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Friday, June 10, 2011

DCC RPG Beta: Initial Comments

I wasn't originally going to get the public beta playtest version of the Goodman Games Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG, but not only is that the hot topic right now, I was publicly chastised for not hyping myself up enough to be interested in the upcoming product (not by anyone associated with Goodman Games, though.) I'm about midway through the section on classes, so there's quite a ways to go. But here are some quick comments:
  1. Everyone talks about the art, but art doesn't sell me on games. I actually ignored all the art when I first started reading. For a document intended as a beta for playtest, it seems counterproductive to include so much art.
  2. I have no problem with the "funnel" (although "grinder" might be a better term.) It's not something I need, but it's something I don't mind on general principle. But if you're going to start with 0-level classless characters who switch to one of the classes after an adventure, then which classes become available to you should depend on something you do or acquire during the adventure, and further class changes should be possible in the same way. Call it "object-oriented class prerequisites."
  3. What DCC seems to be aimed at is people who like low-power, high-potential picaresque adventure combined with a focus on system mastery. The former is usually associated with "old school" (although DCC takes it to an extreme,) while the latter is usually associated with "new school". This may be an untapped market, although I'm not in it. System mastery is of low interest to me.
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7 comments:

  1. Carter SolesJune 10, 2011 at 7:23 AM

    Thanks for your thoughts on DCC. I am not overly interested in it myself, and I think your comments about "system mastery" cut to the core of why this is so.

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  2. M Harold PageJune 10, 2011 at 9:45 AM

    "System Mastery"?

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  3. PierceJune 10, 2011 at 10:02 AM

    yeah, could you please explain system mastery?

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  4. Stefan PoagJune 10, 2011 at 10:39 AM

    I've only started reading the DCC RPG, so take my observations with a grain of salt, but if I understand your 'system mastery' criticism correctly, there is too much randomness built into the DCC rpg (at least what I have read so far) for that to make an issue for me.
    With WOTC's d20 system, there are/were so many interlocking feats, skill synergies, take this feat and x number of skill points to get that prestige class, etc., that creating and maintaining a character did favor the 'rules wonk' over the more casual gamer (making 'system mastery' accusations seem more apropos in d20 and Pathfinder). Some of my fellow players eat that stuff up.
    I'm not sure I like the huge number of tables in the DCC (one for every spell) but I will have to see in play to really decide.
    Disclaimer: I drew some pics for the DCC RPG so I may be biased.

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  5. TalysmanJune 10, 2011 at 11:32 AM

    By "system mastery", I mean that, to a greater extent than OD&D/BD&D or their clones, DCC is about having lots of listed mechanical benefits for players to exploit. Pretty much any RPG that starts getting specific about how much of a bonus to add for which situation has an element of combat mastery; the rules for burning Luck or other stats, especially the differences between the way each class can exploit that mechanic, make DCC even more about weighing character builds and tactical decisions against each other.

    Definitely, though, like limpey says, DCC isn't as extreme as 3e or Pathfinder. There are fewer builds (three each for Cleric and Thief, four for Fighter; I haven't studied Magic-User yet.) And there's less interdependence of components, so there are fewer synergy effects. I think there was a deliberate decision to make something between 3+e and OD&D in terms of system mastery, for those who like it, but would like something more stripped down than the Big Guns of Gaming.

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  6. UnknownJune 11, 2011 at 10:46 PM

    For the most part, I'm totally with you on that. I do, however, LOVE the patronage system. I'm stealing THAT whole-cloth for my game.

    They positively NAILED low-magic settings with that one.

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  7. UnknownJune 11, 2011 at 10:46 PM

    For the most part, I'm totally with you on that. I do, however, LOVE the patronage system. I'm stealing THAT whole-cloth for my game.

    They positively NAILED low-magic settings with that one.

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