Monolith has released quickstart rules and an adventure for its upcoming Conan TTRPG:https://monolithedition.com/en/portfolio/conan-the-hyborian-age-the-roleplaying-game/

Kinda meh, but it looks like they're trying to move far away from the fairly rules-heavy Modiphius game.

QuoteSafety and Player
Comfort
Though the original Conan stories are frequently
lurid and occasionally veer into uncomfortable
stereotypes of race and culture, there is no rea-
son that the tabletop experience needs to mirror
these elements. The Game Master and players
should establish the boundaries of comfort for
the content and behavior within the game, iden-
tifying any potentially troublesome aspects that
will make players uncomfortable, at the risk of
spoiling their enjoyment of the game.
Various methods exist for establishing table rules,
whether safety tools such as X cards (cards that
can be shown when a subject should be dropped),
player checklists of undesirable topics, or a sim-
ple conversation before play about potentially
problematic subjects. Not everyone has the same
limits, and these should be respected equally.
If a player doesn't want to experience scenes of
torture, cruelty, degradation, racism , sexism, or
something less obvious, the Game Master and
other players should respect that and adjust the
gameplay accordingly.

Didn't even bother reading further after seeing that sidebar. It's fucking Conan; play something else if you don't want a Conan game.

Quote from: Brad on June 30, 2024, 10:38:20 AM

QuoteSafety and Player
Comfort
Though the original Conan stories are frequently
lurid and occasionally veer into uncomfortable
stereotypes of race and culture, there is no rea-
son that the tabletop experience needs to mirror
these elements. The Game Master and players
should establish the boundaries of comfort for
the content and behavior within the game, iden-
tifying any potentially troublesome aspects that
will make players uncomfortable, at the risk of
spoiling their enjoyment of the game.
Various methods exist for establishing table rules,
whether safety tools such as X cards (cards that
can be shown when a subject should be dropped),
player checklists of undesirable topics, or a sim-
ple conversation before play about potentially
problematic subjects. Not everyone has the same
limits, and these should be respected equally.
If a player doesn't want to experience scenes of
torture, cruelty, degradation, racism , sexism, or
something less obvious, the Game Master and
other players should respect that and adjust the
gameplay accordingly.

Didn't even bother reading further after seeing that sidebar. It's fucking Conan; play something else if you don't want a Conan game.

I don't understand why they feel the need to include the virtue signal. Is it not elementary socializing to not attempt to force others to partake in recreation they are uncomfortable with? And is brutality not baked into Conan? For what other purpose would one want to use the Intellectual Property's setting if not for a Grim experience?

It's all so tiresome.

I also saw the safety tools block and was immediately turned off. Modiphius might be incompetent game designers, but at least they didn't act embarrassed to be making a Conan Game.

Outside of that, there isn't too much to say based on the Quickstart, but mechanically it looks like an improvement on the 2d20 game. The two biggest problems the Modiphius game has, other than the 2d20 mechanic itself, are the magic and the talent/advancement system.  We don't get much information on either in this quickstart document, but at least they've ditched most of the metacurrency.

Still I don't see why I would buy this, let alone kickstart it.

Yeah, the virtue signal is lame as fuck.  But then the game itself is not only rules light, it's rules dull.  So not much to get excited about here.

So... how many Conan RPGs does this make now?

5?
6?

TSR did 2. The Conan modules/setting for AD&D. And the Conan RPG.
SJG did gurps Conan a few years later.
Mongoose did at least 2 Conan RPGs. First in 2004. I have the 2e version from 2007. Uses 3e D&D.
Mophidius did one using the 2d20 system in 2014.

So that makes this latest version number 7?

I don't think it's really even possible to model Conan in a game. When he was a teen (late teens) he single handedly killed two frost giants after coming to after being knocked out in a battle

I also think it's absurd that an IP exists as a property when the author died in 1937. Conan should be public domain. And certainly not owned by a company in Sweden.

I've only glanced through the rules very superficially but little mechanical design inconsistencies bother me in my old/middle age now.   Their "flex" die gets better the smaller it is even though everything else that I saw (admittedly likely not everything as I just skimmed) was "higher/bigger is better".   It's a minor gripe for sure but a turn off for me personally.

All fantasy games can be Conan.  It's a setting, not a rules set.

As for trigger warnings, they've been an RPG staple since the Satanic Panic.  I play Palladium, and they STILL warn Karen that it's a fucking game, and she should get off her preachy soap box and let little Billy play his pretend make-believe sci-fi story with dice. 

I might have slightly misquoted the warning in Palladium books.  I'm just saying they're still in there. 

Or cut the page out.  You could use the toilet paper.

Quote from: Brad on June 30, 2024, 10:38:20 AM

QuoteSafety and Player
Comfort
Though the original Conan stories are frequently
lurid and occasionally veer into uncomfortable
stereotypes of race and culture, there is no rea-
son that the tabletop experience needs to mirror
these elements. The Game Master and players
should establish the boundaries of comfort for
the content and behavior within the game, iden-
tifying any potentially troublesome aspects that
will make players uncomfortable, at the risk of
spoiling their enjoyment of the game.
Various methods exist for establishing table rules,
whether safety tools such as X cards (cards that
can be shown when a subject should be dropped),
player checklists of undesirable topics, or a sim-
ple conversation before play about potentially
problematic subjects. Not everyone has the same
limits, and these should be respected equally.
If a player doesn't want to experience scenes of
torture, cruelty, degradation, racism , sexism, or
something less obvious, the Game Master and
other players should respect that and adjust the
gameplay accordingly.

Didn't even bother reading further after seeing that sidebar. It's fucking Conan; play something else if you don't want a Conan game.

Greetings!

*Laughing* Yeah, man. After reading the Woke Jello sidebar--I don't care what else is in the book. The whole thing should be soaked in gasoline and put to the torch!

Every time a company does this--they need to suffer and burn. Eventually, someone gets the idea right, and refuses to hire Woke Commies as employees. Then, companies can start thinking clearly, and correctly again. Maybe some day, more of them will actually seek to publish game books for normal people, normal gamers, and not fucking jello-filled books for Woke fucking Communists. Oh well. Until then, our hobby just prospers along with independent, small companies that haven't sold their souls to fucking Commies.

I wouldn't support any of these Woke companies. Let them burn. Let them starve. Let them cry and scream in abject, crushing poverty.

Just the thought makes me laugh in my huge leather chair, lighting up one of my fine cigars.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Quote from: RNGm on June 30, 2024, 09:56:50 PMI've only glanced through the rules very superficially but little mechanical design inconsistencies bother me in my old/middle age now.   Their "flex" die gets better the smaller it is even though everything else that I saw (admittedly likely not everything as I just skimmed) was "higher/bigger is better".   It's a minor gripe for sure but a turn off for me personally.

Having skimmed the rules, the reason is that your chance of a "flex" increases as you get more experienced.  So to start your flex die is d10 and you get a flex on a 10.  Then it goes to d8, getting a flex on an 8.  So 1 in 8 is better than 1 in 10.  Eventually it goes down to d6.  But yeah, it's just for the sake of difference.  You could just keep increasing your odds using the d10.

QuoteIf a player doesn't want to experience scenes of
torture, cruelty, degradation, racism , sexism, or
something less obvious, the Game Master and
other players should go play Cartoon Action Hour.

Fixed it for them.

Quote from: SmallMountaineer on June 30, 2024, 11:02:54 AMI don't understand why they feel the need to include the virtue signal. Is it not elementary socializing to not attempt to force others to partake in recreation they are uncomfortable with? And is brutality not baked into Conan? For what other purpose would one want to use the Intellectual Property's setting if not for a Grim experience?

It's all so tiresome.

Because they want to police your gaming group. This isn't a warning about explicit content, it's an injunction on how you're supposed to cater to every player's hangups, instead of finding a group that gels with the game you're interested in running.
It's bass-ackward.

Quote from: Omega on June 30, 2024, 06:16:40 PMSo... how many Conan RPGs does this make now?

5?
6?

TSR did 2. The Conan modules/setting for AD&D. And the Conan RPG.
SJG did gurps Conan a few years later.
Mongoose did at least 2 Conan RPGs. First in 2004. I have the 2e version from 2007. Uses 3e D&D.
Mophidius did one using the 2d20 system in 2014.

So that makes this latest version number 7?

There's also a Brazilian Hyborian Age game. It might be the best of the lot:

https://www.101games.com.br/product-page/aventuras-na-era-hiboriana-rpg

Conan RPG - now with pacifiers for the fucking babies. I get so tired of this nonsense from emotionally fragile people.