What is your experience with Chivalry and Sorcery

[ffilz]

Chivalry and Sorcery was probably the second RPG book my friends and I got. My friend had got Holmes Basic for his birthday in October of 1977, and his mom showed my C&S and asked if I thought he'd like it for Christmas that year.

I ended up spending more than the cost of the book making photocopies (and eventually bought the book, ruined spine from all the photocopying and all).

I ran C&S for about a year before I eventually got an OCE OD&D boxed set and supplements and started running D&D (soon to become AD&D). Since then, I've run a few sessions of C&S here and there. At the time, I was all into all the detail of the system.

I still feel like the magic system is inspirational, if ungainly (there's a whole mini-game just to learn a spell), and the idea of a system for creating magic items is also appealing. On the other hand, it was the first time I saw some very explicit Lord of the Rings features in a game (that wasn't a Lord of the Rings game).

The Ring of Great Command: A spell which the Necromancer places in an enchanted Ring of Power. The Ring binds the possessors of lesser Rings also fashioned by the Necromancer: 9 for mortal men; 7 for Dwarf Lords; and 3 for the Elven Kings.

The session or two I ran in college was the first time I really tried to play the combat system as written (back in the day, I think I used lots of short cuts). Back in the day, I had a fetish with natural caverns, and combined with the serious nature of C&S giant rats as opponents, we jokingly called the game "caves & giant rats".

I remember spending time working out a mages guild, designing the building with C&S's castle construction rules (which are a level of detail higher than OD&D's but in the same vein).

I don't think I've really taken anything from it for other games, though I think there is some influence on Cold Iron.

Frank

[Admin Pete]

I know about it and have seen a couple of the books but never read them or played it.

[makofan]

I rolled a character with a STR of 1 and a DEX of 19, so played an 11-yr-old street urchin who threw things. That was about 30 years ago, and I don't remember much except it was a fun game but the DM died of a brain aneurism trying to figure out the magic rules (not really, that's just an urban legend!)

[finarvyn]

Had a copy, read it, didn't like the level of detail involved. It was (to me) the anti-OD&D.

[Necromancer]

I've heard about it, but never read or played it.

[dizzysaxophone]

I've heard of it, but I have never seen it, nor had the chance to play it or read.

[rob008]

I've read it over and found the combat a bit too much for my tastes.  I might use it more as a supplement, there are a few bits I'd like to adapt to my game. 

[sepulchre]

Finarvyn wrote:

Had a copy, read it, didn't like the level of detail involved. It was (to me) the anti-OD&D.

The same.

[Deleted]

I remember the type face was hard to read and the rules were overly complicated.

Also, I was almost done with my BA in Medieval History, so all the historical stuff was no news to me, I had other sources.

It also pissed me off that they didn't properly attribute a lot of their quotations.

[finarvyn]

I think that C&S was a great example of designers wanting realism over playability. OD&D was a simple system, but abstract. C&S was a complex system, but accurate. Each attracts a particular fanbase, but it's hard to find gamers who really appreciate both.

[LouGoncey]

I got C&S at the same time I got Aftermath! and Space Opera. We played Aftermath! for awhile -- that eventually burned the entire group on FGU games. But I am always fascinated to hear someone talk about playing one. Guess I am wondering on what I missed.

[ffilz]

Boy, guess I need to try and dig up some memories of my C&S play...

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

Apr 15, 2016 11:55:42 GMT -5 ffilz said:

Boy, guess I need to try and dig up some memories of my C&S play...

I'm listening...

[Hexenritter Verlag]

I've owned it, in fact I still own the core book of the edition I own. I read it but never played it. It seemed to have a wealth of info, especially for character generation & a vast equipment section.

[mao]

C&S is proof of my motto "system should not matter" as I cant stand the mechanics yet was able to make a very memorable char and have fun with it.

[True Black Raven]

I have seen it, but I've never played it.

[Robert the Black]

I went for option two, know of it but haven't read it.

[mao]

C&S expains perfectly my saying: The rules dont matter. I hate C&S with a passion, yet the game I played in made me think beyond the rules and very much enjoyed the adventures of "Arvo Joust Loser and the Divine Falcon" One of my all time fav PCs(Did I mention C&S is the WORST)

[Admin Pete]

Jun 21, 2018 12:18:38 GMT -5 mao said:

C&S expains perfectly my saying: The rules dont matter. I hate C&S with a passion, yet the game I played in made me think beyond the rules and very much enjoyed the adventures of "Arvo Joust Loser and the Divine Falcon" One of my all time fav PCs(Did I mention C&S is the WORST)

C'mon mao, you can do it, tell us how you really feel, get it off your chest and you will feel better. Let it all out!

Glad to hear that you learned something from it.

[mao]

Ok I should say something other than it sucks without saying why; My main beef is character creation. Have to roll alignment and social status is the worst, . Nobody in a game should have to play a peasant unless they want to. The magic system leaves a lot to be desired and the static damage(in which you can do 1/2 with out rounding up or down. way to complicated. Despite all this, the campaign was a lot of fun because I was lucky and rolled a poor knight

[Yaleric]

Read it, never played it.

[Warrior Twin One]

Know the name and that is about it.

[Warrior Twin Two]

Aug 21, 2018 0:14:55 GMT -5 Warrior Twin One said:

Know the name and that is about it.

QFT

[clooney]

I know what it is, but that is about all.

[Q. F o s t e r]

I've heard of it, but that's it.

[Snuffy Smith]

Have heard of it, never read it or used it.

[Ibizan Zamway]

Never heard of it. Good name though.

[nobody]

Know of it, but never looked at it.

[Kujik]

Know of it, but never read it.

[The Man From Coventry]

I know the name, but that is it.