The Errata has been moved to a PDF file located here.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
What is Age of Heroes
Age of Heroes is homegrown set rules for table-top fantasy role-playing designed for my gaming groups. It was available in a very incomplete form for free download around the turn of the century, and most recently a completed version at Lulu in hardcover.
The latest version is 5.0.4, available at Lulu.
Interested in a review? The most recent one for version 5.0.2 is found at The Bedrock Blog.
The latest version is 5.0.4, available at Lulu.
Interested in a review? The most recent one for version 5.0.2 is found at The Bedrock Blog.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Age of Heroes Now Available
Ok, it's finally finished, up on Lulu and available to anyone willing to spend a few bucks on it.
What do you get for your $25 plus shipping?
The core rules (complete enough for a beginning campaign) for a fantasy setting of your choice. These home grown rules have been in continuous play for 32 years now (hence the 5.0 version label on the cover).
This is a 80s style RPG with some rather uncommon features:
Age of Heroes uses d100 as it's core resolution mechanic, and the full range of polyhedral dice for damage.
I've also made available a 6 page GM Screen PDF to use with game. I use it with the Savage Worlds Customizable GM Screen to wonderful effect nearly completely eliminating page flipping during games.
Also available is a basic character sheet (also a PDF).
What do you get for your $25 plus shipping?
The core rules (complete enough for a beginning campaign) for a fantasy setting of your choice. These home grown rules have been in continuous play for 32 years now (hence the 5.0 version label on the cover).
This is a 80s style RPG with some rather uncommon features:
- The game play focus is on maneuver rather than the more common resource management.
- That focus allows mixed level adventurers to an extent almost unheard of. This in turn allows for Generational Campaigns when one's own offsprings might adventure with their parents.
- Balanced armor and weapons selection making the choice of what to use a matter of style instead of effectiveness.
- A somewhat open Class/Level system that allows for great variety creating characters while still protecting classic fantasy niches
- A unique advancement system that avoids endless power growth while encouraging mixed level adventuring.
- Combat is similar in some ways to BRP, but is more scalable and with greater options.
Age of Heroes uses d100 as it's core resolution mechanic, and the full range of polyhedral dice for damage.
I've also made available a 6 page GM Screen PDF to use with game. I use it with the Savage Worlds Customizable GM Screen to wonderful effect nearly completely eliminating page flipping during games.
Also available is a basic character sheet (also a PDF).
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
The 80s, The Golden Age of RPG Design
I loved the 80s, the music and games at least.
Most 80s RPGs were driven by a simple goal- to be less abstract and more true to the source materials than D&D. In short, to be more realistic and/or faithful. A movement in game design that actually started earlier than 80s with games like RuneQuest (78) and Traveller (77) but reached its apex with systems like Champions (81) and GURPS (86).
Along the way there were dozens of games- Twilight 2000, Morrow Project, Aftermath, etc.
While RuneQuest was mostly just different from D&D, as the 80s progressed the style grew to embrace more complex and detailed rules (if with far fewer exceptions and special cases than D&D). A growth D&D mirrored, but the key difference was still realism and/or faithfulness.
What was interesting about these games, is what the designer thought was realistic or faithful. Aftermath had an very detailed hit location system for example. Champions a very dynamic Superhero Combat System, and Morrow Project highly detailed equipment rules. It seemed that like the blind men with the elephant, each designer was fixated on their own interest and it was those interests that would be modeled in their rules.
And that was a pure joy, never since have we seen such vast differences in game design or such a wealth of materal to pick and choose from. To me, it was truly the Golden Age of game design.
80s Game Characteristics:
Most 80s RPGs were driven by a simple goal- to be less abstract and more true to the source materials than D&D. In short, to be more realistic and/or faithful. A movement in game design that actually started earlier than 80s with games like RuneQuest (78) and Traveller (77) but reached its apex with systems like Champions (81) and GURPS (86).
Along the way there were dozens of games- Twilight 2000, Morrow Project, Aftermath, etc.
While RuneQuest was mostly just different from D&D, as the 80s progressed the style grew to embrace more complex and detailed rules (if with far fewer exceptions and special cases than D&D). A growth D&D mirrored, but the key difference was still realism and/or faithfulness.
What was interesting about these games, is what the designer thought was realistic or faithful. Aftermath had an very detailed hit location system for example. Champions a very dynamic Superhero Combat System, and Morrow Project highly detailed equipment rules. It seemed that like the blind men with the elephant, each designer was fixated on their own interest and it was those interests that would be modeled in their rules.
And that was a pure joy, never since have we seen such vast differences in game design or such a wealth of materal to pick and choose from. To me, it was truly the Golden Age of game design.
80s Game Characteristics:
- High Page Count
- Rules with little fluff or background in comparison
- Focus on wargame like conflict resolution, story and the larger world were left to be creations of the GM and players
- The search for realism or faithful recreation of source materials
- Extreme variety in subsystems depending upon the designer's goals
- Wide Ranging Experimentation
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The Most Important Danger of Writing Home Grown Rules
It's so silly, it's almost comical.
It's typical with home grown rules that they grown over time, and are adapted to to the groups style. When it comes time to transfer those to something that at least attempts to approach a professional rulebook for whatever reason, that degree of familarity (gained in some cases over decades) can result in very odd results.
For example, I just realized this week that my play test copy says nothing about cover and hit locations. I only found out because I used the concept as example of abstraction when replying to a comment here on this blog.
Sigh.
The actual rule isn't complex, more common sense based. And that's why it missed everyone's notice. They just apply it and go on. These are the types of things that sneak by, leaving people reading your rules wondering how it's actually played.
This one I caught, but I wonder how many I've missed. Still, perfection is the goal- not a real outcome in these things. One tries and sees what happens.
Blind play test groups are ideal for these sort of things. But not something a home grown rule designer really has access to.
In any case, there's one thing for certain. I doubt the primary target for the rules (i.e. my existing groups and off shoots) will notice the failings.
It's typical with home grown rules that they grown over time, and are adapted to to the groups style. When it comes time to transfer those to something that at least attempts to approach a professional rulebook for whatever reason, that degree of familarity (gained in some cases over decades) can result in very odd results.
For example, I just realized this week that my play test copy says nothing about cover and hit locations. I only found out because I used the concept as example of abstraction when replying to a comment here on this blog.
Sigh.
The actual rule isn't complex, more common sense based. And that's why it missed everyone's notice. They just apply it and go on. These are the types of things that sneak by, leaving people reading your rules wondering how it's actually played.
This one I caught, but I wonder how many I've missed. Still, perfection is the goal- not a real outcome in these things. One tries and sees what happens.
Blind play test groups are ideal for these sort of things. But not something a home grown rule designer really has access to.
In any case, there's one thing for certain. I doubt the primary target for the rules (i.e. my existing groups and off shoots) will notice the failings.
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