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Dolmenwood: Fantasy RPG built around the acclaimed Old-School Essentials rules

necroticgnome.com

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Re: Dolmenwood: Fantasy RPG built around the acclaimed Old-School Essentials rules

#31

Post by beebmam »

Jtsummers wrote: post #28
beebmam wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least for me now, I'm quite older than I used to be, and I don't want to have to read a lot of information or setting details ahead of time to be able to run a game as a GM.

> I don't want to have to read a lot of information or setting details ahead of time to be able to run a game as a GM. That's not something you need to do for OSR, though, at least not in general. Dolmenwood is obviously based on that, it's a complete setting paired with a game system. But you can grab an OSR game system without paying much (if any) attention to the setting it may provide. Hell, even for Dolmenwood,…

In both old-school and OSR RPGs, I've GMed quite a few (various early D&D/AD&D versions, DCC, OSE, Shadowdark, Mausritter), there's an enormous amount of work a GM needs to put into it ahead of time to make it fun for players. Even for published modules! It's too much for me

Re: Dolmenwood: Fantasy RPG built around the acclaimed Old-School Essentials rules

#32

Post by jonnycomputer »

beebmam wrote: post #23

I find OSR style games to be too much effort as a GM. I much prefer GMing RPGs that make it easy to GM

I'm interested to hear what you mean. What games are you comparing it to? What do you find hard about it?

Re: Dolmenwood: Fantasy RPG built around the acclaimed Old-School Essentials rules

#33

Post by conception »

zbikowski wrote: post #9

I appreciate all that Gavin Norman and Necrotic Gnome have done for the OSR TTRPG scene over the past few years, but I have to say each time I see a D&D-derivative system it makes me wish that other systems of the time—like Runequest, Tunnels & Trolls, or West End Games' d6 system beneath Ghostbusters (1985) and Star Wars (1987)—got even half the attention. Tom Moldvay and Dave Cook's Basic/Expert (1981) has been don…

There are two things that really scratch the dopamine itch at the table that I think plays well to DnD - 1) the d20. 5% of something amazing or terrible happening is just the right amount of chance for things being regular but not expected. And it being a single lotto ticket somehow makes it better.

2) fistful of dice - eventually you get to toss a fistful of dice and its very satisfying to climb that ladder.

DnD has both and that combined with ability progression I think really locks people in to the system, even outside of the network effect of it. GURPS for instance is great but 3d6 and getting an 18 just isn’t the same, for instance.

Re: Dolmenwood: Fantasy RPG built around the acclaimed Old-School Essentials rules

#34

Post by simonh »

SubiculumCode wrote: post #12
simonh wrote: post #10

I just picked up the books, after finishing playing in a short campaign. It's a great setting. The rules system is a bit bare bones, but you could easily run Dungeon World or pretty much any trad fantasy RPG there. Yes, 5e, sure. It would work great for Pendragon.

Bare bones is a plus for me honestly. I'm fairly tired of crunchy mechanics that takes days and slow player interaction.

That's why I like the PBTA approach. All the rules you need are right there on the character sheet and a couple of pages of quick references sheets.

Even with it's stripped down system, we spent plenty of time rulebook diving in Dolmenwood, where I've never needed to reach for the rulebook running Dungeon World. It manages to be very concise, but also massively more capable as a system.

Re: Dolmenwood: Fantasy RPG built around the acclaimed Old-School Essentials rules

#35

Post by SubiculumCode »

sklargh wrote: post #18

I have run several campaigns in Dolmenwood - from early Wormskin and OSE Patreon days through the current open game license free format. I’m consistently amazed at the depth this setting offers a sandbox-curious referee and a creative table. It is well worth exploring. It is also a masterpiece of information design and the easiest tool I’ve used at the table. My session notes for my current campaign are here if you a…

awesome. I'll check out. Its cool to find other HNers into the scene.

Re: Dolmenwood: Fantasy RPG built around the acclaimed Old-School Essentials rules

#36

Post by SubiculumCode »

simonh wrote: post #34
SubiculumCode wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bare bones is a plus for me honestly. I'm fairly tired of crunchy mechanics that takes days and slow player interaction.

That's why I like the PBTA approach. All the rules you need are right there on the character sheet and a couple of pages of quick references sheets. Even with it's stripped down system, we spent plenty of time rulebook diving in Dolmenwood, where I've never needed to reach for the rulebook running Dungeon World. It manages to be very concise, but also massively more capable as a system.

I often think that PBTA and OSR/NSR type games have a lot more in common than is generally recognized.

Re: Dolmenwood: Fantasy RPG built around the acclaimed Old-School Essentials rules

#37

Post by SubiculumCode »

beebmam wrote: post #31
Jtsummers wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't want to have to read a lot of information or setting details ahead of time to be able to run a game as a GM. That's not something you need to do for OSR, though, at least not in general. Dolmenwood is obviously based on that, it's a complete setting paired with a game system. But you can grab an OSR game system without paying much (if any) attention to the setting it may provide. Hell, even for Dolmenwood,…

In both old-school and OSR RPGs, I've GMed quite a few (various early D&D/AD&D versions, DCC, OSE, Shadowdark, Mausritter), there's an enormous amount of work a GM needs to put into it ahead of time to make it fun for players. Even for published modules! It's too much for me

What RPGs do you find make it easy?

Re: Dolmenwood: Fantasy RPG built around the acclaimed Old-School Essentials rules

#38

Post by DickieStarshine »

beebmam wrote: post #31
Jtsummers wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't want to have to read a lot of information or setting details ahead of time to be able to run a game as a GM. That's not something you need to do for OSR, though, at least not in general. Dolmenwood is obviously based on that, it's a complete setting paired with a game system. But you can grab an OSR game system without paying much (if any) attention to the setting it may provide. Hell, even for Dolmenwood,…

In both old-school and OSR RPGs, I've GMed quite a few (various early D&D/AD&D versions, DCC, OSE, Shadowdark, Mausritter), there's an enormous amount of work a GM needs to put into it ahead of time to make it fun for players. Even for published modules! It's too much for me

But if a game has lots of material and rules, you have to read and remember a lot. I'm not sure I understand what you want. Can you give examples of easy systems?
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