Dave Morris was once asked if he could go back and rewrite Dragon Warriors, his RPG gamebook series from the 1980s, what would he change.
He answered that he would have taken the advice of a friend and make the entire system revolve around a single six sided die.
I decided to take that as a challange!
The result is K U B O S, a low fantasy Role Playing Game of Action, Adventure and Six-Sided Heroics. I hope you enjoy it.
The OMNI-GENRE grows with ArKaNa. Designed in 24 hours. With rules and character sheet (and FREE blank campaign sheet on back!) all on the same, single page, ArKaNa is just begging to be fitted with the genre of your choice and test-driven until it’s engine (multiple d6 opposed rolls comparing character stats. Easy-peasy!) EXPLODES!!! From the maker of TROLL-BLADE and FREYO.
TROLL-BLADE 2nd edition. One single page could never hope to hold it. Expanded from both previous releases to a MASSIVE 13 pages, TB2 provides the most comprehensive (and compacted) rules in FRPG. FIVE races, FOUR classes, TWENTY-THREE spells, limitless monsters and magic item creation are all included. Old-skool gaming never had this clarity. Enjoy.
THE GODS
There is no one who denies the existence of a Creator God. But his power is considered beyond mortal concerns. In his place there exists a pantheon of deities, all created to aid with the needs of men and all vying to increase their power and influence. The gods accept worshippers from all races, their appearances humanoid but without being one race over another.
The following list lists just some of the deities and includes any INFLUENCE spells they bestow on their priests.
AEYONUS – the warrior god (strike, healing)
IBRATO – the trickster (illusion, transform)
MEH?DIAH – goddess of retribution (cripple, energy bolt)
KUHL – god of war (energy blast, destruction)
NOL – god of learning (detect, dispel)
BELLOC – god of travellers (flight, teleport)
KHURN – god of strength (boost, holding)
SOLLAH – goddess of compassion (healing, warding)
MANAR – god of the dead (shielding, turning)
FREYO exists as a SINGLE page RPG containing both rules AND character sheet together (with a handy blank side for all those important campaign notes!). FREYO is an OMNI-GENRE game (I.E. – a “clothes horse”. Hang any setting you like on it.). FREYO is free to use as you please (unless you aim to make $$$ from it or want to claim it as your own creation.In which case put it back where you found it!!).
…and that’s all FREYO is.I like it. I hope you do to!
THE GAME MECHANIC
- Any action may be decided by rolling 2d6 and adding the scores together. This is called the TASK roll.
- This total is compared to the numerical value of the ability most relevant to the action at hand.
- Success is achieved if the total rolled is LOWER than the numerical value of the ability.
- Each point that the TASK roll is lower than the ability is considered 1 success, thus the lower the roll is in relation to the ability?s value means the greater the level of success achieved.
- The exception to this is were an ability has a value of 2, in which case a roll of 2 counts as 1 success.
- Occasionally the rolls are HINDERED. A HINDERED TASK roll has an additional die rolled and the 2 highest rolls are added together with the lowest roll discarded. Circumstances which HINDER rolls can stack.
- Should someone or something be deliberately acting against the character?s action then the TASK roll is OPPOSED. Both sides make the TASK roll and the most number of successes rolled is the winner.
- TASK ROLL examples include- FORCE – lifting, climbing, jumping. RESIST – hold breath, avoid disease. REACT – riding, balancing, dodging. AWARE – listen, spotting. IMPOSE – charm, seduce, bully. OPPOSE – resisting IMPOSE TASKS.
First, TROLL BLADE gave players a full system of rpg rules AND character sheet on a single page. Now for referees comes the companion piece, Troll Blade(R). Full rules for creating just about any monster and their treasure AND again, all on a single page. Requires the Troll Blade rules to play.
MONSTER EXAMPLES
- Goblin – rank 1 small humanoid
- Orc – rank 2 normal humanoid.
- Black orc – rank 3 normal humanoid.
- Ogre – rank 4 large humanoid
- Troll – rank 5 large humanoid, fast heal
- Minotaur – rank 6 large humanoid, trample, favoured environment (dungeons)
- Hill giant – rank 7 huge humanoid
- Harpy – rank 5 normal monster, flight, protective aura (song, 15′, CHA to save)
- Skeleton – rank 1 monster, un-living
- Zombie – rank 2 monster, unliving
- Ghoul – rank 3 monster, un-living, poisonous
- Wight – rank 4 monster, un-living, energy drain (STR)
- Wraith – rank 5 monster, un-living, energy drain (END), damage reduction (magic weapons)
- Ghost – rank 6 monster, un-living, damage reduction (magic weapons), protective aura (fear, 2001′, WILL to save)
- Young dragon – rank 1 large monster, flight, energy blast (fireball, 1′, 5d1), protective aura (fear, 64′,WILL to save)
TROLL BLADE. One SINGLE page. One FULL fantasy RPG. In the tradition of both 1km1kt’s Adventurer rpg and R(age), P(recognition), G(race), the TROLL BLADE PLAYER’S GUIDE presents both the rules AND the character sheet on the SAME sheet of paper. Old-skool adventuring in the spirit of red box D’n’D and Fighting Fantasy – requires dice and pencils!
HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT : In hand-to-hand combat both parties roll 1d2 and add their CB (melee). If either side is using a shield then roll the shield?s DB at the same time and subtract that from the opponents roll. The highest score wins. After damage is rolled the opponent may make a DR roll which either deflects ALL the damage by rolling EQUAL or HIGHER than the damage roll or NONE at all by rolling lower. Death occurs at HP.
OK…this isn’t an RPG exactly…or at all, come to think of it.
It’s a game for anyone who’s ever failed to play more than TWO games of Warhammer OR 4k OR whatever…and has a pile of half painted plastic and metal miniatures taunting him from his shelves. It’s blurb should probably read like this:
Skull Crusher is a fantasy skirmish wargame that has no illusions about itself. It’s full rules fill a whole FOUR pages. It has no “peusdo-historical” backstory. It’s probably family friendly as long as it isn’t played while drunk. It welcomes all fantasy miniatures into play, regardless of origin, base or painted condition. Skull Crusher permits any online criticism of it’s rules, artistic direction and / or sales practices but would like to point out that you get what you pay for.
Hopefully that covers everything.
As it follows on from Alternate Dungeon Squad, I’ve decided to call it ADVANCED DUNGEON SQUAD. It’s changes include an additional 4 classes, firearms, advanced combat tactics and psychic powers. Hand to hand combat is harder and there’s more spells and monsters. It should still fit just about any style of play or campaign, homebrewed or published, and i’ve found that it’s easy as … to convert just about any published role play adventure into a ..Squad adventure.
DUNGEON SQUAD is a great, simple system created by Jason Morningstar and designed to introduce younger players to Role Playing Games. Alternate DUNGEON SQUAD took that and modified it to suit my tastes as more experienced, older and time poor gamer. ADS amounts to a fine-tuning of that concept through game play and some new ideas. As with it?s predecessors, ADS assumes a measure of RPG experience on behalf the players and referee, can be used in just about any fantasy setting and suits both story driven play as well as hack and slash gaming. Required items for play include someone to act as a referee, some players, a quiet room, a table, pencils, paper and a dice set from d4 up to d12.
Dungeon Squad and both Alternate Dungeon Squads are covered by the Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share-Alike 2.5 Creative Commons license. Any comments regarding ADS may be sent to bal3@hotmail.com and the title should lead with the title ADS.
PSYCHIC WARRIOR is based on and expanded from the 24 hour game DUNGEON SQUAD created by Jason Morningstar as posted here and is covered by the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Creative Commons license.
One hundred years from now the world is a wasteland.
Unending armed conflicts have left the earth barren and lifeless.
Unchecked industry has left its toxic mark on both sea and sky.
Unregulated science has created monsters.
Humanity huddles behind the walls of it?s mega cities under the almost feudal domination of it?s leaders.
These grim and brutal rulers fight to hold power and their foes are many.
The rampaging horrors of the wastes.
The criminal scum of the under-city.
Rebellious citizens seeking elusive freedoms.
Underlings coveting the seat of power.
The conquering armies of the other cities.
But their servants are the PSYCHIC WARRIORS. Born to serve. Bred to fight. Trained to kill. Awoken amid their closed orders to the terrible powers of the mind?
Alternate Dungeon Squad is based on and expanded from the 24 hour game DUNGEON SQUAD created by Jason Morningstar as posted here. and is covered by the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Creative Commons license. Any comments regarding Alternate Dungeon Squad may be sent to bal3@hotmail.com
DUNGEON SQUAD is a great, simple system designed to introduce younger players to Role Playing Games. Alternate Dungeon Squad takes that and modifies it to suit my tastes as more experienced, older and time poor gamer.
It assumes a measure of RPG experience on behalf the players and referee, can be used in just about any fantasy setting and suits both story driven play as well as hack and slash gaming (or at least that?s the intention).
