The easiest way is to lower prices for retainers. In OD&D price for a heavy foot soldier is 3gp per month! More problematic is obtaining them - weakly cost for callers and recruiters are 1d6x100gp. Traditional games are based around groups of adventurers and their hiredmen, not lone heroes doing great and mighty deeds. If you want to encourage your players about hiring more men then maybe offer them lower prices during character creation?
2 2017-05-10 00:34:30
Re: Interpreting (multiple) attacks and damage: abstract or not? (2 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)
IMO abstract and simplicity are the only solution there. Multiple attacks of some creatures serve mainly to show how dangerous they are. You can reduce greatly your work if you rule that multiple hits are possible only in combat with more than one opponent. So if a tiger has two claws attack, it can use it only when fighting more than one enemy. And no, not everyone is ignoring abstract nature of combat in old games. One minute or 10 seconds round is very interesting and allow you to unleash far more of your imagining and creativity. Also, counting rounds after rounds in seconds, and hits after hits is just plain boring. In abstract combat with longer rounds you don't even need Initiative at all. Example: if you hit your enemy and kill him and the enemy misses you, the Ref can interpret this situation as killing an opponent before he could even realise what's happening. I believe the most productive way is to increase your capacity as fast, efficient decision maker, not creating more mechanics where it isn't needed.
3 2017-05-10 00:08:50
Re: How does Languages roll work? (2 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)
You roll only once, result indicates if you know that language or not. There is no further rolls after failure. There is no upper limit, Referee as usual is highest authority in this matter. If you do not know foreign language (initial roll failure) then you can only try to learn it in game. You must ask your Ref how he/she will do this. Usually all you need is to be constantly with people who use it everyday and actively try to learn. Maybe find some sage who may teach it to your character, but it'll probably cost you some money and time.
4 2015-02-04 03:45:05
Re: A new take on non-human races (4 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)
I think demihumans should not appear in historical campaigns as player character choice. Remove them entirely and/or leave them as part of weird element of your game. Another option is to use them as a template for different and mysterious nations/races - halflings as Picts and murderous natives of South America, dwarfs as primitive barbarians (black tribal warriors of Africa, forgotten remains of Vikings from Antarctica/Greenland) and elves as sorcerous mystics from Asia (Hindu and Chinese warlocks for example). "Cutting Tolkien out of equation" isn't good move IMO as Tolkien is part of the OD&D equation - no matter how hard some people try to deny it and claim otherwise.
5 2014-11-16 21:07:58
Re: Elf Xp balanced to its abilities? (4 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)
Elf gets better saving throws, bonus to notice "skill", ablility to use all combat maneuvers (with +4 to parry), uses d6 as Hit Dice all the time (M-U d4 after 1 level) and is surprised only after rolling 1. Higher price tag isn't just because, it is there for a reason[s].
6 2014-10-17 05:15:38
Re: How I know I've been a successful GM/DM/ (7 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)
Nothing stays in your way to play DFD both as a oneshot and campaign starter simultaneously. If things will go nasty PCs are going to die probably. So they can create another band of adventurers trying to live in a world shattered by some greedy, stupid, unknown band of vagabonds. Oneshot session could be just an prologue to really dark and frightening campaign. It's a win-win situation.
7 2014-10-17 01:26:15
Re: Introduce yourself! (218 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)
Greetings!
I'm 29 years old player from Poland. I began playing RPGs almost 13 years ago and it was WFRP (THE roleplaying game in Poland then) and after that Vampire the Masquerade also. There was some Cyberpunk 2020, Mage the Ascension, Vampire Dark Ages, Star Wars Saga Edition, WFRP 2, Savage Worlds and even D&D 3.5. All in all I was more inclined to simple mechanics, never liking too much hard rules grinding like WotC D&D etc.
I've discovered old school some 2-3 years ago through one of polish blog about history of our hobby. Article after article I was more interested in that style of game and in the end purchased some older versions of D&D (AD&D, AD&D2). It was too difficult to obtain even earlier editions, so I was enforced to use retroclones (Swords & Wizardry, Dark Dungeons, OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord). Today I don't remember how but I discovered LotFP site - after some reading I was almost sure this is version and feel of game that interested me most.
I bought Gim, Carcrindhouse box in one of our stores and it was it. After that came Vornheim, Carcosa, The God that Crawls, Monolith from beyond Space and Time, Isle of the Unknown, Seclusium and Qelong - many of them considered by me as the best portions of my little collection. When Wizards published reprints of OD&D I allowed myself one box of goodies. I don't play old school exclusively - we still have fun with original WFRP, replaced Masquerade with Requiem, play some WH40k (Rogue Trader mostly) and are thinking about trying Mongoose Traveller and FFG Star Wars: Edge of the Empire.
I'm happy to own a copy of LotFP and few supplements. With two of similary minded friends it looks like we'll have tons of fun with all the games we're playing - with LotFP in the top 5.
8 2014-10-17 00:50:48
Re: How I know I've been a successful GM/DM/ (7 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)
It is shorter, indeed. DFD is "just" a single dungeon, whereas BAM is open ended sandbox style module (big city, few towns and villages, couple of dungeons etc.). Still, Death Frost Doom can have far more grevious consequences to the game world than Better than Any Man.
9 2014-10-17 00:39:06
Re: questions from Solon (23 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)
There isn't such thing as ability checks in vanilla oldschool tbh. That is why Referee book doesn't even mention them (I own Grindhouse copy). You can use Saving Throws instead but it's difficult sometimes to imagine defensive ST as active ability check. If someone want to use them, then CironeAE listed most popular solutions.