Infocyde's RPG Blog

OK, I'll throw my hat in on this. The Top Seven RPG's I've Played and GM'ed. AD&D 1st Edition - My group of friends quickly shed D&D B/X for AD&D 1st Edition.  We played the heck out of it up until second edition came out. AD&D 2nd Edition - When AD&D 2nd Edition came out we quickly abandoned 1st Edition for the 2nd. We had many great campaigns up through high school using AD&D 2nd Edition.   Space Master - The sci-fi variant of Rolemaster (better known as Chart Master) we used Space Master as kind of a base sci-fi system in which to create our own mash up of various genres (A few one offs mimicking the movie Aliens, bounty hunters hunting replicants ala Blade Runner, and a few other semi-post apocalyptic settings). I don't think we ever got the rules right be we loved the plasma repeater weapon charts. Gama Word - We has a few numerous short lived campaigns, which we all enjoyed, but we always seemed to return back to D&D. R...

So I hear there is a one month RPG creation contest out there.  I think just for the fun of it I'll throw my hat in the ring. So let's break the game down into it's primary tasks. Develop Core Mechanic / Game Concept Character Creation Equipment Adversaries World Building Tools And I've got about 4 weeks to do this in. I think I will attempt to make a rules light-heavy / medium-light post apocalyptic RPG based on an RPG that I had created about 20 years ago called 2049. Game Concept of 2049 Aliens observe humanity and decide to use humans as a warrior slave race to fight another alien species.  However, to be effective, humans need to be 1) neutered so they don't pose a threat and 2) genetically enhanced. Aliens threaten humanity with destruction.  Part of humanity secretly cut deal with aliens to survive and agree to serve humanity.  A secret head quarters is built on the dark side of the moon that is known to only a very select few. Aliens...

I picked up http://www.paradigmconcepts.com/  Witch Hunter The Invisible World RPG in excellent condition tonight at the used book store today.  I gave the book a once over skim and so far I'm liking what I'm seeing.  The RPG setting takes place in an alternative 17th century in which things that go bump in the night are real, and witch hunters are are called to do battle against the forces of darkness.  My half hour read through doesn't really give me enough to truly judge the game, but there are a few things that stick out that I like. Initial Likes Inclusion of a Faith / Hero Point / Damnation Point system that looks pretty interesting. The damnation point system looks really cool, where characters can more easily draw on the dark side to get out of trouble, but the easy escape comes at a price which makes characters more vulnerable in the future to attacks from the dark forces. The game system, which is a dice pool system, looks well done. ...

I've been wanting to play the rules light Barbarians of Lemuria for a while.  I finally tricked my wife into playing a bit with me.  She made a huntress/thief character named Joss.  Here is a recap of the play test. ----- Joss is headed into town to sell a bow that she thieved from somewhere as money is getting tight. On the way she is jumped by three bandits in the forest before town.  Joss ignores the bandit's calls for surrender and sprints towards the tree line away from the road. She is hit by a light crossbow bolt but the damage is absorbed by her light armor. Joss manages to make it up into the trees with a few light crossbow bolts missing her as she climbed.  The bandit/thieves claim they only want her to pay the "King's tax".  Amid cat calls to come down Joss jumps to a larger tree and scurries up and hides.  After a while the bandits locate her but can't get a good shot.  One of the bandits, George (not a very hyborian-Lemurian n...

Here is another DnD "Pro" Option Option Two: Making Combat Deadlier and Faster Inspiration : Warhammer Fantasy Role Playing Reason: Hi level characters have too many hit points, slows combat down, makes it less deadly. Rule Description --------------------- The hit point system should be changed as follows- Characters start out with 4 hit points, plus any Constitution bonuses. Fighter / Combat focused characters gain 1 hit point per level Cleric, Thief, Secondary fighting classes gain 1 hit point per two levels Magic users, non physical combat types gain 1 hit point per three levels Example. Strom the fighter has a Constitution of 16, and gains a +2 modifier to his hit points (maybe +3 in some retro game systems). Strom is level one so he gains an additional hit point.  So Strom starts out with 7 hit points.  At level 10, Stom has gained a further 9 hit points, giving Strom a total of 16 hit points. Example. Jargena the mage starts out with four hit points p...

There are a lot of retro D&D RPG's out there.  I've been pondering a few rules tweaks that I think might add to these retro games.  Each rule tweak option I propose will be modular, so Dungeon Masters can take or leave what they like.  Here is my first rule tweak. Option One: Stat Potentials Inspiration : Space Master Reason : A way to make character's stuck with low stats able to eventually compete with characters that randomness favored. Rule Description ---------------------- Characters role up there initial character stats in the normal method approved by the Dungeon Master. Next, a player roles the the stats over again using the same method.  These are potential stats.  If the first rolled stat is higher than a potential stat, the potential stat is increased to the first rolled stat.  The potential stats are written down on character sheet right next to the first rolled stats.  This second set of stats represents a characters given nat...

Dungeons and Dragons AD&D version one is back.  Well in retro form anyways.  I know a lot of Christians say role playing games are evil.  To an extent I would agree, but I would say it depends on the game.  Role Playing games are neutral, but many role playing games are based on fantasy settings that incorporate a lot of occult and alternative religious thought.  I do struggle with this, as I think that regardless of whether it is a computer game, a role playing game, a virtual environment, real life, a web post, whatever...whatever guise you find yourself in you should conduct yourself in a way that honors Jesus.  If you don't you sin.  I fail at that a lot. Perhaps role playing is one way that I fail.  But that is a whole other post than my intent for now, I will revisit this. For now, I just would like to take a moment to remember some of the people who back in the early day where involved in the hobby.  To me it is fascinating t...