Hey all,
I just wanted to touch base with everyone and see how things are coming along so far. We are starting out kind of slow, I know, but I wanted to get a bit of campaign/character background in before we got too far along, and I needed a bit of time to get everything together. I've only got 8 more weeks of class left then I'm
Free,
WhooHooo!!!
I'm currently working on Version 4.0.0 of my Core Ruleset, and wanted to say a little bit about that. I've talked about The 0e Experience a little bit, and a Classless System, gone into a bit of detail on Character generation as well, giving you little bits and pieces along the way. In 4.0.0 I'm trying to weave it all together, in a boiled down Quick Reference Guide, so it's clear, concise, and to the point.
Originally, years and years ago, I wanted to create my own ruleset/game mechanics. That
thing was a monster, and I spent years off and on toying with it, play-testing it, revising it, etc. But in the end what I really wanted was a simple set of rules, that allowed the players to embrace their characters and the roleplaying experience without getting bogged down in rules and mechanics. What I realized after awhile, was that what I really enjoyed was creating the environment for the players. I've experienced a wide variety of DM's as a player and always felt held back or hindered by their brand of mechanics: "
No, you can't do that, your character isn't proficient in that weapon or skill", yadda, yadda, yadda...boring.
Lately there has been a general push in the community toward 0e (0-edition D&D). So I've been reading a great deal about that, going back and reading the old rule books/sets, etc. And I've been boiling down what I've found into some essentials, weaving in a bit of my own flair along the way. I'm working on an alternative system for Priests and Magic, a spell point system that comes from the "Spells and Magic" rule book, a few other sources/systems, and a bit of my own personal flair/high fantasy. I have recently finished up the first draft of my Hand-to-Hand Combat option, with SniperKnight's help. You can find the first draft in the
Game Mechanics thread under "Hand-to-Hand Combat". I feel like it's heavy/burdensome and plan to give it a hard look. I encourage everyone to use it if they want. I'm also trying a few new things with maps and trying to learn how to draw and color them more efficiently/better.
I welcome any comments, ideas, or criticism any of you have about anything I've said or the things I'm doing/talking about. I'm also reading various sources about how to be a better DM and trying to create the best experience I can for you guys. That means wrapping my head around the mechanics, your characters and their backgrounds, the campaign background and future, etc.
My hope and desire is that I create/provide something you guys want to play and enjoy. I also want it to be as immersive as I can make it for you. I know there are levels of immersion, different levels of interaction between roleplaying and game mechanics, and I'm trying to do a better job of balancing those things out. So if I'm asking anything, and I've said and asked a lot already, I'm asking how you guys feel about the direction(s) I'm moving, and if it/they meet your needs/desires? Because in the end, that is what's
important to me. I'm getting what I want from the world/scenario/mechanics creation. So what do you want, if anything?
And by all means, if you have nothing at all to say, then say nothing, well...maybe just a
or a
or some other strange face. But if you do have something to say, shout it out, good or bad. I'll accept it all, brief or verbose.
Thanks for allowing me to be your DM guys. I really appreciate the hard work you've put into your characters, and your patience with my schedule, and the ever maddening changes to the game mechanics.
