Who out there plays the Conan RPG? I've always loved the Robert E. Howard stories and just love reading the game product as well but haven't played yet. Give me some feed back on what you like or don't like about the game or other experiences you've had. What are your campaigns like?
We played some scenarios a short time ago - used gurps conan rules, though - the adventures mongoose made are quite nice, nothing special but a lot fun.
The books are all quite good, some minor design problems maybe, but I like the content. I have no idea how good or bad the 2nd edition is.
Who out there plays the Conan RPG? I've always loved the Robert E. Howard stories and just love reading the game product as well but haven't played yet. Give me some feed back on what you like or don't like about the game or other experiences you've had. What are your campaigns like?
I'm a big fan of the Conan RPG. It's the game that convinced me that d20 gaming could do more than standard D&D-style high fantasy. I now use it as my defacto fantasy rules-system, i.e. I import d20 or D&D elements into Conan, not the other way around.
The game evokes the sword-n-sorcery genre very well. Character abilities - whether class features, skills, or feats define the characters rather than spells and magic-items. Combat is faster, bloodier, and grittier than D&D. All without divorcing itself from d20 or discouraging heroic play.
(Sidebar: a few of the stated 4e design goals are addressed by the Conan RPG - combat plays faster, limited reliance on magic items, extending the sweet spot, etc.)
If you're playing a straight-up Conan game, I really can't highlight any real negatives. Some of the fans dislike the inclusion of anything that wasn't first penned by R.E.Howard himself. The core rulebook is almost entirely based on Howard-written content. The supplements branch out into Conan material written by other authors. The Mongoose team is pretty responsive on their forums and authors (Vincent Darlage in particular) are good at IDing canonical-Howard material vs. non-Howard material.
I've yet to purchase a Conan supplement that wasn't useful, although certainly there are some I like better than others.
If you're looking to take Conan and adapt it to other settings as I did, this is where you may have some challenges. This isn't a criticism of the game, however, as it's meant to be a standalone OGL game.
For example, while I liked the Sorcery system of magic for Hyboria, I was running a Kingdoms of Kalamar campaign. I wanted something grittier than D&D's magic system, but not quite as dark as Conan's sorcery. I replaced the Scholar/Sorcerer class with classes from other d20 products and incorporated other magic systems, all without much fuss.
The biggest complaints you're likely to encounter will be regarding typos in the books. The original printing had lot of typos. For the most part, they were easily deciphered but the Conan RPG clocks in with a higher price tag than say, the PHB, so many people were upset. Mongoose released the Atlantean Edition which corrected most of the typos (all of of the ones I could find). Recently, they released Conan 2e, however, it really isn't an edition change. It includes errata, added 1 additional core class that had appeared in a supplement, and modified a few rules. Probably 99% of it is backwards compatible with the other editions. I own a copy of each book. Despite the typos, if Atlantean and 2e had never seen print, I'd still be using my original Conan book as my preferred FRPG.
My players love the game as well. The lower MDT, armor as DR, combat maneuvers, high-living rules, the lack of omnipresent magic, and dangerous combat have all resonated with the players. If they want to play as idealistic do-gooders, it's a much more challenging undertaking than in an alignment-restricted D&D world and they like that. If they want to be rough-n-ready scoundrels only interested in ale and women, they're not penalized for doing so.
Sorry for the long post - I just love the game. If you've got specific questions I can try and provide feedback on them.
BPorter,
Would you mind outlining the main differences between Conan and D&D? I noticed, from the free preview:
Hit points after 10th level slow down like older D&D editions.
Magic is vastly different.
Weapons have strange damage, I noticed a bardiche does 1d10+1d8?
What are some of the other major differences?
BPorter,
Would you mind outlining the main differences between Conan and D&D? I noticed, from the free preview:Hit points after 10th level slow down like older D&D editions.
Magic is vastly different.
Weapons have strange damage, I noticed a bardiche does 1d10+1d8?What are some of the other major differences?
FYI, I'm going from memory without fact-checking every item, but I think you'll get the idea.
1. No non-human races. Human races are treated differently than the Extra skill point & Feat.
2. Discernable variations on the fighting classes. In Conan you have:
Barbarian - savage/unpolished fighter with stronger wilderness skills than D&D version. More than just a Rage-trick-pony.
Borderer - Fighting frontiersman/scout. Best non-magical Ranger I've seen.
Nomad - Think Mongul hordes as the classic inspiration. A mounted warrior that favors uncivilised cultures.
Soldier - Classic professional soldier. Close to the D&D fighter but with class feature improvements.
3. Classic swords-n-sorcery archetypes. Rounding out the class list are:
Noble, Pirate, Scholar (covers Sorcerors and non-sorcerors), Temptress/Tempter (actually a very viable PC class), and Thief.
4. Favored classes provide bonus feats. Ability scores increase +1 across the board at 6th and 12th? level.
5. Each class has a Parry and Dodge defense. Classes that favor heavy armor such as the Soldier and Noble have better Parry scores than Dodge. Barbarians and Thieves favor Dodge and lighter/no armor.
6. Scholars have access to simple weapons and gain skills at 8/level, so even though magic is harder to fire off than D&D, the characters always have the ability to contribute to the party.
7. Armor as DR. Since Parry & Dodge drive "AC", there are two means of protecting yourself - don't get hit or soak some of the damage. Finesse weapons can bypass DR if the attack roll is high enough. Powerful strikes can partially negate the protection afforded if the strike is damaging enough. (Weapon damages are typically a die higher.)
8. Massive Damage Threshold is 20. That's right, combat can get pretty fast and bloody.
9. Combat Maneuvers - these are "combat tricks/benefits" that can be used by anyone who meets the requirements. The simple maneuvers can be pulled off at low levels for (unsurprisingly) minor benefit. Powerful manuevers require high BAB, feats, skill ranks, situational condition, or a combination thereof.
10. No arcane/divine distinction to magic. Sorcery is fueled by Power Points. Nefarious sorcerors can forgoe/lessen their PP drain by gaining PP through the sacrifice of victims. No buff spells.
11. No alignment. d20 Modern-style allegiances and a nifty Code of Honor system is used instead. Core rulebook Codes of Honor include Civilised or Barbaric. Can also choose No Honor. Each has role-playing and social skill mechanic implications.
12. All-in-one rulebook. Rules for character creation, combat, GMing, sorcery, bestiary, and how to run a Howard-style Hyboria campaign all in one book. Supplements provide additional options but are not necessary to play. (As a side note, the series of classbooks - Hyboria's Fiercest, Hyboria's Finest, and Hyboria's Fallen all include sample multi-class combos. Unlike WotC, rather than just say that some combos are sub-optimal, each writeup lists the strengths and weaknesses of the combination, provides suggestions for optimization, and sometimes provides variant class abilities.
13. Rules for High Living. PC's too rich? How can I motivate my players unless I bleed off their gp via magic item purchases? Never fear - If players go too long without a stated purpose (say buying an estate or ship) for their money, it starts burning a hole in their pocket and they start spending it on parties, booze, and companionship at an alarming rate!
14. In Conan, just as Howard did to his hero, it's considered perfectly acceptable to start a session with the heroes enslaved, imprisoned, or otherwise removed from their belongings. (Try that in a game of straight-up-D&D.) In Conan, the heroes are defined by their actions and their abilities (ability scores, feats, class, skills) rather than their possessions.
Can you tell I like the game?
Did they ever do a Mass Combat set of rules for the Conan RPG?
Did they ever do a Mass Combat set of rules for the Conan RPG?
yes they did. It is a free PDF on the Mongoose website.
I really like the game too, although I havent had a chance to play it. Interesting to hear that it plays faster, I wouldnt have though so with the DR factor.
If the DR was variable, like with Iron Heroes, I'd say the extra die roll might slow things down. In Conan, each armor type provides a static DR number. We haven't seen a negative impact in speed of play. With MDT and not having the game slow down with "which magic item do I use this round" the overall opinion is that it plays faster. Of course it may just be the bloodthirsty frenzy that has us rolling the dice faster!
Also, there are actually two methods for mass combat in Conan. The free PDF is one, but an alternative method was published in the Free Companies supplement (warfare focus). In that book is a chapter on a "Narrative Combat" method. I haven't used it yet, but it seems like a good middle ground between a more math-heavy combat system and DM Fiat/hand-waving. It seems to dovetail pretty nicely with the mass-combat-as-window-dressing approach Heroes of Battle takes, allowing the PCs to take center stage and influence the outcome of battle.
And since Conan is an OGL game, you could effectively use your mass combat system of choice just as easily. I'm partial to Fields of Blood.
Excellent rundown BPorter. Because of that, I'll pick up the 2nd Edition rulebook when I get the chance.
Do you use published adventures for Conan or do you make them up yourself? If you buy published ones which ones are good?
Excellent rundown BPorter. Because of that, I'll pick up the 2nd Edition rulebook when I get the chance.
Do you use published adventures for Conan or do you make them up yourself? If you buy published ones which ones are good?
Well, I'm probably not your typical Conan GM. I have collected several Conan adventures, some are included in the supplements, others I've purchased outright.
My personal favorite is Heretics of Tarantia. Tower of the Elephant was also cool but I think part of the this came from giving the players the chance to play through an adventure Conan went through himself. (It's an adaptation of one of the original Conan stories.) I've only done this for the occasional one-off, however.
My core campaign is set in the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting, so I frequently write my own adventures or take D&D adventures and modify them so they are more swords-n-sorcery and less high-fantasy. My group tired of D&D's specific brand of fantasy years ago. Conan brought them into the world of d20 (and thereby increasing the amount of GM-raidable material a thousandfold!) without returning to the "D&D genre".
I do consider myself proof-positive that Conan can be used for any swords-n-sorcery game, not just ones set in Hyboria.
When my Kalamar campaign wraps up, Pathfinder's Golarion will likely receive a Conan treatment from me.
Also, the core rulebook and several of the regional supplements include GM suggestions for creating adventures that emphasize "the Conan theme". Not only are they good general swords-n-sorcery fodder, but they are tailored to the region presented.
Examples:
The core rulebook - focus on the sword-n-sorcery genre in general
Aquilonia - Suggestions for playing up the Middle Ages/Feudal elements of the kingdom (inter-kingdom squabbles, internal power structures, etc.)
Across the Thunder River (Pictish Wilderness) - How to incorporate/play-up the elements of frontier life, the clash between civilized and barbaric cultures, etc.
Even if you're not playing in Hyboria, they are full of good suggestions. Replace Picts with savage orcs, for example. Whether the orcs are encroaching on civilised lands or civilisation is pushing into the wilderness, the suggestions and themes are still valid and good scenario fodder.
So, you take a D&D adventure and strip out the clerics and mages and most (all?) magic items and drop in proper conan spellcaster bad guys in place of the missing D&D spellcasters and call it good? What about monsters, do you stick with the ones in the published D&D adventure or replace them too?
So, you take a D&D adventure and strip out the clerics and mages and most (all?) magic items and drop in proper conan spellcaster bad guys in place of the missing D&D spellcasters and call it good? What about monsters, do you stick with the ones in the published D&D adventure or replace them too?
For monsters, sometimes I have to substitute a different creature, but usually I just modify some of their abilities. No magic weapon required to damage a creature for example - instead you might need silvered or cold iron weapons. Fewer innate spell abilities, etc. No level drain for undead - I usually compensate for the loss of D&D abilities in other ways. DR is an obvious way. Maybe I max the creatures hit points, etc. The sample creatures from the Conan RPG provide you some good insight on how to modify demons or undead. Also, since most 3.5 creatures ID if AC comes from toughness, DEX, or some other factor, it's pretty easy to gauge how much DR they should have.
My experience has been that PCs find killing a monster in Conan to be a much bigger deal than they did in D&D. With magic being less of a crutch, they feel like they have to work for it.
Spellcasters? Yeah, you can just replace with Conan OGL Sorcerors. The biggest change as a GM you'll have to come to grips with is rethinking spellcaster tactics. The Conan sorcery system can be quite different. It's not low magic necessarily - some of the spells can make D&D spells look weak by comparison. However, the cost of casting such spells is significantly higher - either through components, power points, or corruption (you can't sacrifice virgins indefinitely without becoming a soulless bastard - and corruption is backed up with game mechanics). Spellcasters have skill points on par with thieves (usually higher since they typically have high INT scores), can rely on "sorcerous tricks" like hypnotism, alchemy, etc. that still freak people out because they appear to be magic.
If you check out Mongoose's boards, you can also find some threads where fans have modified D&D modules for the Conan RPG and provide links for their notes or completed adaptations.
Just for an additional example of mix-n-match Conan-d20, in my Kalamar campaign I wanted magic to be more of a natural force that could be used for good or ill than the often-corrupting one it is Conan, so using the Conan sorcery system wasn't quite what I was looking for.
Since Conan is an OGL-based game, I was able to shop some different magic systems while minimizing the amount of rules-modification required. I finally settled on using Green Ronin's Thieves' World books. This allows me to use the D&D spells I deem appropriate while modifying spellcasting to keep it more in line with the sword-n-sorcery genre. I took the TW classes of Mage, Priest, and Witch - assigned them Dodge and Parry values and was essentially good to go.
I also considered using Grim Tales' spellcasting and Green Ronin's True Sorcery. Just an example of how you can ease the change in gears from D&D to Conan-style play. I could probably have just as easily used the Conan sorcery system and maintained the stories and tone of the campaign I wanted to run but I didn't realize it at the time.
Sorry for the rambling post. Bottom line, it's pretty easy to modify d20 material for inclusion in a Conan game. The Mongoose boards are a good resource for suggestions and examples. Once you've done it a few times, it's easy to do.
Hope that helps.
Thanks for the info BPorter. I definitely still enjoy D&D, but wouldn't mind changing it up for a bit with another system like Conan.
I've a question: How do the Conan mechanics compare to Iron Heroes (if you have any experience with that system)? Are the classes similar/different?
So, you take a D&D adventure and strip out the clerics and mages and most (all?) magic items and drop in proper conan spellcaster bad guys in place of the missing D&D spellcasters and call it good? What about monsters, do you stick with the ones in the published D&D adventure or replace them too?For monsters, sometimes I have to substitute a different creature, but usually I just modify some of their abilities. No magic weapon required to damage a creature for example - instead you might need silvered or cold iron weapons. Fewer innate spell abilities, etc. No level drain for undead - I usually compensate for the loss of D&D abilities in other ways. DR is an obvious way. Maybe I max the creatures hit points, etc. The sample creatures from the Conan RPG provide you some good insight on how to modify demons or undead. Also, since most 3.5 creatures ID if AC comes from toughness, DEX, or some other factor, it's pretty easy to gauge how much DR they should have.
My experience has been that PCs find killing a monster in Conan to be a much bigger deal than they did in D&D. With magic being less of a crutch, they feel like they have to work for it.
Spellcasters? Yeah, you can just replace with Conan OGL Sorcerors. The biggest change as a GM you'll have to come to grips with is rethinking spellcaster tactics. The Conan sorcery system can be quite different. It's not low magic necessarily - some of the spells can make D&D spells look weak by comparison. However, the cost of casting such spells is significantly higher - either through components, power points, or corruption (you can't sacrifice virgins indefinitely without becoming a soulless bastard - and corruption is backed up with game mechanics). Spellcasters have skill points on par with thieves (usually higher since they typically have high INT scores), can rely on "sorcerous tricks" like hypnotism, alchemy, etc. that still freak people out because they appear to be magic.
If you check out Mongoose's...
Thanks so much for all the imput so far people. It's been great to hear. It really has me excited to try my hand with the system.
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IIRC, the skills system is slightly different from D&D3.5, in that the cross-class cost distinction only mattered for those skill points one gained as a class feature, and not those one gained as bonuses for race or high Int.
Eg, if your class provided 2 skill points/level, but you had 18 Int, then the 2 points from your class could be spent on class skills (on a 1:1 basis) or on cross-class skills (on a 2:1 basis). But the 4 bonus points from Int could be spent however you liked, at 1:1.
The reasoning is that only those skill points gained as part of your class training should be restricted by class; all other points are hobbies, carried out after your day-job is over.
This makes warrior-types slightly more flexible, and reduces the need or temptation to multiclass to get PrClass pre-requisites.
The designers go to pains to emphasise that Int is not a dump stat, and give examples of Conan's intellect in the stories. Anyone expecting to play an 'Ahhh-noold' style barbarian would be advised to take this into account.