Now for Something Completely Different

The roulette wheel that is my gaming ADD has spun, again. I've never played this game, even solo. I had only seen it in a game store one time, back in '93 (I think). Of course, I heard of it. My  impressions (and that is all they were, I never read a review or ad) were that is would be too simplified for me. I thought that to accommodate solo play it would have to be shorn of tactical options, deep character development, and long-term campaign potential.

Thus, in my early, formative gaming days it was D&D for serious gamers (like me), Runequest for potheads and hippies, and T&T for those who couldn't find a group.

Prejudice is ignorant at any age, and I am happy to report that I was horribly mistaken about T&T. (The jury is still out on RQ, I've known a lot of potheads and they swore by it.)

Before I go further, I want to stress: everything I'm saying is based only on reading, not on actual play.

There is so much in this game that I like in a fantasy game.

• It seems like it will play fast
• Combat features a "death spiral" effect
• Armor absorbs damage, rather than deflecting hits
• It uses only d6's
• Magic is not Vancian
• Characters have class and level, but advancement is "individualized"
• A simple Saving Roll system to handle anything a player wants to try, without limiting their imagination with lists of skills and/or "feats"
• Silver Piece standard, rather than gold (a personal thing, but I don't like the "Read GP as SP" conversion advice)

Those high points are from an incomplete and quick read, so I'm sure I'll find more to like. I'm reading the 5th edition. I think that pic may be the 30th Anniversary 7th Edition, I'm not sure. I just like it.

One definite boon is the community. A lot of games like to boast about their friendly community, but in my experience they seem very cliquish. I get almost no feedback on my posts on several forums covering a variety of games, and sometimes if I am getting a few replies going all of a sudden my thread gets hijacked by some of the "popular kids".

The designer of Tunnels and Trolls, Ken St. Andre, maintains an active and welcoming website, Trollhalla. It requires membership, which is free. There is a treasure-trove of T&T material there, as well as an active group of "trolls". One outstanding feature is the "walla", which is almost like an IRC window right smack in the middle of the homepage, allowing any members currently logged in to talk in real-time about the game. Instant feedback is a wonderful thing. Mr. St. Andre is often in residence, as well, so there is almost unprecedented access to the man behind the game.

If you've never given this game a serious look, you really should. There is a free "quickstart" download at Trollhalla, so no excuses.

Pondering Combat (Long)

Grab a drink and some snacks. This could take a while.

In my never-ending quest to best represent my idea of fighters I have taken my thinking further back, and down stranger avenues, than ever before. In fact, I have taken it "back to formula" so to speak, the Fantasy Combat Table from Chainmail.

Man-to-man combat in Chainmail is straight-forward enough, as is Fantasy Combat. Hits equal kills (broadly speaking). Fantasy Combat is resolved by cross-referencing the fantastic combatants to arrive at the "to-hit" number. If the dice roll exceeds this number, the defender is killed.

(let me pause for a minute to apologize, for this will be pure stream-of-conscious writing)

What I have found to be the most compelling is this fact: in Chainmail combat, no matter which level of combat it is, one hit equals one kill. This is very significant, as it relates directly with what seems to be a design philosophy that is central to D&D combat. In D&D combat all 1st level characters, as well as normal men, have 1d6 HP. All weapons inflict 1d6 damage on a successful hit, thus we have one hit equals one kill (with minor variation) where "normal" men are concerned.

There are certain unaddressed disconnects in the translation from Chainmail to the "Alternative" system. At first level, these are minor to the point of being inconsequential. It is only when the characters rise in level that they become more apparent. Specifically, the one that causes me the most grief is the fact that damage output, at least for PCs, remains fairly flat, while monster HD go up and up the more powerful the creature is.

Creatures that enjoyed fantastic status in Chainmail, such as Ogres, only deal 1d6 in the LBBs. Dragon breath and certain giants are able to exceed that, but by and large creatures that slayed adventurers with one roll in Chainmail are now reduced to a war of attrition with their formerly fantastic opponents. This is one of the things that slows combat down at higher levels: the ratio of potential damage output to creature HP.

Obviously, no player wants to invest the effort and real-world time necessary to get a character to 10th level, only to have an epic battle that comes down to a single dice roll. That's only marginally removed from a save-or-die situation. But, think about this: aren't there really only two kinds of combat, when you get right down to it?

1) The dice go cold, one side is far superior and/or better prepared, or fortune smiles on the other guy. Whatever the reason, one side beats the cold, living hell out of the other. If this can be accomplished in 3 or maybe 4 rounds, it is fun. If it takes 14 turns because the bad guy has 70 HP and you max out at 10 points of damage, it gets tedious. We play this game to overcome life-or-death obstacles and exist in dramatically heroic moments. The object of our gaming is not to force a dragon to be pivot man in our circle-jerk, with no dramatic tension.

2) There is a boat load of tension as the fight goes back and forth, each side scoring blistering success and suffering grievous set-backs. Until, finally, the party is down to the last fighter, who has 4 HP left, and the Stone Giant king, likewise down to 5 HP. Guess what? For all the great drama of the ebb and flow of the fight, it comes down to one roll.

Admittedly, scenario 2 is preferable, but it still comes down to that one roll.

I'm not advocating a return to the Fantasy Combat Table. There, you can breath again.

What Makes a Fighter Better?


More to the point, what makes a fighter a more fearsome opponent? Is it that he can routinely crack your head? Maybe. But, if you have more than 6 HP, you know that no matter how good he is at connecting with your head, it will take him at least two rounds to split your head, magic and other bonuses notwithstanding.

What about more attacks? I think this gets closer to the mark, when you consider that an attack is actually an opportunity to injure your opponent. So, a skilled fighter will find more openings and opportunities in the span of that one-minute combat round to do some damage.

And that is where the nugget of truth lies for me. Damage. A really scary, capable fighter is one that lays waste and does so reliably. Not just "has the potential", but actually does more damage. If I know deep down inside that if that guy gets at me with that short sword he is going to end all my plans, I will leave him alone.

My Proposal

I propose a system of "hitting" like the one in Chainmail. Roll 2d6 on the table cross-referencing various weapons against various armor situations. If you hit, roll a number of d6 equal to your level.

Before you panic and cry FOUL! remember that the two most-desired magic-user spells, Fireball and Lightning Bolt, do caster level x d6. Of course, the target gets a save for half. Let's face it though, the threat of the possibility of a Fireball is enough to give most parties pause.

Exposure to the Mythic Environment

My Dannak megadungeon will be based on the principle of the mythic underworld. One of the things this allows, and something I have always wanted, is a concrete, sensible rationale to regard the PCs as regular folks that dare to achieve.

Most of the NPCs of the setting will be 0-level folks just trying to get by. That is the stock the PCs spring from. Sure, they may have a couple of above average stats, or be able to command simple magics, but at the beginning of their adventures they are only barely separated from the NPCs. This is why I am definitely limiting the availability of starting classes. Some classes are just too specialized to be allowable right out of the gate, in this environment.

It is their exposure to the mythic underworld that annoints them as true adventurers. Once they have braved its dangers and faced its horrors, they begin to acquire a certain legend surrounding themselves. I see this as an upward spiral, just as the game was designed to engender. The more capable (legendary, in mythic terms) the characters become, the greater the dangers they can face. The greater the danger, the greater the reward, and if they best that challenge and return with that reward, their legend grows, and the cycle perpetuates itself. This is represented, of course, by the character gaining levels, which enable him to delve ever deeper into the dungeon, slay more powerful opponents, take their shit, and continue gaining levels.

I have been a big fan of the notion that says "If enough people believe in it enough, it must be true". I think Earthdawn pulled that off pretty well, and I love it for that. I've seen rules in later iterations of D&D that have made a nod toward it, with magic items that can gain in power, but that never really satisfied. This, though, makes sense to me. The mechanics are already in place, with D&D's levels. All I needed was a campaign specific "dressing" (dare I say "narrative"?) to give form to the function.

So, here we will have a group of suicidal people trying to wrest their fortune from the ruins of Dannak (the 1st level party). After some time they return with some coin and jewelry, along with tales of horrors faced and battles won. Some of their former peers will be impressed, some will thumb their noses at the modest success. Orcs and goblins, though, are no longer feared by the characters, and having tasted success, and confident in their abilities, they reprovision and head back in. With each successful foray, rumors spread, becoming legend, and the PCs are no longer even part of the society that spawned them.

Which brings me to my next point. With the bulk of NPCs being 0-level, it would seem easy for the PCs, even at modest level, to take over. To be honest, I can't really divine a way to prevent that mechanically, other than the obvious solution of giving the NPCs levels. That is too artificial, in a lot of ways. No, this has to be handled narratively (there's that word again). The players have to realize and understand that once their characters have essentially become mythic through exposure to the mythic underworld, they no longer view 0-level people as worthy adversaries. They likewise are not tempted by whatever mundane wealth could be gained by slaughtering common folk.

If a player or two has trouble with that concept from time to time, a scattering a higher level NPCs should keep them in check. Mentors, and other like-minded adventurers are sure to be present. Side adventures could even involve one of these running amok, and the PCs hired to stop them. A little object lesson never hurts.

So, that's my take on weaving exposure to the mythic environment into the mechanics of leveling. As always, comments and discourse are welcomed.

Subject to Change

In case it hasn't become apparent, virtually all of what I say here is subject to change. Not having a group, I don't have to concern myself with "sticking with something". I can be convinced that S&W Complete is my game today, and be on a Rules Cyclopedia kick tomorrow. I try not to do that, but it does happen.

In that spirit, my desire/quest for the best way to represent fighters has brought me back around to one of my favorite on-again/off-again love affairs. Specifically, that is using the original 2d6 combat system from Chainmail. The reason I like it is its simplicity. Essentially, to-hit numbers are fixed based on cross-referencing armor type vs weapon. Improving ability is represented by increasing the number of attacks. That achieves two objectives that I feel should be modeled in skillful combatants:

1) It gives the skilled fighter tactical options. He is free to distribute his attacks among his opponents as he deems fit. I know there is the so-called "Combat Machine" class ability, but it only applies if all opponents the fighter is engaged with are 1HD or less. So, an 8th level fighter can wade into 8 goblins and start cracking heads. Great. If there is a hobgoblin bully-boy leading the goblins, a hobgoblin has 1+1 HD, btw, our 8th level fighter is reduced to one attack. That just ain't right.
2) It abstractly represents a higher possible damage output. I believe a skillful opponent should be something to fear. An 8th level fighter with a dagger in the "Alternative Combat System"? He might scratch you for 4 points. An 8th level fighter with a dagger under the Chainmail system? He'll hand you your liver with the possibility of a maximum of 48 points of damage!

That makes combat a frightening prospect. I genuinely like higher-level characters being able to enter combat with a certain level of confidence. I genuinely dislike players entering combat with a smug attitude because their character has 53 HP and that ogre can only do 10 points max per turn.

For any of you interested in pursuing this sort of thing for your own game, I refer you to:

Forbidden Lore by Jason Vey. The pdf is free, the link is near the bottom of the page, along with some pretty cool Conan stuff. You will need access to Chainmail to really use it, but if you have the Ready Ref sheets from Judge's Guild you might squeak by. The combat tables for 2d6 combat are in the Ready Ref sheets.

Misnomers and House Rules

It is amazing what a little clarity of vision, married with a well-defined goal, can enable one to accomplish.

It has never been lost on me that D&D is a toolkit. Especially D&D as presented in the LBBs. It is also well-known that it demands tinkering and house-ruling right out of the box (pardon the pun). I think, though, that maybe "house rules" is a term that is a bit misleading. I think the term should be "campaign modifications", or some variation thereof. Please allow me to explain.

For virtually my entire gaming "career" I have house ruled any game I have ever owned. Whether I had a group or not, a campaign in development or underway, or not, I was house ruling. It never dawned on me that I wasn't house ruling at all. Without a campaign in mind, I was actually modifying the toolkit. It isn't until the toolkit is applied to the campaign that it becomes a rules set. Some changes can be made to the toolkit, to be sure. The vast majority of the house rules should be informed by specific details of the campaign, however. Very few people will go to their workshop and modify their hammer or screwdriver, but they will take the blueprint for a project and modify it to better suit the unique nature of their needs.

Development of Dannak has lead me to this conclusion. Anyone can play D&D straight from the box. Anyone can start house ruling willy-nilly on their first read-thru. The best modifications, though, are the ones implemented to reflect specific peculiarities of the campaign.

More S&W Complete Fighters

On first blush I was pretty happy with the changes made to the Fighter class in Complete. Then I really gave it a good look.

This iteration of the Fighting Man has two new class features that are supposed to set him apart from the other classes. They are his ability to Parry and exclusive use of Strength bonuses on to-hit and damage rolls. He also has the ability to make one attack per level vs opponents of one HD or less.

One thing I find myself guilty of when designing something is considering the best-case as the baseline. I don't mean to, but it happens. Then, I start thinking some idea I've had is unbalancing or too powerful. That seems to be the case to me with this Fighter. A lot is made of being the only class able to take advantage of Strength bonuses, and those bonuses apply to missile fire, as well, making the Fighter a formidable and deadly archer. Such a Fighter can enjoy a bonus of +3 to-hit and damage with a missile weapon, if his stats are high enough.

That's a tall order, though, and for Fighters without such stats, there are essentially no class abilities. In order to enjoy the benefits of the Strength modifiers on to-hit and damage rolls, the character must have a Strength of at least 13. This would allow a +1 to-hit, no modifier to damage. When rolling straight 3d6 for stats there is a 26% chance the roll will be 13 or more. The damage bonus doesn't come in until the Strength score is at least 16, where the damage bonus is +1. A roll of 16 or better occurs only 5% of the time. The maximum benefit, +2 to-hit/+3 damage, comes with an 18 Strength, which happens less than .5% of the time. Those probabilities don't account for rolling in order. I'm no statistician, and I don't know if I have ever had to roll in order, so it isn't worth considering, really. Then, of course for the deadly archer mentioned, the Dexterity roll has to be 13+, as well. The Parry ability is dependent on a Dexterity of 14+, 16% of the time. I have no idea what the percentage is of getting a 13+ on Strength and 14+ on Dexterity with the same character, but I'm sure it's brutal.

Part of the attraction of the OSR, for me, is that I don't need to feel like characters with a highest stat of 13 and the rest between 9 and 11 are unplayable. Remember the quote from the AD&D? The one about characters needing at least 15s in at least 2 stats to be considered playable.

"Furthermore, it is usually essential to the character's survival to be exceptional (with a rating of 15 or above) in no fewer than two ability characteristics."

PHB, pg 9

I don't want that. Exceptional should, by definition, be the exception. If the entire party is sporting at least two stats of 15+, where's the "exceptional"? Oh, sure, compared to everyone else in the world, maybe. But only if they are NPCs, and NPCs that aren't retired adventurers, because they would have to possess such scores as well.

So, while those bonuses looked good on paper, they are too problematic for me. I believe that a Fighter's class abilities should be just that, class abilities, not stat abilities. They should scale with his level, just like all the other classes. Lastly, they should be exclusive to the class, not allowed to so-called "subclasses" like paladins and rangers. I think I'll be incorporating my personal Fighter class for my megadungeon. If I ever get a group to play it.

System of Choice

Now that I have my megadungeon direction, I have to firmly focus myself on a system. Naturally, it will be old-school D&D, but via which route? For me, it is all about the characters and the combat system. It is about the one that produces characters that I want to play (even though I'll be designing/refereeing). it also has to deliver characters I want to referee, so no abilities that get real sticky with math or exceptions. Combat has to pop, move right along, be exciting, terrifying, and quick. I refuse to track segments or arrow flight times or any of the other "realism" nonsense that people have tried to bolt onto the abstraction engine at the heart of D&D.

So, it really comes down to three options for me: Swords & Wizardry Complete, Labyrinth Lord, and Labyrinth Lord + Advanced Edition Companion.

Complete really is in the driver's seat. The LBBs plus supplements were proto-AD&D, and so is Complete. I think it would require minimal house ruling (mostly for the Fighter, Cleric, and changes to the Magic-User xp chart). Its rules are closest to the ones I started with, so the comfort factor is off the chart.

LL and LL+AEC are superb games. Very well presented and organized. As I've mentioned, I've never held an actual copy of B or X, so there is zero familiarity or nostalgia for me in LL. The AEC does conjure some memories, though, because it truly does capture the spirit of how we actually played "AD&D" back then. I just bolted it onto the LBBs instead of B/X. The biggest thing holding these two back, beyond the nostalgia factor, is size. I have a program that splits pdfs into their individual pages, then add or rearrange pages. I cobbled together an LL "complete", which is base LL minus sections 2 and 3, added in everything from the AEC, left out the known world stuff, and it is still 236 pages. Not bad compared to close to 500 for Pathfinder Core, which doesn't include monsters. But S&W Complete comes in over 100 pages shorter. I like that.

The other option I didn't include is my own S&W based house rules doc. I still have mixed feelings on it, so it will almost certainly remain on the shelf for now.