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Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG Core Rulebook
You're no hero. You're an adventurer: a reaver, a cutpurse, a heathen-slayer, a tight-lipped warlock guarding long-dead secrets. You seek gold and glory, winning it with sword and spell, caked in the blood and filth of the weak, the dark, the demons, and the vanquished. There are treasures to be won deep underneath, and you shall have them.
510 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
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175 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
May 31, 2016
So, I GM a Homebrew world for my players and I. We use the D&D 5th edition ruleset as the backbone for the mechanics of our game. However, I have some Pathfinder material in there, some Cypher system in there, some Dungeon World in there, and yes, a whole lot of Dungeon Crawl Classics in there ( and a whole shwack of other stuffs).
That's the beauty of tabletop RPG games. You can pretty much do whatever the hell you want. The key is to stay consistent. If I say that 'this is how we do something,' I have to make sure that the next time we do that thing again, the rules stay the same. If you have all that chalked out properly then you can snag material from whatever sources you want and make them your own.
The world that I have created that myself and my players adventure in is called, Aventyra. And even though, when asked, I say that it is a D&D 5th edition game, really, it is a melting pot of all kinds of mechanics I have picked up from all over the place over the years.
Dungeon Crawl Classics is a huge inspiration for me. This book is friggin gorgeous and, without any kind of exaggeration, I can honestly say that every single time I open this book I find something awesome and new. Whether it be something that inspires me, or a new ruleset that I think is cool, or just a particular piece of art that gets my juices flowing, there is always something in this damned book that blows my mind.
It's a juggernaut of a book too. 470 pages packed between its hardcovers. Hell, just looking at the book sitting on my bookshelf makes me feel all gooey and excited.
And the magic system...holy balls is it ever cool. It is easily the coolest magic system I have ever come across in my years of RPGing. I have slowly been incorporating the way magic works in this book into our own world and the 5th edition ruleset that my players and I use. It really adds a sense of danger and impact to the game that I haven't really ever seen in any other ruleset before. Magic has consequences and the risk/rewards of using Dungeon Crawl classics in my fifth edition games has really made it exciting for all of us involved.
Bottom line? If you are a tabletop gamer and you see this book sitting on a shelf somewhere...you buy that motherfucker! Buy it with complete confidence that even if you don't play DCC games - you are gonna find stuff inside that will blow your mind and make yourself a better player or GM.
That's a promise!
December 13, 2019
The heavy metal, sword and sorcery, super deadly, weird magic, demon haunted game that AD&D wished it could be.
January 21, 2024
Qualità manuale:⭐⭐
Ambientazione: ⭐⭐
Sistema regole: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ambientazione: ⭐⭐
Sistema regole: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
April 17, 2021
Dungeon Crawl Classics recreate the feel and play style of the old RPG systems of the 70s and early 80s. The character creation system is particularly interesting. To start, you create several level zero characters and then run them through a gauntlet mission. The characters that survive can then be developed into first level characters. By the way, the aesthetic of the art really puts you into the world of those early RPG systems.
July 1, 2013
Dungeon Crawl Classics is a ridiculously fun role-playing game in the tradition of 1970s sword and sorcery.
The rules are detailed without being obnoxious, and it cuts back on some of the boring pieces from other RPGs (counting XP points, character generation, etc.).
Artwork throughout is gorgeous, hilarious, and just plain awesome to look at. I had nearly as much fun reading the rules as I did playing the game, and there's always more to discover.
LOVE that they made it open-source so others can build on the initial concepts.
The rules are detailed without being obnoxious, and it cuts back on some of the boring pieces from other RPGs (counting XP points, character generation, etc.).
Artwork throughout is gorgeous, hilarious, and just plain awesome to look at. I had nearly as much fun reading the rules as I did playing the game, and there's always more to discover.
LOVE that they made it open-source so others can build on the initial concepts.
April 13, 2021
Get it here:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/...
One of the most interesting things about this system is that it uses a kind of 'character generation by natural selection'. Each player starts by making a whole party characters, and if any of them survive, then you get to play as that character in subsequent play sessions.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/...
One of the most interesting things about this system is that it uses a kind of 'character generation by natural selection'. Each player starts by making a whole party characters, and if any of them survive, then you get to play as that character in subsequent play sessions.
August 7, 2022
I love the idea of Dungeons and Dragons. I am always frustrated with the reality.
I have no desire to spend my precious moments of free time reading a ‘fantasy’ gazetteer about the kingdom’s annual grain exports or the interminable spats of the local nobles. I don’t want ‘magic’ to be a number stacking game pushing percentage points*, or ‘monsters’ that are just monotonous bags of hit points and xp.
I want insanely dangerous and unpredictable sorcery, wild and weird and dangerous monsters that lurch from the horrific to the ridiculous. Lots of dungeon crawling; gonzo dungeons and interplanar travel is welcome.
From the looks of it I think, I hope, Dungeon Crawl Classics maybe my idea of D&D made real.
FLAVOUR
Here’s the first page of the Character chapter: ‘You’re no hero. You’re an adventurer: A reaver, a cutpurse, a heathen-slayer, a tight-lipped warlock guarding long-dead secrets. You seek gold and glory, winning it with sword and spell, caked in the blood and filth of the weak, the dark, the demons, and the vanquished. There are treasures to be won deep underneath, and you shall have them...’
Rock on.
The other major part of DCC is making the game vivid and unique. This is achieved through lots of fun tables – different types of monsters have different critical hit tables, each spell has its own results table, there are tables to customise monsters appearance and abilities. What this means is that everything is unpredictable (which is fun for the GM as well as players) and realised in colourful language. There seems to be the right balance of satisfying numbers and storytelling.
ART
The art is perfect. It mostly looks like it was scribbled in the back of a math textbook by a 13 year old. There is a shout out to all the best D&D artists in the introduction; Otus, Easley, Roslof, Holloway, Caldwell, Trampier, and Dee. This makes me happy. I can’t stand the sanitized, uncanny valley, ill-defined digital paintbrush of modern books, which are to rpg art what Alex Ross is to comics: Technically accomplished, soulless, and falling somewhere between insipid and repellent.
DICE
I love rolling dice, I love all the polyhedron dice. DCC not only uses all of them, d4 to d20, it adds extra aberrations: d3, d5, d7, d14, d16, d24, d30. Happily, even though my nearest game shop is a couple thousand miles away, I managed to get hold of a set. Some complain this makes the game less accessible with the need for specialty dice. My feeling is that it shows how it is obscenely indulgent in all the right places.
LANGUAGE
I hate the mangled language and rules of D&D, like why is Perception linked to Wisdom? I hate that the attribute is ‘Dexterity’ when they mean ‘Agility’. DCC uses the eminently sensible Strength, Agility, Stamina, Personality, Intelligence, and Luck.
Armour Class still means you are ‘harder to hit’ but you can’t have everything.
LUCK
This new attribute reminds me of Luck in Fighting Fantasy, which I always liked. It’s a finite resource in the players’ hands that can be used to affect outcomes, and it’s a gamble – the more you use it the less you have for a later, likely more critical, moment. Also fun is that in character creation you roll to see what specific roll your Luck modifier will affect, for example ‘Conceived on horseback’ affects mounted attack rolls, ‘Survived a spider bite’ affects Saves against poison. Instant backstory with mechanical meaning!
ALIGNMENT
Only lawful, chaotic, or neutral. Lawful means tending toward lawful good (angels), chaotic means tending toward chaotic evil (demons and devils). Neutrality can mean a zen calm or an attachment to the Old Ones from before there was chaos or law (Cthulhu, elementals, the undead).
I want the world to be a simple place, angels and devils, black hats and white hats, law and chaos. I do not have any desire to figure out what a ‘chaotic neutral’ (??) character is going to do when faced with a moral dilemma.
And as a bonus in DCC alignment determines your class title! In DCC a first level lawful cleric is an acolyte, a chaotic cleric is a zealot, and neutral one a witness. That is fun. I always liked class titles (level 4 thief is a burglar, level 5 a cutpurse, just adds more flavour), I remember them from B/X D&D, though (I just checked) they were dropped after AD&D1.
MAGIC
‘There is no such thing as a “generic” magic item. All magic items are unique.’
Magic in DCC is ‘MAGIC’: ‘Summoning magical energies is arduous, expensive, and dangerous. No wizard does it lightly. As a result, there are no mundane magics, no spells used simply to light a corridor... Use a torch, fool; it is much safer!’
Magic corrupts. And it affects everyone differently. Every time one wizard casts Ekim’s Mystical Mask he loses a finger, yet when another casts the same spell his flesh becomes momentarily transparent, making him look like a clothed skeleton. A fumbled spell could mean the wizard’s face is covered in painful pustules, or he grows maggot-sized tentacles around his mouth and ears. This corruption accumulates over time so that practiced wizards stumble around with desecrated bodies. Great power will cost you dearly.
As a bonus, ‘There are no schools of magic, only masters willing to take apprentices.’ This is how it should be. Making magic an institution with a bureaucracy and mission statement is anathema to what makes magic ‘MAGIC’.
RACE AS CLASS
D&D started becoming bland for me around 3rd edition, when any race could be any class. I don’t want gnome paladins and dwarven rangers. Like having obvious bad guys and good guys, I want strong, distinctive character classes. You can be a human warrior or an elf. This to me makes the non-human classes more special, it feels like you are playing a being from a fantasy world, and not just a set of attribute bonuses. Having started on Red Box D&D this also feels like coming home.
THE ANSWER IS NOT ON YOUR CHARACTER SHEET
This is one of the mantras of OSR that I really feel in the depths of my soul. I hate presenting a problem to players for them to just skim through their character sheet for some god-like solve-all ability, roll a dice and then move on to the next ‘challenge’ with minimum brain engagement. This is explicitly tackled in the chapter ‘Quests and Journeys’ and is one of the most exciting parts of DCC. ‘This game is not about mechanical solutions to requests; it’s about adventure!’ If the players want to accomplish something miraculous, make it part of a unique quest, do not hand it to them as reusable magic item or feat or spell. They have a great list of examples at the start of the chapter:
‘Speak with the dead: Obtain the tongue of a still-living witch who gives it willingly, then place it in the mouth of the corpse.
‘Slay an immortal: Find the hall of souls, where a candle is lit for every living being, somewhere on a divine plane of existence, and snuff the candle that represents that immortal’s soul.
‘Summon creatures from beyond: Find the creature’s representation in the vast collection of statues kept by Gorgon, the medusa god, then carry that statue back to the mortal realms and turn it to flesh.’ And so on…
THAT’S IT
I just realised even the name, Dungeon Crawl Classics, is unapologetic fun. I am really looking forward to playing this.
* Caveat: I don’t mind Bladesharp 1 in Runequest, because that gives you the feeling of a low-level hum of magic all around in a fairly low-magic setting, broken by miraculous blasts of divine magic or chaotic horror. And I don’t mind every day at-will magic in Talislanta, because everything is supposed to be soaked in magic, there is no mundane. But in pseudo-medieval D&D, where magic should be a thing of awe and horror, using magic to start a campfire and light a corridor (let alone a +1 sword) is just joyless.
I have no desire to spend my precious moments of free time reading a ‘fantasy’ gazetteer about the kingdom’s annual grain exports or the interminable spats of the local nobles. I don’t want ‘magic’ to be a number stacking game pushing percentage points*, or ‘monsters’ that are just monotonous bags of hit points and xp.
I want insanely dangerous and unpredictable sorcery, wild and weird and dangerous monsters that lurch from the horrific to the ridiculous. Lots of dungeon crawling; gonzo dungeons and interplanar travel is welcome.
From the looks of it I think, I hope, Dungeon Crawl Classics maybe my idea of D&D made real.
FLAVOUR
Here’s the first page of the Character chapter: ‘You’re no hero. You’re an adventurer: A reaver, a cutpurse, a heathen-slayer, a tight-lipped warlock guarding long-dead secrets. You seek gold and glory, winning it with sword and spell, caked in the blood and filth of the weak, the dark, the demons, and the vanquished. There are treasures to be won deep underneath, and you shall have them...’
Rock on.
The other major part of DCC is making the game vivid and unique. This is achieved through lots of fun tables – different types of monsters have different critical hit tables, each spell has its own results table, there are tables to customise monsters appearance and abilities. What this means is that everything is unpredictable (which is fun for the GM as well as players) and realised in colourful language. There seems to be the right balance of satisfying numbers and storytelling.
ART
The art is perfect. It mostly looks like it was scribbled in the back of a math textbook by a 13 year old. There is a shout out to all the best D&D artists in the introduction; Otus, Easley, Roslof, Holloway, Caldwell, Trampier, and Dee. This makes me happy. I can’t stand the sanitized, uncanny valley, ill-defined digital paintbrush of modern books, which are to rpg art what Alex Ross is to comics: Technically accomplished, soulless, and falling somewhere between insipid and repellent.
DICE
I love rolling dice, I love all the polyhedron dice. DCC not only uses all of them, d4 to d20, it adds extra aberrations: d3, d5, d7, d14, d16, d24, d30. Happily, even though my nearest game shop is a couple thousand miles away, I managed to get hold of a set. Some complain this makes the game less accessible with the need for specialty dice. My feeling is that it shows how it is obscenely indulgent in all the right places.
LANGUAGE
I hate the mangled language and rules of D&D, like why is Perception linked to Wisdom? I hate that the attribute is ‘Dexterity’ when they mean ‘Agility’. DCC uses the eminently sensible Strength, Agility, Stamina, Personality, Intelligence, and Luck.
Armour Class still means you are ‘harder to hit’ but you can’t have everything.
LUCK
This new attribute reminds me of Luck in Fighting Fantasy, which I always liked. It’s a finite resource in the players’ hands that can be used to affect outcomes, and it’s a gamble – the more you use it the less you have for a later, likely more critical, moment. Also fun is that in character creation you roll to see what specific roll your Luck modifier will affect, for example ‘Conceived on horseback’ affects mounted attack rolls, ‘Survived a spider bite’ affects Saves against poison. Instant backstory with mechanical meaning!
ALIGNMENT
Only lawful, chaotic, or neutral. Lawful means tending toward lawful good (angels), chaotic means tending toward chaotic evil (demons and devils). Neutrality can mean a zen calm or an attachment to the Old Ones from before there was chaos or law (Cthulhu, elementals, the undead).
I want the world to be a simple place, angels and devils, black hats and white hats, law and chaos. I do not have any desire to figure out what a ‘chaotic neutral’ (??) character is going to do when faced with a moral dilemma.
And as a bonus in DCC alignment determines your class title! In DCC a first level lawful cleric is an acolyte, a chaotic cleric is a zealot, and neutral one a witness. That is fun. I always liked class titles (level 4 thief is a burglar, level 5 a cutpurse, just adds more flavour), I remember them from B/X D&D, though (I just checked) they were dropped after AD&D1.
MAGIC
‘There is no such thing as a “generic” magic item. All magic items are unique.’
Magic in DCC is ‘MAGIC’: ‘Summoning magical energies is arduous, expensive, and dangerous. No wizard does it lightly. As a result, there are no mundane magics, no spells used simply to light a corridor... Use a torch, fool; it is much safer!’
Magic corrupts. And it affects everyone differently. Every time one wizard casts Ekim’s Mystical Mask he loses a finger, yet when another casts the same spell his flesh becomes momentarily transparent, making him look like a clothed skeleton. A fumbled spell could mean the wizard’s face is covered in painful pustules, or he grows maggot-sized tentacles around his mouth and ears. This corruption accumulates over time so that practiced wizards stumble around with desecrated bodies. Great power will cost you dearly.
As a bonus, ‘There are no schools of magic, only masters willing to take apprentices.’ This is how it should be. Making magic an institution with a bureaucracy and mission statement is anathema to what makes magic ‘MAGIC’.
RACE AS CLASS
D&D started becoming bland for me around 3rd edition, when any race could be any class. I don’t want gnome paladins and dwarven rangers. Like having obvious bad guys and good guys, I want strong, distinctive character classes. You can be a human warrior or an elf. This to me makes the non-human classes more special, it feels like you are playing a being from a fantasy world, and not just a set of attribute bonuses. Having started on Red Box D&D this also feels like coming home.
THE ANSWER IS NOT ON YOUR CHARACTER SHEET
This is one of the mantras of OSR that I really feel in the depths of my soul. I hate presenting a problem to players for them to just skim through their character sheet for some god-like solve-all ability, roll a dice and then move on to the next ‘challenge’ with minimum brain engagement. This is explicitly tackled in the chapter ‘Quests and Journeys’ and is one of the most exciting parts of DCC. ‘This game is not about mechanical solutions to requests; it’s about adventure!’ If the players want to accomplish something miraculous, make it part of a unique quest, do not hand it to them as reusable magic item or feat or spell. They have a great list of examples at the start of the chapter:
‘Speak with the dead: Obtain the tongue of a still-living witch who gives it willingly, then place it in the mouth of the corpse.
‘Slay an immortal: Find the hall of souls, where a candle is lit for every living being, somewhere on a divine plane of existence, and snuff the candle that represents that immortal’s soul.
‘Summon creatures from beyond: Find the creature’s representation in the vast collection of statues kept by Gorgon, the medusa god, then carry that statue back to the mortal realms and turn it to flesh.’ And so on…
THAT’S IT
I just realised even the name, Dungeon Crawl Classics, is unapologetic fun. I am really looking forward to playing this.
* Caveat: I don’t mind Bladesharp 1 in Runequest, because that gives you the feeling of a low-level hum of magic all around in a fairly low-magic setting, broken by miraculous blasts of divine magic or chaotic horror. And I don’t mind every day at-will magic in Talislanta, because everything is supposed to be soaked in magic, there is no mundane. But in pseudo-medieval D&D, where magic should be a thing of awe and horror, using magic to start a campfire and light a corridor (let alone a +1 sword) is just joyless.
November 15, 2020
Since 2012, this has become my favorite fantasy role-playing game, my "go-to" system for running fantasy RPGs. Inspired by the retroclones of the OSR, DCC RPG struck out on its own to make something new - the game that COULD have existed in 1974 if Gygax and Arneson had had access to these last four decades or so of RPG experience, and rooted firmly in Gygax' (in)famous Appendix N list of inspirational literature. One of the best RPGs I have ever played, if not the very best - hard to say! Give it a shot, you'll love it!
April 13, 2021
Get it here:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/...
One of the most interesting things about this system is that it uses a kind of 'character generation by natural selection'. Each player starts by making a whole party characters, and if any of them survive, then you get to play as that character in subsequent play sessions.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/...
One of the most interesting things about this system is that it uses a kind of 'character generation by natural selection'. Each player starts by making a whole party characters, and if any of them survive, then you get to play as that character in subsequent play sessions.
October 18, 2019
It goes rather farther away from the old-school style of play than I would often prefer, but should I ever find myself wanting to do something closer to the new-school approach, the way 3rd and 5th edition do things, while still keeping the feel and the flavor of the times I like, then this is my game of choice.
September 18, 2019
This is an extremely interesting rpg. Even if you don’t plan to play this, because it has very interesting concepts for every OGL d20 fantasy rpg.
The first difference you’ll will notice, is the level 0 characters. They call this the CHARACTER CREATION FUNNEL. Every player rolls 3D6 for their abilities, and create 3 level 0 pc’s. They have no further classes, nor race bonuses, no modifiers, etc etc. Their hp is only a 1d4+stamina modifier. Their occupation and possessions are randomized with a d20 and a list for the results. The players play the first part of the campaign till they reach level 1. By then most pc’s will have died and the players choose which pc they will play for the rest of the campaign. the rest can become npcs. Since it only takes 10XP to reach level 1, this will probably be the next gaming session.
The way you get XP is also based on successful encounters and not on kills. You don’t have to kill to learn something out of an encounter. This way it’s easier to earn XP from doing other things outside combat, in other RPG’s this also the case but the players are more encouraged to kill every enemy they see to level faster.
The range of dice is also unusual. In this one you could use a d3, d4, d5, d6, d7, d8, d10, d%10, d12, d14, d16, d20, d24 and d30!! it’s looks quite complex, but it isn’t. This is called the DICE-CHAIN. When the rules says to use an improved die, you step up one die. So instead of a d6 you may use a d7. This is also cumulative, so you can step up multiple dice.
The combat system isn’t necessarily based on a grid, but it can be played on a grid, on a table or just 'theater of the mind'. The MIGHTY DEEDS OF ARMS is something I really missed in other RPG’s. A warrior can declare a special move while attacking, so long it fits the situation. The warrior can try to land an attack specifically on the horns of a demon. Just roll a D3 to see if it would succeed to cut off the horns.
SPELL DUELS! It’s the best magical battle concept I’ve seen so far. Basically when a spellcaster, casts a spell, like for example a magical missile, the other spellcasters who come after him in the initiative order can react immediately by casting a counterspell, for example magic shield! When that happens, they give up their actions in the normal initiative order in that round. The spellcasters who dueled must place a d20 on the table with the 10 facing upwards. The winner of the duel may change the dice one number up. The next time the spellcasters duel the difference between the numbers of their d20 are used as a bonus. The cool thing is that they can get in a sort of flow. Like in Lord of the Rings when Saruman fought against Gandalf in the second movie. (I’ve found a nice help chart for this spell system: click here ) Spells have also cool side effects! When casting the spell, the higher your spell check the better the spell results.
The layout of the book is a mixed bag. Some pages look gorgeous, others not. There are different illustrators and the quality of their work isn’t always of the same height. That’s the problem, when somebody raises the bar, then the lesser illustrators look bad. The text layout isn’t always on a grid, the kerning is sometimes awful, the word-spacing and text flagging is sometimes just cringy… But the overall feel of the layout is pleasant, because it has a retro feel and it’s easy on the eye. The book is also written really well, everything is very clear. For an Rpg that claims to be for hardcore OGL 3.e players. For them it is a very accessible game.
The first difference you’ll will notice, is the level 0 characters. They call this the CHARACTER CREATION FUNNEL. Every player rolls 3D6 for their abilities, and create 3 level 0 pc’s. They have no further classes, nor race bonuses, no modifiers, etc etc. Their hp is only a 1d4+stamina modifier. Their occupation and possessions are randomized with a d20 and a list for the results. The players play the first part of the campaign till they reach level 1. By then most pc’s will have died and the players choose which pc they will play for the rest of the campaign. the rest can become npcs. Since it only takes 10XP to reach level 1, this will probably be the next gaming session.
The way you get XP is also based on successful encounters and not on kills. You don’t have to kill to learn something out of an encounter. This way it’s easier to earn XP from doing other things outside combat, in other RPG’s this also the case but the players are more encouraged to kill every enemy they see to level faster.
The range of dice is also unusual. In this one you could use a d3, d4, d5, d6, d7, d8, d10, d%10, d12, d14, d16, d20, d24 and d30!! it’s looks quite complex, but it isn’t. This is called the DICE-CHAIN. When the rules says to use an improved die, you step up one die. So instead of a d6 you may use a d7. This is also cumulative, so you can step up multiple dice.
The combat system isn’t necessarily based on a grid, but it can be played on a grid, on a table or just 'theater of the mind'. The MIGHTY DEEDS OF ARMS is something I really missed in other RPG’s. A warrior can declare a special move while attacking, so long it fits the situation. The warrior can try to land an attack specifically on the horns of a demon. Just roll a D3 to see if it would succeed to cut off the horns.
SPELL DUELS! It’s the best magical battle concept I’ve seen so far. Basically when a spellcaster, casts a spell, like for example a magical missile, the other spellcasters who come after him in the initiative order can react immediately by casting a counterspell, for example magic shield! When that happens, they give up their actions in the normal initiative order in that round. The spellcasters who dueled must place a d20 on the table with the 10 facing upwards. The winner of the duel may change the dice one number up. The next time the spellcasters duel the difference between the numbers of their d20 are used as a bonus. The cool thing is that they can get in a sort of flow. Like in Lord of the Rings when Saruman fought against Gandalf in the second movie. (I’ve found a nice help chart for this spell system: click here ) Spells have also cool side effects! When casting the spell, the higher your spell check the better the spell results.
The layout of the book is a mixed bag. Some pages look gorgeous, others not. There are different illustrators and the quality of their work isn’t always of the same height. That’s the problem, when somebody raises the bar, then the lesser illustrators look bad. The text layout isn’t always on a grid, the kerning is sometimes awful, the word-spacing and text flagging is sometimes just cringy… But the overall feel of the layout is pleasant, because it has a retro feel and it’s easy on the eye. The book is also written really well, everything is very clear. For an Rpg that claims to be for hardcore OGL 3.e players. For them it is a very accessible game.
September 18, 2016
This book is a beast. At 470 pages it far outweighs Wizards of the Coast Dungeon Masters Guide. In fact, DCC is one of my biggest gaming books on the shelves at the moment.
I was blown away when I first flipped through this book. From the artwork and the general word content. If you are a fan of all the classic 70's art that dominated game boxes and sci-fi mags from back in the day then you are gonna have a blast looking at the pictures within. I have spent the better part of my time just turning pages and checking out all the awesome artwork. If you aren't a fan of that art style...lucky for you the whole purpose of the book is to give the reader a brilliant set of rules to run a dungeons and dragons style pen and paper adventure.
And it is brilliant.
I mostly play Cypher system (Monte Cook Games) and D&D 5th edition right now, that said, I still find this book an invaluable asset in running those games even though it's a different ruleset. The magic system, in particular, is very unique and I often find myself adding elements of it into my other games. I especially love the concept of 'spellburn' allowing a wizard to sacrifice something of themselves to power an especially important spell.
The thing is chalked full of inspiring ideas and it's just a general treat to flip through. I've had it on my shelf for quite some time now and even still while I go through it I find interesting tidbits that I hadn't realized before.
Easily one of my favorite gaming books and a must have for RPG collectors. If you are lucky enough to hunt down a copy I highly recommend scooping it up!
**EDIT**
Apparently, I already reviewed this book awhile back. I guess it was a different catalog number? Anyways, you can read my first review for this book HERE Not gonna lie - I kinda like my original review better. I don't know how I made two reviews for the same book but there ya go....
I was blown away when I first flipped through this book. From the artwork and the general word content. If you are a fan of all the classic 70's art that dominated game boxes and sci-fi mags from back in the day then you are gonna have a blast looking at the pictures within. I have spent the better part of my time just turning pages and checking out all the awesome artwork. If you aren't a fan of that art style...lucky for you the whole purpose of the book is to give the reader a brilliant set of rules to run a dungeons and dragons style pen and paper adventure.
And it is brilliant.
I mostly play Cypher system (Monte Cook Games) and D&D 5th edition right now, that said, I still find this book an invaluable asset in running those games even though it's a different ruleset. The magic system, in particular, is very unique and I often find myself adding elements of it into my other games. I especially love the concept of 'spellburn' allowing a wizard to sacrifice something of themselves to power an especially important spell.
The thing is chalked full of inspiring ideas and it's just a general treat to flip through. I've had it on my shelf for quite some time now and even still while I go through it I find interesting tidbits that I hadn't realized before.
Easily one of my favorite gaming books and a must have for RPG collectors. If you are lucky enough to hunt down a copy I highly recommend scooping it up!
**EDIT**
Apparently, I already reviewed this book awhile back. I guess it was a different catalog number? Anyways, you can read my first review for this book HERE Not gonna lie - I kinda like my original review better. I don't know how I made two reviews for the same book but there ya go....
June 1, 2019
My go-to for fantasy RPGs, a game firmly based in Gary Gygax's Appendix N and in old-school sensibilities (with a common-sense approach to modern mechanics). DCC RPG takes everything I love about 40+ years of fantasy role-playing and distills all the best parts of it into one great game. There are certainly elements that seem like they should be a hard sell to modern gamers - an emphasis on old-school style random character generation (when most gamers now living have always been able to customize and build exactly the character they want), the "0-level funnel" (first game of a campaign, each starts with 4 completely random 0-level characters, and any that survive - IF any survive - become 1st-level characters for the campaign), race-as-class (i.e. Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling are classes, and no, you can't have a Dwarven Warrior or Halfling Thief), and a lack of fiddly bits like Feats and Skills and such. Oddly enough, after trying the game, these are often exactly the features that become the favorite things, not drawbacks! I can't imagine another game ever displacing DCC RPG as my favorite FRPG, and I am proud to spread its gospel wherever I go!
January 1, 2014
When my copy of this massive tome arrived I thought I might use it to bludgeon would-be thieves. It is 480 pages of hardback awesomeness. Yet the game is surprisingly light and fast. That's because the lion's share of those 480 pages is taken up by spell charts and killer artwork.
The system is just stripped down D&D based on the 3.5 Open Game License. The core elements are kept: ascending AC, Difficulty Class checks, three saving throws, core mechanic, etc. While the extra baggage of 3.5, such as feats and tactical combat, are jettisoned. I've ran this game several times for new players and it is a breeze to get started and has a fun, fast play style.
One of the charming elements is the character funnel. Players quickly generate 3 or 4 totally random characters. They end up with cheese-makers, mushroom farmers, wainwrights, and tax collectors. These newbs are very weak and have no special abilities. They don't even usually have a decent weapon and no money to buy armor. Then the intrepid 0-level crew dives into a dungeon and most of them are swiftly killed.
Sounds brutal. And it is. But the characters that come out the other side (in my experience most of these starting parties have a 50% mortality rate) are suddenly awesome. They have real experiences, having survived REAL threats to their lives. Suddenly your cheese-maker with the Strength score of 6 is your new favorite character. Because you bonded with him in the most critical of situations.
And having survived that dungeon at least one of your "plucky" PCs gets to make the choice to level up to 1st level, pick a real class (warrior, wizard, thief, cleric, dwarf, elf, halfling) and begin a proper life of adventure!
One of the things I love most about the actual rulebook is the fact that it is also an incredible art book. It is lovingly illustrated with nearly every page bearing some kind of drawing. There's a fat list of old school illustrators featuring the likes of Jeff Dee and Roslof. And Doug Kovacs, a long-time Goodman Games artist, delivers the goods as well.
Magic in this game is also really fun. And totally unpredictable. A low level caster can, if she rolls well, cast spells that do incredible things. Or she can fumble and cause weird, permanent damage. There are tons of spell tables detailing what happens when you cast this or that spell depending on what your final roll result is.
Beautiful book, elegant presentation of the core classic rules, and very fun to play.
The system is just stripped down D&D based on the 3.5 Open Game License. The core elements are kept: ascending AC, Difficulty Class checks, three saving throws, core mechanic, etc. While the extra baggage of 3.5, such as feats and tactical combat, are jettisoned. I've ran this game several times for new players and it is a breeze to get started and has a fun, fast play style.
One of the charming elements is the character funnel. Players quickly generate 3 or 4 totally random characters. They end up with cheese-makers, mushroom farmers, wainwrights, and tax collectors. These newbs are very weak and have no special abilities. They don't even usually have a decent weapon and no money to buy armor. Then the intrepid 0-level crew dives into a dungeon and most of them are swiftly killed.
Sounds brutal. And it is. But the characters that come out the other side (in my experience most of these starting parties have a 50% mortality rate) are suddenly awesome. They have real experiences, having survived REAL threats to their lives. Suddenly your cheese-maker with the Strength score of 6 is your new favorite character. Because you bonded with him in the most critical of situations.
And having survived that dungeon at least one of your "plucky" PCs gets to make the choice to level up to 1st level, pick a real class (warrior, wizard, thief, cleric, dwarf, elf, halfling) and begin a proper life of adventure!
One of the things I love most about the actual rulebook is the fact that it is also an incredible art book. It is lovingly illustrated with nearly every page bearing some kind of drawing. There's a fat list of old school illustrators featuring the likes of Jeff Dee and Roslof. And Doug Kovacs, a long-time Goodman Games artist, delivers the goods as well.
Magic in this game is also really fun. And totally unpredictable. A low level caster can, if she rolls well, cast spells that do incredible things. Or she can fumble and cause weird, permanent damage. There are tons of spell tables detailing what happens when you cast this or that spell depending on what your final roll result is.
Beautiful book, elegant presentation of the core classic rules, and very fun to play.
November 3, 2014
Both RPG and admonition to "model the experience that predates" the worlds most popular roleplaying game. For three years, I have been playing DCC and participating in the fan culture surrounding it. I have heard the game called "silly" due to its insistence on light rules and OSR vibe, but the game experience (as with all RPGs) depends on its players. I will say that this game has an original vibe that is successfully supported by its rule structure, and the rules are familiar and simple enough that you probably already understand them if you've played an RPG any time in the past forty years.
August 10, 2018
I might write a longer review at some point in the near-future, but suffice to say, this was sooooooooo worth reading!!!! DCC RPG flippin' kicks ass!! Even if I never play the game (though I hope to be judging a funnel very soon), it was worth reading. From the artwork to the overriding ethos of the game (inspired by what Joseph Goodman calls "pre-genre fantasy," aka "Appendix N" literature), the whole book is ridiculously cool and inspiring. Best rpg rulebook I have ever read!
December 16, 2019
Super fun. When run with the right judge, this is a fantastic game built for Swords and Sorcery / weird fiction / a bit of D&D style role-playing. I think it does this genre both weirder and simpler than other games before it. Very well done, illustrations are old school and superb, and the game play hits the sweet spot for 'theater of the mind' swords and sorcery style RPGs. Highly recommended.
September 18, 2015
This is my current go to for role playing - it allows people with little time to have fun with gaming. The action is pretty intense and survival rate is meant to be pretty low, but there are built in controls for this kind of thing. Also, the magic system feels wild and woolly. I have enjoyed playing several sessions with friends.
January 21, 2014
Still want to play this.
May 9, 2021
Years and years back I picked up a copy of the Legends Are Made, Not Born d20 adventure at Hastings (RIP -- you are missed) which pitted a bunch of hapless 0 level commoners against deadly threats. Loved the concept, but didn't follow what was going on with Dungeon Crawl Classics at all over the intervening years, so I completely missed that it became its own RPG system somewhere along the way.
Grabbed a bunch of DCC stuff from a Humble Bundle a few months back and then realized I needed the core book to make full use of them, and I'm glad I did. This is, hands down, my favorite RPG system at the moment. It's one part OSR, one part 3rd edition d20 system, and one part its own unique take on sword and sorcery roleplaying. Here's the low down on the major differences:
- There are no skills, feats, prestige classes, attacks of opportunity, etc. A lot of the extraneous stuff is stripped down, but there are other areas of the game where more complexity has been added (like spells).
- There's a luck stat, and it plays a huge role in everything
- Casting a spell requires a spell check every time, and the effect of the spell changes based on what you roll. *Every* *single* *spell* has huge tables of effects, randomized manifestations (my fireball will not be the same as your fireball), and a variety of ways they can corrupt your caster if you roll low.
- Magic is dangerous and unknowable. It's easy to accidentally piss off your god as a cleric or get in over your head as a wizard and put yourself in unspeakable debt to insane beings from other realities. Miscast spells can be more dangerous to the party than to the goblin horde.
The other major difference is in character creation, as everyone rolls up three or four 0 level peasants to start and plays them simultaneously for the starting "funnel" adventure of a campaign. Most of them will die. Blacksmiths, farmers, herders, friars, and weavers are only going to get so far with pitchforks and rolling pins. All these starter characters are built completely randomly. Remember the occupation tables from older Warhammer versions? Its that, on steroids. Whichever character survives gets the honor of advancing to level 1 and selecting a character class.
The classes hew fairly closely to the OSR versions -- including "elf" and "dwarf" being their own classes - but there are a few notable differences. My favorite is the Mighty Deeds system for the warrior. Although there are several tables full of suggestions to get ideas going, this class feature is completely free form. It lets a warrior be versatile and engage in extremely cinematic behavior, like pushing someone down a set of stairs, throwing dirt in their eyes to blind them, swinging across chandeliers while swinging a sword wildly, and so on.
I'm absolutely in love with how the randomized tables and extreme lethality of DCC can either be used for slapstick, super fun adventures with tongue planted firmly in cheek... or go the exact opposite direction and play completely straight for the darkest of campaigns.
Take the Grimtooth's Museum of Death adventure, for instance. It's essentially the Zap version of Paranoia, where you aren't so much playing to succeed at the task as you are playing to see how your doomed peasants are going to get hilariously splattered across the dungeon floor. On the far other end of the spectrum is The Star Wound of Abaddon, which is significantly more bleak and nihilistic than anything you've ever seen from Call of Cthulhu.
Printed adventures run the gamut between those extremes, covering everything from gothic horror to Howardian adventure, with lots and lots and lots of room for games that do not take themselves seriously. I'm currently putting together a 0 level funnel adventure where peasants descend in a mob upon Saint Nikolai's shop as the drunk old white-haired, red-robed priest has stopped producing toys before the winter solstice.
While the digital version of the adventures are fine, the DCC core book itself is worth picking up in physical format. These 500+ pages of epic old school art, deadly tables, and three (yes three!) built-in bookmark ribbons deserve a spot on your shelf.
Grabbed a bunch of DCC stuff from a Humble Bundle a few months back and then realized I needed the core book to make full use of them, and I'm glad I did. This is, hands down, my favorite RPG system at the moment. It's one part OSR, one part 3rd edition d20 system, and one part its own unique take on sword and sorcery roleplaying. Here's the low down on the major differences:
- There are no skills, feats, prestige classes, attacks of opportunity, etc. A lot of the extraneous stuff is stripped down, but there are other areas of the game where more complexity has been added (like spells).
- There's a luck stat, and it plays a huge role in everything
- Casting a spell requires a spell check every time, and the effect of the spell changes based on what you roll. *Every* *single* *spell* has huge tables of effects, randomized manifestations (my fireball will not be the same as your fireball), and a variety of ways they can corrupt your caster if you roll low.
- Magic is dangerous and unknowable. It's easy to accidentally piss off your god as a cleric or get in over your head as a wizard and put yourself in unspeakable debt to insane beings from other realities. Miscast spells can be more dangerous to the party than to the goblin horde.
The other major difference is in character creation, as everyone rolls up three or four 0 level peasants to start and plays them simultaneously for the starting "funnel" adventure of a campaign. Most of them will die. Blacksmiths, farmers, herders, friars, and weavers are only going to get so far with pitchforks and rolling pins. All these starter characters are built completely randomly. Remember the occupation tables from older Warhammer versions? Its that, on steroids. Whichever character survives gets the honor of advancing to level 1 and selecting a character class.
The classes hew fairly closely to the OSR versions -- including "elf" and "dwarf" being their own classes - but there are a few notable differences. My favorite is the Mighty Deeds system for the warrior. Although there are several tables full of suggestions to get ideas going, this class feature is completely free form. It lets a warrior be versatile and engage in extremely cinematic behavior, like pushing someone down a set of stairs, throwing dirt in their eyes to blind them, swinging across chandeliers while swinging a sword wildly, and so on.
I'm absolutely in love with how the randomized tables and extreme lethality of DCC can either be used for slapstick, super fun adventures with tongue planted firmly in cheek... or go the exact opposite direction and play completely straight for the darkest of campaigns.
Take the Grimtooth's Museum of Death adventure, for instance. It's essentially the Zap version of Paranoia, where you aren't so much playing to succeed at the task as you are playing to see how your doomed peasants are going to get hilariously splattered across the dungeon floor. On the far other end of the spectrum is The Star Wound of Abaddon, which is significantly more bleak and nihilistic than anything you've ever seen from Call of Cthulhu.
Printed adventures run the gamut between those extremes, covering everything from gothic horror to Howardian adventure, with lots and lots and lots of room for games that do not take themselves seriously. I'm currently putting together a 0 level funnel adventure where peasants descend in a mob upon Saint Nikolai's shop as the drunk old white-haired, red-robed priest has stopped producing toys before the winter solstice.
While the digital version of the adventures are fine, the DCC core book itself is worth picking up in physical format. These 500+ pages of epic old school art, deadly tables, and three (yes three!) built-in bookmark ribbons deserve a spot on your shelf.
October 18, 2024
Clásicos del Mazmorreo me ha despertado muchas sensaciones contradictorias. Por un lado es viejo y casposo, por el otro es divertido y refrescante. Vamos a ver, nos encontramos con un juego de la Vieja Escuela (OSR) que imita a la primera edición de Dungeons & Dragons en reglas y premisa. El juego va de recorrer mazmorras enfrentándose a monstruos, resolviendo enigmas, recogiendo tesoros y desactivando trampas. Mortalidad alta, ficción por encima de las reglas, etc.El tono es jocoso y un poco bestia, y va acorde con la propuesta de juego y el sistema.
Está escrito un poco al tuntún, sin pensar demasiado. Parece una recopilación de artículos o de fanzines, con apartados desproporcionadamente largos o cortos, cosas pobremente explicadas o sobreexplicadas, pero en todo, al final, hay una dirección e intencionalidad de diseño. Esto lo diferencia de otros OSR que he leído y le da un sabor especial.
A todas luces, Goodman no ha jugado mucho (o nada) más allá de D&D, pero dentro de su microcosmos ha logrado destilar lo que le gusta de su juego de cabecera e incidir en esos aspectos, inventando o ajustando reglas nuevas para conseguirlo.
Sabe que la gracia del D&D que a él le gusta está en la imprevisibilidad y la ficción emergente, y apuesta por ella como sabe hacerlo: con tablas. Hay tablas, muchas tablas, tablas para todo. Cinco tablas de críticos para las clases de PJ, tablas de críticos para cada tipo de monstruo, tablas de pifias, de tesoros, de los poderes de una espada mágica, del aspecto de un dragón... de decenas de aspectos del juego.
Las tablas ocupan la mayor parte dle manual. La guinda se la llevan los conjuros, que se llevan una tercera parte de la paginación. Cada hechizo, según el resultado, tiene un efecto distinto, por lo que cada uno ocupa más o menos una página o página y media, con su tabla de resultados. Un aspecto que me ha gustado mucho es que cada conjuro recibe al aprenderse un rasgo especial determinado en una tabla de 100 resultados, lo que hace que un mismo hechizo sea distinto para dos magos.
Hay seis clases de personaje: mago, guerrero, ladrón, clérigo, elfo y enano, cada una con reglas propias, lo que hace que se sientan distintos, pero también aumenta la cantidad de cosas a recordar y consultar durante el juego. El elfo y el enano, además, son mezclas de clases, más que personajes con personalidad propia y, bueno, yo no soy mucho de clases, me encorsetan (por ejemplo, el guerrero hace maniobras especiales en combate, entonces, ¿los otros no pueden hacerlas? ¿Y las habilidades de ladrón, tampoco son para los demás?).
En cualquier caso, en cuanto a la concepción de los PJ, el balance es positivo, las capacidades propias están bien traídas y son divertidas.
Es que, sí, todo es divertido. Las tablas, la manera de enfocar la magia, cómo se conciben los monstruos y los objetos mágicos. Todo está pensado para que, al jugar, empiecen a pasar cosas impredecibles que le den un aire alocado a la exploración de la mazmorra de turno.
Así, reflexionando, me doy cuenta de que Goodman buscaba narratividad, pero como desconocía (o no le encajaban) las herramientas narrativistas, apuesta fuertemente por la manera en la que los juegos de la vieja escuela generan narrativa emergente: las tablas con mil y un resultados bizarros o asombrosos.
Esto es un camino totalmente válido, y funciona, he jugado a CdM, pero tiene un problema, que es la dependencia respecto al manual y las tablas que contiene. No es posible jugar sin él, y las consultas pueden ser largas y laberínticas. Y por esto no se lleva CdM las cinco estrellas, porque el camino está muy bien elegido, pero igual las alforjas son demasiado pesadas. Me parece más cómoda e intuitiva una solución narrativista clásica, con interpretación subjetiva del máster, por ejemplo para juzgar cómo sale un conjuro, que una tabla de media página.
Pero claro, si no fuera así, qué quedaría de CdM? Un nu OSR más? Otro clon insustancial de D&D 1a? La desmesura, pasión (y tal vez ignorancia) del autor hace que CdM sea único y, al mismo tiempo, sirva para jugar cualquier escenario pensado para otros retroclones de D&D. Esto es importante. Sin duda es el mejor juego de la OSR que he leído y mi primera opción para dirigir este tipo de módulos.
Está escrito un poco al tuntún, sin pensar demasiado. Parece una recopilación de artículos o de fanzines, con apartados desproporcionadamente largos o cortos, cosas pobremente explicadas o sobreexplicadas, pero en todo, al final, hay una dirección e intencionalidad de diseño. Esto lo diferencia de otros OSR que he leído y le da un sabor especial.
A todas luces, Goodman no ha jugado mucho (o nada) más allá de D&D, pero dentro de su microcosmos ha logrado destilar lo que le gusta de su juego de cabecera e incidir en esos aspectos, inventando o ajustando reglas nuevas para conseguirlo.
Sabe que la gracia del D&D que a él le gusta está en la imprevisibilidad y la ficción emergente, y apuesta por ella como sabe hacerlo: con tablas. Hay tablas, muchas tablas, tablas para todo. Cinco tablas de críticos para las clases de PJ, tablas de críticos para cada tipo de monstruo, tablas de pifias, de tesoros, de los poderes de una espada mágica, del aspecto de un dragón... de decenas de aspectos del juego.
Las tablas ocupan la mayor parte dle manual. La guinda se la llevan los conjuros, que se llevan una tercera parte de la paginación. Cada hechizo, según el resultado, tiene un efecto distinto, por lo que cada uno ocupa más o menos una página o página y media, con su tabla de resultados. Un aspecto que me ha gustado mucho es que cada conjuro recibe al aprenderse un rasgo especial determinado en una tabla de 100 resultados, lo que hace que un mismo hechizo sea distinto para dos magos.
Hay seis clases de personaje: mago, guerrero, ladrón, clérigo, elfo y enano, cada una con reglas propias, lo que hace que se sientan distintos, pero también aumenta la cantidad de cosas a recordar y consultar durante el juego. El elfo y el enano, además, son mezclas de clases, más que personajes con personalidad propia y, bueno, yo no soy mucho de clases, me encorsetan (por ejemplo, el guerrero hace maniobras especiales en combate, entonces, ¿los otros no pueden hacerlas? ¿Y las habilidades de ladrón, tampoco son para los demás?).
En cualquier caso, en cuanto a la concepción de los PJ, el balance es positivo, las capacidades propias están bien traídas y son divertidas.
Es que, sí, todo es divertido. Las tablas, la manera de enfocar la magia, cómo se conciben los monstruos y los objetos mágicos. Todo está pensado para que, al jugar, empiecen a pasar cosas impredecibles que le den un aire alocado a la exploración de la mazmorra de turno.
Así, reflexionando, me doy cuenta de que Goodman buscaba narratividad, pero como desconocía (o no le encajaban) las herramientas narrativistas, apuesta fuertemente por la manera en la que los juegos de la vieja escuela generan narrativa emergente: las tablas con mil y un resultados bizarros o asombrosos.
Esto es un camino totalmente válido, y funciona, he jugado a CdM, pero tiene un problema, que es la dependencia respecto al manual y las tablas que contiene. No es posible jugar sin él, y las consultas pueden ser largas y laberínticas. Y por esto no se lleva CdM las cinco estrellas, porque el camino está muy bien elegido, pero igual las alforjas son demasiado pesadas. Me parece más cómoda e intuitiva una solución narrativista clásica, con interpretación subjetiva del máster, por ejemplo para juzgar cómo sale un conjuro, que una tabla de media página.
Pero claro, si no fuera así, qué quedaría de CdM? Un nu OSR más? Otro clon insustancial de D&D 1a? La desmesura, pasión (y tal vez ignorancia) del autor hace que CdM sea único y, al mismo tiempo, sirva para jugar cualquier escenario pensado para otros retroclones de D&D. Esto es importante. Sin duda es el mejor juego de la OSR que he leído y mi primera opción para dirigir este tipo de módulos.
December 23, 2022
Un sistema de RPG que parece muy interesante, dinámico, divertido. Crear el storytelling a través de la acción, no de un background letárgico.
February 24, 2013
Tied with LOTFP and Carcosa in terms of generating a novel "feel" to a traditional swords-and-spells tabletop RPG universe.
SYSTEM PROS: Character generation is fast, fun and unique. AC, hit points and BABs stay low. VERY few magical items. Each character class feels and plays unique. Spell system is batshit crazy. Lots of charts. PC mortality high. Inherently disallows metagaming and powergaming. Low level play is very rewarding, and the specter of imminent death means players really enjoy their accomplishments. XP system is simple and awesome. Combat system is simple and awesome. Skills system is simple and awesome. Cosmology has lots of quirks and is extremely open-ended.
SYSTEM CONS: Needs crazy dice (d7, d30). I think it's cool, but it's some extra bones or some extra time/brainpower to work around. Seriously a lot of charts. Can bog down play if you're not ready. To get the full rules you're shelling out AT LEAST $25 (for a PDF). The book is worth it, but runs anywhere from $40-$75 depending on edition. The true "randomness" of certain elements can truly break narrative arcs, which might put some players and DMs off. Maybe not suitable for people new to tabletop gaming. The limits on magic and the rarity of truly powerful creatures/characters/items might be a turn-off to gamers who prefer or are used to a very high-fantasy world. A very long read for the DM. It's worth reading the entire book and there are lots of pictures (mentioned repeatedly because holy shit are they good), but it'll still take you a while to get through it.
DM/REF THOUGHTS: DCC RPG is serious about being old school: The entire game world really shouldn't be more than 100 square miles, treasure should be rare, almost no magic items, etc. The DM advice to really think about what it means to have a gold coin (which, realistically, many peasants would never see in their entire lives) makes every other system feel silly by comparison. The XP and skills system are awesome, and the ideas about interacting with NPCs (very little information, no real interaction with the supernatural or magical) and monsters (why should anybody even know what an orc or a goblin is?) provide some excellent Tabletop Theory to argue about.
EXTRA: The artwork is truly fantastic. Like, even if you hate the rules (you won't) the artwork is probably still worth the sticker price.
SYSTEM PROS: Character generation is fast, fun and unique. AC, hit points and BABs stay low. VERY few magical items. Each character class feels and plays unique. Spell system is batshit crazy. Lots of charts. PC mortality high. Inherently disallows metagaming and powergaming. Low level play is very rewarding, and the specter of imminent death means players really enjoy their accomplishments. XP system is simple and awesome. Combat system is simple and awesome. Skills system is simple and awesome. Cosmology has lots of quirks and is extremely open-ended.
SYSTEM CONS: Needs crazy dice (d7, d30). I think it's cool, but it's some extra bones or some extra time/brainpower to work around. Seriously a lot of charts. Can bog down play if you're not ready. To get the full rules you're shelling out AT LEAST $25 (for a PDF). The book is worth it, but runs anywhere from $40-$75 depending on edition. The true "randomness" of certain elements can truly break narrative arcs, which might put some players and DMs off. Maybe not suitable for people new to tabletop gaming. The limits on magic and the rarity of truly powerful creatures/characters/items might be a turn-off to gamers who prefer or are used to a very high-fantasy world. A very long read for the DM. It's worth reading the entire book and there are lots of pictures (mentioned repeatedly because holy shit are they good), but it'll still take you a while to get through it.
DM/REF THOUGHTS: DCC RPG is serious about being old school: The entire game world really shouldn't be more than 100 square miles, treasure should be rare, almost no magic items, etc. The DM advice to really think about what it means to have a gold coin (which, realistically, many peasants would never see in their entire lives) makes every other system feel silly by comparison. The XP and skills system are awesome, and the ideas about interacting with NPCs (very little information, no real interaction with the supernatural or magical) and monsters (why should anybody even know what an orc or a goblin is?) provide some excellent Tabletop Theory to argue about.
EXTRA: The artwork is truly fantastic. Like, even if you hate the rules (you won't) the artwork is probably still worth the sticker price.
August 18, 2014
An excellent RPG for lovers of Appendix N, the books that Gary Gygax cited as his inspiration while creating dungeons & dragons. Joseph Goodman took the list and, with his years of experience creating and publishing material for RPGs, designed what he feels is a modern version of a game with the feel of Appendix N.
Overall, it's a great game to just play.
You will have ability scores, and one or two numbers based off them (ie: attack bonus, armor class, saving throws), plus your equipment, plus some class abilities: mighty deeds of arms (warriors and dwarves); wizard spells (wizards and elves); cleric spells; thief skills (halfings and rogues). AND THAT'S IT! No worrying about a million minor bonuses: just go from there. Even at higher levels, you'll have more spells, but the complexity isn't there.
I've found while playing this lets the group focus on character over combat. We still fight things, but we get bonuses based on descriptions and ideas, which is nice.
There is a "funnel" for new games, where characters are created randomly, players start with four 0-level commoners and, over the course of play, end up with probably one first level PC to use from there. It's brutal, as minor damage does kill instantly (eg: 1hp characters). That said, of the two games I played, I saved six of eight characters from the forces of chaos attempting to devour them. One combat was down to the wire, so good fun. That said, not being able to play the barbarian I want to, or the wizard, can be frustrating; but this is only an optional method of character generation, despite being preferred by the author. If you do, then take it easy and don't cling to your initial expectations. right now I'm loving my little old lady wizard herbalist: they grow on you.
You can, of course, just make up whoever. You can do that, too, no problem.
There are lots of things to look up in the book, for spellcasters: spell charts when you cast. If you cast a fire spell, you roll dice: the higher the roll, the bigger the effect. If you fumble, though, bad things can happen: curses, mutations, etc.
Very fun game.
Overall, it's a great game to just play.
You will have ability scores, and one or two numbers based off them (ie: attack bonus, armor class, saving throws), plus your equipment, plus some class abilities: mighty deeds of arms (warriors and dwarves); wizard spells (wizards and elves); cleric spells; thief skills (halfings and rogues). AND THAT'S IT! No worrying about a million minor bonuses: just go from there. Even at higher levels, you'll have more spells, but the complexity isn't there.
I've found while playing this lets the group focus on character over combat. We still fight things, but we get bonuses based on descriptions and ideas, which is nice.
There is a "funnel" for new games, where characters are created randomly, players start with four 0-level commoners and, over the course of play, end up with probably one first level PC to use from there. It's brutal, as minor damage does kill instantly (eg: 1hp characters). That said, of the two games I played, I saved six of eight characters from the forces of chaos attempting to devour them. One combat was down to the wire, so good fun. That said, not being able to play the barbarian I want to, or the wizard, can be frustrating; but this is only an optional method of character generation, despite being preferred by the author. If you do, then take it easy and don't cling to your initial expectations. right now I'm loving my little old lady wizard herbalist: they grow on you.
You can, of course, just make up whoever. You can do that, too, no problem.
There are lots of things to look up in the book, for spellcasters: spell charts when you cast. If you cast a fire spell, you roll dice: the higher the roll, the bigger the effect. If you fumble, though, bad things can happen: curses, mutations, etc.
Very fun game.
April 1, 2021
I have GM'd DCC on a near weekly basis for almost 3 years now in a single long-running campaign. My players are now around 7th level, and we still love the hell out of it. I never ran or played much DnD or anything like that before this, prior we had mainly been a Call of Cthulhu group, so it took me a while to really find my feet. If you're like me I recommend The Lazy Dungeon Master as a companion. I strongly recommend Dungeon Crawl Classics. All you need is the main book, some weird dice and some weird friends, and you will have fun for years.
November 2, 2015
Do you long for the days of red-box D&D, when "elf" and "magic-user" were two entries in the same category? Do you feel like modern d20 games such as Pathfinder don't require anywhere near enough dice? Enjoy character death so much you want to play something that suggests building them in triplicate? Then boy howdy, this is the system for you.
If you're in the mood for an old-fashioned dungeon crawl, you could do a lot worse than this system.
If you're in the mood for an old-fashioned dungeon crawl, you could do a lot worse than this system.
April 21, 2017
Un juego que adaptando las reglas del D&D busca una experiencia más cercana a las novelas y autores que inspiraron al primer juego de rol: Zelazny, Leiber, Vance, Lovecraft, Poul Anderson, Morcook,... Es decir viajes interplanares, viajes en el tiempo, entes extradimensionales, alienígenas, magia salvaje y poderosa pero difícilmente controlable y con un enorme coste para el hechicero...
un juegazo muy recomendable y disfrutable.
un juegazo muy recomendable y disfrutable.
January 1, 2019
This is by far the best d20 RPG. It simplifies mechanics that are over complicated in that "other RPG", and eliminates un-needed ones. The spellcasting system is second to none, showcasing the volatility of magic in a fantasy world. I have used this for several games, spanning several genres. Also, it's one $40 book that's huge! VS buying THREE $60 books. ($40 VS $180 entry point?!?!)
August 11, 2016
Simply an outstanding way to truly play the old D&D game on a level I am sure Gygax would have approved of. The artwork is amazing, the layout well planned and the new approaches to old rules are simply knocking it out of the park. My new goto for fast fun little planning required roleplaying.
May 15, 2016
Far and away my favorite RPG now. The old school 70s feel comes through in every single moment. Honestly, the most fun I have had gaming in decades.
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