With a decent number of sessions now played using my B/X-derived ruleset, I’m reasonably happy with how it’s shaping up. Play-testing aside, an interest in creating a set of tools to help with the book-keeping needed for an ongoing campaign has driven some of the most recent changes.
Last month, I rewrote the party generator from scratch. My main goals were to improve the layout of the character cards whlist also making them more functional. For example, adjusting an ability score automatically updates the derived stat (e.g., DEX → TH). Gear is still randomly assigned, but starting (negative) XP is recalculated on-the-fly if you manually change an adventurer’s equipment. I also came up with a way to automate the encumbrance system—though it isn’t difficult to do by hand.
All of the "diegetic" details are on one side, including the contents of the adventurer's backpack—I encourage players to keep this side face-up most of the time. (If they ever have to flip it over to look at the other side, that's usually a clear sign that something has gone terribly, terribly wrong.) If they ever drop or lose their packs, they simply cut or tear off the container section.
I don't recall exactly when I added them, but I also threw together some quick-and-dirty 1:120 (TT scale) standees that can be set up using 15mm foldback clips. Yes, perhaps they're not quite as exciting as 3D-printed miniatures, but they get the job done!
Evading the skills trap
The layout of the cards themselves saw several iterations, even prior to the rewrite. On this and at least one other occasion, I experimented with adding a limited set of B/X thief-like skills alongside the other stats, with corresponding additions to the rules.
On each occasion, I told myself that they might somehow help to streamline the flow of the game in certain common situations. But on each occasion, I found that it only increased complexity with no discernible improvement to play. And, if I’m honest, the main reason I kept coming back to it was to find something to fill the big empty space on the stats side of the character cards.
Thus, after the second or third extirpation of skills from dB/dX, I think I’ve finally learned my lesson. The OSR consensus holds true: skill systems just aren’t worth it.
But what to do with that blank space?
Laura… who?
After shifting things around a little, the remaining area felt about the right size for a small portrait of the character. Is it worth setting aside so much room for a picture, though? According to some, "real" OSR players don't even name their characters until they reach at least third level, let alone draw pictures of them. Partly in deference to that, I use Behind the Name to randomly name newly generated adventurers. But could there be some way to randomly illustrate them, too?
I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon DiceBear, an API for generating avatars in a variety of styles. The Lorelie set in particular appealed to me. Some of the randomly generated faces are a little silly but they're all brimming with personality and this one little addition did much to breath life into the imaginary people represented by these cards. They also make it easier to distinguish the corresponding standees at the table.
It's probably just my imagination, but passing a proper name in the "seed" parameter seems to produce a face where I find myself thinking "yeah… that kinda looks like a [insert name here]" more often than not. Anyway, I ended up tacking on a string of random digits to make it easier to "re-roll" the picture if it doesn't suit the player's preference (e.g., if it's just a little too silly). The default colour pallette is black-and-white, so I also added a randomised selection of hair and skin tones for variety.
Papercraft & pragamatism
Iterating the rules, card designs, and automated tools in conjunction with play-testing has proven to be an interesting process. It's surprising how often simplifying or even removing entire sections of the rules tends to yield a net improvement in gameplay. It also helps to give careful attention to the "pain points" that come up during play, especially when I find myself repeatedly struggling to remember the nuances of certain rules.
For example, I kept forgetting that wearing a helmet gives +2 to hit die rolls. First, I needed something to remind me that a character is wearing a helmet: a "⛑" symbol on the character card and the standee did the job. Adding multiple modifiers also proved clumsy, so I changed the rule to rolling one extra die and dropping the lowest—nice and simple.
Similarly, a "⛨" symbol helps me to remember who has a shield, so that I remember that the AC bonus doesn't apply when someone attacks from behind. More practically, I've used Post-It index flags for quite some time to track who is carrying a lighted torch or lantern—this makes a surprising difference.
Seeds of imagination
I've had an embarassing amount of fun simply generating new adventurers and wondering about the sort of people they might be. It's surprising how a smattering of evocative detail sparks the imagination.
Here's an example from a few days ago. (Bear in mind that in dB/dX, ability scores refer specifically to the character's capabilities in combat and survival situations.)
- Matia: a (former) ferryman. He's sturdy, has a steady hand, and keeps his wits about him. For some reason, an ex-ferryman with a crossbow, a grapnel, and a bunch of rope at the ready makes perfect sense. But that monobrow… oy!
- Vilma: a (former) alchemist. She has above-average survival instincts, so it's no wonder that she's well-armoured and carries a shield, a bow, and a sling. A very cautious person, no doubt. After a lifetime of experience, I bet she takes time to think through all the available options before deciding on a course of action. Adventuring would not be her first choice of a career.
- Fontana: a (former) noble[woman]. She looks full of youthful optimism. I doubt she'd get far in a fistfight, but she has incredibly good aim and—unsurprisingly—she carries a javelin and a spear. She learns quickly and has an engaging personality… perhaps she comes from a long line of heroes? You can see her leading a company from the front with her ten-foot pole.
On reflection, I wonder if there should be something in the quick-start procedure for occasionally equipping new adventurers with an exotic item or two: an alchemical potion or a piece of jewellery, for instance. I'll give it some thought.
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