Friday, September 7, 2012

Ultimate Open Source Fantasy RPG written by YOU!

I can't seem to find a fantasy game I totally love. Either too complicated or to many restrictions.

The old school has it right in simplicity and the new school has it right is options.

With such a system if a Game Master THEN wants to put back in old school restrictions then he can do so.

The solution would be a simple set of OGL rules very close to Basic/LL with all the class and race options like the OGL Pathfinder SRD without any skills or feats list (Just a story and background) AND it be written by a crack team of gamers AND be open source or OGL.

No character class description can be longer than one page.

Monsters no more complicated that S&W. Keep it simple! You got that!

IF the book were to be printed out it would be at no profit or profits going to charity.

Now with this set of rules you could use to make modules etc. but the rules would be forever free except the cost of printing.

If we got let's say 50-100 bloggers to get together and make this free hobbyist Ultimate Open Source Fantasy RPG it would be the bomb. Would you like to help?

Even if you have published a game you must admit you would love to see and play this.

Would anyone be interested in helping in something like this? No money to be made but a really cool idea and more gaming for everybody.

The races would be classic and modern but have no class restrictions or level limits. As many playable races as we can have.

The classes would be simple yet have some of the new innovations of the new school such as 0 level spells being at will. Mage Schools, Sorcerer Bloodlines, Warlock Pacts, Psionics all in there as many classes as are out there but in an Simple OGL Open Source.

A universal mechanic of the D20 roll + (Very few) modifiers vs. a difficulty number. Keep the modifiers and difficulty numbers simple.

Simple combat that can be spiced up by actions of the players and most of all LOW MODIFIERS and numbers. No need for a +37 to hit an AC of 35.

After about 10th (or 15th)level slowing down of going any farther and the possibility of becoming immortals.

So would anyone be interested in such an project?
I will be starting a month long job so I will be mostly out of pocket.

In all projects of this sort there will have to be a final decision on any choices to be made and it will be that person's fault.

I nominate myself for this task of Supreme Fall Guy or the SFG.

OR

We have a council of elders

OR

Everyone involved votes and the majority wins.

Where can we start. Divide and conquer. Start out with base rules and attributes. Combat and movement. A few basic classes FTCW and Races HDEH. Magic list. Monster list.

I am willing to use the Guts of my Back to the Dungeon RPG or if anyone can write it better do so.

If you like the idea then spread the word. If the talent will come it will be made. It will not be made by me our you but by all of us.

SO if you like or dislike this idea POST your opinions.

17 comments:

  1. Very cool idea. It reminds of the DragonNet project:

    http://folk.uio.no/gahegsvo/dragonnet.php

    I would be interested in something like this BUT for the deviations and differences from all of the retroclones out there now. I enjoy all of them but I think something like Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG is more like I would be interested in. Basically, look at every aspect of the game and decided where to deviate and what to keep. DCC has 6 Abilities but not the standard 6 abilities. I think approaching the whole game in that manner would work great.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very cool idea. I am willing to help. It sounds like Basic Fantasy RPG with more character options, but you never know what will be produced once the work is started.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Just a thought...

    Would Thieves' Abilities follow the mechanic of d20 + modifiers versus TN? It can be done, especially with 10 - 12 levels and then endgame of immortality.

    While on the subject of Thieves, there should also be more abilities than the standard in order to allow different class options for Thieves/Rogues.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @ Charlie: DCC certainly has style and substance but it suffers from the race class restrictions I am trying to get away from. Certainly would not stop me from playing it though. It looks cool.

    @ sycarion: Yes like Basic Fantasy RPG, C&C, and such but all open source. The thieving's mechanic would be simply be a D20 roll plus attribute bonus plus half your level. The GM would make the difficulty less for a thief and more for a non thief so not to have more math added to the player's side OR it could be talked out old school style. One could play a Rogue or Thief any way they wanted depending on their attributes and how they play. Kind of a middle ground of what is described in A Quick Primer for Old School Gaming.

    Do you think I should Open Source Fantasy RPG is a good name? I don't. It describes what it is but not what it does. Can anyone come up with a better name?

    The old name I was going to used Classic Fantasy Role Playing Game is that good or can someone come up with another name?

    Also the six sacred attributes or change them?

    Strength or Muscle
    Dexterity or Agility, Coordination, Reflexes?
    Constitution or Stamina?
    Intelligence or Knowledge, Lore, Academic
    Wisdom, Perception, Willpower?
    Charisma, Fellowship, or Comeliness?

    OR should they be left alone?

    Keep the comments and statements coming.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think it's worth looking at Fictive Hack to see how that compares to what you're proposing.

    http://fictivefantasies.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/fictive-hack-of-osh-8-12.pdf

    ReplyDelete
  6. @Eldrad: You misunderstood me. I am all for opening up all classes to all races. It gives everybody more options. When I said "like DCC", I mean look at every aspect of the standard stuff in OGL fantasy type games and evaluate what would work for this game and what needs changed for this game. DCC stands out in several ways and the different abilities is just one. Just a way to not be another duck in a flock of ducks.

    We could start with abilities like you did above then move on to something else. For example, when we got to the classes I would propose that "fighter" be changed to "warrior". I just think warrior sounds more heroic and appropriate; fighter has always bugged me...lol. Another example would be cleric spells. I think they should be called blessings and major stuff could be miracles. Just a few quick examples but that's the type of changes I am talking about.

    @sycarion: I agree with your sentiments about the thief abilities.

    @Andrew: That's cool.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hey this is Martin from north of you. Why? Your BttDRPG is what you are talking about. It's a damn good game. Get rid of this idea.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Maybe we can build on the BttdRPG as a base like you said offered earlier.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I would like to add that I have no issues with the BttDRPG either. We could definitely start there and see what to do to complete the goal.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Well cool then I have been also talking too people on Dragonsfoot as well.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I like this idea and think it would be fun to get involved.

    Maybe consider, if you are going with d20+mods approach, having a low difficulty scale, with some class abilities simply representing getting better (like the Radiance rpg).

    So, maybe a standard 'difficult' would be 10, with really hard being 20. d20+Attribute + class bonuses.
    So a wiz might have a +3 to all Lore rolls, and a thief have a +3 to all thiefy things. After awhile, they could get get an additional +X or something.

    ReplyDelete
  12. micahblackburn wrote: So, maybe a standard 'difficult' would be 10, with really hard being 20. d20+Attribute + class bonuses.
    So a wiz might have a +3 to all Lore rolls, and a thief have a +3 to all thiefy things. After awhile, they could get get an additional +X or something.


    Sounds like Microlite 20 to me...

    In fact, the whole idea has a M20-ish vibe.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Well it's more of an OD&D, Mixed with Holmes, Mixed with Basic, Mixed with D20.

    BUT it seems that very few people are interested in my Fantasy Heartbreaker.

    ReplyDelete
  14. After getting a few comments on Dragonsfoot and a few votes I am not going to waste my time on such a project.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Too bad, man. I thought it was an interesting idea. I know some people shouted it down but it could have been a fun project.

      Delete
  15. I saw this same OP on another forum, and it's interesting how one group seems interested but the other did all it could to squash the idea at the start. You know, lots of great things only came into being because the originator had a vision and persisted in spite of all negativity and cynicism.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh without a doubt it would be a fantastic product once finished.

    ReplyDelete