Old Skulling

In my games, which use a system I am tentatively calling Old Skull System, the main Mechanic involves rolling a d20 and scoring a value equal to or under than the Attribute Score and above a Difficulty score. In combat, the Difficulty is determined by subtracting the Opponent's HD from the character's Level. If the Opponent's HD is lower than the character's Level, there is no Difficulty and it's only a roll equal to or under test. However, this mechanic of lowering the Difficulty with the character's Level doesn't really happen in other Attribute Tests. Characters become more competent as they manage to increase their scores, and acquire new abilities, but jumping a 20 feet wide chasm is as difficult to do in the first level as it is in the 5th level. Characters may increase their Attributes and become more competent, or their Archetype Abilities might be able to help them more, but the Difficulty is the same. So if you want to make combat even more c...

Artwork for Dark Streets & Darker Secrets As I am writing the draft text of the revised edition of Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells, I am compiling things from the corebook, the Addendum, updating some rules and adding new tolls and options to make the game provide even more hooks and opportunities for adventures to create themselves. One of these tools is the establishment of Characters's Relationships. However, I made the table in a way that it can be used in pretty much any type of game, as it describe relationships in a way that is somewhat specific but genre neutral. Characters’ Relationships Oftentimes the game will start on the premise that the PCs already know one another in some manner. This is done to speed up game play and get to the adventure as quicklyas possible. After all, everyone is there to have thrilling escapades in a sword and sorcery setting, and relationships actually take a long time to form. Thus, it is usually a good idea for each ch...

I know this is one of the most explored subjects out there and people have already come up with thousands (maybe?) of different ways to generate characters Attributes. But I guess I can't help myself from thinking about new ways to make it more interesting for players while not giving them too much control over it to allow the old surprise of making a character based on the results rolled (dice can be a great source of inspiration I believe). So here is what I am doing right now in my games. Players do the traditional roll 3d6 down the line with just one slight difference. They can reroll 1 die of every roll , but they must keep the second result no matter if it's higher or lower than the original one. This is slightly better for the number than 3d6 but definitly worst than 4d6 dropping the lowest. And, more importantly, it gives players a difficult choice (I love those). Should they risk rerolling a die or not? It's not uncommon to reroll a 1 or 2 and still get the...

A friend of mine is writing a really great game centered around mercenary guilds and how to handle them in an Old School RPG kind of way. His name is Felipe Pep and his game is called Mercenary Guilds of Belmonte (which I am working with him to bring it to the English language). One of the many things I like about his game is how he creates some guild roles for players and let them earn points to be used in the game by them. I know this is not completely new and innovative, but it was put together in such a cool way that I would like to talk about it and create some new stuff with it for my own games. What he has done is clearly defining roles and respective tasks associated with them that players can take and earn what it’s called Legacy Points (which we will discuss its uses in a bit). There are roles that very well can exist within any adventure party or mercenary company. Players who perform these roles in a session earn 1 Legacy Point to spend in any way they desire. The ro...

As I am writing the text for the future Revised, Expended and Updated edition of Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells (to be released in partnership with Gallant Knight Games), I thought about a cool new way to use Positive and Negative Dice for those who want more nuanced results and consequences for their tests. The rule can also add a tactical element that can be quite fun. Below is the first draft of the rules that can also work pretty well for D&D 5th Edition's Advantage and Disadvantage rules. Positive and Negative Die as d6s Positive and Negative Die are a great way to simplify situational modifiers, eliminating the need for various tables of modifiers trying to codify every possible event that might occur. However, they may simplify things a little too much, since they nullify one another, usually don’t stack and don’t offer much information on the consequence of their use. And that might be fine for the majority of players. However, this book would like to pro...

So, Zak S. (author of Vornheim, A Red and Pleasant Land, Frostbitten and Mutilated and Demon City among other things) came up with this small questionnaire about out own impressions and experiences within the OSR. I thought it was kinda neat and here I am answering it. Feel free to do the same if you like it. 1. One article or blog entry that exemplifies the best of the Old School Renaissance for me: http://pitsperilous.blogspot.com/2016/04/minimalist-gaming-doesnt-exist.html 2. My favorite piece of OSR wisdom/advice/snark: Challenge the player, not his character sheet. 3. Best OSR module/supplement: Vornheim ( http://www.lotfp.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=67 ). 4. My favorite house rule (by someone else): The carousing rules by Jeff Rients ( http://jrients.blogspot.com/2011/09/carousing-in-wessex.html ). 5. How I found out about the OSR: Through Goodman Games modules for 3rd and 4th Edition. I was searching for more of them and saw they made...

Characters in Old School D&D and in others OSR games begin as nobodies. They are usually common people without significant past deeds that would make them noticeable or famous. I like that. It sets the stage so that the really special events happen during the game. If the PCs are to become famous, gather a reputation, this will be due things they do in their adventures. There are many games out there that have a system for fame, reputation, renown and such things. I am sure they all work according to their own logic and serve the purpose of the games they are linked to. However, I do not want to add another layer of bookkeeping to my games. Having to track Renown Points or a separate stat to evaluate how famous or recognizable a character is just adds more complexity to the game. At least how I see it. But I still would like a simple way to evaluate if a guard or traveller the PCs come across have heard about them. To solve this problem, I’ve come up with what I call a Level T...

I love how Old School RPGs don’t just solve everything with a roll of the dice but actually wants players to make meaningful choices and interact with the setting to get most out of the game. I remember may days playing 3.X and 4e when players would come up on a room and just say “I search the room. I rolled 23, what did I find?”. I may have been playing wrong, mind you, but I hated that. I hated the lack of involvement and interaction. It was just a mechanical activity. Since I’ve read the Quick Primer for Old School Gaming by Matt Finch, I realized it didn’t have to be like that, and it wasn’t like that, in OSR games. People had to describe what they are doing to search the room, where they are searching, how they are doing that and everything. In many cases, depending on how specific the players description is, and how spot on they say they are looking, no rolls are made and they find the thing they are searching for. Simple as that. But sometimes, this isn’t that certain. ...

Beware where you prepare your spells! Okay, let me get his out straight away. I am not an Jack Vance scholar, literature major, or real wizard. I just love OSR games, love what I’ve read of The Dying Earth Series and other Appendix N books and really like to tinker with game systems (as well as create stuff). So I’ve come up with an alternate Vancian Magic System that makes spellcasting more flexible, leveless (even though you can still use the standard spell list in your game of choice) and insert some risk in the sorcery art (which I think is essential, as we are dealing with unnatural forces). In the stories I’ve read, magicians, when they were imparting the spell energies in their minds to cast them later, would make increasingly greater effort to put as many spells as they could in their memory. There was not definite limit. Some could impart more, some less, and this could vary. They could risk filling their minds with spells, but if they pushed too hard, they could lose an...