$1.50 seems seriously underpriced for a PDF, especially a core ruleset.

Edit: ah, ok, it's only 20 pages long. Still a bit underpriced,  I think. But strategically so, not just out of idiocy or something.

The product was just updated based on more playtesting and feedback.

Most noticeable changes:

• Armor points increased (highest it can go is about 10 ap, which means a fully armoured Knight won't be rendered helpless by a lucky kobold in the first round of combat)
• Magic armor now simply doubles the armor points
• Spell list now includes descriptions of spell effects (but the levels haven't been included, unless I've missed something)

I read the magic rules a bit more carefully and they're better than I thought. 'Not sure if I gave the game a fair critique.

Quote from: RPGPundit;887995$1.50 seems seriously underpriced for a PDF, especially a core ruleset.

Edit: ah, ok, it's only 20 pages long. Still a bit underpriced,  I think. But strategically so, not just out of idiocy or something.

Right, it's simple, minimalistic, etc.
What I like most is probably the chance to increase ability score with each level.

I just use the 10 minute rest period instead of an hour -- it feels more like OD&D that way.

Quote from: RPGPundit;887995strategically so, not just out of idiocy or something.

Indeed, this sin;t something we're intending to make our fortunes from, so it makes sense to have a low entry price - with the view to getting as many people checking out the game as possible. Peter (the handsome chap publishing it) is pretty shrewd. Shrewder than I.

Armor points seem to be the biggest 'sticking point' for most people, but i've read stuff like this about alternate non-AC-sytsems before. I've amended the AP's so you get more as a default, eventually (within the next week I think?) a document will be released called 'Additional Things' it comes with a bunch of alternate rules and mod's for the game and AP's are given some slightly different treatment there.

Oh and @Stainless you forget, not all weapons strike your armor. The Thief I play has a long stiletto blade which he uses to slip between the rigid plates/rings of armor. If the wearer is too sluggish to get out of the way they are going to have a bad day.

In seriousness, its an abstraction, no more valid that a static AC value. All were trying to do is model a system of damage reduction or evasion. My game uses DEX test to handle evasion. STR doesn't makes sense for reduction, so Armor points make plenty sense in this regard.

Some more typos need to be fixed before hitting print - plus spell numbers on the lists, this seems to be my biggest failing during this process. Otherwise i'm very happy with it.

Welcome to theRPGsite!

I was unconvinced by the armour rules at first, but I am coming around after running a few tests. I hope to run it for real in a month or so, then we'll see whether house rules are in order. As David says, it's all an abstraction at some level or other - the only truly "realistic" model is the thing itself.

I can't remember where I found this, but somebody "forked" the Black Hack before it went to Kickstarter as the "Rat Hack".  The look and feel are similar, but Rat Hack adds skills and races to the mix.  The link is still active at: The Rat Hack

Oh yeah, the author is Dustin Ratliff.

Dustin Ratliff forked the Black Hat and created The Rat Hack, linked here: The Rat Hack.

Rat Hack has the same underlying engine as Black Hack, but includes races, class XP tables, a different armor soak system, and some other stuff.  I'd probably hybridize the two systems and throw in some other stuff to make a custom Hack for myself.