• Registered: 2011-12-29
  • Posts: 4

Topic: Let's play in the 30 years war

All,

so, after reading Better Than Any Man I want to create a campaign in "modern" times. And because I'm playing in an En Garde PBEM I want the players to be musketeers in 1630s.

Unfortunately I have some issues to solve:

First of all, because the musketeers mythology (Dumas version) is completely different to the Thirty Years War reality (Love, friendship, honour, loyalty... vs. disembowelment, devastation, typhus, witch hunts, religious bigotry...) I want to stay middle ground: The players will not be residing in the beautiful and civilised Paris, but the campaign wont be as ugly as Thirty Years War (will be happening in the Alps)

Also, I plan not to allow Cleric or Magic Users (or non humans) as PC and Magic will be NPCs only using rituals (Carcosa-like rules).

So, in your experience:

- Does it make sense the middle ground between Dumas and history?
- Is going to be fun having only Fighter and Specialists as PC?
- Any additional recommendation after playing Better Than Any Man?

Thanks!

  • From: Dallas, TX
  • Registered: 2010-08-16
  • Posts: 53

Re: Let's play in the 30 years war

While I can't address the historical aspects, two classes doesn't sound quite right.  I'd combine the Fighter and Specialist into one class:

  • a Generalist class which interleaves the progression of Fighters and Specialists, e.g. one skill point per level, BAB is 1 + 1/2 level rounded down

  • a "gestalt" that combines Fighter BAB and hit dice with Specialist skill points and the better saving throws of each class, perhaps with doubled XP for progression.

  • a combined class where at each level including 1st players can choose whether to take +1 BAB (minimum +1) or 2 skill points

P.S. I explored the first two ideas in this thread.

Last edited by fmitchell (2014-01-12 22:41:55)

Frank Mitchell
"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread." -- Anatole France

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  • Registered: 2011-12-29
  • Posts: 4

Re: Let's play in the 30 years war

fmitchell wrote:

I'd combine the Fighter and Specialist into one class

...and use a single class for all players? This is interesting, because it changes the basic assumption that D&D is a class based RPG.

Did you playtest it? How did it work out? Does it get boring to have all the players playing the same class.

A different possibility is to move towards a Clerics without Spells model. I have to think about it.

  • From: Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
  • Registered: 2011-08-09
  • Posts: 79

Re: Let's play in the 30 years war

Cutting out all but two classes really hamstrings the game. Taking magic away from the PCs also cuts out a lot of the cool options for play.

Consider keeping Clerics but nerfing their spellcasting. Allow them to cast by reading scrolls only and give them back a weakened version of turning where it just holds the creature at bay unless there's a D result (which causes them to flee). I have a set of rules for this stuff somewhere.

You could keep wizards but make their spellcasting more ritualistic, requiring components or tools and taking one round per spell level to cast.

If you can find the old 2e D&D green "Mighty Fortress" splatbook it has some great stuff in it for a Musketeers style campaign.