Dying Earth RPG Character Creation

It's common knowledge that I possess old-school character-creation sensibilities. My preferences lean towards the 3d6-in-attribute-order method. I'm suspicious of those who avail themselves of the ability-score adjustment rules, and consider the use of 4d6-drop-the-lowest to be needlessly decadent. Don't even get me started on point-buy systems.

Knowing that about me will be of assistance, then, in understanding why I experienced some initial resistance to The Dying Earth RPG character creation system.

The Dying Earth RPG (DERPG) is a deliciously punctilious role-playing game adaptation of the fantasy world conjured by Jack Vance bearing the same name. The introductory chapter to DERPG sets the tone for Dying Earth campaigns, by promulgating the following admonishments:

1. If you're in a fight, something has probably gone horribly wrong ... far better to gain the upper hand through cunning, wit and treachery;
2. Characters are more or less alike ... Dying Earth characters have lightly characterised, streamlined personalities;
3. Killing? How uncivilized ... the accepted way to defeat an opponent is through humiliation, impoverishment and slavery; and,
4. Your character will inevitably suffer reverses. Try to enjoy it ... since character improvement comes from entertaining the other players and GM, look at dismal and ridiculous predicaments as opportunities to use your creativity.

Having been properly forewarned in the introduction, the second chapter of DERPG dives into character creation. Like most role-playing games, every character has certain attributes. In the case of DERPG, there are six principal attributes, which I will equate, roughly, with a D&D equivalent:

Persuade (Charisma) -- this attribute determines how convincing you are
Rebuff (Wisdom) -- this determines your resistance to being hoodwinked
Attack (Strength) -- this determines your combat ability
Defence (Dexterity) -- this determines your ability to avoid blows
Health (Constitution) -- this determines your capacity to absorb damage
Magic (Intelligence) -- this determines your magical aptitude

I use those purported equivalences only as a blunt instrument, to provide some conceptual signposts. The actual employment of the DERPG attributes differs significantly from the use of the cited D&D attributes. Each DERPG attribute, above, will have a score attached to it. In combination with that score, each attribute has six styles. For example, I might have a Persuade score of 9. In addition, I will have one of the following persuade styles: glib, eloquent, obfuscatory, forthright, charming, or intimidating.

In addition to the above attributes, DERPG characters utilize a "faculties" system, that encompasses attack styles, skills, relationships, retainers, possessions, and temptation resistances.

DERPG uses a point-buy method of character creation. Between the six principal attributes and the additional "faculties", each player begins with 60 points to distribute between the attributes and faculties. If players are prepared to allow their attribute 'styles' to be generated randomly, they are awarded an additional 6 points for each attribute style so generated. Since the Health attribute has no related styles, a player could have as many as 90 points [60 + (5 attributes x 6 points)] to distribute between the attributes and faculties.

FACULTIES

Points can be allocated to the following faculties:

Attack Styles: there are six attack styles, with each style costing 2 points from the player's pool. Each attack style comes with a melee and missile weapon skill.

Skills: there are 23 skills (Appraisal, Athletics, Concealment, Craftsmanship, Driving, Engineering, Etiquette, Gambling, Imposture, Living Rough, Pedantry, Perception, Physician, Quick Fingers, Riding, Scuttlebutt, Seamanship, Seduction, Stealth, Stewardship, Tracking, Wealth, and Wherewithal). More than one point can be allocated to a particular skill, so a player may give his character a "gambling" skill of 4 -- thus increasing his chances of success should he engage in a game of cards, for example.

Relationships: players can assign points to relationships with certain notable figures (a prince, famous wizard, captain of the watch) giving them the possibility of enlisting their aid.

Retainers: the cost of those depend on how loyal the retainer is expected to be, whether they be diligent (expensive), unctuous, or recalcitrant (cheap).

Possessions: points must be spent to furnish yourself with worldly goods. Whether it be a foppish hat, fashionable cloak, a length of rope to bind a deodand, a treatise on edible plants, or a good stout cudgel to subdue your foes, each possession costs at least one point. Extra points can be spent to ensure you and your possessions are not easily parted.

Resistances: DERPG characters are notoriously susceptible to temptation, whether it be through arrogance, avarice, gourmandism, indolence, pettifoggery, or rakishness. Players who wish their characters to resist those temptations during the game must spend points during character creation to do so.

There, then, is an overview of the DERPG character creation system. As I mentioned earlier, i'm naturally pre-disposed to dislike point-buy systems, and just as equally resistant to skill systems (despite my affection for Traveller). I will grudgingly admit that this works for DERPG, insofar as the game itself presumes that "characters are more or less alike". Thus, it stands to reason that the character creation system is going to provide roughly equal points to each player. Still, I can't help but wonder whether the DERPG attributes themselves could not be randomly determined ... but there again, my old prejudices rearing their heads.

Several days ago, I passed the 200 followers milestone. I am humbled and honored. There seems to be a tradition in the blogging community (albeit imperfectly observed) that the affected blogger celebrate the occasion by running a contest. Since I have recently become infatuated with The Dying Earth RPG, it is only fitting that I should award a copy of this illustrious RPG tome to one of my wonderful readers. Therefore, from those responders who comment on this post, I will select one, randomly, to which I will bequeath a relatively unblemished copy of that RPG. I ask only that, in your response, you use a Vancian phrase, or Vancian language. From those who respond in the requested manner by 11:59 pm, November 12, 2010, one will be randomly selected and will be mailed the RPG, at my expense.

Dying Earth RPG Character Creation

It's common knowledge that I possess old-school character-creation sensibilities. My preferences lean towards the 3d6-in-attribute-order method. I'm suspicious of those who avail themselves of the ability-score adjustment rules, and consider the use of 4d6-drop-the-lowest to be needlessly decadent. Don't even get me started on point-buy systems.

Knowing that about me will be of assistance, then, in understanding why I experienced some initial resistance to The Dying Earth RPG character creation system.

The Dying Earth RPG (DERPG) is a deliciously punctilious role-playing game adaptation of the fantasy world conjured by Jack Vance bearing the same name. The introductory chapter to DERPG sets the tone for Dying Earth campaigns, by promulgating the following admonishments:

1. If you're in a fight, something has probably gone horribly wrong ... far better to gain the upper hand through cunning, wit and treachery;
2. Characters are more or less alike ... Dying Earth characters have lightly characterised, streamlined personalities;
3. Killing? How uncivilized ... the accepted way to defeat an opponent is through humiliation, impoverishment and slavery; and,
4. Your character will inevitably suffer reverses. Try to enjoy it ... since character improvement comes from entertaining the other players and GM, look at dismal and ridiculous predicaments as opportunities to use your creativity.

Having been properly forewarned in the introduction, the second chapter of DERPG dives into character creation. Like most role-playing games, every character has certain attributes. In the case of DERPG, there are six principal attributes, which I will equate, roughly, with a D&D equivalent:

Persuade (Charisma) -- this attribute determines how convincing you are
Rebuff (Wisdom) -- this determines your resistance to being hoodwinked
Attack (Strength) -- this determines your combat ability
Defence (Dexterity) -- this determines your ability to avoid blows
Health (Constitution) -- this determines your capacity to absorb damage
Magic (Intelligence) -- this determines your magical aptitude

I use those purported equivalences only as a blunt instrument, to provide some conceptual signposts. The actual employment of the DERPG attributes differs significantly from the use of the cited D&D attributes. Each DERPG attribute, above, will have a score attached to it. In combination with that score, each attribute has six styles. For example, I might have a Persuade score of 9. In addition, I will have one of the following persuade styles: glib, eloquent, obfuscatory, forthright, charming, or intimidating.

In addition to the above attributes, DERPG characters utilize a "faculties" system, that encompasses attack styles, skills, relationships, retainers, possessions, and temptation resistances.

DERPG uses a point-buy method of character creation. Between the six principal attributes and the additional "faculties", each player begins with 60 points to distribute between the attributes and faculties. If players are prepared to allow their attribute 'styles' to be generated randomly, they are awarded an additional 6 points for each attribute style so generated. Since the Health attribute has no related styles, a player could have as many as 90 points [60 + (5 attributes x 6 points)] to distribute between the attributes and faculties.

FACULTIES

Points can be allocated to the following faculties:

Attack Styles: there are six attack styles, with each style costing 2 points from the player's pool. Each attack style comes with a melee and missile weapon skill.

Skills: there are 23 skills (Appraisal, Athletics, Concealment, Craftsmanship, Driving, Engineering, Etiquette, Gambling, Imposture, Living Rough, Pedantry, Perception, Physician, Quick Fingers, Riding, Scuttlebutt, Seamanship, Seduction, Stealth, Stewardship, Tracking, Wealth, and Wherewithal). More than one point can be allocated to a particular skill, so a player may give his character a "gambling" skill of 4 -- thus increasing his chances of success should he engage in a game of cards, for example.

Relationships: players can assign points to relationships with certain notable figures (a prince, famous wizard, captain of the watch) giving them the possibility of enlisting their aid.

Retainers: the cost of those depend on how loyal the retainer is expected to be, whether they be diligent (expensive), unctuous, or recalcitrant (cheap).

Possessions: points must be spent to furnish yourself with worldly goods. Whether it be a foppish hat, fashionable cloak, a length of rope to bind a deodand, a treatise on edible plants, or a good stout cudgel to subdue your foes, each possession costs at least one point. Extra points can be spent to ensure you and your possessions are not easily parted.

Resistances: DERPG characters are notoriously susceptible to temptation, whether it be through arrogance, avarice, gourmandism, indolence, pettifoggery, or rakishness. Players who wish their characters to resist those temptations during the game must spend points during character creation to do so.

There, then, is an overview of the DERPG character creation system. As I mentioned earlier, i'm naturally pre-disposed to dislike point-buy systems, and just as equally resistant to skill systems (despite my affection for Traveller). I will grudgingly admit that this works for DERPG, insofar as the game itself presumes that "characters are more or less alike". Thus, it stands to reason that the character creation system is going to provide roughly equal points to each player. Still, I can't help but wonder whether the DERPG attributes themselves could not be randomly determined ... but there again, my old prejudices rearing their heads.

Several days ago, I passed the 200 followers milestone. I am humbled and honored. There seems to be a tradition in the blogging community (albeit imperfectly observed) that the affected blogger celebrate the occasion by running a contest. Since I have recently become infatuated with The Dying Earth RPG, it is only fitting that I should award a copy of this illustrious RPG tome to one of my wonderful readers. Therefore, from those responders who comment on this post, I will select one, randomly, to which I will bequeath a relatively unblemished copy of that RPG. I ask only that, in your response, you use a Vancian phrase, or Vancian language. From those who respond in the requested manner by 11:59 pm, November 12, 2010, one will be randomly selected and will be mailed the RPG, at my expense.

LotFP Weird Fantasy RPG: Rules Review

In my estimation, Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Role-Playing is yet more proof that there is still life in the original Dungeons & Dragons ruleset. Within Weird RPG's 48 page rulebook, James Raggi has married the OD&D ruleset with weird tropes and his own particular brand of lunacy, to create a game that feels like OD&D, yet is also vaguely unsettling and unfamiliar.

Right off the bat, Weird RPG re-arranges our familiar six prime abilities and places them in alpha order (Charisma, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Strength and Wisdom), making us re-think our assumptions about the relative importance of each ability. Abilities are generated with six 3d6 throws, in ability-order, and Weird RPG employs the traditional B/X ability modifiers, ranging from -3 to +3. Weird RPG considers your character unsuitable for play if the sum of your ability modifiers is less than 0.

Another somewhat unconventional choice: no experience-bonuses for high prime requisites. In fact, no prime requisites at all. While you have the standard four classes (Fighter, Magic User, Cleric and Thief/Specialist) and demi-humans (Dwarf, Elf and Halfling), none appear to need any minimum ability score to be playable. So a Fighter or Dwarf with 8 Strength is possible.

The Fighter (and I presume Dwarf and Elf, though it is not explicitly stated) are the only characters who can improve in combat ability. This is a marked departure from OD&D where all classes improve in combat, albeit at different rates, but one that I do not strongly disagree with, since Fighters in Weird RPG no longer possess the ability to inflict multiple attacks on multiple low-level monsters. This rule change certainly encourages the Clerics and Magic Users to focus on their strength, spell-casting.

The re-imagined Thief, named the Specialist in Weird RPG, uses a novel mechanic to resolve the traditional thief skills. A d6 system has been instituted, with each specialist skill converted to a certain chance in 6 of succeeding at a task, whether it be picking locks, finding traps or climbing walls. As the character advances in level, the players spread an additional 2 pips between all of the specialist skills, gradually increasing them over time.

Weird RPG uses a three alignment system (Lawful, Neutral and Chaotic) but assumes that most characters (other than Magic Users and Elves who both tend towards Chaos) will fall in the Neutral camp.

The Starting Equipment section occasionally slips into Gygaxian excess. For those who want to get on with playing, the Weapons section is mercifully short: most weapons are smartly grouped into four classes, of minor, small, medium and great weapons, with each weapon within the class priced the same and inflicting the same damage. No more min-maxing based on cost and the best damage within a given class! And nine specific weapons possess additional characteristics, with each profiled in its own paragraph. Sadly, the much-maligned d12 is once again left out in the cold, as weapons do anywhere from a d3 to d10 damage.

On the other end of the Gygaxian-excess scale, there are nearly 70 miscellaneous equipment items, 17 unique ship types, 14 food items, and four sizes of tents. Since I am a fan of Gygaxian excess, I felt like Scrooge McDuck rolling around in his vault of treasure when I looked at those item lists. The relative pricing of items is always a tricky business, and depending on how you approach your game economics, you may want to fiddle with Raggi's prices. In Weird RPG, livestock is priced at 50 gp a head, while a riding horse is 15 times that, at 750 gp. A warhorse comes in at 7,500 gp.

Weird RPG has nine pages of adventuring rules, such as opening doors, foraging and hunting, the effects of disease and falling, light and vision, the passage of time, and so on. Some interesting insights and approaches can be found in these pages. Of particular interest to me was Raggi's approach to encumbrance. Rather than tracking weight, you simply track number of items, with each 5 items moving you up to the next level of encumbrance. While i'm not sure that I am completely satisfied with this approach, it is a novel and simple way to handle the issue.

Considering that Weird RPG includes 17 unique ship types, it is only fitting that it should also have its own set of Maritime adventure rules. Finding a way to boilerplate subsystems like maritime adventures and combat to a role-playing game has always been a challenge for RPG designers. Weird RPG provides its own travel, water-bourne chases, combat, damage and boarding rules. I'd be tempted, instead, to find a board or hex-and-chit game and simulate ship-to-ship combats and chases that way, but the maritime rules provided in Wierd RPG will certainly fit the bill.

What better way to pay homage to OD&D, than to include a comprehensive and detailed section on retainers? You will find four pages of rules and information on hiring and using retainers. This is one of my favorite sections of the book, if only because it revels in more Gygaxian excess, with 24 different types of retainers, along with rules for determining their upkeep, maintenance and loyalty.

Weird RPG also includes rules for purchasing and maintaining property and investments. The mechanics are relatively straight-forward, because, let's face it, its more interesting to go adventuring than paying attention to how well your estate is doing.

Finally, we reach the section on Combat. Weird RPG has a very rules-light combat system, but gives you several interesting options, such as pressing (a vigorous attack that costs you AC to employ), holding (waiting to see what the other side does before intervening) and parrying (where you gain an AC bonus but lose any chance of hitting your opponent). I presume your Strength modifier can be used for both a bonus to your chance to hit and added to the damage you inflict on your opponent, but I had difficulty finding the reference to same.

The last page of the Weird RPG rulesbook provides you with instructions on how to complete your character sheet. The instructions are useful, even to old-hands like me, and I marvel at how effectively the character sheet was laid out.

Overall, I am very impressed with the Weird RPG ruleset. I did not find any rules that seemed particularly jarring or out of place: they all seemed to fit together rather well. And the art is in keeping with the weird theme of the game.

LotFP Weird Fantasy RPG: Rules Review

In my estimation, Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Role-Playing is yet more proof that there is still life in the original Dungeons & Dragons ruleset. Within Weird RPG's 48 page rulebook, James Raggi has married the OD&D ruleset with weird tropes and his own particular brand of lunacy, to create a game that feels like OD&D, yet is also vaguely unsettling and unfamiliar.

Right off the bat, Weird RPG re-arranges our familiar six prime abilities and places them in alpha order (Charisma, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Strength and Wisdom), making us re-think our assumptions about the relative importance of each ability. Abilities are generated with six 3d6 throws, in ability-order, and Weird RPG employs the traditional B/X ability modifiers, ranging from -3 to +3. Weird RPG considers your character unsuitable for play if the sum of your ability modifiers is less than 0.

Another somewhat unconventional choice: no experience-bonuses for high prime requisites. In fact, no prime requisites at all. While you have the standard four classes (Fighter, Magic User, Cleric and Thief/Specialist) and demi-humans (Dwarf, Elf and Halfling), none appear to need any minimum ability score to be playable. So a Fighter or Dwarf with 8 Strength is possible.

The Fighter (and I presume Dwarf and Elf, though it is not explicitly stated) are the only characters who can improve in combat ability. This is a marked departure from OD&D where all classes improve in combat, albeit at different rates, but one that I do not strongly disagree with, since Fighters in Weird RPG no longer possess the ability to inflict multiple attacks on multiple low-level monsters. This rule change certainly encourages the Clerics and Magic Users to focus on their strength, spell-casting.

The re-imagined Thief, named the Specialist in Weird RPG, uses a novel mechanic to resolve the traditional thief skills. A d6 system has been instituted, with each specialist skill converted to a certain chance in 6 of succeeding at a task, whether it be picking locks, finding traps or climbing walls. As the character advances in level, the players spread an additional 2 pips between all of the specialist skills, gradually increasing them over time.

Weird RPG uses a three alignment system (Lawful, Neutral and Chaotic) but assumes that most characters (other than Magic Users and Elves who both tend towards Chaos) will fall in the Neutral camp.

The Starting Equipment section occasionally slips into Gygaxian excess. For those who want to get on with playing, the Weapons section is mercifully short: most weapons are smartly grouped into four classes, of minor, small, medium and great weapons, with each weapon within the class priced the same and inflicting the same damage. No more min-maxing based on cost and the best damage within a given class! And nine specific weapons possess additional characteristics, with each profiled in its own paragraph. Sadly, the much-maligned d12 is once again left out in the cold, as weapons do anywhere from a d3 to d10 damage.

On the other end of the Gygaxian-excess scale, there are nearly 70 miscellaneous equipment items, 17 unique ship types, 14 food items, and four sizes of tents. Since I am a fan of Gygaxian excess, I felt like Scrooge McDuck rolling around in his vault of treasure when I looked at those item lists. The relative pricing of items is always a tricky business, and depending on how you approach your game economics, you may want to fiddle with Raggi's prices. In Weird RPG, livestock is priced at 50 gp a head, while a riding horse is 15 times that, at 750 gp. A warhorse comes in at 7,500 gp.

Weird RPG has nine pages of adventuring rules, such as opening doors, foraging and hunting, the effects of disease and falling, light and vision, the passage of time, and so on. Some interesting insights and approaches can be found in these pages. Of particular interest to me was Raggi's approach to encumbrance. Rather than tracking weight, you simply track number of items, with each 5 items moving you up to the next level of encumbrance. While i'm not sure that I am completely satisfied with this approach, it is a novel and simple way to handle the issue.

Considering that Weird RPG includes 17 unique ship types, it is only fitting that it should also have its own set of Maritime adventure rules. Finding a way to boilerplate subsystems like maritime adventures and combat to a role-playing game has always been a challenge for RPG designers. Weird RPG provides its own travel, water-bourne chases, combat, damage and boarding rules. I'd be tempted, instead, to find a board or hex-and-chit game and simulate ship-to-ship combats and chases that way, but the maritime rules provided in Wierd RPG will certainly fit the bill.

What better way to pay homage to OD&D, than to include a comprehensive and detailed section on retainers? You will find four pages of rules and information on hiring and using retainers. This is one of my favorite sections of the book, if only because it revels in more Gygaxian excess, with 24 different types of retainers, along with rules for determining their upkeep, maintenance and loyalty.

Weird RPG also includes rules for purchasing and maintaining property and investments. The mechanics are relatively straight-forward, because, let's face it, its more interesting to go adventuring than paying attention to how well your estate is doing.

Finally, we reach the section on Combat. Weird RPG has a very rules-light combat system, but gives you several interesting options, such as pressing (a vigorous attack that costs you AC to employ), holding (waiting to see what the other side does before intervening) and parrying (where you gain an AC bonus but lose any chance of hitting your opponent). I presume your Strength modifier can be used for both a bonus to your chance to hit and added to the damage you inflict on your opponent, but I had difficulty finding the reference to same.

The last page of the Weird RPG rulesbook provides you with instructions on how to complete your character sheet. The instructions are useful, even to old-hands like me, and I marvel at how effectively the character sheet was laid out.

Overall, I am very impressed with the Weird RPG ruleset. I did not find any rules that seemed particularly jarring or out of place: they all seemed to fit together rather well. And the art is in keeping with the weird theme of the game.

The Final Character Sheet

At least for now.

This is a smaller, 4x6 card, which I use for henchmen. Yes, perhaps the size of this card is still a bit excessive, but we always played that you only got a certain number of henchmen, based on your charisma, and once you burned through those henchmen, you could not attract any more: you had developed a reputation as a poor steward! Thus, you tended to protect your henchmen more than your hirelings.

This blog may go fairly quiet over the next two weeks: six projects due between now and March 4. Should be back to my semi-normal schedule as of March 5. Will still be checking in, and may find time to blog occasionally.

APIC

The Final Character Sheet

At least for now.

This is a smaller, 4x6 card, which I use for henchmen. Yes, perhaps the size of this card is still a bit excessive, but we always played that you only got a certain number of henchmen, based on your charisma, and once you burned through those henchmen, you could not attract any more: you had developed a reputation as a poor steward! Thus, you tended to protect your henchmen more than your hirelings.

This blog may go fairly quiet over the next two weeks: six projects due between now and March 4. Should be back to my semi-normal schedule as of March 5. Will still be checking in, and may find time to blog occasionally.

APIC

Hirelings, Or, Why Bother With A Permanent Record Sheet?

If you're going to retain yourself some hirelings, you just know that there's no point in recording more than the bare necessities. Do you really think they are going to survive for more than one gaming session? Either they bolt at the first hint of danger, or they die from that centipede bite in the first room of the dungeon.

In either case, given the futility of actually recording them on your own character sheet, or, god forbid, using a whole sheet of paper (won't someone please think of the trees?!) to record the stats for your lantern bearer, porter, or trap-springer, why not use a small scrap of paper to keep track of them.

The above 2"x2" character card is perfect for keeping track of your hirelings. Roll up some quick stats, put a weapon in their hand and some armor on their back, and then head-off to the dungeon, and their certain demise. If they actually last long enough to also serve as your dungeon pack-animal, write down the stuff they are carrying for you on the back of the card. And if you, not they, are the first to perish, you've already got some stats rolled up for your replacement character. Just have them loot your dead body, and off we go for more adventure.

Hirelings, Or, Why Bother With A Permanent Record Sheet?

If you're going to retain yourself some hirelings, you just know that there's no point in recording more than the bare necessities. Do you really think they are going to survive for more than one gaming session? Either they bolt at the first hint of danger, or they die from that centipede bite in the first room of the dungeon.

In either case, given the futility of actually recording them on your own character sheet, or, god forbid, using a whole sheet of paper (won't someone please think of the trees?!) to record the stats for your lantern bearer, porter, or trap-springer, why not use a small scrap of paper to keep track of them.

The above 2"x2" character card is perfect for keeping track of your hirelings. Roll up some quick stats, put a weapon in their hand and some armor on their back, and then head-off to the dungeon, and their certain demise. If they actually last long enough to also serve as your dungeon pack-animal, write down the stuff they are carrying for you on the back of the card. And if you, not they, are the first to perish, you've already got some stats rolled up for your replacement character. Just have them loot your dead body, and off we go for more adventure.

Fighter Character Record Sheet

Here is the other 5x7 character record sheet, this time with the spells section replaced with sections for magic items, equipment and treasure.

Again, I print these on 5x7 index cards, so they are pretty handy.

Fighter Character Record Sheet

Here is the other 5x7 character record sheet, this time with the spells section replaced with sections for magic items, equipment and treasure.

Again, I print these on 5x7 index cards, so they are pretty handy.

Old School Character Record Sheets

I confess that in my teenaged years, I succumbed to the same temptation as many others.

That temptation was to develop a multi-page character record sheet, that included every conceivable piece of miscellanea about a character, from her height, weight, and eye-color, to her turn-ons and pet peeves. In my defense, the development of my multi-page character record sheet was roughly co-incident with the roll-out and rise of 2nd Edition D&D, so I blame TSR for my folly. The character record in question was an 11x17 sheet, folded once, to create an 8x11, four-page character booklet. Oh, the humanity!

Flash forward several (cough) years. Having re-discovered the in-elegant simplicity of old-school gaming, my thoughts again turned to the character record sheet. But considering the fragility of low-level characters in old-school D&D, it just seemed so, well, decadent and presumptuous to use a full sheet of paper as your character record sheet. At a minimum, doing so would reveal your cockiness, brashness and over-confidence, thinking your first-level character would survive long enough to justify a full page. In fact, bringing a full-page character record to the table, and parading it before your old-school DM, would be like waving a red cape in front of an angry bull: you're just begging for an early exit from the game!

As it turned out, at the same time that I was thinking about this, there were several OS bloggers talking about simplifying and shrinking character record sheets. Some had gone so far as to post their own minimalist character sheets, many of which were quite well done. As I read their blogs, and reviewed their efforts, this got me to wondering, just how small could one make a character record sheet, and it still be useable?

My goal was to create a character record sheet that would fit on a 3x5 index card. In that effort, I failed. The best I ever managed was to produce a 4" x 5 1/2 " character record sheet that would fit, four to a page, on a regular 8 1/2 x 11 sheet. Any smaller, and there was not enough room to record all the information that seemed critical, at-a-glance.

The character record sheet, above, is NOT the 4" x 5 1/2" version. Instead, it is its slightly larger 5x7 cousin, that I print onto index cards. I like the above-pictured character record sheet, because it has the fist, signifying the area to record your preferred weapon, and the shield, a visual cue for recording your armor class. Both just scream 'old-school' to me. I was tempted to employ either a cross or band-aid to signify hit points, but neither seemed entirely appropriate. I actually designed two different 5x7 character record sheets: one, for magic-using characters, and another, for fighters. I will also post the fighter sheet: on that sheet, the section for spells is replaced with additional space for weapons, loot and equipment.

Character record sheets are a very personal thing: the layout that works for me might be completely un-intuitive to you. I don't think this is the be-all and end-all of character record sheets, but hopefully it will inspire you to develop your own minimalist character record sheet.

After all, the player with the largest character record sheet is also the one most likely to trigger that 30' deep pit-trap.

Old School Character Record Sheets

I confess that in my teenaged years, I succumbed to the same temptation as many others.

That temptation was to develop a multi-page character record sheet, that included every conceivable piece of miscellanea about a character, from her height, weight, and eye-color, to her turn-ons and pet peeves. In my defense, the development of my multi-page character record sheet was roughly co-incident with the roll-out and rise of 2nd Edition D&D, so I blame TSR for my folly. The character record in question was an 11x17 sheet, folded once, to create an 8x11, four-page character booklet. Oh, the humanity!

Flash forward several (cough) years. Having re-discovered the in-elegant simplicity of old-school gaming, my thoughts again turned to the character record sheet. But considering the fragility of low-level characters in old-school D&D, it just seemed so, well, decadent and presumptuous to use a full sheet of paper as your character record sheet. At a minimum, doing so would reveal your cockiness, brashness and over-confidence, thinking your first-level character would survive long enough to justify a full page. In fact, bringing a full-page character record to the table, and parading it before your old-school DM, would be like waving a red cape in front of an angry bull: you're just begging for an early exit from the game!

As it turned out, at the same time that I was thinking about this, there were several OS bloggers talking about simplifying and shrinking character record sheets. Some had gone so far as to post their own minimalist character sheets, many of which were quite well done. As I read their blogs, and reviewed their efforts, this got me to wondering, just how small could one make a character record sheet, and it still be useable?

My goal was to create a character record sheet that would fit on a 3x5 index card. In that effort, I failed. The best I ever managed was to produce a 4" x 5 1/2 " character record sheet that would fit, four to a page, on a regular 8 1/2 x 11 sheet. Any smaller, and there was not enough room to record all the information that seemed critical, at-a-glance.

The character record sheet, above, is NOT the 4" x 5 1/2" version. Instead, it is its slightly larger 5x7 cousin, that I print onto index cards. I like the above-pictured character record sheet, because it has the fist, signifying the area to record your preferred weapon, and the shield, a visual cue for recording your armor class. Both just scream 'old-school' to me. I was tempted to employ either a cross or band-aid to signify hit points, but neither seemed entirely appropriate. I actually designed two different 5x7 character record sheets: one, for magic-using characters, and another, for fighters. I will also post the fighter sheet: on that sheet, the section for spells is replaced with additional space for weapons, loot and equipment.

Character record sheets are a very personal thing: the layout that works for me might be completely un-intuitive to you. I don't think this is the be-all and end-all of character record sheets, but hopefully it will inspire you to develop your own minimalist character record sheet.

After all, the player with the largest character record sheet is also the one most likely to trigger that 30' deep pit-trap.

Swords & Wizardry: Reference Sheets

The existence of Reference Sheets for Swords & Wizardry is relatively old news. Michael Shorten of Chogowz's Old Guy RPG Blog fame, edited and published this handy little reference.

I make mention of it, here, because it is part of my inspiration for working on the revised classes and archetypes.

I am thinking of putting a little 16-24 page booklet together, similar to the Chogowiz's S&W reference sheets and Quick Start, but customized for individual classes or archetype categories, complete with map of the town the players start at, a character sheet, a list of items for purchase (and where they can be purchased), an explanation of what the six attributes mean, and anything else that would be useful as a "take-away" resource for new players.

I am hoping it will be fairly straight-forward to create some standard pages, with a few customized pages for the individual classes.

I hope I haven't bit off more than I can chew.

Swords & Wizardry: Reference Sheets

The existence of Reference Sheets for Swords & Wizardry is relatively old news. Michael Shorten of Chogowz's Old Guy RPG Blog fame, edited and published this handy little reference.

I make mention of it, here, because it is part of my inspiration for working on the revised classes and archetypes.

I am thinking of putting a little 16-24 page booklet together, similar to the Chogowiz's S&W reference sheets and Quick Start, but customized for individual classes or archetype categories, complete with map of the town the players start at, a character sheet, a list of items for purchase (and where they can be purchased), an explanation of what the six attributes mean, and anything else that would be useful as a "take-away" resource for new players.

I am hoping it will be fairly straight-forward to create some standard pages, with a few customized pages for the individual classes.

I hope I haven't bit off more than I can chew.

Character Record Sheets For Graduates

Before I resolved to develop a resource tracking system, using small cards, we were using two sizes of character record sheets.

I was attempting to make the character record sheets as small as possible, and at the same time ensure that all of the necessary information was on one side of the sheet, thus making it easier to find the information you were looking for.

This is the larger (5" x 8") character card that was devised.

I ended up creating two 5" x 8" cards, since the one, above, does not have a great deal of space for skills and spells. The other card scrimps on the space for equipment and treasure, in order to provide more space for spells.

Character Record Sheets For Graduates

Before I resolved to develop a resource tracking system, using small cards, we were using two sizes of character record sheets.

I was attempting to make the character record sheets as small as possible, and at the same time ensure that all of the necessary information was on one side of the sheet, thus making it easier to find the information you were looking for.

This is the larger (5" x 8") character card that was devised.

I ended up creating two 5" x 8" cards, since the one, above, does not have a great deal of space for skills and spells. The other card scrimps on the space for equipment and treasure, in order to provide more space for spells.

4-Page Character Record Folio

Over at A Character For Every Game, that blogger has published his LBB-sized 4-page character record folio (pictured here).

While my tastes run towards the smallest possible, single-sided character record sheet, I very much like the look of this 4-page version. As i've said before, a character record sheet is a very personal thing. As long as it is serving the players' (and the DMs') needs, they're all good.

4-Page Character Record Folio

Over at A Character For Every Game, that blogger has published his LBB-sized 4-page character record folio (pictured here).

While my tastes run towards the smallest possible, single-sided character record sheet, I very much like the look of this 4-page version. As i've said before, a character record sheet is a very personal thing. As long as it is serving the players' (and the DMs') needs, they're all good.

CharGen: So You Think Can Dance With A Purist?

Back in May 2009, Shamus Young, over at Twenty Sided, wrote a blog regarding the distribution curves that are generated as a result of different character creation methods.

The table you see, above (from Shamus' post) is the distribution of the die-roll results based on the traditional (purist) 3d6 method of character generation. As you can see, the results of a 3d6 character generation method are heavily skewed to the 7-14 score range, with the mean (average) score being 10.5. Most people that have been playing RPGs for some time, are well aquainted with distribution curves, as we tend to pay attention to the related probabilities in our metagaming.

I got a chuckle out of Shamus' opening paragraph to his blog post:

"Based on the comments in the previous post, it seems like many players generate their characters using the following method:
1. Roll 4d6
2. Discard the lowest number
3. Add the remaining three together
4. Wait until the DM isn’t looking
5. Write down whatever numbers you want.
6. Make sure one of them is a 9, just to keep yourself honest."

To avoid this tendency among players, a DM, who is an OD&D purist, might insist that she see every character generation die roll, and that the player record them, in stat-order, for good or ill. But what DM has the time, or inclination, to do this, and where does that leave the trust level between the DM and her players?

In addition, despite what the distribution curve tells us, there are times when someone will have a particularly bad or spectacularly lucky run of dice rolling, and will have either a hopeless character or a super character. Recent versions of D&D have tried to smooth out this variation by implementing the "point-buy" system for character generation, which I think is both a terrible way to create characters, and a contributor to the general diminishment of the art of role-playing.

I promote the 3d6 in stat-order method of character generation. However, I also recognize that players may occasionally be unlucky, lucky, or dodgy in their character generation. My solution, which is definitely NOT purist. is to modify the character stats, after the character is rolled.

If the dice rolls have come up according to the standard distribution, the sum of the scores of all six character stats should be 63 (average score of 10.5 x 6 character stats = 63). If the sum of the character stats are less than 63, I let the player roll the same number of d6's as her character's stats are short of 63.

For example, if the sum of her 6 character stats is 59, she would roll 4d6, one d6 for each point below 63. The number rolled on each d6 corresponds to the stat, in whatever order they are written down. If Strength is in position one, then a die roll of one means strength, if Intelligence is in position two, then a die roll of two means intelligence, and so on. In this example, if she rolled two "1's" and two "2's", she would increase both her Strength and Intelligence by two each.

If the sum of a character's stats are between 63 and 69, I let the player play that character without modification.

However, if the sum of the character's stats exceed 69, I apply the same method (used to improve the below-average character) but in reverse. So again, say the sum of the character's stats are 75, then the player would roll 6d6, since 75 is six higher than 69. The digit rolled on each d6 would correspond the stat holding that position on the character sheet. The player would reduce their score, in each stat, by one point for each time that number was rolled on one of those d6's.

Most people would be okay with a DM allowing the improvement of a "hopeless" character, but why would you penalize a player who got lucky with their dice rolls? The most important reason is to unsure game balance between the players: it's not fun when the characters with average scores are outshone by the super characters, simply because of ability scores. The point of having random dice-roll modifications to the hopeless and super characters, is that it fits with the OD&D philosophy, that you don't pick your stats.

So now you know. When it comes to character generation, I am not a purist, I can house-rule with the best of them.

CharGen: So You Think Can Dance With A Purist?

Back in May 2009, Shamus Young, over at Twenty Sided, wrote a blog regarding the distribution curves that are generated as a result of different character creation methods.

The table you see, above (from Shamus' post) is the distribution of the die-roll results based on the traditional (purist) 3d6 method of character generation. As you can see, the results of a 3d6 character generation method are heavily skewed to the 7-14 score range, with the mean (average) score being 10.5. Most people that have been playing RPGs for some time, are well aquainted with distribution curves, as we tend to pay attention to the related probabilities in our metagaming.

I got a chuckle out of Shamus' opening paragraph to his blog post:

"Based on the comments in the previous post, it seems like many players generate their characters using the following method:
1. Roll 4d6
2. Discard the lowest number
3. Add the remaining three together
4. Wait until the DM isn’t looking
5. Write down whatever numbers you want.
6. Make sure one of them is a 9, just to keep yourself honest."

To avoid this tendency among players, a DM, who is an OD&D purist, might insist that she see every character generation die roll, and that the player record them, in stat-order, for good or ill. But what DM has the time, or inclination, to do this, and where does that leave the trust level between the DM and her players?

In addition, despite what the distribution curve tells us, there are times when someone will have a particularly bad or spectacularly lucky run of dice rolling, and will have either a hopeless character or a super character. Recent versions of D&D have tried to smooth out this variation by implementing the "point-buy" system for character generation, which I think is both a terrible way to create characters, and a contributor to the general diminishment of the art of role-playing.

I promote the 3d6 in stat-order method of character generation. However, I also recognize that players may occasionally be unlucky, lucky, or dodgy in their character generation. My solution, which is definitely NOT purist. is to modify the character stats, after the character is rolled.

If the dice rolls have come up according to the standard distribution, the sum of the scores of all six character stats should be 63 (average score of 10.5 x 6 character stats = 63). If the sum of the character stats are less than 63, I let the player roll the same number of d6's as her character's stats are short of 63.

For example, if the sum of her 6 character stats is 59, she would roll 4d6, one d6 for each point below 63. The number rolled on each d6 corresponds to the stat, in whatever order they are written down. If Strength is in position one, then a die roll of one means strength, if Intelligence is in position two, then a die roll of two means intelligence, and so on. In this example, if she rolled two "1's" and two "2's", she would increase both her Strength and Intelligence by two each.

If the sum of a character's stats are between 63 and 69, I let the player play that character without modification.

However, if the sum of the character's stats exceed 69, I apply the same method (used to improve the below-average character) but in reverse. So again, say the sum of the character's stats are 75, then the player would roll 6d6, since 75 is six higher than 69. The digit rolled on each d6 would correspond the stat holding that position on the character sheet. The player would reduce their score, in each stat, by one point for each time that number was rolled on one of those d6's.

Most people would be okay with a DM allowing the improvement of a "hopeless" character, but why would you penalize a player who got lucky with their dice rolls? The most important reason is to unsure game balance between the players: it's not fun when the characters with average scores are outshone by the super characters, simply because of ability scores. The point of having random dice-roll modifications to the hopeless and super characters, is that it fits with the OD&D philosophy, that you don't pick your stats.

So now you know. When it comes to character generation, I am not a purist, I can house-rule with the best of them.