19 June 2014

Rethinking My Renaissance

OD&D (Books I-III) and its streamlined clone, Swords & Wizardry White Box, have become my favorite form of the Original Game. I initially thought Basic/Expert D&D or Labyrinth Lord with extra spells and beasts from 1st edition AD&D would be the perfect iteration for me, but after playing a session recently, I realized that OD&D and S&W more closely match my style of refereeing, are easier to learn, and are astonishingly easy to house rule. They are also incredibly easy to use as the framework for new role-playing games as I discovered whilst working on my entry for last year's Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day contest. (I was unable to submit it due to the limitations of Blogger, but I am working on converting it into a PDF so I can distribute it.)

Due to this Old School Renaissance revelation, I have decided to design my new swashbuckling Renaissance role-playing game using the Swords & Wizardry White Box rules instead of Labyrinth Lord. It has a freer style of gameplay and game design, which I think is essential for a good swashbuckling game. I still appreciate Basic/Expert D&D and Labyrinth Lord, but Swords & Wizardry White Box better suits my practical and creative needs at this time.

13 June 2014

Renaissance Firearms Revised

My previous rules modifications for Renaissance firearms are, in hindsight, unnecessarily complicated, so here is a revision.

All handheld firearms cause 2d6 points of damage.

Firearms with rifled barrels have the same range bonuses and penalties as other missile weapons in Basic/Expert D&D and Labyrinth Lord: +1 at short range, 0 at medium range, -1 at long range.

Firearms with unrifled barrels have the following range penalties: -1 at short range, -2 at medium range, -4 at long range.

Blunderbusses are an exception in both damage potential and range penalties. Their damage is 3d6 at short range, 2d6 at medium range, and 1d6 at long range. Their range penalties are 0 at short range, -4 at medium range, -8 at long range.

For the purposes of my game, all firearms requiring two hands will have the same effective range as a crossbow, and all pistols will have the same effective range as a sling.

Reloading requires 8 rounds (6 for fighters), modified by one's dexterity bonus or penalty.

Weapon costs and chances of misfiring are as stated in Lamentations of the Flame Princess.