Monsters & Magic RPG anyone revew?

[Troll_Mage]

Hi guys,

Anyone have an opportunity to purchase and can provide a more specific review of Monsters & Magic?

Or perhaps a simple comparison of the ruleset, is it more like Labyrinth Lord, BFRPG, or DCC?

I am trying to find a good OD&D/1st edition emulation, with some modern rules cleanup, and some interesting new rules and options (much like DCC's funnel system and other add-ons). While I enjoy running DCC, some of players found it a tad too lethal and some found it restrictive in playing a caster, due to a lots of spell failure. We did not like BFRPG or Labyrinth Lord all that much, it felt too very bland and very lite on options to some players.

 

[SarahNewton]

Hi guys,

Anyone have an opportunity to purchase and can provide a more specific review of Monsters & Magic?

Or perhaps a simple comparison of the ruleset, is it more like Labyrinth Lord, BFRPG, or DCC?

I am trying to find a good OD&D/1st edition emulation, with some modern rules cleanup, and some interesting new rules and options (much like DCC's funnel system and other add-ons). While I enjoy running DCC, some of players found it a tad too lethal and some found it restrictive in playing a caster, due to a lots of spell failure. We did not like BFRPG or Labyrinth Lord all that much, it felt too very bland and very lite on options to some players.

Hi Trollmage!

We've been collating links to the reviews and articles as they come out over at the Mindjammer Press website (click on the "Links" page) - there are also reviews appearing at DriveThru / RPG Now.

Monsters & Magic is an "old school fantasy, new school play" RPG, aiming to reproduce the freedom and vibe of white box / 1e with a ruleset which is familiar yet which also draws upon more modern RPGs, allowing you to describe your character's actions in a free yet non-arbitary way. It's designed to be usable with all your classic fantasy material with little or no conversion. It's meant to be a simple yet decently tactical ruleset with a fair bit of crunch, and the emphasis on letting players describe what their characters do, then letting the rules deal with it - kind of like we (or at least my groups!) played and still play the old school, just with more rules support.

We've put up 4 preview PDFs at the Mindjammer Press site showcasing character creation, the "Effect Engine" core mechanic, and higher-level play; there's also a download of the first 20 pages or so of the game available at Drive Thru / RPG Now (click on "Publisher Preview").

Hope that helps - feel free to fire away with any questions!

Cheers,

Sarah

 

[Morrus]

Hi guys,

Anyone have an opportunity to purchase and can provide a more specific review of Monsters & Magic?

Or perhaps a simple comparison of the ruleset, is it more like Labyrinth Lord, BFRPG, or DCC?

I am trying to find a good OD&D/1st edition emulation, with some modern rules cleanup, and some interesting new rules and options (much like DCC's funnel system and other add-ons). While I enjoy running DCC, some of players found it a tad too lethal and some found it restrictive in playing a caster, due to a lots of spell failure. We did not like BFRPG or Labyrinth Lord all that much, it felt too very bland and very lite on options to some players.

We'll be reviewing it - but it's only been out a couple of days.

 

[tenkar]

Hi guys,

Anyone have an opportunity to purchase and can provide a more specific review of Monsters & Magic?

Or perhaps a simple comparison of the ruleset, is it more like Labyrinth Lord, BFRPG, or DCC?

I am trying to find a good OD&D/1st edition emulation, with some modern rules cleanup, and some interesting new rules and options (much like DCC's funnel system and other add-ons). While I enjoy running DCC, some of players found it a tad too lethal and some found it restrictive in playing a caster, due to a lots of spell failure. We did not like BFRPG or Labyrinth Lord all that much, it felt too very bland and very lite on options to some players.

I'm working on a multipart review of Monsters & Magic. It is not like any of the retroclones. It's pretty much it's own ruleset that allows you to plug in old adventures / OSR adventures with minimal fuss.

You may want to check out Adventurer Conqueror King System if you are looking for classic play with lots of character options and customizability.

 

[Kabluey]

I'm working on a multipart review of Monsters & Magic. It is not like any of the retroclones. It's pretty much it's own ruleset that allows you to plug in old adventures / OSR adventures with minimal fuss.

You may want to check out Adventurer Conqueror King System if you are looking for classic play with lots of character options and customizability.

I'd echo the ACKS recommendation. I've started a campaign with it about 2 months ago and so far everyone in my group is very happy with it. The Companion book also has about 15 or so new classes and a set of rules to create your own classes, so its very extensible. This is its biggest selling point for me because while I prefer classic D&D/1E, I do like the plethora of classes that newer editions have. Note that ACKS is very similar to B/X D&D, but it is not strictly speaking a clone.

Another option to consider is Castles & Crusades, which is a very good 1E-like game with 3E-style mechanics. I used it to run White Plume Mountain with no upfront conversion work, but instead just converted AC/to-hit in my head as we played. So it is very compatible with existing 1E stuff.

I'm very curious to see a review of Monster & Magic myself to see what new features, if any, it brings to the OSR party.

 

[skinnydwarf]

Hi guys,

Anyone have an opportunity to purchase and can provide a more specific review of Monsters & Magic?

Or perhaps a simple comparison of the ruleset, is it more like Labyrinth Lord, BFRPG, or DCC?

I can't compare those above, but all I have to say is: Play DCC! DCC is the best. Go get DCC now.

This from a die hard 3.5 fan.

I've played Castles & Crusades and DCC, and I like DCC a lot better. The flavor of the ruleset, and the balance of the classes really do it for me. The magic system is just awesome.

 

[Morrus]

So EN World's review is up! Enjoy!

http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?1004-Monsters-and-Magic-This-Aint-Your-Grandads-DnD-Game