Scenario Post-Mortems

[Pulpatoon]

This thread is for sharing thoughts and observations of Knave, and comparing it to other systems.

Please share your observations based on Encounter 01: The Highwayman. This encounter demonstrated group versus group combat.

[GreyWolfVT]

To me knave doesn't feel any tougher than D&D a lower levels, bad rolls aside. I feel there is a bit more opportunity to dodge or defend in combat vs how D&D works. Even attempting diplomacy doesn't feel to much worse or better off than D&D. Though the end result was a bit rougher than most starter encounters in D&D I've had. I haven't typically walked off alive unarmed, though I have woken up in a strange location with everything except for my weapons once. Character generation without a generator is probably the most clunky part in my opinion but I've had that same issue in other systems or newer versions of D&D. Just my 2.5 cents worth.

[Rex]

I agree, it seems pretty straight forward. We had some really bad rolls which didn't help obviously. To me the major differences are character generation which is probably no different time wise once you are used to it but I can make a early edition D&D character in 15 minutes but have lots of practice so not really a fair comparison. Some of how it played I am not sure if it was the system or your DM style, which I like by the way.

[tibbius]

It's an effective retroclone. The character generation is flavorful if you don't have a firm concept of who you want to play, can kick things into motion faster instead of ruminating about what might be fun. The mechanisms for combat are straightforward. Bad rolls are a thing in any system, and you gotta appreciate them and roll forward when they happen; the only losers in an rpg are the ones who get upset.

Agree that there's a bit more explicit support for combat trickery and dodging than in the original game. It's nice to have a reminder about that stuff, right in the rules.

I also like your gm'g style, a lot!

[Squid]

I can't really add much to what the others have already shared. I've not played Basic D&D or AD&D in a long time, so I can't comment on how Knave compares to them. I do like the mechanics, especially having the option to flip between player facing rolls and NPC rolls with almost no impact to the rules.

I went through the full character creation process. It was pretty straight forward. I went through the PDF first and also referred to your character creation post, which was helpful. I like that there are online random generators to quickly spin up a character and go.

I'm enjoying Knave as well as your GM style.

[Pulpatoon]

Thank you, everybody, for taking the time to share your thoughts! (And thank you for the kind words about my GMing! It means a lot.)

As most of you observed, Knave doesn't play that differently than anything else on the 0e/BX end of the spectrum, by design. One of my favorite things about it is that you can draw on any of the rich library of existing adventures with at-the-table conversions.

So why play Knave if it's so much like existing games? It's leaner, simpler, and more consistent. The rules can fit on a sheet, be read or explained in minutes, and are easy to retain. And, as discussed in the game thread, certain choices, like the healing rules, give it a distinct play style.

Some elements that we didn't get to play with in the first encounter are skill checks, magic, and equipment slots, all of which are part of that distinction. Perhaps the next scenario should be more exploration-based, in order to give those a chance to shine.

I find rolling Knaves to be much more streamlined than D&D characters, even without a generator. Mostly due to equipment. But I also like all of the little fluff tables about appearance and disposition. It's enough to differentiate one character from another, but it also prevents you from turning a character into a magnum opus, which is important in a game where you should expect to roll up a new one sooner than later.