I like this direction in theme. A dash of sci-fi is cool, but I wouldn't want it to overwhelm the game. And I'm glad you're placing the non-traditional classes in an appendix. One thing I didn't like about OSE Advanced is their mixing of Drow and Svirfneblin and such with the more traditional races and classes. I always thought they should have been in an appendix instead. But I'm very interested in seeing your take on the Mystic!
I totally agree. I stuck my optional classes in an Appendix because I felt like that was the only way to reinforce that they're OPTIONAL. Too many games list their classes and then at the end say "the next three are optional." But to a player reading the book their presence along side the core classes implies acceptance. By separating them by literal proximity and page count you reaffirm that these are NOT core parts of the game. RetroQuest was meant to be a B/X game where you could add as much of that dashing sci-fi as you wanted, as much of that weird fantasy as you wanted, but there is never a sense that you're obligated as the Quest Master to do so and an expectation from the PCs that the Quest Master "has to allow" these things.
It's funny because it evolved from a straight up B/X retroclone (since OSE Basic was going away) into this thing that became my love letter to how I remembered playing D&D in those days where my adventures were still very much fantasy, but were colored by the Barsoom novels, Masters of the Universe, Beastmaster, and the like. Now, though still firmly B/X in rules and design it has a real vibe to it that genuinely gets me excited.
This *may* be just what I was looking for. Masters of the Universe hasn't been converted into an RPG franchise...yet...(not counting the one that Mattel authorized back in the day) and this already has that feel. I'll be watching this with interest!
I like this direction in theme. A dash of sci-fi is cool, but I wouldn't want it to overwhelm the game. And I'm glad you're placing the non-traditional classes in an appendix. One thing I didn't like about OSE Advanced is their mixing of Drow and Svirfneblin and such with the more traditional races and classes. I always thought they should have been in an appendix instead. But I'm very interested in seeing your take on the Mystic!
I totally agree. I stuck my optional classes in an Appendix because I felt like that was the only way to reinforce that they're OPTIONAL. Too many games list their classes and then at the end say "the next three are optional." But to a player reading the book their presence along side the core classes implies acceptance. By separating them by literal proximity and page count you reaffirm that these are NOT core parts of the game. RetroQuest was meant to be a B/X game where you could add as much of that dashing sci-fi as you wanted, as much of that weird fantasy as you wanted, but there is never a sense that you're obligated as the Quest Master to do so and an expectation from the PCs that the Quest Master "has to allow" these things.
I have always liked that approach. Here is the main rules. Now over here is the stuff you can add if you want. A little or a lot.
Same here.
Thanks for the update! Glad to follow along with the progress!
Glad to have you along for the journey!
I really LOVE what you are doing with this! I can’t wait for the final product.
It's funny because it evolved from a straight up B/X retroclone (since OSE Basic was going away) into this thing that became my love letter to how I remembered playing D&D in those days where my adventures were still very much fantasy, but were colored by the Barsoom novels, Masters of the Universe, Beastmaster, and the like. Now, though still firmly B/X in rules and design it has a real vibe to it that genuinely gets me excited.
So will this be 3 separate books then? Rather than one volume?
The opposite. One book with the content of 3 books brought together
Ah. That's great to now. Cheers!
This *may* be just what I was looking for. Masters of the Universe hasn't been converted into an RPG franchise...yet...(not counting the one that Mattel authorized back in the day) and this already has that feel. I'll be watching this with interest!
I may or may not have been obsessed with Masters of the Universe as a kid. ;-)
Seriously, a Masters of the Universe vibe for the setting would be accurate. Certainly in visuals and style if not in overall tech level.