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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2017 10:36:55 GMT -5
My next big departure from the way you used to do things?
Any race can be of any class. No experience penalties, no level caps, no restrictions. You want to play a dwarven cleric? No problem. An elven wizard, one not limited to 8th level? Be my guest.
My reasoning? It's my game, so I figured why not? The demi-human races really don't get that many advantages in OD&D anyway, so I really didn't think it would unbalance play. Some of the advantages and disadvantage is there still present in some form.
A hobbit thief, for example. He still gets all those nifty bonuses listed in the book, but not if he opts for fighting-man class (obviously). An elven fighter, on the other hand, is just an armored figure with a sword. Should the elf decide to be a combination FM/MU, then he gets to be both classes at once but has to adhere to the 4/8 level caps.
Using this method, I get to have the stereotypes present of races being the classes as in the rulebooks. But, the players have more agency to do what they want. Plus, I get to role-play towns people being amazed at encountering a dwarf cleric (the referee needs to have fun, too!).
I can't tell you how this one works because I haven't used it in play, yet. I should get a chance to try it out soon with the Austin group.
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Post by Admin Pete on Oct 2, 2017 16:29:02 GMT -5
My next big departure from the way you used to do things? Any race can be of any class. No experience penalties, no level caps, no restrictions. You want to play a dwarven cleric? No problem. An elven wizard, one not limited to 8th level? Be my guest. My reasoning? It's my game, so I figured why not? The demi-human races really don't get that many advantages in OD&D anyway, so I really didn't think it would unbalance play. Some of the advantages and disadvantage is there still present in some form. A hobbit thief, for example. He still gets all those nifty bonuses listed in the book, but not if he opts for fighting-man class (obviously). An elven fighter, on the other hand, is just an armored figure with a sword. Should the elf decide to be a combination FM/MU, then he gets to be both classes at once but has to adhere to the 4/8 level caps. Using this method, I get to have the stereotypes present of races being the classes as in the rulebooks. But, the players have more agency to do what they want. Plus, I get to role-play towns people being amazed at encountering a dwarf cleric (the referee needs to have fun, too!). I can't tell you how this one works because I haven't used it in play, yet. I should get a chance to try it out soon with the Austin group. Sounds like fun and let us know how it goes. The main reason for the level limits to encourage people to play humans and if you don't care whether they do or not then there is really no reason for level limits anyway, although I like the way you are proposing.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2017 19:42:25 GMT -5
Sounds like fun and let us know how it goes. The main reason for the level limits to encourage people to play humans and if you don't care whether they do or not then there is really no reason for level limits anyway, although I like the way you are proposing. I'll be running sessions on, at most, a monthly basis for 3 hours per session. So, I'm adapting the rules and my style of refereeing to accommodate a more irregular game. If I had a regular weekly or biweekly game I might go a little more traditional with these roles. As it is? I think I'll throw it wide open and see how it plays out.
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Post by Admin Pete on Oct 2, 2017 20:34:43 GMT -5
That works for me. Things were different when I was playing over 20 hours a week. Now I am not doing anything except the new pbp game.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2017 21:28:03 GMT -5
That works for me. Things were different when I was playing over 20 hours a week. Now I am not doing anything except the new pbp game. Yes! I'm trying to adapt to my circumstances. When healthcare went to 12 hours shifts years ago it really changed my life. It cut into my martial arts studies, my jazz gigs, and gaming time. I eventually had to sit down and figure a day of the week I could have off and still get lessons and leisure/social activities scheduled. It's worked, after a fashion, but I sure miss getting off work @ 1500! So, I'm looking long and hard at how I run my games. I'm trying to keep the spirit of the game intact while making concessions for the infrequent nature of when the game will be run.
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Post by mormonyoyoman on Oct 2, 2017 23:36:06 GMT -5
For the past few years, I've found most useful Liz Danforth's alternative ruling that humans are inherently luckier than other species, and get a second chance to roll when a Really Bad roll fumbles you to death.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2017 5:25:33 GMT -5
For the past few years, I've found most useful Liz Danforth's alternative ruling that humans are inherently luckier than other species, and get a second chance to roll when a Really Bad roll fumbles you to death. I've never played T&T face-to-face but I've been exposed to that mechanic on the MetaArcade game on my iPad. I really like how it plays out.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2017 13:18:24 GMT -5
With regards to playable races ... once again I've decided to go with an anything goes sort of line of thought. The classic guys are all there of course: humans, dwarves, elves (two types), gnomes, and hobbits.
I'm creating a city, swiped from a Tunnels & Trolls concept, in which Chaos holds sway and all the human, demi-human, and humanoid races interact. Picture of tamer version of Erelhei-Cinlu and Disney's PotC Tortuga. Players desiring to play PC goblins, etc., will be considered as hailing from there. Socially, this may make for interesting PC/NPC interactions, but I'm trying to provide as many options to players as possible.
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