that allowed us to game in Nehwon, Greyhawk, Middle-earth, Talislanta, Atlantis etc with hardly a problem at all. A few simple tweaks here n' there. I don't buy games for the systems. I buy them for settings, lore and ideas. The last game I bought for the system (along with the setting, etc)? RIFTS. My system wasn't designed to handle all the tech involved. Pretty much strictly a fantasy RPG system, but it works quite well within those parameters.
The Modiphius Conan RPG is by far the closest to REH's Conan that has been produced over the last 35+yrs. Just convert it to whatever system you like and have fun. Except for the innumerate, doing so is just not that hard. I've been doing so for decades.
Lots of people seem to like the Savage Worlds and Mongoose systems. I've also heard plenty of good things about Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea.
|
|
|
|
Post by Char-Vell on Jan 5, 2018 12:02:08 GMT -5
........ Lots of people seem to like the Savage Worlds and Mongoose systems. I've also heard plenty of good things about Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea.This is one I'd like to play also.
back in the day we ran a brief Hyborian age campaign using 1st edition AD&D. That worked out well, we just cut back the magic and monsters to a "low fantasy level". back issues of Savage Sword served as sourcebooks! 
Lamentations of the Flame Princess is a cool D&D retroclone that has a weird fantasy vibe to it. it has a lot of "Howardianism" built in.
|
|
|
|
Post by Von K on Jan 5, 2018 13:54:58 GMT -5
When I looked at the quickstart pdf a while back I was turned off by it being 2d20. It didn't seem fun to me, or intuitive for less interested players. I have a hard time even getting enough players together to play D&D, much less have them learn a new system, and one that feels drudgy. I wonder if Conan would be fun with a version of the Star Wars D6 rules. It's been a while since I've played D6 but I recall it being very fun, fast, story driven, and ultimately, easy to learn. You've likely still got the Star Wars version, but just in case, WEG's old d6 system was recently bought by Nocturnal Media, the company founded by the late great Stuart Wieck, and the rulebooks are on sale at drivethrurpg for &2.99. One of the scenario writers (can't remember his name) for the Star Wars version posted some d6 system refinements which looked well worth using if they're still online. |
|
|
|
Post by deepermagic on Jan 5, 2018 16:30:33 GMT -5
When I looked at the quickstart pdf a while back I was turned off by it being 2d20. It didn't seem fun to me, or intuitive for less interested players. I have a hard time even getting enough players together to play D&D, much less have them learn a new system, and one that feels drudgy. I wonder if Conan would be fun with a version of the Star Wars D6 rules. It's been a while since I've played D6 but I recall it being very fun, fast, story driven, and ultimately, easy to learn. You've likely still got the Star Wars version, but just in case, WEG's old d6 system was recently bought by Nocturnal Media, the company founded by the late great Stuart Wieck, and the rulebooks are on sale at drivethrurpg for &2.99. One of the scenario writers (can't remember his name) for the Star Wars version posted some d6 system refinements which looked well worth using if they're still online. I do still have the Star Wars version. But I'm glad to hear someone is continuing d6. This thread actually got me googling a bit and I've been intrigued about Barbarians of Lemuria. It seems like it scratches the itch I'm looking for. Fast, smooth, mechanics that reflect the feel of Sword and Sorcery. I might have to give that a try! |
|
|
|
Post by Von K on Jan 7, 2018 15:35:52 GMT -5
Imho, BOL is a great fun system, though a little light in tone for a true Hyborian Age campaign. The game mechanics make fun of a couple of S+S tropes, for instance, which is alright for lighter campaigns, but the GM could fix that by tweaking those bits and adding some psychology/horror rules I guess.
The BOL style of S+S cleaves closer to Lin Carter than REH and does a good job of it. The designer Simon Washbourne originally wanted to run with Lin Carter's Thongor of Lemuria, but the license was too expensive, so he created his own version of Lemuria for a backdrop.
|
|
|
|
Post by deepermagic on Jan 8, 2018 12:21:35 GMT -5
Imho, BOL is a great fun system, though a little light in tone for a true Hyborian Age campaign. The game mechanics make fun of a couple of S+S tropes, for instance, which is alright for lighter campaigns, but the GM could fix that by tweaking those bits and adding some psychology/horror rules I guess. The BOL style of S+S cleaves closer to Lin Carter than REH and does a good job of it. The designer Simon Washbourne originally wanted to run with Lin Carter's Thongor of Lemuria, but the license was too expensive, so he created his own version of Lemuria for a backdrop. I nabbed the pdf over the weekend and gave it a read through. Outside of adding the psychology/horror rules you suggest, I'm not quite sure how the system is light in tone for a Hyborian campaign. And I didn't pick up on where/which mechanics made fun of some S&S tropes. I guess, other than the Lemuria backdrop (along with its origins) and air boats, I'm not seeing how the style is in need of much tweaking. Again, I just read through it for the first time the other day so I could have missed something, but what I read seemed to be a fantastic ruleset for a Conan game. I really dig the magic system and the forced flaws for certain magic users of higher powers. That feels really S&S to me. |
|
|
|
Post by Von K on Jan 9, 2018 14:21:10 GMT -5
Imho, BOL is a great fun system, though a little light in tone for a true Hyborian Age campaign. The game mechanics make fun of a couple of S+S tropes, for instance, which is alright for lighter campaigns, but the GM could fix that by tweaking those bits and adding some psychology/horror rules I guess. The BOL style of S+S cleaves closer to Lin Carter than REH and does a good job of it. The designer Simon Washbourne originally wanted to run with Lin Carter's Thongor of Lemuria, but the license was too expensive, so he created his own version of Lemuria for a backdrop. I nabbed the pdf over the weekend and gave it a read through. Outside of adding the psychology/horror rules you suggest, I'm not quite sure how the system is light in tone for a Hyborian campaign. And I didn't pick up on where/which mechanics made fun of some S&S tropes. I guess, other than the Lemuria backdrop (along with its origins) and air boats, I'm not seeing how the style is in need of much tweaking. Again, I just read through it for the first time the other day so I could have missed something, but what I read seemed to be a fantastic ruleset for a Conan game. I really dig the magic system and the forced flaws for certain magic users of higher powers. That feels really S&S to me. Hi Deepermagic I can’t go into too much BoL detail here for fear of derailing the thread. One of the mods may eventually transfer this post to our other rpg thread. First, I think Barbarians of Lemuria is a great rules lite system. Fast set up, easy to learn. I bought ebooks of BOL (Legendary edition) and have also bought many of its variants over the years (H+I, BoL Aftermath, Dicey Tales etc). Many years ago on the old forum I suggested it as a potentially good choice for a Conan game. This was well before Modiphius picked up the Conan rpg license. But, imho, BOL is on the lite/light side of S+S both in terms of rules and tone. To my own sense of such things it requires some GM tweaking to adapt it for longer running campaigns or for handling some of the darker grimmer aspects of a full on REH Hyborian Age S+S campaign. Some of these issues were covered on Simon’s old BOL messageboard, where members discussed adding fear/sanity mechanics for BOL, and alternative experience rules among other system tweaks like upgrading from 2d6 to 2d8 or even 2d10 to allow adventurers more room for growth over longer campaigns. As for the making fun element, the rules suggest that adventurers are always rewarded with copious treasure from a successful adventure. They must explain how they gamble or carouse or otherwise spend it all away in order to earn full advancement points. But no account is made of the kind of ending in S+S where adventurers are glad to have escaped with nothing but their lives, or with their sanity shaken by what they have experienced, or both. Or indeed, of those types of adventurers who might not be motivated by wealth and plunder. Perhaps BoL’s uneven treatment on that last point is not so much ‘making fun of’ as ‘unintentionally flanderizing?’ That’s only my own angle on this. Much of this may be subjective. I’m a fan of the BoL system, just think it neads tweaking for darker S+S. Sounds like BoL could be a good choice for you and your group, and if you use it I’d be interested to hear how it went. |
|
|
|
Post by deepermagic on Jan 9, 2018 15:38:02 GMT -5
I nabbed the pdf over the weekend and gave it a read through. Outside of adding the psychology/horror rules you suggest, I'm not quite sure how the system is light in tone for a Hyborian campaign. And I didn't pick up on where/which mechanics made fun of some S&S tropes. I guess, other than the Lemuria backdrop (along with its origins) and air boats, I'm not seeing how the style is in need of much tweaking. Again, I just read through it for the first time the other day so I could have missed something, but what I read seemed to be a fantastic ruleset for a Conan game. I really dig the magic system and the forced flaws for certain magic users of higher powers. That feels really S&S to me. Hi Deepermagic I can’t go into too much BoL detail here for fear of derailing the thread. One of the mods may eventually transfer this post to our other rpg thread. First, I think Barbarians of Lemuria is a great rules lite system. Fast set up, easy to learn. I bought ebooks of BOL (Legendary edition) and have also bought many of its variants over the years (H+I, BoL Aftermath, Dicey Tales etc). Many years ago on the old forum I suggested it as a potentially good choice for a Conan game. This was well before Modiphius picked up the Conan rpg license. But, imho, BOL is on the lite/light side of S+S both in terms of rules and tone. To my own sense of such things it requires some GM tweaking to adapt it for longer running campaigns or for handling some of the darker grimmer aspects of a full on REH Hyborian Age S+S campaign. Some of these issues were covered on Simon’s old BOL messageboard, where members discussed adding fear/sanity mechanics for BOL, and alternative experience rules among other system tweaks like upgrading from 2d6 to 2d8 or even 2d10 to allow adventurers more room for growth over longer campaigns. As for the making fun element, the rules suggest that adventurers are always rewarded with copious treasure from a successful adventure. They must explain how they gamble or carouse or otherwise spend it all away in order to earn full advancement points. But no account is made of the kind of ending in S+S where adventurers are glad to have escaped with nothing but their lives, or with their sanity shaken by what they have experienced, or both. Or indeed, of those types of adventurers who might not be motivated by wealth and plunder. Perhaps BoL’s uneven treatment on that last point is not so much ‘making fun of’ as ‘unintentionally flanderizing?’ That’s only my own angle on this. Much of this may be subjective. I’m a fan of the BoL system, just think it neads tweaking for darker S+S. Sounds like BoL could be a good choice for you and your group, and if you use it I’d be interested to hear how it went. Thanks for your clarification! |
|
