All these old dudes waxing poetic, my favorite all time retroclone is the upcoming M20 game. I win you fuckers!:D

Quote from: RPGPundit;559076LotFP, unlike the strict clones, actually plays differently than the versions of D&D I've been playing for the last 20 years.


RPGPundit

I don't see how. It's virtually the same as all the others. Not bad, but little different.

Quote from: Simon W;559097I don't see how. It's virtually the same as all the others. Not bad, but little different.

I think because of the actual focus of the game and the spells not being classic Evoker/classic Dnd.

Quote from: Simon W;559097I don't see how. It's virtually the same as all the others. Not bad, but little different.

I've never played LotFP but I can see how it might play differently, by dint of only Fighters advancing in combat skill, and most damage spells being removed, and the Thief retooled as a more generic Specialist.

Quote from: Simon W;559097I don't see how. It's virtually the same as all the others. Not bad, but little different.

As a whole it may look similar but the number of mechanical differences make for a game that feels different when played over the course of the campaign. For example fighter are the only class that improves in combat.

OD&D with just the three original booklet likewise has own feel that is very different from later editions. Characters are not much different mechanically and along with d6 damage for every attack makes for a different dynamic when played throughout a entire campaign.

Quote from: Marleycat;559096All these old dudes waxing poetic, my favorite all time retroclone is the upcoming M20 game. I win you fuckers!:D

M20=Marley20?

Quote from: CRKrueger;559148M20=Marley20?

20th Anniversery Mage the Ascension.

Quote from: Marleycat;55915620th Anniversery Mage the Ascension.

Man, I have fond memories of running Mage. Is the new edition a straight re-print, or have they folded some of MtAw rules in (I would run a hacked MtA in a hot second... but my design time has been spent on Earthdawn OSR recently).

Speaking of.....

Quote from: RPGPundit;559076LotFP, unlike the strict clones, actually plays differently than the versions of D&D I've been playing for the last 20 years.


RPGPundit

This is why I've been designing my OSR Earthdawn hack. While I've only recently been able to play a serious 1e/Osric campaign, I noticed how different it felt from 2e/3+e/4e. I wanted to capture some of those distinct OSR in-play tropes, while avoiding some of the things that dragged the game down in 2/3+/4 (i.e. avoiding the mistakes they made in 'updating' the game). Pretty successful so far.

It helps that the Warrior, Thief, and Wizard are very well built core concepts in the ED system. Still trying to figure out what do do with the "Claeric" concept (as healing isn't so much of a 1-character thing in ED, and the 'monster hunter' trope is filled by the Horror Stalker discipline).

Quote from: Telarus;559172It helps that the Warrior, Thief, and Wizard are very well built core concepts in the ED system. Still trying to figure out what do do with the "Claeric" concept (as healing isn't so much of a 1-character thing in ED, and the 'monster hunter' trope is filled by the Horror Stalker discipline).

I did this. But we haven't gotten around to play testing it yet.

Quote from: Telarus;559172Man, I have fond memories of running Mage. Is the new edition a straight re-print, or have they folded some of MtAw rules in (I would run a hacked MtA in a hot second... but my design time has been spent on Earthdawn OSR recently).

It's going to be reprint with expansions. No Mage the Awakening it will be pure Ascension but cleaned up and updated like the V20 book. You can get a hacked MtAw/MtAs version that you can do either direction already. White Wolf did that in PDF form you might even be able to get on PoD like Imperial Mysteries.

Quote from: BillionSix;559089How so?

Examples?

The spell lists are different (some very notable changes that change the feel of the game, for example, no fireball or lightning bolt, you have a demon-summoning spell from level 1 onward, and there's absolutely NO RESURRECTION magic, that's a huge change).

Fighters are the only ones who gain improved bonuses to hit as they level; making them really a good class throughout the game, and not just a good initial class that tends to get overshadowed by the other classes like they do in other D&D versions.
This is balanced out by the fact that you don't get huge AC inflation, which also changes not only high-level combat, but low-level vs. high-level combat.

In place of the thief there's a "specialist" class, and the thief-skills are very well done IMO (and very simple, which is a plus) but you can essentially modify the specialist to be any other kind of "expert" you'd want.  For example, in my campaign one of the most successful specialists in the game is a physician who put many of his skill points into the "doctor" skill.

The combat system has slight tweaks, which end up working very well, its a very smooth-playing combat system that has always made for good battles.

It also has the very best encumbrance system I've ever seen in any version of D&D.

There's probably more; I wrote a review of the game you could find in the Reviews forum if you want a more in-depth assessment.

RPGPundit

Quote from: Simon W;559097I don't see how. It's virtually the same as all the others. Not bad, but little different.

To sum it up: LotFP handles a grittier type of play much better than standard D&D.  Its D&D's answer to Warhammer in that sense.  Its the kind of D&D you want for my Dark Albion setting: magic is semi-rare and dangerous, you don't get second chances, a 9th level guy is insanely powerful compared to the rest of the world, etc.

It'd be a good game to run a D&D version of "game of thrones" too.

RPGPundit

Especially if you port over a few tables from FATAL.

Quote from: Gib;559439Especially if you port over a few tables from FATAL.

Quote from: John Morrow;559494

That's even better with Achilles Last Stand.  "Uhhh...mother!  Oh..."  :laughing: