Monsters & Treasure Assortment: Levels One-Nine

I have recently acquired a cope of the  Monsters & Treasure Assortment: Levels One-Nine supplement. Essentially, the Monsters & Treasure Assortment is a set of random d% tables to help the DM determine the monsters and treasure on each level of their dungeon. There are also a number of more minor tables scattered throughout the first few pages, such as one for traps guarding treasure ("Treasure is guarded by...") or a table for where the treasure is hidden ("Treasure is hidden by/in...").

What intrigues me most is that the monsters are treasure found in this book are not specific to any one version of the game. Monsters solely found in AD&D and presented right next to monsters only found in Moldvay basic scatted with treasure found only in OD&D. This is a supplement that obviously defies a single, unified game.

While the monsters and treasure presented in the book are obviously scaled by the level of the PCs, there is definitely an attempt to keep players on their toes, such as including a Warlock (8th level magic-users) as a possible opponent on the second level of the dungeon. If that doesn't for the players to start using their heads (assuming the warlock does just cast fireball), I don't know what will. At the same time, there are a number of opponents that would normally be considered much too easy on lower dungeon levels.

Treasure, on the other hand, is much more uniform. There are no curse weapons on the first level and the first time a +2 weapon shows up is a dagger +2 on level three (never mind, there's a spear +3 on level 2) . Similarly, there is a much larger percentage of monetary treasure on the first level compared to more difficult areas. In general, like monsters, treasure seems to scale with dungeon level, but there are definitely some major wrenches in those gears, much to my appreciation.

Overall, I'm finding the Monsters & Treasure Assortment to be a great resource, something that games like Labyrinth Lord or Swords and Wizardry should consider cloning.

Review: Old School Hack

It's spring break and my Old Forest campaign is on a bit of a hold with all but one player out of town for the next could week. In the mean time, I've gotten to play two one-shots of a game call Old School Hack. It's still in development, but I decided to give it a shot.

They were two excellent sessions. I mean really excellent. Very Gonzo, yes, but a whole lot of fun. I had to break out of my shell a little and went for a very Bonsoomian adventure to get the feel right: it was a blast (literally, at times).

What surprised me most was how much I enjoyed combat. Usually combat tends to be one of my least favorite parts of the game, but there's something about the chaotic tendencies of this game that make characters was to dive from flying shuttles and crush their enemies with a good old fashioned round-house kick. It was hilarious; the whole thing was just wacky. Great for one-shots, but I have my doubts about it for long term play.

The players had a lot of fun choosing talents for their characters. The Dwarf's Impressive Partier talent was especially popular. It was the first time when I saw characters choosing non-combat over combat oriented ability. I think that was total in the spirit of the game and I definitely make some...unconventional...ruling to that the players could use those flavorful talents.

The one serious problem I saw with the game was the leveling system. To gain a level of experience, every member of the party must each expend 12 awesome points. While it worked out well for our one-shots. I can see problems in a longer campaign-type model. I really just not sure what to do if a player misses a session. I'm just completely stumped. I'll have to on that.

Overall, we all had a blast, despite all of the new-school additives, like per combat abilities. I just decided to go for it and it turned out great. Excellent game, but I can't see it being all that great for long term play.