In Germany nobody groks it: More expensive than D&D, looks like a parody???
Is it a funny package for real 1st Edition Adventure? How do I play it? Are the modules itself good? Compatible to D&D?
Back in the 1980s I played a lot of AD&D 1st Edition*. I played Hackmaster at a GenCon demo in 2002.
It seemed like an intentionally unplayable parody to me. But we did play it. I recall that the guy running the demo was really emphasizing the "fun" of the playtest as how goofy the rules were and how often your character ended up dead for no good reason.
Kinda awful, but some people sorta took to it like Paranoia.
* I give this detail to establish that I know what the source material kinda is supposed to be.
It started out as the RPG that was played by the charecters in the comic Knights of the Dinner Table, the fans kept asking them to come out with a full rpg version, but the creator(s) weren't going to even try as they knew that they had based it (in the comic) off of 1st ed. AD&D and anything short of that wouldn't do. The joke snowballed over the years with crazy rules and whatnot showing up in the comic.
Then WotC screwed up BIG time... when they put out the collection of Dragon magazine they assumed that they had full rights to everything that had been in it, including the KoDT strips... This made a lot of people mad, and has been widely regarded as a bad move.
Parts of the settlement (if I've understood it right) with WotC was that Kalamar, Kenzer's genaric world setting, would become an official D&D setting, (which is why it says D&D on it instead of D20) Kenzer would have the license to produce the official D&D comic books, and they would get the ok to use 1st ed. AD&D as thier rulebase for a RPG version of the game that their charecters play in the comic strip.
This has caused confustion, as the game isn't about the comic strip and takes itself extremely seriously. It is meant to be old school AD&D, but with the rules turned up another notch or two to 11. The rules that were refferenced in years and years of the comic were all put in if possible.
It's hard for me to figure out how to describe, and I need to leave for work, I'll think about it and try to answer more later. (assuming that someone else doesn't step in a do a better job then I could, particularly since I never ended up playing, and as my HMGMA membership has long since lapsed)
Quotehe game isn't about the comic strip and takes itself extremely seriously
But why these horrible illustrations?
Quote from: SettembriniBut why these horrible illustrations?
By and large I would say that it was an attempt to echo some of the style of the 1st edition AD&D covers and interier pictures, just turned up a notch. Myself I like some of them more then others, but that's true of most rpg books.
Its a genuinely funny read, that would probably ruin any group who attempts to run it.
Quote from: LawbagIts a genuinely funny read, that would probably ruin any group who attempts to run it.
:shrug: I don't know, anicdotal evidence suggests that some point enjoy it at least.
there are a lot of actual play thread on RPG.net, but I feel to play in the spirit of the game and comics would crucify the group, or at least the groups Ive gamed with over the years.
it is a homage/piss-take etc... but to play it in the spirit in which it was written, I think too much would be forced.
What exactly is that spirit?
Quote from: SettembriniWhat exactly is that spirit?
An adversarial relationship between GM and players, meatgrinder encounters, and organized, stratified min-maxing and "cheating."
And why is it so darn expensive? Who buys thes Hacklopedia of Beasts Vol. XIII? As said earlier, even D&D is cheaper nowadays.
Because the game started as the "Hackmaster" set of imaginary rules in the Knights of the Dinner Table comic, wherein there were rules and rulings for pretty much any occurence. It put the Lawyer into Rules Lawyer.
In many ways it has the same maxims as 1st Edition ADND, in that the DM is God and always right.
But it striped away any veneer of actual role-playing and turned it into a monster killing, treasure grabbing rules-quoting dice rolling fest.
I dont know whether it was fan-pressure or a late night drinking session when someone thought about releasing it as a real game.
The spirit of the game would be as the comic plays it. Its all about the weapons you have, that the dice land where they roll, the DM is god and no matter how hard you try, dont actually role-play your character.
Yeah, Hackmaster really loves seperate charts for resolving everything.
http://www.kenzerco.com/index.php?cPath=22_23_53
they have links to pdf samples
It's a great to read, (I've owned all but one issue so far) but I don't know that I'd want to be a part of the group. (though there is a player in my current group that can be close at times...)
I used to read the comics and say, "Man, if that game ever came out, I would totally play it."
Then it did, and I got bored making a dwarf.
I agree about the art; I really don'tlike the Bros. Fram's style. I'd describe AD&D 1st Ed. art as "unskilled but passionate", whereas the Fram stuff I'd say is "accomplished but lifeless".
HackMaster is basically 1e AD&D with some of the best or most popular aspects of 2e, with a number of new systems integrated into it. Most notable among these new systems is the critical hit system, which uses a d10,000 (!), the Honor system, which could be used in other iterations of D&D, and the "kicker," which is an extra 20 hit points every creature gets (except for, as I recall, small creatures, which get 10).
I like the Fraim Brothers' artwork, a lot. To me, they define the look of HackMaster.
HackMaster is a parody and satire of D&D and its players circa the heyday of AD&D - the early to mid 1980s. This grew from the Knights of the Dinner Table comic, created by Jolly Blackburn. The KotDT comic can take a while to warm up to, given the crudity of the artwork. I know I hated it for a long time, but after the RPG was released, it gave me a new appreciation for the comic, and I love it now. It's often brilliantly written, and I find it spot-on in its depiction of how gamers can be (maybe exaggerated...a little bit).
The game is complex. Armor has hit points, characters will be perpetually scrambling to get the money to pay for training so they can go up in level, the splat books are considered official additions to the game, etc. If all the rules were used as written, the game would come close to collapsing under its own weight. But there seems to be a fanbase for the game which insists it plays the game as written, and I don't doubt that's true.
The HackMaster GameMaster Shield is, without a doubt, the largest, most comprehensive DM screen ever made for a RPG. It's very impressive, and has artwork that parodies that of the classic 1e DM screen. There is also a combat wheel for HM that can be used to speed up combat. I love HackMaster's accessories.
The modules are, except for 2, "hacked" versions of 1e classics. They've been injected with humor and wackiness, but I don't feel it's too overbearing. Some feel the opposite, though.
The Hacklopedias number eight or nine. I bought them back when they were released, one a month for $20/month, so it wasn't that expensive for me. There is a "Field Manual" which is a one-volume monster book that gathers many of the "staple" monsters together for those who don't want to buy the whole set. Some complained that many of the monsters in the Field Manual were modified per the Monster Matrix, which is something like a book of templates for HackMaster monsters. I don't feel it really hurts the book, but many complained. One could simply take the old Monster Manuals and add the "kicker" to each monster and use them as-is for HackMaster.
By the way, I love the writing style of the Players Handbook and GameMasters Guide, which retain much of Gygax's original writing, and expands upon it in his style. The books are genuinely fun to read.
Quote from: ColonelHardissonThe HackMaster GameMaster Shield is, without a doubt, the largest, most comprehensive DM screen ever made for a RPG. It's very impressive, and has artwork that parodies that of the classic 1e DM screen. There is also a combat wheel for HM that can be used to speed up combat. I love HackMaster's accessories.
They made a version of the screen for D&D as well, and it is just amazing. You have to check it out to understand how cool it is. One of the only (if not the only) screens that was actually worth the $19.99 list price. http://www.kenzerco.com/Orpg/kalamar/dmstour/dmstour01.php
Any idea how hard the honor system would be to port to regular 3rd ed play offhand Colonel?
Quote from: cnath.rmThey made a version of the screen for D&D as well, and it is just amazing. You have to check it out to understand how cool it is. One of the only (if not the only) screens that was actually worth the $19.99 list price. http://www.kenzerco.com/Orpg/kalamar/dmstour/dmstour01.php
Any idea how hard the honor system would be to port to regular 3rd ed play offhand Colonel?
I haven't looked at it lately, but I don't think it'd be all that tough at all to port to 3e.
The D&D version of that screen is nifty, true, but it's smaller, contains Kalamar-specific maps, and has some really crappy artwork.
Quote from: ColonelHardissonI haven't looked at it lately, but I don't think it'd be all that tough at all to port to 3e.
The D&D version of that screen is nifty, true, but it's smaller, contains Kalamar-specific maps, and has some really crappy artwork.
I'll agree with all of that, (particularly about the artwork) but still think it's a better value for the money then the ones that WotC put out. (aside from the one that came free with Dungeon or Dragon, can't remember which it was)