Despite being impressed with what I've seen of the 2d20 system, I waffled about joining the RE Howard's Conan RPG Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/modiphius/robert-e-howards-conan-roleplaying-game/description) while it was running.
But Modiphius has their own Pledge Manager on their site (also linked through the KS page), and their first wave was extended a bit. So I broke down & ordered the hardback plus the massive amount of PDF source books on the way.
Realized this would be far cheaper than purchasing the stuff later, both in hard copy and PDF format, so here I am. :crazy2: Hardback Core Book and all the expanded books (28?) in PDF for $80 US plus $13 shipping (not bad coming from UK).
Anyway.. I'm not sure how much longer the plethora of package deals are going to be extended. Judging by the KS updates, they're releasing some of the PDF versions this month and started locking in the extra Pledge Manager options (terrain tiles, etc) yesterday.
(https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/005/334/063/ddad535dc50689097cc258c48e9d7425_original.jpg?w=680&fit=max&v=1455064517&auto=format&q=92&s=5cef39e8ee2315acbb47fa241811989a)
Arise, chicken! Arise!
Looks like the RE Howard's Conan RPG is approaching print time. But the extras Modiphius has been producing is the reason for this resurrection.
They posted an online Character Generator (beta) for it.
http://conan.modiphiusapps.hostinguk.org/
I think the mix of randomized & selective facets reflect the way the actual char-gen is in the game, but I haven't quite read through the pre-release core rulebook proof PDF to see yet. Would much rather read from what will be a gorgeous hardback with all the wonderful artwork.
Judging by past 2d20 games, I expect there to be a "lifepath" style character creation method. Their upcoming Star Trek RPG will probably be a bit similar.
These little resources are nice. I wish more RPG companies would produce some of these product specific extras on the web.
The full-color Conan character sheet art......
:o :o
:dreamer:
They weren't messing around.
screenshot bits:
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs23.postimg.org%2Fcfi3r3u7f%2FConan_char_1.jpg&hash=5f21c0d3845a43bdbf3600c4f79b5548d733f86f)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs27.postimg.org%2Fnl83i6wtf%2FConan_char_2.jpg&hash=2b6b3cf6d9848c0f9f39076d25ea769a826b8b3c)
Nice character sheet, but I think it would get annoyingly busy after awhile.
Quote from: Bison on February 06, 2017, 12:38:56 PM
Nice character sheet, but I think it would get annoyingly busy after awhile.
Yeah. There are a few variations that are a bit less chaotic looking. Was just struck by the inspired flair of the full treatment version. :coolsmiley:
[In reverent tone] "Crom!"
Good lookin' book.
Smells similar to the old 2nd Edition AD&D hardbacks. Booksniffer strikes again! :arr:
Was surprised to see it is, "Printed In Latvia". The spine/glue didn't crack and complain at all when opened. Impressed with the quality of the construction. O0
Modiphius = :smitten:
(https://s11.postimg.org/5a8i4pd8j/Conan1.jpg)
is there a public SRD on the 2d20 system you can point me to? I'm curious how it works
Quote from: bayonetbrant on June 21, 2017, 09:24:24 AM
is there a public SRD on the 2d20 system you can point me to? I'm curious how it works
They have Quick Starts for their 2d20 line, which come with some basics, pregen characters, and a small scenario.
I'm not sure if they have a quickstart for their upcoming
Star Trek 2d20 rpg line yet.
RE Howard's Conan quick start:
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/174829/Robert-E-Howards-CONAN-Roleplaying-Game-Quickstart
Mutant Chronicles 3rd qs:
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/126929/Mutant-Chronicles-3rd-Edition-FREE-Quickstart
Infinity qs:
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/159673/INFINITY-RPG-FREE-Quickstart
The 2d20 system has similarities with FFG's
Star Wars; it was created by the same guy(s). But it doesn't have the custom dice. Uses a small d20 dice pool and d6 dice pools for damage/effects.
It has similar concepts, such as "Momentum" - those extra successes that can be shared & spent by the whole group in order to do extra stuff.
It gives a lot of player leeway in that they have multiple point spending options to save their own biscuits, in a bad spot, or do something exceptional. Even if they run out of these Fate-type points. Although they build up future bad stuff the GM can do if they opt to push it beyond what they currently have, in the form of the GM's Doom pool.
Can help not only mitigated bad strings of dice rolls, but adds more group support & dynamic action mechanics to the conflicts.
They tend to have two core types of combat/damage. Physical and Mental. The Mental allows for morale-type attacks & intimidation, special effects (such as Stun effects from bellowing a threat or by wicked reputation), insanity/corruption, etc. Kinda dig this extra side of it.
A video which describes the 2d20 system quite well.
Especially the Momentum & Doom pools, and both Physical and Mental attacks and damage. :bd:
Star Trek is probably very similar. Although I doubt it has the "Display of Bravado" style mental attack options, and a few other minor bits which are setting-specific to Conan. I'm sure ST has other unique thematic things, as does the other 2d20 titles.
Holy hell, how did I miss this thread? :bd:
Hyborea is my absolute favorite fantasy setting and once I found out about the 2d20 Conan game it really was a no-brainer, so I am in a similar position as you.
The hardback book is just gorgeous and well written too!
Over at the Fantasy Grounds forums I have started a thread to gather some people to start playing. I will be GM-ing. First time at that too.
If you can make the time zone work you're welcome to hitch a ride!
Gotta more specic thread title and location for your FG casting call?
Sure!
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?41375-Looking-for-players-Conan-2d20-Adventures-in-an-Age-Undreamed-Of
(https://i.imgur.com/bdGI2Cl.gif)
Quote from: Yskonyn on January 09, 2018, 10:51:40 AM
Holy hell, how did I miss this thread? :bd:
Hyborea is my absolute favorite fantasy setting and once I found out about the 2d20 Conan game it really was a no-brainer, so I am in a similar position as you.
The hardback book is just gorgeous and well written too!
Over at the Fantasy Grounds forums I have started a thread to gather some people to start playing. I will be GM-ing. First time at that too.
If you can make the time zone work you're welcome to hitch a ride!
:coolsmiley:
Sounds cool. Although I don't plan on RPG'ing live on the net until later down the road.
Would like to hear how it goes.
In a related vein, there's a Conan bundle up for grabs at DriveThru. See the sales thread for linkys.
...and now it's mine, by Crom!
I've now worked through the rulebook twice. Its a great system which enables high pacing games. The abstractness of some rules are a great thing, especially movement in combat comes to mind.
I do find the 'Struggle' mechanic a little too cumbersome, however. Maybe I am not using it correctly.
Quote from: Yskonyn on March 30, 2018, 12:52:58 PM
I've now worked through the rulebook twice. Its a great system which enables high pacing games. The abstractness of some rules are a great thing, especially movement in combat comes to mind.
I do find the 'Struggle' mechanic a little too cumbersome, however. Maybe I am not using it correctly.
:bd:
I really appreciate newer RPGs which abstract such fussy specifics as range into 'zones', like this system does, along with others like Star Wars/WHFRP3e, PbtA, and FATE. Way more flexible and accommodating to a 'theater of the mind' approach, yet still supports using minis & maps if desired.
The money abstractions can be hit or miss. I've not really delved into Conan's specific money/carousing/upkeep mechanics, but I've seen some positive remarks about it. It's different, in Conan, compared to others using the same core system.
I've seen the occasional person call the 2d20 system "crunchy", but I don't think so. Especially compared to something like D&D3/Pathfinder. Probably just people used to class-based RPGs who aren't used to classless ones & all the options. Plus these Modiphius games tend to have a lot of background fluff implemented in character creation & such.
The give & take of the Momentum and Doom is primarily there to give the players more authority over their dice rolls and outcomes. To not only help curb bad stretches of dice rolling, as a group, but also to add extra cool action-oriented effects over the repetitive "chopping down trees" kind of back & forth you get from things like D&D hit point pools and damage dice.
Of course, using such advantage either requires excessively good die rolls or giving the GM Doom points with which to do bad stuff later. Some GMs seem to think the Doom pool takes away their ability to do whatever they feel needs doing, but I think those people don't understand that they can still GM-manipulate, as always, without ever needing to really spend Doom pts. The GM's Doom points are there as an open reminder to players that when they push their Momentum-given player agency too far, by giving the GM more Doom, there will be inevitable consequences when the GM later spends them.
I look at the Doom pool in these 2d20 games as a visibly building threat that will, if regularly used, make the players think twice about frivolously giving more to the GM in exchange for more of their Momentum. But not so much that they don't want to use it at all when in a desperate or critical moment.
The whole Momentum & Doom mechanic is about offering more player agency, but making sure they know it's not completely without future consequences if they push it too much.
I never had experience with the Momentum vs Doom mechanic in other games, but I really like it in Conan. It also gives the GM an elegant tool to raise the pressure on the group or let them get away with unforseen actions while still maintaining control and direction.
Quote from: Yskonyn on March 31, 2018, 02:47:46 PM
I never had experience with the Momentum vs Doom mechanic in other games, but I really like it in Conan. It also gives the GM an elegant tool to raise the pressure on the group or let them get away with unforseen actions while still maintaining control and direction.
It's pretty cool. Who doesn't enjoy spending extra successes on doing more cool cinematic stuff, anyway? :nerd:
The mechanical pedigrees from the creator's FFG Star Wars/WFRP3 system are apparent. I'd say it's an evolution of them in some ways. What was effectively "Advantage" in FFG-SW is "Momentum" in 2d20, and it has become a pooled group resource that can be saved over time, and given a wider variety of uses. :bd:
The options for limiting Momentum pools to individual characters is also a good one for groups that may include a Momentum hog type of player. I'm inclined to say it's preferable, by default, simply because you could still allow players the option to give their Momentum to other players. Which would not only allow each player full control over the momentum they rolled earlier, but also provide more opportunities to narrate such assistance by the donating player - something just drawing from the communal pool turns anonymous by it's nature.
Yeah I agree.
I wonder; do you actually play Conan with a group?
Quote from: Yskonyn on April 03, 2018, 01:02:25 PM
Yeah I agree.
I wonder; do you actually play Conan with a group?
I don't have a group. I get an occasional request for a "D&D" session, but when it comes down to it the timing is never right for most. Plus I'm not as interested in the generic D&D themes nowadays, anyway.
I have enough amusements that it's not a big priority to get into a regular group at the moment. Especially since I expect to be moving sometime in the future.
Have only GM'd one cut-short session (Star Wars) in recent history, so it's not like I'm speaking from much modern day GM experience. However, after reading game rules for so many decades, it's easy to see the reasoning behind most game mechanics, and frame a good approach using that insight.
Still thinking of starting up some play-by-posts here, after sorting through numerous titles to see which would be best suited. Much reading left to go, but I've always enjoyed reading game rules for some odd reason. :nerd:
Heh I fully understand. I am in a similar position AND I like to scour through rulebooks myself as well. For me opening a rulebook is probably like opening a machine is to an engineer; I am curious what workings and clever things I'll find inside.
And I also enjoy reading about a setting I am unfamiliar with. Fluff is nice. :smitten:
Though for Conan its much more about the ability to think up stories and finally play them out in a setting that has been captivating for me since I was a kid.
The GM's Toolkit is pretty nifty too - particularly for the adventure generators in the book (and could see that being useful for a few other games as well).
Quote from: Dammit Carl! on April 05, 2018, 09:56:07 AM
The GM's Toolkit is pretty nifty too - particularly for the adventure generators in the book (and could see that being useful for a few other games as well).
Definitely dig the GM toolkit for it's basic hook generating tables.
Dunno if you've checked it out before, but the Covetous Poet's Adventure Creator and Solo GM Guidebook (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/129909/The-Covetous-Poets-Adventure-Creator-and-Solo-GM-Guidebook) has some huge genre-specific plot generation tables to help you brainstorm outside the normal ruts a bit. It has methods for creating a 3-5 Act story, and all the bits inside, if need be.
At the very least, it's great for rolling up a fairly detailed intro to take wherever you want. O0
Thanks for the link, Nef! O0
Any more gems you can suggest?
Nice.
Speaking of sandboxy generators (outside of Sine Nomine's stuff), I've recently got two OSR themed games made by RPGPundit; Lion and Dragon and Dark Albion and the sourcebook for Dark Albion called Cults of Chaos that are chock full of table-y goodness. In addition to the aforementioned tables in the books, these two games are honestly some of the more pretty and well laid out ones I've seen in a while, in my opinion.
Quote from: Yskonyn on April 06, 2018, 01:14:14 PM
Thanks for the link, Nef! O0
Any more gems you can suggest?
The Tome Of Adventure Design (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/97423/Tome-of-Adventure-Design) by Frog God Games is a massive book of fantasy-themed random tables for creating every detail you'll likely need.
Although I prefer to use
Covetous Poet's for plot & twist generation, filling out everything else can pretty much be done with this beast.
They did a print run of a newer revised edition a few years ago; I found a hardback at Noble Knight and snatched it up. There may still be more physical copies available there, or at Frog God's site. As much as the PDF costs, I figured may as well spend a bit extra for a proper book.
Hardcover is available at their home site --> https://www.froggodgames.com/tome-adventure-design
(https://www.froggodgames.com/sites/default/files/product_images/ToAD%20Cover%202016%20Front%20Cover.jpg)
This lady flips through and describes some of the content in the
Tome Of Adventure Design in the following vid; you can get a good idea what type of stuff it's filled with:
For some quick brainstorm generators which can be mixed with stuff like
The Covetous Poet's Creator and
Mythic GM Emulator's Yes/No style progression, I own a few different GM's Apprentice Deck (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/213131/The-GameMasters-Apprentice-Fantasy-Deck)s for quick on-the-fly random generators while in session. They can come in handy when GM'ing for others and you want something randomized, too.
Each card has numerous brainstorm generator categories. Names, various descriptor words, symbols, scatter direction, etc, etc for quick sparks. Using the physical decks of cards for some of the simple answers saves time since you don't have to look up & go to a table in a book, roll d100/d1000 and find the result. Instead, you just figure out which category of the cards is appropriate and draw one (or more).
I have physical decks of the Generic/Universal version, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Horror genres. The Fantasy one is the newest, and contains an extra category on them, so that's the best option for a single deck. My only complaint about it is the text & symbols are in a smaller font than the other decks. I'd say my second choice would be Sci-Fi, or maybe the Generic/Universal one if you don't do much sci-fi. The horror one seemed to lean a bit more toward bloody slasher type results, whereas the others gave me the impression of being more varied within the themes, so it was my least fave.
Thanks for the pointers!
The Tome seems to be an awesome addition to my library and its available for International Print-on-demand service as well, meaning I can save on shipping and handling. Many thanks!
Quote from: Yskonyn on April 09, 2018, 12:13:24 PM
Thanks for the pointers!
The Tome seems to be an awesome addition to my library and its available for International Print-on-demand service as well, meaning I can save on shipping and handling. Many thanks!
Awesome! :bd:
I forgot you're in Euroland. At least you can probably get affordable shipping for Modiphius products since they're nearby. There are only a few web outlets, here in the States, which regularly carry the whole range and those tend to sell out of them after awhile.
I am yes. Indeed, I am lucky with Modiphius.
Battletech, though, is a completely different story. Hard to find here after the initial print run of a certain product is finished. As goes for Advanced Squad Leader.
Quote from: Yskonyn on April 10, 2018, 07:16:28 AM
I am yes. Indeed, I am lucky with Modiphius.
Battletech, though, is a completely different story. Hard to find here after the initial print run of a certain product is finished. As goes for Advanced Squad Leader.
I'm not even sure if those two are very well stocked here in the States either. At least the shipping should be reasonable, however. :)
I recall having some problems finding Battletech product in the past, and I always get the impression that the ASL crowd is regularly scrambling to grab certain titles in limited supply before they're scarce.
The latter is certainly true.
Because every ASL product is only printed in limited amounts the prices remain high, even on the second hand market.
Official online character creator:
https://conan.modiphiusapps.hostinguk.org/index.html
MoreCore ruleset extension for Fantasy Grounds VTT:
http://thejollygm.blogspot.nl/2018/05/morecore-conan-extension-updated.html
Shoutout to Frog God Games!
I contacted them about my Tome of Adventure Making; it still hasn't arrived yet. Apparently they are having issues with their International Print on Demand.
They confirmed my order is still ok, but it just takes long. To ease the pain of waiting I got 3 books added to my account! One is the VERY handy Mother of all Treasure Tables! :)
Quote from: Yskonyn on May 21, 2018, 12:37:27 PM
Shoutout to Frog God Games!
I contacted them about my Tome of Adventure Making; it still hasn't arrived yet. Apparently they are having issues with their International Print on Demand.
They confirmed my order is still ok, but it just takes long. To ease the pain of waiting I got 3 books added to my account! One is the VERY handy Mother of all Treasure Tables! :)
Ahh! So you picked up the
Tome of Adventure Design?
It's a beast of a generator book. :dreamer:
Despite having all the
Conan expansion PDFs coming out, I began picking up the hardbacks. They tend to cost less than previous Modiphius splatbooks which were paperbacks. :nerd:
Ha! Me too! Just placed the order for Conan The Thief even though I have all books in PDF so far.
There's just nothing like reading from a hardcopy.
Quote from: Yskonyn on May 21, 2018, 10:11:12 PM
Ha! Me too! Just placed the order for Conan The Thief even though I have all books in PDF so far.
There's just nothing like reading from a hardcopy.
I grabbed Conan The Thief, The Barbarian, and, of course, The Book Of Skelos thus far.
Been putting off getting Conan The Mercenary. I don't feel an urgent need for the mass combat rules and other fluff in it. Probably the only thing I would use much is the more specific character archetypes, but those aren't essential. Now that I think of it, the extra monsters are nice (the few of them) since those are always some of the most interesting bits of RPGs IMO. I've only skimmed through Mercenary, however, so I may have missed something. Just printed it off in black & white awhile back to do so.
Wondering when the 2nd wave will appear.
Would be fun to do a play-by-post of Conan sometime. Although I don't think the 2d20 system is the most ideal to do PbP with due to the higher amount of player/GM back & forth involved, compared to other systems. At least it uses normal gaming dice, however. :nerd:
It can work if you are ok with the GM rolling for players at times to keep the game going. It would need an agreement by players to have discussed some sort of script or basic goal for an action scene, so the GM can choose which action is most logical.
Often you see the non battle stuff being played out on a per player basis. At least thats my take.
..and as a horrible rpg-game-whore who is also fond of Conan, count me in.
(got the books-core and a few others-and everything!)
Quote from: Yskonyn on May 22, 2018, 01:43:00 PM
It can work if you are ok with the GM rolling for players at times to keep the game going. It would need an agreement by players to have discussed some sort of script or basic goal for an action scene, so the GM can choose which action is most logical.
Often you see the non battle stuff being played out on a per player basis. At least thats my take.
I was thinking more of the decision-making cycle. Since
Conan has the option to defend against attacks, a regular expenditure of Momentum/Doom, and special combat result "menus" for adding bonus effects, mental attacks, etc. I imagine the back & forth is more frequent. Probably won't stop us, though. 8)
Quote from: Dammit Carl! on May 22, 2018, 07:51:59 PM
..and as a horrible rpg-game-whore who is also fond of Conan, count me in.
(got the books-core and a few others-and everything!)
Great! <:-)
Probably won't happen for awhile since I'm pretty busy right now. Will get some stuff rolling after I get settled in, and likewise start joining others' games at that point.
Hardbacks arrived today! That makes me complete on the currently released books, save for the scenario and maps products. I dont need them hardcopy.