Initial Thoughts on the AiF Restatement Project

In my last post I mentioned the Adventures in Fantasy clone project that I am working on currently.  While there have been many clone games, of both the retro and neo variety, this game will not use the OGL as a basis.  I aim to restate the rules in a clearer fashion to the best of my understanding; anybody that has read through this game will understand what I am talking about.  Now, on to some thoughts related to this project.

Why Am I Doing This?

Adventures in Fantasy has been a source of fascination for me.  On one hand, it gives a look at how Arneson would have possibly done things differently; of course, much of that is up for debate with Snider as a co-author when you look at Powers & Perils. On the other hand, the rules read like they were one or two edits away from a much more manageable and understandable system.  I have entertained the thought of doing a Book IV: Book of House Rules for some time but I think a restatement would actually be a better idea.  

Another consideration is the availability of the boxed game.  I have no knowledge of how rare Adventures in Fantasy is but I do know that there are still many role-players that have never seen or even heard of this game.  I was fortunate and bought my copy at a time when the price was less than $20.  I have seen some outrageous prices - around $200.00! - for a copy of a complete boxed set.  Do not misunderstand me on this issue.  I believe that Adventures in Fantasy is definitely a fascinating piece of gaming history but I also think some of the sellers are pricing this game at an unrealistic price.

What Is The Name?

I am currently using the name of A.S.P., or Arneson and Snider's Percentile-Based, Fantasy Adventure Gaming Rules for this project.  The name is not that catchy but it gets the point across and will be okay until something more suitable comes along.  I have received some excellent suggestions from Havard in this thread over at The Comeback Inn.  I suspect I will likely use one of his ideas but I am also open for other suggestions.

Will There Be Changes?

Of course, there will be differences between the rules as written and the rules as restated.  I am aware that the rules themselves can be redone with relative ease by stating them in a different manner.  In contrast, someone can fairly and legally cry foul* if the tables, location names, and other such areas are just reproduced exactly.  There will be changes in those areas.  The important thing is that the rules will be presented in a format that is much easier to comprehend.

* Of course, now I wonder if just simply stating my intentions are enough to consider this a derivative work?  

Final Thoughts

In addition to those initial thoughts behind the restatement project, I have made a few basic decisions...

1. The format for this project is planned to be a single volume instead of three booklets.
2. I have been working on the character creation section of the rules.  After a large section of it is completed to my satisfaction I will post it up for some feedback.
3. There are several threads on The Comeback Inn detailing ideas for house rules.  If the posters that originally posted those house rules are agreeable, then I would be interested in including them in the final version; maybe in sidebars or an appendix?
4. If anybody has any good links for some appropriate public domain art that I could use then I would highly appreciate it.  
5. I think some Appendixes at the end of the rules would be a neat idea.  Maybe they could include a bio on Arneson, a bio on Snider, inspiration, etc.
6. If anyone is interested in collaborating on this project, I would definitely be open to it.

That should just about do it for now.  More later...

             

A Peek at Perilous Journeys 1

My initial post about Perilous Journeys was just my way of drawing attention to the free download of the game. I've decided to take a closer look at Perilous Journeys in pdf form.  I will be purchasing a print copy after the holiday season calms down.  

Before I begin looking at Perilous Journeys I feel it is important to explain my experience with Lejendary Adventures.  I stumbled across the Lejendary Adventure players manual in a FLGS one day and immediately purchased it after I noticed the name "Gary Gygax" and skimmed through the book.  I was pretty excited because it looked like a simple and straightforward skill based game using percentile dice for resolution.  Unfortunately, I just did not "get it" at all. 

I made multiple attempts at character creation and never went further with the rules.  My biggest problem was that I came away with a different understanding each time I read the rules.  I agree with others about the language or writing style being biggest stumbling block to understanding the LA system.  I disagree about the use of nontraditional role-playing terms.  I have no problem understanding that Avatar is equal to player character, Order is basically equal to class, and on down the line with the rest of the terms.  I believe the use of these unique terms is a plus and helps set the tone as something different from the previous work of Gygax.  

I am no stranger to the works and style of Gygax.  I read and understood the AD&D works, Cyborg Commando, and Dangerous Journeys. After reading through the character creation process in LA repeated times I grew very frustrated with the rules.  At first they seem pretty simple to follow but using them left me utterly confused.  I downloaded the quick start and that seemed to help a little but I was unable to bridge the gap between the quick start and the core rules.  

Ultimately, I came away from the LA rules disappointed.  I got the impression that a smooth rules-light game was waiting to be discovered with the rule book. I also felt that the writing style did not facilitate the understanding of the rules.  I must point out that this is not a dig against Gygax.  I am just saying that the rules as presented did not work for me. 

As a quick aside, I just wanted to point out that I thought it was interesting that both Arneson and Gygax stepped outside the realm of D20 based gaming and explored percentile based games with Adventures in Fantasy and Lejendary Adventure.  

How did I find Perilous Journeys?  I frequently check the threads at Dragonsfoot; specifically, the General Discussion, AD&D, Workshop, Lejendary Adventure, and Simulacrum Games forum.  I was checking the forums one day and came across this thread bringing attention to a new game with a design similar to LA.  After a download and a little investigation of the rules, I decided to bring attention to this game by taking a closer look at it in my blog.

Basic Details

I am taking a look at pdf version of the Perilous Journeys core rule book.  The document is black and white with illustrations and weighs in at 129 pages.  The artwork does a good job of capturing old school adventuring and there is an overall absence of dungeonpunk characters and monsters found elsewhere.  That gets a big thumps up from me because I really dislike a lot of the modern art in 4E.  I assume the only thing missing from the pdf version is the front and back cover.  The cover of the print version is displayed below.

Preface

The preface states several important things that form my impression of where this game is headed with the rules.

• PJ is a skill based game that attempts to mimic the feel of OD&D but not the mechanics.
• PJ has streamlined and flexible mechanics that will not hinder play of the game.
• PJ has broad skills that allow the customization of characters.

This sounds an awful lot like what I heard about LA but that is a good thing.  If Perilous Journeys delivers for me in the ways that LA could not then I will be a very happy gamer.

Terminology

The next section is a list of the common terms used in Perilous Journeys.  Usually I just quickly skim through these in other rule books to see if anything unfamiliar catches my eye.  I actually read every one of these definitions and found them very satisfactory in their explanation of the respective term.  The terms and labels used in Perilous Journeys should be familiar to most people that have played just a few role playing games.  The few new terms are explained in a clear manner that causes no confusion to the reader.  

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That concludes the beginning of my examination of Perilous Journeys.  Fatherly duties call at the moment but I will continue with this later.  The next part of the rules is about character creation.

[Adventures in Fantasy] Book of Adventure Pt. 3

After a short detour, I am returning to posts covering AiF. Let's take a look at the remaining chapters of the Book of Adventure.

The first chapter is titled Setting up the Campaign and actually covers quite a bit of information for being only 6 pages long; 2 of those pages are a sample underground map of a dragon's lair and a list of the contents in each room. Obviously, the information contained in this chapter is not as comprehensive as the original AD&D DMG but it will help give structure and reason to the campaign.

The chapter begins with some introductory remarks about a few of the referee's responsibilities before the start of play.  It is pointed out that "there must be a reason for the players to be undertaking the adventure upon which these same players are about to begin". Right off the bat, AiF is concerned with background, motivation, and reasons for adventuring.  I've always heard that the games of this era were pretty weak in this aspect but I am satisfied with what I have read.  The advice is practical and still applies today.

The next part of the chapter deals with the sample fantasy campaign of Bleakwood.  It serves as an example of how to generate some details of the adventuring world.  The example includes a calendar with months named, season, corresponding dates to Julian calendar, weeks, day, and also the names of the years.  With names such as "Valkyrie", "Week of Fire", and "Year of the Dragon" it helps to set the mood and tone. 

The next section of the chapter is Setting up an Adventure.  I am happy to say that the information continues to be very clear and practical.  Instead of just giving instructions on how to draw a map this section details the Dragon's Lair by covering such topics as the eating habits of creatures (how and when), number of creatures, how these creatures avoid disturbing the Dragon, the lairs of the creatures, and the dangers facing the player characters. The referee is then shown how to lay out the underground and how to list the details of the matching descriptions with contents, function, treasure, and guards or creatures. The example is wrapped up by covering tricks and traps such as trap doors, sliding walls, sloping passages, stairways, and chances of getting lost or disoriented.  The next two pages show the map of the Dragon's Lair and the Location list.

That's the details of the Setting up the Campaign chapter and I already have a much better impression of this section of the rulebook in contrast to the player's portion.  I have always heard that Arneson "wasn't a rules guy but was one hell of a referee".  If this chapter is any indication then I would say that's a very fair statement.  The rules are serviceable but lack clarity while the GM advice is clear, practical, and makes me want to grab my graph paper and get to mapping!

Next: I continue to look at the Book of Adventure.

[Adventures in Fantasy] Book of Adventure Pt. 1

Before doing any serious reading on a gaming product I usually flip through the pages to see what stands out and catches my eye.  Three things stood out in the Book of Adventure. First, there is no character sheet included in the book. Second, the ink on the pages is BLUE and can get somewhat irritating to your eyes. Third, this book has the player and game master rules together.

The Cover & Introduction
Both are fairly typical of similar products.  The cover art depicts a dragon resting on a treasure hoard with a spellbook under paw. The creature's attention is focused on four adventurers standing in the cave entrance in the background. It's not quite up to the Holmes Basic D&D cover in quality but it conveys the same type of  imagery.  The introduction has no groundbreaking thoughts included within.

Table of Contents
A glance at the table of contents makes it clear that this book contains information for the player as well as the game master.  It appears that the essential player information is contained on pages 1 to 19 while the remaining 38 pages are probably best suited for the game master.

Forward
The forward contains 3 interesting bits of information. First, the date is listed as "April, 1978"; neat information because it establishes historical context. Second, Arneson (I assume) shows his displeasure with further complexity in D&D by stating that after the release of the original system there was "added dozens of additional rules in a chaoticc jumble that buried the original structure under a garbage heap of contradictions and confusion".  Third, it is made clear that AiF was intended as a introductory set because there is mention of additional rules volumes such as Dragon Lore & Legend, Ritual Magic, The Races of the Faerry, World of Fantasy, and "more". As far as I know, none of these titles ever saw print.  It would be interesting to find out any concrete information about these titles.

The Player Character
The first chapter of the book stands at a sparse 7 pages and covers character generation.  The definition and generation of the basic characteristics are the first two subjects covered. Generation of the characteristic scores is pretty straightforward.  The rules state to roll 2 twenty-sided dice and generate a number from 01-100.  If I remember correctly, the twenty-sided dice available at the time were numbered 0-9 twice instead of 1 - 20. Of course, one could just roll two d10's and do the same thing today. My point is generation of the characteristics is pretty simple and easy to follow.  What isn't so clear to me is the list of characteristics.

Basic Game Player Characteristics
It would seem like a simple thing to list the characteristics that represent the physical and mental attributes of the player character.  It should be and a character sheet would actually solve this issue. I can say after several readings that I am still not sure of the characteristics.  The introductory paragraph in this section mentions "Strength, Intelligence, Charisma, Knowledge, Dexterity, Stamina..." while the list and explanations of the characteristics include Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Charisma, Stamina, and Health. Both lists are very similar but the second list omits Knowledge and adds Health.  No problem, knowledge might just be a reference to the skills a character knows, right? Maybe, but then there is little bit that adds to the confusion. After the generation method of the characteristics is described the next sentence reads "Do this for each of the five basic player characteristics and for the two optional characteristics if they are used".  That makes the total number of characteristics seven.  Neither list has seven characteristics. Plus, the only characteristic I can see that is listed as "optional" is Stamina so what is the other optional one?

Is Knowledge a characteristic?

Was it an editing mistake?

Does Knowledge just refer to a characters skills?

Anybody with any experience with AiF that can answer these questions?

It seems like an odd spot to get confused. I hope the rest of the rules are clearer than this. I'm stopping for the night so I can try to make some sense of this.

Next: character creation continued.

[Adventures in Fantasy] Opening the Box

I have owned a copy of Adventures in Fantasy (AiF) for several years now.  I bought it by placing the high bid on an ebay listing.  Although I have had it for years I have never played it or completely read the rules.  I have pulled it down from the collection several times to flip through and read various sections of the rules.  It has also survived the two times I have drastically reduced the size of my game collection.  It's time to fully investigate the AiF boxed set of rules.

Condition: The box came to me in really good shape. I'm not sure if this is a good sign or a bad sign. The condition could mean the previous owner took exceptional care in handling the box and contents.  On the other hand, the condition could also mean the rules were not used and the previous owner forgot them on a shelf or in a box somewhere. The box now shows wear and is starting to separate.

The Authors: Dave Arneson and Richard Snider are listed as the authors.  I believe both of them are more famous for other works - Snider for Powers & Perils and Arneson for Blackmoor and Dungeons & Dragons.  I am aware of the debate over proper credit between Gygax and Arneson about the creation of D&D. I am a non-participant. I play the games and that is it.

The Box: The cover art depicts two heroes (a male warrior and a female mage) in combat with what appears to be a green-skinned, axe-wielding orc on a black horse.  It reinforces the following description found on the side of the box, "ADVENTURES IN FANTASY is the next generation of FANTASY ROLE PLAYING GAMES. YOU are the Knight sent upon a QUEST by the King to battle villains and creatures right out of Mythology.  From Dwarfs to Dragons your wits will be just as useful as your sword.  This game comes complete with separate CHARTS, 20-sided Die, Sample Adventure and complete rules for starting on the road to high Adventure."

The Contents: There are 3 books included in the box: Book of Adventure (character creation and related rules), Book of Faerry and Magic (magic, spells, magical combat, and the faerry races), and the Book of Creatures and Treasure (creatures and treasure).  There are also 3 double-side reference sheets that look like they could be used for a GM screen of some sort.  Everything from the description above seems to be there except for the D20.  I've been playing and collecting dice since 1980 so this is not an issue at all.

First Impression: I like what I see so far.  the The boxed set was an industry standard at one time.  I would like to see more boxed sets now.  The cover art is good at showing what might be a typical scene from a game.  Most important for me, it looks like fantasy instead of dungeonpunk. The combined page count on all 3 rulebooks is only 155 pages; much shorter than the current standard.  I also wonder if there were expansions planned to follow this boxed set since the description stated that the contents were "complete rules for starting on the road to high adventure." As far as I know, this boxed set was the only thing ever published for AiF but maybe there were additional rules to follow in a similar fashion to Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, & Immortal D&D. Who knows? I'll look for mention of it while exploring these rules.

Next: I will begin reading Book I - Book of Adventure.

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edit 1 - added a picture of the AiF box
edit 2 - changed title format of post