Rage Precogniton Grace

"Rage, Precognition, Grace" is an Old School style RPG based on Steve Jackson's "The Fantasy Trip."

http://www.filesavr.com/I04NPB6R7GZF9RZ

The download link above should get you the document. I wrote this a few years ago, but in looking over my past work recently I realized that this document although considered incomplete is quite playable and actually looks pretty good for fans of TFT. It is different and uses some original mechanics ... but I find that I am pretty happy with the design.

Enjoy!

Jeff Moore

Old School Hack - Playtest Review

I play tested “Old School Hack” this past week. A few members of the regular Thursday night group had conflicts and so it seemed like a good time for a “one-shot.” I had only 2 players and decided to give “Old School Hack” a try.

The time that I had planned to use working on the game session prior to play got away from me, and I found myself the night of the game with almost nothing in way of preparation. No pre-made characters, no adventure, or even an initial encounter to start the action, nothing … except that I had managed to print a copy of the rules.

Fortunately, OSH seems designed to be easy to pick up and play with minimal (in my case zero) preparation. I pulled the class pages out of the printout I had made and laid them out on the table. I told my players to look them over and pick one that looked interesting.

One player chose the Cleric class sheet and the other the Elf class sheet.

After choosing their Class, each player rolled attributes. This went very quickly and although I was worried at first as the Elf started out with two negative results, the rest of her rolls were much better and soon she had assigned all her rolls to her attributes and was ready to continue.

Although inspired by D&D, the Attributes for OSH are named differently and also used in some cases for different things. The six attributes in OSH are:

Brawn - sheer size, number of heavy things you can carry, physical intimidation factor.

Cunning - trickery, sneakiness, doing stuff that others are trying to prevent.

Daring - courage, facing your fears and attempting dangerous stuff without hesitation.

Commitment - devotion and intensity, catch-all saving throw, shrugging off magic and other wiles.

Charm - social aptitude, ability to inspire or encourage people to see things your way.

Awareness - alertness and perception, reflexes, reading between the lines.

The attributes page does a good job of showing how this particular set of attributes applies to various actions the players may wish to attempt. I like the choices made here over all, it's not how smart you are, but how clever, not how nimble you are, but how bold.

I believe that the goal here was to create a set of attributes that separates itself as much as possible from the combat model, so that the attributes would be chosen based on the sorts of things a player might want their character to do and no so much as simply another way to boost their combat numbers.

If that was the intent it works, and OSH looks to have a versatile attribute based task resolution mechanic that resists the need for a skill system. I like this. Skill heavy systems that micro-manage a character's scope can restrict player creativity. In avoiding this, OSH characters are not only more versatile, they are easier and faster to create.

The attribute assignment was over in a flash and we were on to class talents.

The Class Sheets describe a class' inherent ability and a “limitation” which is really just a guide for role-playing the class. In addition, each sheet has a description of five class specific talents. Each player chooses one talent at character creation with more talents becoming available to the character as they grow in experience.

The talents come in three different flavors. There are “continuous talents” that are either “always on” or usable as much as the player wishes, “arena talents” that are usable once per arena (like once per encounter, but better … more on arenas to come,) and “rested talents” that once used require a rest to recharge.

The Elf chose “Perfect Accuracy” which allowed the elf to add +2 to a “delayed attack” with a ranged weapon once per arena.

The Cleric chose “Prayers of the Hurt” which is a spell that allows the Cleric to heal wounds once per rest.

The nature of the talents and their use reminds me of D&D 4e powers, but they're not as restrictive. It seems to me like everything in 4e tries to define itself as a power. The game designers created a rules formula and then shoe-horned everything to fit that formula. When playing 4e, it felt like a character couldn't blow his nose unless he had a power defined for the action.

Here things don't feel as restrictive, the talents are “extra” a bonus … something you get, not something you're tied to. I am not sure how it is that 4e ends up feeling so restrictive or how OSH ends up avoiding this trap … but, it does. Or at least these are my impressions. Both my players had played 4e for about a year and decided they didn't like it. OSH did not produce immediate reactions of disdain or disinterest, so I felt encouraged as we forged onward.

The next step in character creation was choosing a weapon. This is actually a key part of the system as weapons categories are tied to combat arenas. Arenas are an incredible idea and part of what makes OSH burst ahead of other fantasy themed old school RPG clones and stand head and shoulders above them as something unique, better than the games that it strives to emulate and a true gem in a this overly crowded RPG landscape.

An arena is a simple enough idea. It is any place that characters might do battle that is different from any other place that characters might do battle. In a single combat this could mean, the crowded floor of a busy travelers inn, the stairwell leading up to a balcony overlooking the main floor of that same inn, and the narrow balcony itself.

These areas would then be defined as “arenas” and each arena possesses qualities that makes it different from the arena connected to it.

The crowded floor of the inn is a DENSE arena.

The stairs leading up to the balcony might be a HAZARDOUS arena.

And the narrow balcony might be a TIGHT arena.

The brilliance of arenas is that no longer are the descriptions of special abilities and effects defined as so many inches in range or radius. Now instead of thinking of things as miniatures on a combat grid, players are encouraged to imagine the environment, the actual qualities of the three dimensional space where the combat takes place.

What does this have to do with weapons? Well each weapon type is best suited for a specific arena and using the right weapon for the combat situation provides a bonus.

The weapons categories are further refined as each weapon type provides a different kind of advantage. The player is no longer taxed with simply selecting the weapon that does the most damage, some weapons allow the character to act earlier in the combat round, others add to defense, some are more accurate and finally still others do more base damage.

The balance of weapon types is so brilliant that an arbitrary limitation to a specific weapon type based upon a character's class is not needed and not used. Any class can use any weapon and everything feels just right.

The Elf player chose a Bow which is a ranged weapon and gains a bonus in OPEN arenas.

The Cleric player chose a Poleaxe which is a reach weapon and gains a bonus in HAZARDOUS arenas.

Next, was a choice of armor. Again, no restrictions are arbitrarily applied based on class, but heavier armor is cumbersome and so best left to characters with a higher Brawn, while a character who chooses to fight without any armor at all earns bonus Awesome points at the end of the combat because fighting without armor is awesome!

Awesome points are a special kind of in game currency that players can use to replenish their special abilities. So, although a Wizard could certainly wear armor, one who fought without would find themselves with more awesome points with which to fuel their spells. The mechanism is elegant and functional. Just another fragment of brilliance in a treasure trove of brilliant ideas.

The Elf with a -2 Brawn chooses to wear Leather Armor.

The Cleric opts to go without armor all together relying on his inherent armor class bonus (from his deity for wearing a visible sign of his faith) and the armor class bonus from his poleaxe to offer him the protection he needs.

With this we were ready to go. I came up with a reason for the two characters to be in the same place at the same time and we were off and running. It took about an hour to make characters, maybe a little less. And since neither of my players had ever even heard of OSH before, this seemed pretty good.

As mentioned before, I had nothing prepared so I just started making stuff up. The OSH rules are designed so that I really didn't need to have anything written down.

I made stuff up, and when we needed to make an attribute check we did that. I rolled a die, the player rolled a die, and we compared them. This system of “random difficulty” may not satisfy every DM in every situation, but it worked great for the improvisational nature of the evenings adventure, and the system can be easily modified to suit other styles of play.

During play, the rules document itself proved incredibly functional. Each major game concept and idea is defined and presented on a single page. Need to know about attributes? Everything I need is on the attributes page? Combat? All on the Combat Page. And here was another place where OSH shines. The combat sequence creates a logical flow that provides strategic options without the need for grids or miniatures or attacks of opportunity.

The sequence has a logical flow to it that feels natural and moves quickly and easily. These were some of the best, most interesting combats I can remember running ... ever. They played so quickly, and were incredibly easy to setup and manage.

All I needed to do was imagine what the environment where the combat took place looked like and define it as one of the arenas. Hit point totals were small (minions having only 1 each) and so record keeping was nearly nonexistent. The use of awesome points kept things dynamic and exciting.

Awesome points are awarded by the players to each other for doing something … well, awesome! I love the idea of involving the players in the rewards mechanic, it allows the players to interact on a whole new level and to congratulate one another when they do something cool or funny. I can see this promoting team work among players and eliminating the “so-in-so is being a jerk” factor … Brilliant!

Awesome points can then be spent by the player to replenish a character's talents or even to use class talents that they haven't yet learned. In our story, the final battle saw the characters facing a hoard of undead zombie minions. The Cleric did not possess the “Turn Undead” talent, but by spending 3 awesome points he was able to use it in a surprise move that destroyed all the zombie minions in an instant and earned him one of his Awesome points back on the spot (and a high-five from his fellow player.)

As players spend their awesome points they record this on their character sheet. The use of awesome points is the gauge by which characters advance in the game system. It's another great little innovation that not only works, but relieves the DM of further record keeping. (Have I over used the word, “Brilliant?”)

The “High-five moment” sums up a lot of my feelings about OSH. It's fun! OSH is fun to play. Higher praise I cannot give, and both players have saved their character sheets in anticipation of playing again, and soon.

OSH is a 26 page PDF. Of this only the first 20 pages are actual rules, the rest being play aids. And after character creation, only about 10 pages are really going to be needed to play. It's the kind of concise rules package that I look for when it comes time to bring an RPG to my game table.

This strength of concise presentation might also be the games only weakness. OSH may well be the best candidate for an entry level RPG I've seen, and as such it would be brilliant to see a version written with an eye toward introducing new players to the hobby.

The concise and compact nature of OSH also means that it only contains information for taking characters from 1st to 4th levels. The author promises a forthcoming “Heroic” edition, so maybe that's a strength after all, as it gives us something to look forward to. I for one am very anxious to see more of this RPG masterpiece.

Old School Hack is a rewrite/revamp of another free RPG called “Red Book Hack.” Looking at both of them, I have to smile, because this, to me, is what the free RPG community should be all about. The majority of the innovations that “Old School Hack” boasts are given first breath in “Red Book Hack” this material is then sharpened, distilled and perfected by the author of “Old School Hack.”

This is a wonderful example of the power of the “Creative Commons” license agreement. One person put forth an idea. Another person took this idea and built upon it. Neither person has ever met. They did not set out to collaborate on a project. But because of the internet, their ideas have found each other and gamers like you and I get to reap the rewards of their labors.

To Kirin Robinson and Eric Provost I say, “Thank you.”

Regards,


Jeff Moore

Friends of HiLo Heroes

Hi/Lo Heroes has been getting much love out in the blogosphere:

Sword and Board

HiLo Heroes Haven

And I just wanted to post a word of thanks to these guys and to everyone who plays/supports/enjoys Hi/Lo or any of the games that I've written. It's unbelievably gratifying to learn that people are playing a game that I created and I can't thank you all enough.

Regards,

Jeff Moore

Reading Comics

So, is it not enough that my iPad has given me a convenient and usable means to sketch again? Back when I used to draw all the time, I also read comics all the time as well. This is a practice that I have fallen out of over the years. I grew up, got married. Trips to the comic shop grew less and less frequent. Long boxes of comics began to be shuffled around, from main room to bed room to garage ... to yard sale.

Enter the iPad. I started by downloading a few free comics. They were good. I found that I was mildly interested. The iPad screen was only slightly smaller than a comic page, the experience was pretty good. Also, no long box to lug around. Then DC started this whole "New 52" thing. I picked up a few issues. No need to make a trip to the shop. Just a few swipes of the finger and "presto" instant gratification.

I am of mixed feelings about this whole thing. First, it's amazing. I am 46 years old and I haven't read comics regularly for maybe 20 years or more. But, now I find myself anxiously awaiting Wednesdays so I can check out the latest arrivals and read something new. My life won't allow me to stop by the comic shop on a regular basis. The past 20 years is proof of this. So the iPad has opened a whole new door for me. I am excited, because I can read comics again, and reading comics makes me excited about drawing comics too. That's a win, win.

But I also wonder about what this means to the "brick and mortar" comic shop. I know this isn't a new concern, that electronic media has been around for some time now ... but, it's only just become apparent to me how much of an impact this can have, as I find the electronic reading experience may finally have surpassed the paper and ink one. With the iPad the books are just as portable (and not just a single comic, but your entire collection) the artwork is sharp and lovely to look at, and the reading experience is as close to the "real thing" as it's ever been. Plus, instant access to new material.

I would like to see a way to "share" purchases. I could give you one of my issues and it would disappear from my iPad and appear on yours instead. I think this would be cool because trading comics was one of those things you did as a kid that makes collecting them fun.

Now with electronic media, there is no reason for a comic to "go out of print" the issue of Action Comics #1 that I just bought could be bought by anyone this month, next month, or a year from now ... and why not? It means there will never be a sense of "rarity" from the electronic market, but then ... I think that's good. No rarity, means no speculation. There was a time when I felt like speculators were making it harder for the people who really loved to read comics to enjoy the hobby. If electronic distribution eliminates this, then I welcome it.

Also, if I am finding it easier to buy comics again perhaps others are too, and this could give the comics industry as a whole a healthy shot in the arm, which I also see as a very good thing.

I have a friend who owns a comic shop. He is struggling. He will continue to struggle. I say concentrate on back issues. There will always be those who wax nostalgic for the paper books. As for me, I see the electronic future as a saving grace ... both for myself, and for the comics industry.

Thoughts?



Jeff Moore

Feeling SUPER ...

So, about a week ago I got an iPad 2. I am writing this entry with it. The thing is, this fantastic piece of technology ... This thing ... may very nearly replace my home PC entirely. It's just that amazing. But, not just my computer ... My game console ... My TV ... Everything. How can a single tool be so ridiculously useful?

It only just occurred to me today that I could use my pad as a ... Well, a pad ... Like a drawing pad. I grew up with my nose buried in a drawing pad. I used to want to draw comic books as a kid. Even as a young adult I clung to that dream. Now, as a 46 year-old man who is more adult than he ever wanted to be, I hold this pad in my hands and think ... "Yeah, I could draw again ... I could draw ..."

I downloaded the Art Studio app for my pad about 30 minutes ago. The quick sketch above isn't exactly the best thing I've ever done. But, I drew it with my finger ... With my finger using an app, I'd never seen before. Honestly, I'm proud of it and I felt the need to share. With some practice and a ten dollar stylus, I might be drawing again for real.

Today, I feel 20 years younger.

Regards,

Jeff