Project Update: OSRIC Minor Update: Basic Progress Report
Matt
Despite cries for Portrait style, which I’m not knocking, Landscape is novel and I believe it will be utile, too. Just want to be sure that’s what I’ll receive:) I got the all-in. Thanks.
This user contributed to this community!
Will this new version fill in some of the missing rules and fix the sample dungeon? I'm delighted to back this project. I play AD&D 1E (with lots of home rules/customizations) and I still have all of the original books, But OSRIC 2 has been a very handy reference for most things, given the better organization and plain language. I love me some HIgh Gygaxian, but not when I need something fast. OSRIC has been great. BUT, I'm curious if OSRIC 3 will address some omissions in OSRIC 2. Here are some things I recently found/didn't find: 1. The sample dungeon isn't keyed. There are key descriptions but the map isn't numbered so there's no way to know which description is where on the map. 2. I can't find a table or reference regarding monster hit dice vs other monsters that require magical weapons or silver to hit (e.g. DMG p. 75). 3. I can't find reference about spellcasters detecting scrying as noted for invisibility (DMG pp. 60, 119). In OSRIC, detecting invisibility is instead by DM fiat rather than by table. Is the same true for detecting scrying? 4. Any guidance for magic resistance? This is notoriously vague in AD&D and I have long (long) interpreted the specific language choice used in the MM to mean arcane magic only. I'm curious about your take for OSRIC. Regardless, I'm ridiculously giddy for this project and I'm eager to get my hands on it. Thanks for all you do.
Project Update: Minor Update: Back from NTX, general status
This update is just to let everyone know that we are back from North Texas RPG Con and present again on social media to answer questions. We are still in the phase where BackerKit is collecting funds, so we don't have the full internal dashboard of information yet. While we were at North Texas, we put out two binders containing a printout of the current state of the OSRIC 3 draft, and let people write comments into it. That draft was still very preliminary, but we did receive some great catches and suggestions.
I am still just chugging forward on the basics in the draft. Right now, that's monsters. I am breaking out each special ability of a monster from the descriptive text, because each special ability gets its own free-standing line (or paragraph) as a special ability. This will make it MUCH easier to find the special ability when using the book as a reference during play, but it means lots of cutting and pasting of sentence fragments and turning them into complete sentences under the correct special ability header.
At the moment, the "special ability headers" are these (if the monster doesn't have an ability in the category, the header doesn't appear). (1) If the monster has an ability relating to surprise or initiative, a header called "Surprise and Initiative." (2) "Immunities and Resistance." This is usually at the top, since only a few monsters have a surprise-affecting ability. It's for magic resistance, for monsters hit only by magic weapons, and other such abilities (including special vulnerabilities). It's also where an undead creature's turning category is listed. (3) "Special Features." A catch all, including spell-like abilities and describing dual-AC creatures like the bullette's vulnerable spot and the achaierai's height (which requires long weapons to hit). (4) "Special Attacks." This one is at the end to make it the easiest to find. It's for the obvious types of things like breath weapons.
So we are basically in a holding pattern for a couple of weeks, while BackerKit collects payments and I continue with the basic re-formatting of information. (I was going to write "relatively mindless re-formatting" rather than "basic re-formatting," but the monsters keep throwing difficult questions at me, so it's actually not). When we are far enough along to send a draft (or most likely a specific part of the book) out for general review and comment, we will let everyone know. We will have to test out the best way to get drafts to people -- it appears that we can attach a document to an update, and make it visible to backers only, so that's one possibility without sending out a mass delivery of .docs via DTRPG. If attaching it works properly, then those who want to see interim drafts can click on the attachment.
Matt
It looks like when I made my pledge I picked the table top layout instead of portrait, probably from lack of reading skills. Is there any way to have my pledge changed to portrait instead? Thanks.