Sword&Sorcery I: Introduction

I don't know when I'll finish this book but here is the introduction. Let me know if there is anything missing.

I'll add the following chapters as I write them.

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Introduction

Old School Sword & Sorcery (OSSS) is exactly what it says on the tin: an old school RPG in the Sword & Sorcery (S&S) genre. We assume you are familiar with RPGs, especially of the OSR type. If you are not, you can easily find explanations online. [add link to "what is OSR"]. This book will not teach you to play RPGs, since it is better to try it in practice or watch videos of other people playing.

If you are not entirely familiar with S&S, this book will discuss several aspects of the genre: characters, magic, monsters, treasure, and so on. The most famous S&S character is Conan the Barbarian, created by Robert E. Howard. Elric of Melniboné (created by Michael Moorcock) and the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser (by Fritz Leiber) are other quintessential S&S heroes. These examples are particularly important because the term “sword and sorcery” was coined by Leiber while discussing Howard’s stile with Moorcock.

Howard (especially due to the Conan stories) is the quintessential S&S author. This book will reference Conan stories multiple times. If you are not familiar, I recommend reading a few short stories to get the idea. Red Nails, The Tower of the Elephant, Queen of the Black Coast, and The People of the Black Circle are some of my favorites. If you want to expand your knowledge of S&S literature, there is a list of authors on page xxx to keep you entertained for years.

There are multiple ways to use this book: as a complete game (with characters, monsters, tools and rules) contained in a single book, or as toolbox to create your own S&S campaign or adapt existing adventures and modules to the S&S genre (see " Compatibility ", below).

No matter how you decide to use this book, we hope you enjoy it!

 

Sword & Sorcery tropes

Sword & Sorcery has its own tropes, somewhat different from the most famous fantasy games. This section explains some of them. Each of these tropes are reflected in the rules (sometimes clearly, sometimes subtly): the heroes are a bit stronger and more competent, alignment is not always clear-cut, magic is dangerous, and so on. Understanding S&S tropes will help you understand some of the rules choices we have made.

Tough protagonists

S&S protagonists are very tough but often amoral, and sometimes true anti-heroes, unlike the noble heroes of epic fantasy. They are driven by their own interest and passions for wealth, romance, revenge or simple survival, instead of honor and compassion.

The protagonists are often competent from the beginning of their stories, instead of going “zero to hero”. They excel in multiple fields: warriors that can climb and move silently, thieves that fight with sword and spell, and sorcerers who are also skilled swordsmen.

Peril everywhere

S&S settings are dangerous and unstable. They contain pure Evil, but pure Good is harder to find. The opposition is rarely a single “Dark Lord” that threatens the realm with his goblin minions. Instead, the world is full of callous humans, prehistoric beasts, fallen civilizations, and cosmic entities that are unknown to most people.

Limited scope

S&S narratives often focus on characters and small locations rather than big armies and the fate of entire nations. Sometimes the world and the characters appear remarkably unchanged from one story to the other.

Many S&S authors choose to tell stories in episodic fashion rather than part of a big narrative. Unlike epic fantasy sagas such as The Lord of The Rings or The Wheel of Time, the stories take shorter format and uncertain chronology. You can enjoy Conan’s stories in any order (and the same can be said of Fafhrd, Gray Mouser and even Elric to some extent). 

Dark magic

Magic is seldom a superpower or a universal solution to your problems; instead, it is dangerous and costly. Most sorcerers are antagonists, but magic is a sinister tool even when wielded by the protagonists.

Wicked cities

Civilization is not merely threatened by outside forces: it is often rotting from the inside and a threat unto itself. Cities and realms are not always safe harbors in S&S settings, but places full of intrigue and backstabbing in dark alleys. Sometimes barbarism is preferable – at least it is more honest.

Weird worlds

The S&S genre flourished in pulp magazines that also featured horror and sci-fi stories, in addition to fantasy. “Weird Tales”, the most important pulp magazine in this context, featured works by Howard, Lovecraft and Ashton Smith. Sometimes, the genres (and settings) were combined to generate dark fantasy, sword and planet and others subgenres. Even within S&S, horror and sci-fi elements are present, and the protagonists often have to face aliens and demons, magic and technology, without being able to tell them apart. One example is “The Tale of Satampra Zeiros”, by Smith, that seamlessly mixes influences by Howard, Lovecraft and Dunsany.

Unique creatures

In S&S, unique monsters are more common than evil hordes of orcs or various dragons. Each monster is shrouded in mystery. This includes “nonhuman humanoids” – elves and dwarves are rare, and, if they are present, they often have a dark twist. Protagonists are almost always humans from various backgrounds, usually from a strong or mythic lineage (e.g., from fallen Atlantis or Lemuria).

Unreliable deities

Deities in S&S settings are often unreliable or simply absent. Demons, monsters, monarchs and even gigantic beasts can be worshiped in lieu of actual deities. If deities exist, they are often capricious and mysterious, sometimes having their own hidden agendas and dark appetites.

Blood and passion

Some S&S stories are famously for its violent aspects, including bloody descriptions of combat. Sexuality and romance is portrayed in a more realistic and cynical manner – or leading to tragic consequences. S&S art often contain bare-naked bodies of muscular men and voluptuous women. A few stories include (more or less obvious) references to murder, torture, sexual assault, and so on. Needless to say, you do not have to include any of these aspects in your games.

 

 

The rules

My favorite kind of rules are easy to use and remember, while also providing players enough variety for their characters.

In addition, I like them to be compatible with my favorite modules - usually, those using the OSR label or the classic ones written before the year 2000. The goal is being able to use these modules whenever I need, with minimal or no conversion.

At the same time, I enjoy the simplifications and the additions that often come with modern (post-2000s) games: a single unified mechanic for multiple tasks, skills and feats to customize PCs, and so on.

Basic Fantasy RPG (BFRPG) by Chris Gonnerman was one of my greatest inspirations for writing this game – not only for being a great set of rules but also for adopting a Creative Commons license that allows others to use their material.

The rules contained in this book attempt to fulfill the requirements described above and enforce some of the S&S tropes mentioned above. You might notice that PCs are tougher than usual, magic is more dangerous, magic items are a bit scarcer, etc.

The rules contained herein are “advanced” in the sense that we assume you are familiar with other RPGs. Still, they should be clear enough that no important question is left unanswered.

 

A note about Dark Fantasy Basic

Sword & Sorcery tropes, as explained above, shares some tropes with dark fantasy. This book is, in some ways, a sequel to my first RPG, Dark Fantasy Basic. While some ideas are similar, the rules have been almost completely rewritten not only to make them better fitted to S&S but also to take advantage of all the years of experience I had with that system since then.

 

The basic mechanic

Before delving into PC creation, it is useful to understand the basic mechanic of the game.

When a character tries to do anything that carries a risk of failure, roll 1d20, plus modifiers (usually due to ability and class/level), with 20 or more signifying success. A “hard” difficulty is assumed; the GM may set other difficulty number (DC) for particularly easy or hard tasks, as described in the following chapters.

This process is called a “check”. When the books call for a check, assume it means rolling 1d20, adding the relevant modifiers, and succeeding on a 20 or more, unless otherwise specified.

Combat, spellcasting, skills, all work in a similar way.

Now let’s create some characters!