Champions of ZED: Zero Edition Dungeoneering

[Crimhthan The Great]

Champions of ZED: Zero Edition Dungeoneering by Dan Boggs.

One thing you should like about this is that Dan Boggs is a meticulous researcher and whether you like what he has done or not you should give him the credit that he is due. As listed in the first few pages he asked many questions to ten of the people who where there, some from the earliest days and that they patiently answered his many questions.

The resources used to create this game include Beyond This Point be Dragons, OD&D, First Fantasy Campaign, Adventures in Fantasy, Dave Arneson's d20 Blackmoor Campaign Sourcebook, Garbage Pits of Despair, other things and original material. In essence a mashup of some great material.

He gives an example of play in the Introduction to inform the reader's expectations. Then in The Context of CoZ he states,

Champions of ZED exists, however, to reflect an exploratory, world building style found as a core aspect of the first published edition from 1974, yet almost entirely neglected in later games. Champions of ZED also brings together the scattered intentions of both authors of the original 1974 edition, left unfulfilled when the urge to publish overcame the urge to perfect, while preserving the open ended flexibility for which those rules are famous.

He also "defaults" back to wargame combat rules.

Then a bit of history is provided and he posits what would have happened if Gygax instead of rushing to print, had brought in an editor to further the collarboration and extant ideas. Then preparing an better organized and edited game.

One purpose for CoZ is

to serve as a pathway to to a different and neglected style of collective world building and open, exploratory gaming, or as it is often called, "Sandbox" play.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction...................................... .................................................. ................2
PART I: THE WORLDS OF ADVENTURE......................................... ...........................5
PART II: CHARACTERS........................................ .................................................1 8
PART III: CHARACTER GROWTH............................................ ................................31
PART IV: STARTING THE GAME.............................................. ...............................42
PART V: CONFLICT.......................................... .................................................. ..71
PART VI: MAGIC............................................. .................................................. ..95
PART VII: LUCK AND SKILLS............................................ ....................................128
PART VIII: THE UNDERWORLD........................................ .....................................134
PART IX: PRIZES............................................ .................................................. ..140
Appendix I................................................. .................................................. ......154
Appendix II................................................ .................................................. ......175
Appendix III............................................... .................................................. ......176
Appendix IV................................................ .................................................. .....178
Index............................................. .................................................. .................180

[Crimhthan The Great]

I really urge you to take a look at this game, whether you want to play it or not. I hope to convey to you how much of a resource it is so that you can go do your own thing. The people who where there back in the day, who played in the original games with Arneson and Gygax are quoted throughout this document and it is worth reading just for that alone.

Developing A World

I will try to hit a few high points here (this is not intended to be an exhaustive study, more like an appetizer) and try to convey the depth that is presented.

In order to play you need a world to play in and you need to know what kind of world it is. It can be vague or detailed according to taste and time. You can base it off of any culture or time period or you can imagine an entire new world(s) and culture(s). You can borrow from fiction and non-fiction as much or as little as you want or strive to create something completely original.

He then talks about questions to ask yourself about the world you are designing. Things like social structure, geography, mythology and so on. The amount of effort can be great or small, according to your taste, time and proclivities. As in any venture, extra effort in this area will be rewarded in the unlimited opportunities it creates for you and your players.

I would add that time crunched does not have to limit your fun and you don't have to create a huge area of the world to start or even do more than rough it out a bit to begin. Much of the creation occurs through play.

His writing is an enjoyable read and it is quite clear IMO. Next Hex maps are discussed and how to create them and a number of random tables are provided to assist you in that and he does say it is best to start in small stage and recommends 7-30 hexes numbering them for a key with any additional information the Referee might like to have. He advises keeping other areas to explore and expand later. There is a healthy section of text that does into how to flesh out the information from the random tables in each hex.

This is important, he says you can use dice or creative judgment and it is worth emphasizing. The dice and the random tables are there to help you, not rule you. Design it the way you want. IMO Dice and Tables are there to help you when you get stuck creatively and often you may find that you use those tools and that spurs a better idea that you go with.

He includes ways that players can contribute and help the Referee with the world design without then knowing things they should not and keeping the world a mystery to them. For instance players can come up with names for towns, cities and geographical features which the Referee then uses, the players will later recognize names "they have heard of" even though they don't know the "details."

Continuing on he talks about incorporating events into the fabric of the world as campaign events unfold through play and about using player ideas too.

Provided is a section titled Population. What is the dominant species in an area such as human and/or something else. Working out population centers size, type and many other things. You can go beyond the game itself and develop this as much as you want, but this will get your started.

Then he talks about Adventure possibilities and has a number of tables and lots of explanation to help you flesh out the first few hexes as to what is found there and IMO adjust as needed to get what you want. Beyond that he talks about the finer details of specific locations.

An image is provided with some very basic map symbols for hills, swamp , woods and other to get you started. I would point out here that there are a lot of great map drawing videos on youtube and if you have any talent at all there is lots of great help to teach you the skills and how to develop ideas for the map itself. There is no substitute for doing your own research and your own work. That is the extra effort that was talked about in the beginning.

Talked about are things like a Home Base and whether or not you campaign has one and suggestions on how to use it if you do. The Campaign Dungeon, which you may or may not have. Chance Cards, how to create them and how to use them to devise a basic local history and memorable events.

Character types, races and classes are next up with the basis of the world view that he is designing for. Classes and Class Specialists, character traits/stats, and more are covered in detail.

[Crimhthan The Great]

Continuing on with the review

Next up is Character Growth

Life energy levels, accumulation of experience points and Tiers of Advancement. Fighters, Clerics and Magic-Users have Tiers of Veteran, Hero, Superhero and Lord. For example the Veteran Tier for Fighters is Levels 1-3, for Cleric 1-5 and Magic-Users 1-6 and at the other end of things the Lord Tiers is levels 13+, 14+ and 16+ respectively.

These tiers have "all sorts of social implications in the campaign," depending on the individual campaign.

Then they go into other ways that the Tier interacts with the character and bonuses or other things that acrue to the character. Fear Immunity and Reputation are two of those items as the Tier level increases. Reaching the Lord Tier is more about attract followers possibly of higher level (talking here about above 1st level), important titles, leadership positions, "likely to establish strongholds, towers, castles, cathedrals and so forth."

Tables for magic-users and then an indepth discussion of experience and all the ways it is earned.

Tables for level progression by class, experience points needed and possible hit points gained.

Elves and their dual nature fighter/magic users. They only earn experience for one or the other at a time. They do have all the abilities for both at the same time. They can only carry magical weapons and armor and still be able to cast spells, if they have mundane weapons or armor they must be laid down/removed before casting a spell. The big restriction is that they have to decide this before the adventure starts If they go as a fighter with mundane equipment then they are locked in as a fighter for that adventure and vice versa - having magic weapons (daggers, swords, bows, arrows etc) and armor essentially removes the restriction for everything other than experience.

Then he goes into dual class characters for non-elves. In most ways they are more restricted than elves with one important exception, they can split experience between the two classes enabling simultaneous advancement.

Next up is a discussion of 0 level characters (NPCs), the effects of ageing are discussed and how to apply them.

The next section is Starting the Game.

Here coins and the economy, scale, time, movement, effect of encumbrance, common item weights. From there it continues with Time and Movement Scale, Movement by Moment and Movement on Journeys. A table is provided for the Movement by Moment and method of calculating Movement on Journeys are provided for land, sea and air. Examples are given and discussed along with the example being illustrated on a map.

Location in the Hex, hazards, terrain penalty to movement and travel by water are discussed and a table for a whole range of watercraft is provided. Others topics with tables include Wind Direction, Wind Conditions, and discussion include Underwater/Swimming, Armor and Burdens While Swimming. The chance of drowning has a table.

While there is a little bit about waterborne encounters you are referred to other games for naval battles.

Here he switches back to the chance of having adventure while traveling with examples and two approaches. Additional discussion of out of lair encounters is added. A table is provided and options for adjustment detailed. Surprise and pursuit is discussed and the effect of sighting difference.

Castle encounters with tolls, taxes and fees along with other options are discussed.

The chance of adventure when resting or flying and a typical sequence of play.

"When players travel beyond the existing map, the Referee has two options:

1. Draw more map

2. Flip the map and reuse the existing map board" have them enter it at a different place and direction to the line of travel. I would always go with number 1 as my option.

[scottanderson]

I think it's interesting that elves can handle magic items even if they are steel.

[Admin Pete]

Aug 11, 2017 12:33:12 GMT -5 scottanderson said:

I think it's interesting that elves can handle magic items even if they are steel.

I have often thought about doing something with elves and cold iron but have never gotten around to it.

[scottanderson]

It's an interesting piece of flavor, married to a good mechanic, that goes a long way to balance the relative strength of the elf.

[Crimhthan The Great]

Next up Hirelings, there is a good discussion of the topic here and a table with the cost of a number of different hirelings and the cost of getting them fully equipped or the cost of having them show up sans equipment and you have to outfit them yourself.

He also goes into a detailed discussion of how character actions/reputation will have a major effect on who and how many are willing to be in your employ. He encourages you to remember that hirelings are individuals. Other topics include Freelance Adventurers and others, command control during combat, and a table on hiring specialists.

One section that I found interesting was assigning a Loyalty Trait to all NPCs/monsters in service to a PC. There is a table for Loyalty Trait and Morale Effect. Discussion and an accompanying table for NPC reactions to a given situation is also present.

Then he goes into Character Creation, covering the common elements with some empahsis on social background, mixing different levels in your campaign, losing levels, and character death.

Then it moves on to equipment with a number of different tables that go way beyond the simple list found in OD&D. (Snowshoes for instance, salt for another)

Buying and selling is discussed and he leaves open the possiblitiy of buying magic items.

Other topics are discussed such as Identifying Mystery Items, Character Inheritance, and Player Character Upkeep and Expenses. Buying Properties and Erecting Buildings refers them to Appendix III.

Domains, Wars, Business and Power Play in Organizations is given a brief comment and players are referred to Chris Katulik's Borderlands (which I have been unable to locate for sale anywhere)

Brief comments on Rumors and Legends and how the player activities factor into these. Obtaining information and a number of ways that can happen. Chance cards to add random major events to an area.

Importance of pencils and paper, Campaign handouts, Calendar time and keeping track of time Chronicling, Mapping - two maps the scant one the players have and the referee's map. Teamwork, caller, marching order, and sleeping/guard duty.