New Post at CROM!

I published the second and final part of my look at The Dark Man: The Journal of Robert E. Howard Studies. It can be read here.

Class as Caste in Classic Dungeons and Dragons

I've read this series of posts by Greywulf before on why he feels the Dungeons and Dragons Rules Cyclopedia is the most awesome version of the game ever published (this being an opinion I share); however, ever since re-reading them yesterday, I have been putting much thought into his concept of "Class as Caste" and how it might be used to add flavor to a campaign setting.

If you haven't read Greywulf's posts, please do so. But for my purposes, I will quote what has been causing my gaming gears to turn lately (the italics for emphasis are mine own):

In the Rules Cyclopedia we have Fighter, Thief, Magic-User and Cleric – all of whom are Human – and the demihuman “classes” of Elf, Dwarf and Halfling. In our campaigns we say that humans undergo a Casting ceremony while still a child (at birth or later, depending on religion and culture), and their path in life is revealed. The D&D human Classes are the character’s Caste, and wars have been fought over a child being Casted a Thief to a long line of noble Fighters. The other races have no such ceremony – an Elf is just an Elf – and are bemused by human’s pre-occupation with pidgeonholing each other. In many cultures, ordinary folks can’t afford the Casting ceremony (unless a kindly Cleric offers it for free), and end up as castless Commoners, shopkeepers, etc.

For me, the class as caste concept is an intriguing basis for a campaign. What kind of world is it that has "Thief" as a viable social caste? I think, if I were to adopt something along these lines into one of my games, there would be guilds associated with each caste that a character could join, and probably should unless he wants to be an outsider in his own caste.

In most cases, this makes a lot of sense. Many campaigns have Thieves Guilds, and having a Wizards Guild and a Warriors Guild is not uncommon. In some cases, the guilds would not be called or considered as such. For instance, Clerics would belong to a Cult, Temple or Church and Wizards might belong to Universities or Colleges with each college of magic having its own branch. Again, this is nothing new to most gamers. I can think of several game worlds off the top of my head that have organizations such as these in place for players to have their characters join.

In the case of some zero-level NPC's, they may not belong to a guild and are in fact caste-less. Farmers and barmaids for instance might not have a caste; however, I believe in a society that places so much emphasis upon a caste system, there would be guilds set up for even the zero-level NPCs. I can envision several guilds being in place for farmers, slavers, merchants, prostitutes and town watchmen, just to name a few. Aristocrats would belong to a line of families, that again like Clerics and Wizards "guilds" may in fact not be called as such, but would work much the same way.

In such a caste driven society, the importance of belonging to something is paramount to identity. For example: "I am Graven of the Warriors Guild", "I am Celina of the Comforters Guild" (Comforter being a polite term for prostitute), "I am Benjamin of the Agriculture Guild", etc. etc.. A further identifier could be what level the character is.

Once upon a time, when I was a pre-teen gamer, my group got into a heated argument about levels. Some of us believed that what level a character is was meant to be background noise; in other words, a simple rule mechanic illustrating how powerful any given person is. Others of us believed, and I was in this camp, that since name levels were provided for each level (and here I am referring to first edition AD&D) that each character was aware of what level he is. For clarity, I will post those levels from the AD&D first edition Player's Handbook for those that don't know what I am referring to (and I include only the four "basic" human classes offered in Classic D&D):

Cleric
1: Acolyte
2: Adept
3: Priest
4: Curate
5: Perfect
6: Canon
7: Lama
8: Patriarch
9: High Priest
10: High Priest (10th level)
11: High Priest (11th level)

Fighter
1: Veteran
2: Warrior
3: Swordsman
4: Hero
5: Swashbuckler
6: Myrmidon
7: Champion
8: Superhero
9: Lord
10: Lord (10th Level)
11: Lord (11th Level)

Magic-User
1: Prestidigitator
2: Evoker
3: Conjurer
4: Theurgist
5: Thaumaturgist
6: Magicician
7: Enchanter
8: Warlock
9: Sorcerer
10: Necromancer
11: Wizard
12: Wizard (12th level)
13: Wizard (13th level)
14: Wizard (14th level)
15: Wizard (15th level)
16: Wizard (16th level)
17: Wizard (17th level)
18: Wizard (18th level or Arch-Mage)

Thieves
1: Rogue
2: Footpad
3: Cutpurse
4: Robber
5: Burglar
6: Filcher
7: Sharper
8: Magsman
9: Thief
10: Master Thief
11: Master Thief (11th level)
12: Master Thief (12th level)

I like this concept coupled with Class as Caste. Thus now one might introduce himself as "I am The Footpad Collin of the Thieves Guild" or "I am Magrill, Hero of the Warriors Guild". From these two examples, we know that Collin is a second level thief and that Magrill is a fourth level fighter, or at least that is what they claim to be. There would be no stopping someone from lying about their caste, but I think such a crime would be a serious one in a society that takes caste so seriously; however, buying one's way higher into a guild would most likely be an acceptable practice. Therefore, if Magrill has not paid his dues, while he may mechanically be fourth level, as far as the Guild is concerned, he might still be considered "Magrill, Veteran of the Warriors Guild"; thus, the dungeon master has a good way of eating up some of that extra gold that his players have lying around. If a player wants to be able to use his new name level, he must pay to do so. 100 gold pieces per level sounds reasonable. Of course, a social power hungry player that wants to quickly climb the social ladder could easily buy a name higher then that which he should actually be.

The system must be played with, in my mind "The Arch-Bishop Draven of the Cult of Entropy" sounds better then "Draven, Arch-Bishop of the Cult of Entropy", but others may disagree. Also, it is a stretch to say that every 10th level magic-user is a Necromancer, but what if it's not? Meaning, what if to advance through each level, a magic-user must concentrate his studies on a different branch of magic for each level? Thus every 10th level magic-user is a necromancer. That is a thought that may be worth plumbing itself for ideas.

Long Break, but I'm back

Not only have I not been blogging, I have even slipped from reading blogs. It's odd how a few days break turns into months.

Now I hear rumblings of a D&D 5 that is a possible return to old-school. Very interesting. I am in anticipation of what WotC will bring out this time.

In the mean time, I am slowly getting back to this blog, but first I need to catch up on the blogosphere and I look forward to doing so.

I am happy to say that I am gaming again. I've been doing numerous board games (Mrs. Santa was very generous this year); and as of yesterday, I have joined a Legends game (Runequest II). I have never played Runequest before, so this will be entertaining for me.

Dice

Tim over at Gothridge Manor made a quick post today entitled "The Way I Play". He mentioned how he enjoys the sound of dice. Yes. I too enjoy the rattle of dice. One of the reasons I always find myself eventually returning to D&D, or one of its clones, is I love all the different shapes of die; however, I really dig the d20.

I have a favorite d20. I'd post a picture of it, but I am out of town and my dice are 300 miles to the North. It is white with black numbers. The corners are slightly rounded. It rolls really well, typically high. If there were a game in Vegas that involved the d20, I would take it, my toothbrush, about $200, and return with 10 times the cash.

It even has a nickname: The PC Killer +20. My players have considered making it disappear on me. I hope they never do. I love that die.

I don't allow virtual dice rollers at my table. No Sir. Real dice only.

I really wish I was in town to game tomorrow evening.

Sigh.

Re-Imagining the Iconic D&D Monster: the Kobold

Here's my short jump onto the James Maliszewski band wagon.

Kobolds in my D&D campaigns were created as the result of a magical mishap. No one remembers the specifics, but at least two were made: one male, one female.

I rarely use them as encounter fodder; instead, they serve as a poor man's henchmen, most often in the form of slavery. They can be bought cheaply, and will eat just about anything and seem to have "cast-iron" stomachs. Thus they are often fed rotten foods and spoiled meats. They don't seem to mind.

The good thing about kobolds is that they make for cheap slave labor. Their nature leans towards followership to the point that it is odd to find a kobold with an idea of his/her own. They do not however make perfect slaves as their loyalty only lasts until someone else comes along to bully them into betraying whomever they were serving. They also have the attention span of the average gold fish. Most often they are used for menial labor that doesn't take much thought. They are remarkable in one aspect. Despite their seemingly inane stupidity, they learn simple tasks quickly and never seem to forget how to do something. So while it is doubtful that a kobold would be able to master the craftsmanship to become a leather worker, if shown how to properly cure and clean a hide a kobold put to task doing so would do so with no supervision. A typical kobold is able to master one task. So continuing the same example, while the Master Leather worker may have a kobold slave he has trained to cure hides, he would be pushing it to expect that same kobold to learn how to tan, or for that matter, sweep the floor.

While kobolds are sometimes used in combat as canon fodder, it really isn't their best use, as kobolds are cowardly by nature. Most kobolds live amongst others. In every human centric city, kobolds are found. Typically, they do not live in a "wild" state. Occasionally roaming packs of kobolds are found, these are usually the result of their masters having met a short end, but they are easily defeated, or captured. The greatest threat kobolds offer is that they have short pregnancy periods, and mature quickly. A typical female kobold can spawn two litters averaging three pups each, twice a year. Pups reach maturity in two years. For this reason, kobolds are often eunuchs. Those that are not too often cause a population problem that must be dealt with by the city watch, or a band of adventurers looking to make some easy coin.

Hot Elf Chick Summons the Ghost of Gary Gygax

Yup, I'm doing it too, and it is all this guy's fault. even though technically Zooey Deschanel is not an elf in the movie Elf, but is just dating one, and no, she isn't summoning the ghost of Gary Gygax. Hey, I don't care. I've been in love with her since I first laid eyes on her. Since you're here, and on the off chance that you are here because you know who Gary Gygax was, check out these ultra cool links to free geek swag:

A Quick Primer to Old School Gaming by Matthew Finch

Swords & Wizardry, a 0E Retro-Clone

Or my personal favorite, Basic Fantasy Role-Playing

Good Mood, Good Blogs, Frank Cho Art

I'm in a great mood today, and great moods put me in the mood to seek and share great art. I've mentioned my liking of Frank Cho's art before. I came across this gem at a blog that I enjoy called Shanna the She-Devil, which pointed me in the direction of Cavegirls in Fur Bikinis! Check out both of these blogs, if you - like me- enjoy jungle adventure tales featuring scantily clad women.

This particular Cho piece is an obvious homage to the old Coppertone Sun tan lotion baby adds.

In short, it is a delicious piece of Cho good-girl art. Enjoy, I hope your day goes as well as mine.

Game on!

R.I.P. Those we lost in 2010/Frazetta and Dio Shrine

One of the numerous blogs I try to keep up with is James Maliszewski's Grognardia. There are many things about Mr. Maliszewski's blog which I enjoy, one of which is he keeps me informed of the death of designers/heroes/people somehow important to the gaming community at large. I don't mean this in a morbid way, only in the sense that it is important to remember and honor those that have given the gaming community joy through their contributions, even if their contributions were to a game I do not play. In some cases, the departed are not related immediately to the gaming community, but only peripherally through the books, movies or whatever that are often enjoyed by gamers.

The departed for 2010 mentioned in Mr. Maliszewski's blog this year are: Frank Frazetta, J. Eric Holmes, Charles S. Roberts and Edwin Charles Tubb. The links provided are to Grognardia as James has done them justice with his eulogies. I feel I have nothing more of value to add regarding these great men, but do wish to pay them my respects. I do this on the last day of 2010 in remembrance.

Of the four, the death of Frank Frazetta had the greatest impact upon me, as his paintings influenced my imagination during my youth far more then I can express. My reading habits in the years I was stumbling about book stores, magazine racks and libraries, trying to find what my niche was with literature were often influenced by Mr. Frazetta's cover paintings alone. Meaning, I was often as not willing to give something a read BECAUSE Frank Frazetta's covers attracted me versus who wrote the work or who the main character was. I have lost count of the number of tattered paper backs, comics and magazines in my collection that I keep simply due to the gorgeous Frazetta art work. Frank Frazetta's muscle bound heroes, scantily clad (or nude) women illustrated my youthful lust for fantasy and still do to this day. Thank You Mr. Frazetta.

I give honor to Mr. Holmes. I never played, owned or have personally leafed through his version of Dungeons & Dragons, but I feel he was one of the many who shaped a game that will always have a place at my table in one form or another. Thank You Mr. Holmes.

As to Mr. Roberts, I never played his games, but appreciate that without war games and war gammers, role playing games may never have developed. Thank you Mr. Roberts.

As for E.C. Tubb, I have never read any of his science fiction, but perhaps I should correct that. Thank You Mr. Tubb.

I would like to add a name to the list: Ronnie James Dio, born Ronald James Padavona.

It may seem odd that I add a Heavy Metal singer to the list above, but not so at all to me. When I think back to my gaming days in Jr./Sr. High and even somewhat into my college days, my memories are often clouded with the music I listened to while casting dice. Several bands come to mind: Metallica, Megadeth, Black Sabbath (both with Ozzy and with Dio) and of course Dio. It wasn't just the games, books, movies and comics that formed my imagination, it was the music too.

While I realize that music is not as universal amongst gamers as other media, I've known just as many gamers who find inspiration in classical music as those who find inspiration in Rock or Heavy Metal; differences in music aside, I feel music is just as important to a gamer's "Appendix N" as any other media; regardless if that music is a charging classical ensemble or a growling guitar fired over a driving drum beat.

For me as a youth, the later held true, just as it has for many gamers. Dungeons & Dragons and heavy metal music were synonymous in my bedroom as a lad. I can remember many a time sitting in my bedroom, drawing up a new dungeon while listening to heavy metal. My bedroom walls were plastered equally with fantasy inspired art, balanced out with heavy metal posters (Iron Maiden posters had the largest lion share. While I didn't love their music, I did like it, and Eddie in all his ghoulish aspects was rocking as far as I was concerned). It wouldn't be a stretch to say that this often close association of heavy metal and D&D, fanned the flames of the anti-D&D reaction of the 80's and that just made me love "Satan's Music" even more.

My musical tastes have changed over the years. Now, I am just as able to appreciate and find inspiration in Beethoven as I am in a haunting New Age piece. Still, while I may not listen to Heavy Metal as much as I once did, it has a dedicated section on my iPod.

Ronnie James Dio was amongst those musicians that fed my gaming fire; perhaps, I might even say chief amongst them. Black Sabbath was always one of my favorite bands, and while I prefer the Ozzy Osborn years, I won't turn down the chance to rock out to some Heaven & Hell inspired Black Sabbath either, nor will I dial the volume down on "Holy Diver".

Thank You Mr. Dio.

I'll close this post with a mini-shrine to the two men lost in 2010 that inspired me the most over the years and always will. Frank Frazetta and Ronnie James Dio.

If I could only choose one painting by Frank Frazetta, it would be his iconic cover to Conan the Adventurer. Conan and Frazetta will always be intertwined for me.

As for Ronnie James Dio, well just watch the video to his classic "Holy Diver" and it will explain why Sword & Sorcery and Dio are one and the same to me. And of course, crank it up!