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!
