Ok, as you're probably all too aware (since I pretty much broadcast it all over the place), I'm a huge, giant nerd. Like, on top of being a metalhead, even nerdier than that. But I know I'm not the only one here, so I'll throw it out there: Is anybody interested in joining either of the two games we've got going on?

One group plays weekly on Tuesdays (in Woonsocket, RI), and another plays (roughly) monthly on Saturdays (in Medway, MA). Right now, we're playing HackMaster in both campaigns. HackMaster's pretty much a mix of 1st and 2nd edition AD&D rules, with a smattering of Skills & Powers mixed in, but with a heavy old-school 1st edition feel. (It's actually licensed from WotC.) Combat's deadlier, very involved crit charts, you end up dying a good bit unless you play smart. Yadda yadda yadda. (It's from the folks who publish Knights of the Dinner Table, and has a good bit of parody thrown in, but we ignore most of that.) Basically, if you've played any version of D&D, you know most of the rules. (And, if not, we can teach you.)

The monthly game is pretty much a straight dungeon crawl (a few friends that live too far away to game weekly make it out for this, and we go until everybody's sick of it or passes out - with beer on tap, that's sooner for some than for others), but the Tuesday campaign is a little more story/roleplaying-oriented; we're going through "hacked" (converted to HackMaster) versions of most of the classic modules (B1 In Search of the Unknown, B2 Keep on the Borderlands, the Slavers-Giants-Drow arc, etc.).

We're all pretty hooked on HackMaster right now, but when we're not doing that, we've played in the recent past (or want to play soon): Shadowrun, Cyberpunk 2020, Paranoia, All Flesh Must Be Eaten, and actual, authentic 1st edition AD&D (I've got a fledgling Temple of Elemental Evil campaign on hold for the time being).

So, anybody interested? (PM me if you don't have the balls to admit it on an open forum. Wussy.)

I bought a cyberpunk book after reading snowcrash.

the_reverend said:

Excellent read, that. Neal Stephenson, the author, wrote an "eco-thriller" set in Massachusetts called "Zodiac" that you'd like, I think.

I just don't have time to play anymore... No free nights otherwise I'd be down.

I shed a single tear when I heard Robert Jordan died a few days ago.

I don't know that book, but I know the author. but of course I know the author. I do do software and he is a huge crypto guy.
did you read his evolution thing about the cli was cool too

ive been plaing alot of Diablo 2

HAHAHAHA!! I thought of you when I read he died, Andrew. FUCK HIM! FUCK HIM FOR STEALING HOURS OF MY CHILDHOOD!!

Frost giants to Lolth?

demondave said:

Pretty much, if you're talking about Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl and Queen of the Demonweb Pits.

Otherwise, what the hell are you talking about?

Fuck him for dying before he finished the last book!

My_Dying_Bride said:

Nerd.



i've never gotten into D&D... i cant "roleplay" and i have a horrible time imagining things and pretending and stuff.


so who wants to play Maplestory with me?

thegreatspaldino said:

Is that where you pretend you're in a Robert Mapplethorpe photoshoot? I heard that won a lot of awards at GenCon.

I'm actually running old school B/X Moldvay/Cook D&D for a couple of friends on Thursday (to introduce a new player before tossing her into the deep end - i.e., HackMaster). Should be interesting.

bennyhillifier

bennyhillifier

This still stands - we're playing Saturday.

Please play Age of Wonders 1 with me.

Looking for Tuesday night players in RI / Southern MA. Get on this shit while it's hot, son.

I'll play if I can be a Orc / Shawn Michaels hybrid.

*sigh*

Well, we already have two in the party, but I guess.

if I had a car and cash I'd totally be up for it. I miss my gaming days sometimes.

Do it! Here's what you're missing:

HackMaster is basically a mix of 1st and 2nd edition AD&D, except for...

Character creation is a bit more detailed. You roll abilities like normal, but there's a point-build system laid on top of that, so you can buy abilities, skills, talents, etc. There's also detailed background tables, optional tables for school / training, and - the real fun part - quirks & flaws (these earn you Build Points, but can be a pain in the ass).

The combat system is totally overhauled. Everybody (PCs, NPCs, monsters) (with a few exceptions) gets a 20hp "kicker" on top of their hit dice. This makes low-level characters and monsters a little less fragile, and it's unlikely you'll kill anyone with one blow from a sword at first level. However, there are several mitigating factors that make HackMaster combat a lot deadlier:

First, dice "penetrate." Whenever you roll the maximum on a damage die, you roll the die again, adding the result -1. This can stack up pretty quick, in play.

Second, a natural 20 is always a critical hit; likewise a 1 is always a fumble. But it's not as simple as all that - witness the d10,000 critical hit table! Crits get nastier based on the target's AC, your to-hit bonus and level, and a random roll - effects go from "add d2 damage" to "severed" and everything in between. Weapon drops, movement penalties, unconsciousness, all kinds of nasty stuff. It gets pretty brutal when a skilled fighter takes on a lightly armored target.

Characters (and monsters) can't just keep on whacking away when they've been fighting for an hour and they're down to 1 hp. Dealing damage equal to half a target's hp in a single round forces them to make a threshold of pain save; failure can result in incapacitation, shock, or unconsciousness. Fighting for multiple rounds in a row eventually forces you to make fatigue saves; failing these reduces your strength and dexterity over time, often forcing both parties in a long-running battle to withdraw and rest.

Armor (and shields) have hp, too - whacking somebody through their armor does 1 hp to the armor, and the rest to the body underneath, but the protection offered is lessened with successive hits. Hitting someone with a shield by a narrow margin means a shield hit; all damage is directed to the shield, and any overflow goes to the body.

The skill system is percentile-based, modified by a relevant ability score, and skills go up when you train in them, not based on your level. (You can earn new skills, and improve the ones you have, when you pay to train on gaining a level, or you can just pay for school whenever.) Skills are a big part of the game, especially combat procedures. (Such as "groin punch" or "cricket in the peapod.")

Lastly, honor is a big factor. Playing your alignment is a big component of honor, but so is bragging at the pub, pulling off risky stunts, and just general badassery. Being in great honor nets you (among other things) a +1 bonus to every roll, and a once-a-game reroll; being in dishonor gets you -1 to your rolls, and a lot more random encounters. Great honor is better, overall.