...and that's what sold me on the game

Sean · November 23, 2007, 01:37:21 PM

Way back in the day the big kids next door let me join them for a dungeon stomping adventure. I will never quite understand why the 15 and 16 year old guys wanted to play with a 10 year old kid, but heck, stranger gaming groups have been formed. Way stranger.

We were playing with the very first set of fantasy role playing rules available. Before 1st edition, before the blue book. No editions, no modifications, just three little brown books covered with simple black and white art. I still remember a beautiful witch with a comely friend on page 27 .... There were supplements and other stuff available at the time, but not to us, we lived way out in the sticks and were thus unaware of the most recent stuff. The only extra rules we had were in a zine published by some local guys. Back then the rules were simple and the game was fun.

We ran around in a maze-like dungeon full of bloodthirsty orcs, stupid trolls and burbling magic fountains. Eventually one of us got his hands on a +1 sword. We were all impressed. Within our group, he became the local hero. Always at the vanguard, he would charge forward hacking apart everything. Most importantly he would take down the wights. (They could only be harmed by silver arrows and enchanted blades.) He would swing his mighty 1d6+1 weapon and the monsters woudl go down like ripe wheat. He had a mighty 14 strength, which provided no attack or damage bonuses at all! (But it did let him add 5% to earned experience point rewards!.) Back then just about everything did 1d6 damage. No ones chance to hit would change until they reached fourth level.

I had heard of one guy who had made it all the way to fifth level. When I started playing that was just a rumor, we all expected to die well before that. I did not hesitate to play a hobbit that could not even go to any level higher than fourth. Fifth level seemed ridiculously far away.

The bonus to hit, the bonus to damage and the ability to harm those wights without wasting our precious silver arrows was very important. That +1 sword meant the world to us. It was a thin shining sliver of metal that held back the darkness of the dungeon. When its wielder died at the hands of a wight, I still remember the feeling of awe I experienced as I pried that +1 sword out of his clammy grasp and continued the mad rush forward. Now with the awesome power of the +1 sword in my own hands, I went into a frenzy. When the previous wielder of the sword rose again as a wight behind me, I cut him down like a sapling and then began a happy hackfest among the remainder of our foes. A few lucky die rolls later, I stood alone upon a huge pile of dismembered wights.

I was 10 years old.
I was a god among men.
It was awesome.
Conan, Lancelot or Hercules had nothing on me.

It is this kind of experience that Dungeoneer Adventures strives to produce.

I had a +1 sword. It didn't have a name. We never referred to it as 'magical'. It was just 'the +1 sword'. No one else had one. Sure one guy had that coin with 'continual light' on it (who knew where he found a 5th level Bishop to cast it for him?). Some other guy had a bag that always had what he needed inside it (including a fresh chicken at dinner time). I had 'the +1 sword', and I was proud. I folded up that character sheet after the adventure and knew that next Thursday night, between suppertime and bedtime, I would again revel in the awesome power of my mightily armed hobbit.

Oh how times have changed! The games we play have changed as well. These days a plain old +1 sword is almost a disappointment. A first level d20 fighter can easily have +6 to hit before the game even starts (BAB +1, Str 16, weapon focus and a masterwork blade). When that fighter gets a hold of a +1 sword, the increase in combat power is nominal. If he is replacing a masterwork blade, his chance to hit will not even change. WTF!

Slowly but surely, a constant escalation has occurred over the history of gaming. Nowadays, a '+1 sword' means almost nothing. What you really want is the 'excellent, keen, smoldering +6 longsword of the harrowing feral dire weasel'. Some of you may remember having sat in front of a computer for about 63.2 hours, just to upgrade your sword from +378 to +383. How did a fun filled nights entertainment get turned into an amateur math quiz?

With the current generation of rules, no one will get that amazing rush over a '+1 sword'.

In Dungeoneer Adventures we have taken care to refresh the RPG genre.
We have taken out the tedious number crunching.
We have sped things up and removed slow, boring, incremental progress from the game.
Each and every treasure you find will make a real difference in how you play.
In a world where everything is escalating out of control, we bring the RPG back where it belongs.
Power in YOUR hands.

Get ready to roll 1d6 where +1 means a heck of a lot.

You are the hero of your own story.
Stomp through the dungeon.
Watch as your foes cower before the might of your amazing magical weaponry and insanely powerful spells.

Play is fast.
Combat and furious.
Dungeoneer Adventures makes for a great night of entertainment, not 6 months of tedious grinding.

Let the games begin!
_________________
bye for now,
richard pocklington

Now I'll try that game without knowing anything more about it. (well, the price perhaps)

Can you think of a review/phrase/image etc that made you think 'woah, that is the game, SHE WILL BE MINE !'

Greentongue · November 23, 2007, 01:57:34 PM

and this is why there is an "Old Skool" revival.
The games are (already) out there, grab one and play.
=

dar · November 23, 2007, 02:27:07 PM

This is the Free Trader Beowulf, calling anyone ...
Mayday, Mayday ...
we are under attack ...
main drive is gone ...
turret number one not responding ...
Mayday ...
losing cabin pressure fast ...
calling anyone ...
please help ...
This is Free Trader Beowulf ...
Mayday ...

kryyst · November 23, 2007, 02:46:38 PM

We were playing Warhammer the other day. The characters had just finished the end of their 2nd Careers. One of them got their hands on a full set of Plate Mail and a brace of Pistols. Now the monsters truly know fear.

Oh and the Troll Slayer, just became a Giant Slayer. Still haven't got a magic item in the group.

The dungeon gaming you describe isn't new. It's just new to people who are only aware of D20, which incidentally aren't the people that view the types of forums you are advertising on.

Sean · November 23, 2007, 03:03:44 PM

Quote from: kryystThe dungeon gaming you describe isn't new. It's just new to people who are only aware of D20, which incidentally aren't the people that view the types of forums you are advertising on.

I'm quoting a piece by the guy pushing his new rpg and what it's like.

I'd like to see if the game lives up to that

That's all - I am not advertising and have nowt to do with Dungeoneer or Goodman Games.

Yes, of course there are older games that try for or acheive that sense of wonder. But there are new games that do the ol-skool shuffle with a bit more style - you deal me Tunnels and Trolls, I'll raise you Forward to Adventure!

(That Traveller example is still so class - worked on me too!)

Silverlion · November 23, 2007, 05:25:18 PM

See, all the rest of that babble, and THIS is the point that I think makes it good--the rest is game bogging gobbledygook about "why"

This is why!

"It was a thin shining sliver of metal that held back the darkness of the dungeon."

Now if only that were what the game was focusing on--fear and hope, and how to make that moment of having hope in the light of fear mattered, in the game, made things shape and encourage that kind of thinking for gaming (without weird stuff that jumps you out of the characters head, removes you from--essentially feeling it "in the now".)

That would be an awesome game.

Sean · November 23, 2007, 05:36:30 PM

Quote from: SilverlionNow if only that were what the game was focusing on--fear and hope, and how to make that moment of having hope in the light of fear mattered, in the game, made things shape and encourage that kind of thinking for gaming (without weird stuff that jumps you out of the characters head, removes you from--essentially feeling it "in the now".)

That would be an awesome game.

Absolutely !

kryyst · November 23, 2007, 08:19:57 PM

Quote from: SeanI'm quoting a piece by the guy pushing his new rpg and what it's like.

I'd like to see if the game lives up to that

Fair enough, but any game can live up to that - it's all in the telling.

TheShadow · November 23, 2007, 09:44:38 PM

Quote from: SilverlionSee, all the rest of that babble, and THIS is the point that I think makes it good--the rest is game bogging gobbledygook about "why"

This is why!

"It was a thin shining sliver of metal that held back the darkness of the dungeon."

Now if only that were what the game was focusing on--fear and hope, and how to make that moment of having hope in the light of fear mattered, in the game, made things shape and encourage that kind of thinking for gaming (without weird stuff that jumps you out of the characters head, removes you from--essentially feeling it "in the now".)

That would be an awesome game.

Not necessarily.

By focusing on adventure, you get the fear and hope thrown in. But by intentionally striving for the feelings like fear and hope. or even - horror of horrors - attempting to integrate such things mechanically, you lose focus and both the adventure and the exhilarating feelings disappear from your game table.

Drew · November 24, 2007, 01:20:28 AM

From what I've read 'Dungeoneer Adventures' sounds like a very nifty pick-up game. I'll probably buy it on release, mainly because it looks like a good fit for a Fighting Fantasy (Allansia) campaign I have in mind.

RPGPundit · November 24, 2007, 09:39:22 AM

Quote from: DrewFrom what I've read 'Dungeoneer Adventures' sounds like a very nifty pick-up game. I'll probably buy it on release, mainly because it looks like a good fit for a Fighting Fantasy (Allansia) campaign I have in mind.

Hey, why wait?! Forward... to Adventure! would be awesome for a campaign in Allansia!

RPGPundit, getting all down on the competition

Koltar · November 24, 2007, 11:03:48 AM

Quote from: darThis is the Free Trader Beowulf, calling anyone ...
Mayday, Mayday ...
we are under attack ...
main drive is gone ...
turret number one not responding ...
Mayday ...
losing cabin pressure fast ...
calling anyone ...
please help ...
This is Free Trader Beowulf ...
Mayday ...

Already doing that one....with the GURPS rules

Drew · November 24, 2007, 11:36:52 AM

Quote from: RPGPunditHey, why wait?! Forward... to Adventure! would be awesome for a campaign in Allansia!

I've considered ordering a copy, but all this POD makarkey looks like witchcraft to me...

Zachary The First · November 24, 2007, 02:26:40 PM

Quote from: darThis is the Free Trader Beowulf, calling anyone ...
Mayday, Mayday ...
we are under attack ...
main drive is gone ...
turret number one not responding ...
Mayday ...
losing cabin pressure fast ...
calling anyone ...
please help ...
This is Free Trader Beowulf ...
Mayday ...

Amen, bro, amen.

Silverlion · November 24, 2007, 04:59:34 PM

Quote from: The_ShadowNot necessarily.

By focusing on adventure, you get the fear and hope thrown in. But by intentionally striving for the feelings like fear and hope. or even - horror of horrors - attempting to integrate such things mechanically, you lose focus and both the adventure and the exhilarating feelings disappear from your game table.

I'm not sure about that. I think one can encourage behaviors you want, without losing focus (and without honing them so fine you nick the blade..)

I think subtle encouragements to think on the sword as something other than +1, to remove the mechanical "I know what this is", helps encourage it, without mechanically enforcing it. You have a blade you know is enchanted, but you don't know if it will work, if its powerful enough, you only know it is magic....