Robert E. Howard's Conan AMA With Jason Durall & Chris Lites

[moldyderp]

If someone disagrees with you and presents their argument in a polite and also cogent manner, it's a good idea to stop and at least consider their point-of-view.

LOL!


...yeah. Nothing says polite and cogent like mods needing to ban you and/or warn you from further contribution in threads.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

I've looked through the quick starter rules and I like what I see! I'm a little concerned that some of the mechanics are more complicated than they need to be, but it's hard to tell without seeing them in action. I"m pretty sure I'll be picking this up.

 

[trystero]

I've looked through the quick starter rules and I like what I see! I'm a little concerned that some of the mechanics are more complicated than they need to be, but it's hard to tell without seeing them in action. I"m pretty sure I'll be picking this up.

Obviously I can't tell you what you will or won't like, but my group's experience -- and that of the great majority of other folks I've heard from who tried the Quickstart -- was that once you get going, the game flows well; it's a common remark that the system plays more smoothly than it reads on the page. I hope you enjoy it.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

Obviously I can't tell you what you will or won't like, but my group's experience -- and that of the great majority of other folks I've heard from who tried the Quickstart -- was that once you get going, the game flows well; it's a common remark that the system plays more smoothly than it reads on the page. I hope you enjoy it.

Good to hear! Despite your group having an overall good experience, were there any pain points?

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

Obviously I can't tell you what you will or won't like, but my group's experience -- and that of the great majority of other folks I've heard from who tried the Quickstart -- was that once you get going, the game flows well; it's a common remark that the system plays more smoothly than it reads on the page. I hope you enjoy it.

Another question: was there anything that surprised you in play I.e. something that didn't jump out at you while reading the rules? Also, compliments on using the semicolon correctly!

 

[trystero]

Another question: was there anything that surprised you in play I.e. something that didn't jump out at you while reading the rules?

We originally struggled with a few points that weren't clearly worded, but those were all addressed in forums by the Modiphius folks, and the Quickstart was updated to clarify those issues.

In our test with the revised QS rules, I think the main thing was just getting our heads around the ways that the three resources (Momentum, Fortune, and Doom) interlock; when it was better to spend Fortune or add Doom to the pool, what effects to choose from the suggested Momentum and Doom examples, etc. My advice is to walk very slowly through the first round of an action scene, just to get the interactions down, and then "rewind" and start the scene again at full speed once folks are comfortable with the basic mechanics.

The only other thing that's tricky is learning to read regular six-sided dice as Combat Dice (1 = 1 pt.; 2 = 2 pts.; 3-4 = nothing; 5-6 = 1 pt. plus an Effect). Again, we found that this is hard for about two rolls, and then you get it, and from then on it's trivial.

I've boiled the Quickstart Rules (plus addenda mentioned in various fora by the Modiphius designers) into a 7-page summary PDF, which you can check out at https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0ck1une_YLJdmYwbmh1VlFQQUU. It doesn't replace the Quickstart rules; it wouldn't be as good for learning the concepts, but I've found it to be a nice fast reference for use in play. Comments welcomed.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

We originally struggled with a few points that weren't clearly worded, but those were all addressed in forums by the Modiphius folks, and the Quickstart was updated to clarify those issues.

In our test with the revised QS rules, I think the main thing was just getting our heads around the ways that the three resources (Momentum, Fortune, and Doom) interlock; when it was better to spend Fortune or add Doom to the pool, what effects to choose from the suggested Momentum and Doom examples, etc. My advice is to walk very slowly through the first round of an action scene, just to get the interactions down, and then "rewind" and start the scene again at full speed once folks are comfortable with the basic mechanics.

The only other thing that's tricky is learning to read regular six-sided dice as Combat Dice (1 = 1 pt.; 2 = 2 pts.; 3-4 = nothing; 5-6 = 1 pt. plus an Effect). Again, we found that this is hard for about two rolls, and then you get it, and from then on it's trivial.

I've boiled the Quickstart Rules (plus addenda mentioned in various fora by the Modiphius designers) into a 7-page summary PDF, which you can check out at https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0ck1une_YLJdmYwbmh1VlFQQUU. It doesn't replace the Quickstart rules; it wouldn't be as good for learning the concepts, but I've found it to be a nice fast reference for use in play. Comments welcomed.

Reading now. Re: "getting our heads around"... the same thing jumped out at me. What were your group's opinions on the optimal/suboptimal expenditures for those resources?

 

[trystero]

Reading now....What were your group's opinions on the optimal/suboptimal expenditures for [Momentum, Fortune, and Doom]?

I'm not sure there's ever a single optimal strategy; there's a lot of interplay. But some things that we noticed:

• In the first test session, I had to remind the players that they could add Doom to the pool to use Momentum effects marked as "Immediate" (adding extra d20s for their own skill tests, or adding to the Difficulty of enemies' skill tests) in the first round of an action scene, when they hadn't yet built up any Momentum.
  
• Defending against an opponent's attack adds Doom to the pool, and you may burn Momentum and/or add more Doom to buy extra dice for that defensive Reaction. If you've got a good TN and Focus, that may be worthwhile, because you can generate Momentum from the Reaction; if you're less sure of your odds, though, it's often a better bet to bump up the Difficulty of the enemy's attack instead, because that always eats one of their successes and there's no chance of you failing or generating a Complication.
  
• The "Swift Action" Momentum effect lets you take a second Standard Action on your turn for 2 Momentum; one of the designers has clarified that if this action is a second attack with a different weapon it only costs 1 Momentum. (And you can spend Fortune to take additional actions on your turn, too.)
  
• As players, don't be afraid to put Doom in the pool for rolls that are important.
  
• As GM, don't let Doom pile up while you wait for a perfect opportunity to use it; keep a few points in reserve, by all means, but spend much of it as soon as you can, to amp up the fight and to not be caught short when the PCs make mincemeat of your NPCs. This has happened to me twice now, so this tip is aimed primarily at myself.
  
• For characters who aren't combat specialists, use another skill that you're better at to gain an advantage (like Acrobatics to jump up on a table and get high ground) and then use Momentum from that action for the "Swift Action" effect. This also makes combat a lot more fun, as you don't just stand toe-to-toe.
  
• As GM, take 2 Doom for a Complication if you're short on it, but otherwise try to make fun Complications that shake up the scene. In our second session, the player running Amala (one of the pregenerated PCs) was up on a rooftop, shooting at foes that the players had ambushed; for her first shot, he got two successes from one d20 (rolled under her Ranged Weapons skill Focus) but got a Complication (20) on the other die. I ruled that her quiver of arrows came loose and fell off the roof, forcing the player to get out of the comfortable ambush zone if he wanted her to keep shooting, and that ended up making the whole fight much more dynamic and entertaining.

Again, these are top-of-the-head thoughts and almost certainly not perfect advice for every group or situation. But they are the kind of thing that emerges from play.

One last thing. My group mostly plays D&D (and RuneQuest), so we're used to "what action do I take this turn?" being the big decision to make in an action scene. The thing I'm really loving about Conan 2d20 -- and that appeals to me in games like REIGN and Monsters & Magic as well -- is that "what action do I take this turn?" is the first and less-important decision you make; the more significant decision is often "how do I use the results my action generated?"

Have fun!

 

[jdurall]

As a note, we're in the final hours of the Kickstarter campaign.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/modiphius/robert-e-howards-conan-roleplaying-game

As of this post, it's the 4th-highest RPG campaign ever on Kickstarter, and is the most successful Kickstarter campaign Modiphius has launched.

 

[Faraer]

I put in my pledge.

What kinds of PC groups do you envisage? Although Conan worked with others at various times, Howard focused on single protagonists, so this is one of the things you'll have to 'pastiche' somewhat.