I know people have mentioned the "death spiral" phenomenon but in Crown & Skull, I found that to be a rather helpful tool for pacing. If someones takes a brutal hit, we all know they might have lost a critical part of their character and we need to quickly reassess if this fight is "worth it". And that really helps the game feel like combat matters. Thanks for covering C&S Mike!
Your sessions with Enrique Bertran playing Dragon of Icespire Peak: Dwarven Excavation are a perfect example of how to do a successful one-on-one campaign. Highly recommend if this is something a DM wants to try with a player.
I was blown away by how much the short story interstitials bring to the flavor of the tome. I love an RPG book that feels like it belongs in the world within its pages.
The more I read the rules for C&S and how to build a character, the more I wanted to give the system a try. I was able to play over the weekend, and it was very fun. Highly recommend.
The product that I’ve seen that does monuments the most similar to how you describe is those found in Dolmenwood. The Shrines, Alters, ley lines, all reinforce the world building, offer secrets and clues, and can give mechanics bonuses like new spells. Also much love to Crown & Skull. You and Runehammer are some of my favourite RUclipsrs. Love to see the world’s colliding!
I always used to feel poorly about roll under systems until I heard someone explain it in a way that made absolute sense. If you are doing a roll under system whether it is a skill or an attribute check every point you have invested in that attribute/skill matters! Not just the +1-4 modifier you have as a byproduct of that. It makes the score, not the mod mean so much more at the table. Its changed my mind on it.
Hey Mike, awesome show! Really enjoyed your discussion of monuments and thinking about generating random stuff to shake up how we are thinking about our games. Also wanted to share that since you're looking at starting your next game in A5E and having some trouble getting your players on-board that Foundry might be a potential solution. I’ve recently been playing around with the A5E foundry game system and it has all of the SRD material (essentially all the core class material) preloaded in compendiums for easy character creation and rolling. I only highlight this because you mentioned playing around with the platform last week-not plugging or pushing you towards the platform, but it’s a good option. I know the struggle of getting players oriented to a new system!
Thumbs up to your comment, "In fact, I don't even know what old school means any more." People seem to think that D&D was played a certain way back in the 70's and 80's. Every group played it the way that was the most fun to them.
I'm grateful for the Crown and Skull deep dive, but I'm THRILLED for the KS announcement for City of Arches. I seem to recall asking about it in a previous video and being mildly mocked. So glad to see a physical version of CoA is in the works.
I’ve been so curious about this! Ty for the review and letting me know about the free download sample. That’s neat! From the character generator tables and dungeon generators this is awesome! Now I’m thinking about that special cover 🤓🤓
Crown and Skull seems to be pushing the envelope and really trying out some creative solutions to recurring problems. I'm not sure if it's for this old timer - If I'm d20ing I'd rather use a hacked OSR system - but it looks good enough to buy just for the ideas. Really glad you showed it off.
I had choice paralysis myself in the past. Then when I purchased a new book I would always try to find something that I can use in my next session. It might be an item, npc or scenario. But that search would force me to leaf through the book and use something right away. Most of the time it's an item or an idea. Sometimes I take chapters. For example, one of my most memorable recent NPC is the Riffler taken from The Book of Many. The adventure the players are going through right now is taken from the Grim Hollow book that recently popped out in dndbeyond. I do that with old books too. Recently I watched a tiktok video about Ravenloft. I opened the book, liked the art of an item and used it in the next session. So always find one thing that you use right away. That leaves me feeling satisfied that I used my new book and I am not missing out.
Sounds to me like a game that encourages running away as a viable strategy if you find you're digging a hole for yourself... like you might be a lot more careful with which fights you take on, too. That aspect of it could play more like an OSR game? Not sure, but that's how I think I'd be inclined to play if I ran the risks you mentioned here. It sounds very interesting, in any case. I happen to really enjoy that style of play.
Equip and skills being your hit points sounds like Knave 2e, where if you have a spell book and takes damage, your book could be burnt or thron apart and you just lose your ability to cast this spell
Hey there! I'm a bit puzzled about the D20 mechanic and what makes it unique. I understand that it works like any other d20 system, but instead of rolling high, you are rolling low. However, I'm not quite sure why this is such a big deal. Is it just to make people feel good about rolling a 1 instead of a 20? I was hoping you could shed some light on this for me. Are there any statistical differences between trying to roll a 1 versus a 20? I'm just trying to get a better grasp on the D20 mechanic and why it's important. Thanks for your help!
3 months late to this, but hey, maybe you still want to know! A roll under system is less about the actual math surrounding rolling the die, and more focused on changing the script on how Skills or Attributes operate. In a traditional d20 system, you have a target number, you roll your die, then you usually add and sometimes subtract from that based on your Skills and/or attributea to see if you hit the target number. For the roll under systems, you have a target number, you roll your dice, and your failure/success is based on your Attributes/Skills relation to the number. It makes your numbers going up more impactful. Whereas traditional d20 systems usually use small numbers to avoid making the actual numbers and math of the system less cumbersome. So in summary, roll under systems are typically less math intensive, and it's actually usually faster to determine success and failure. The main downside is that it's not as intuitive, and there's a certain mental gymnastics you have to do to get used to you needing your rolled numbers to be low instead of high. These are traditionally done as d100 systems though, not typically with a d20. My opinion is that in a vaccum, roll under systems are quicker and less cumbersome but TTRPG's are so established, it's hard for older players to get used to it. It also goes against basic psychology of bigger numbers = better. Hope this provided some insight! If you want to look more into Roll Under Systems, you've got Runehammer Roleplaying, Runequest, Call of Cthulu, and GURPS are all Roll Under Systems.
I'm not sure why the automatically-hit-just-roll-damage mechanic is so popular these days. Into the Odd, Cairn, the MCDM RPG, and now Crown and Skull have jumped on it. The argument is made that it's more fun if you never miss, but if you never miss, low damage rolls will just be the new thing players grumble about. If the argument is that it saves time, I'd counter that I much prefer the approach of Cypher System. where you roll to hit but your damage is the thing that's always consistent.
In that regard Crown and Skull is similar to what you mention about Cypher System. You have a single dice roll and if you fail to exceed the targets defense you miss, if you go above it, you do damage according to how much you exceed it. A single roll that covers three things, whether you hit, how much damage you do and also granting more damage potential to bigger weapons. Sounds elegant to me without being too simple. I see the appeal.
Crown and Skull looks a looooot like 2023's Dragonbane but taking just a few extra steps away from modern dnd. D20 Roll under, focus on skills and gear, no true classes, the monster design, etc. The initiative and health systems in this one are a bit more complex and Dragonbane instead opted to deliberately be as vague as possible about any potential world in order to promote homebrew campaign settings but other than that they really do seem to share a tooooon of DNA. If you're having trouble imagining how Crown and Skull would play, maybe test out DB to ease into the playstyle a bit.
While surface it does seem similar, the monster AI and roll under are pretty much the only things that are similar. For context, I’ve ran 10 sessions of Dragonbane and 20 sessions of Crown and Skull. Try the players guide for free and run a session or two and you’ll see the difference.
@@Rnedlose0784 What are your opinions on C&S now? Any pitfalls or important things you did learn? Does the dungeon exploration work? Got a game coming up in two weeks, know Dragonbane inside out, but C&S looks very interesting.
I know people have mentioned the "death spiral" phenomenon but in Crown & Skull, I found that to be a rather helpful tool for pacing. If someones takes a brutal hit, we all know they might have lost a critical part of their character and we need to quickly reassess if this fight is "worth it". And that really helps the game feel like combat matters.
Thanks for covering C&S Mike!
Your sessions with Enrique Bertran playing Dragon of Icespire Peak: Dwarven Excavation are a perfect example of how to do a successful one-on-one campaign. Highly recommend if this is something a DM wants to try with a player.
I've watched that through twice. Love it.
@@SmittumiMe too! They were a blast to watch!!
I was blown away by how much the short story interstitials bring to the flavor of the tome. I love an RPG book that feels like it belongs in the world within its pages.
The more I read the rules for C&S and how to build a character, the more I wanted to give the system a try. I was able to play over the weekend, and it was very fun. Highly recommend.
Can’t wait to play or run this system again
I love when a company does the one-Click download. Grabbing it now!
The product that I’ve seen that does monuments the most similar to how you describe is those found in Dolmenwood. The Shrines, Alters, ley lines, all reinforce the world building, offer secrets and clues, and can give mechanics bonuses like new spells.
Also much love to Crown & Skull. You and Runehammer are some of my favourite RUclipsrs. Love to see the world’s colliding!
My C&S is on the way... i can't wait!!
One of the best podcast episodes imo. All the patreon questions and dm tips were excellent and could easily be short videos on their own
I always used to feel poorly about roll under systems until I heard someone explain it in a way that made absolute sense. If you are doing a roll under system whether it is a skill or an attribute check every point you have invested in that attribute/skill matters! Not just the +1-4 modifier you have as a byproduct of that.
It makes the score, not the mod mean so much more at the table.
Its changed my mind on it.
I got the beautiful and splendid hardbound book of Crown and Skull by Runehammer.
I just started player facing roll games and I have to say that I LOVE it.
That is one gorgeous looking book! Obviously a passion project. I'll have to have a read of the player guide
Hey Mike, awesome show! Really enjoyed your discussion of monuments and thinking about generating random stuff to shake up how we are thinking about our games. Also wanted to share that since you're looking at starting your next game in A5E and having some trouble getting your players on-board that Foundry might be a potential solution. I’ve recently been playing around with the A5E foundry game system and it has all of the SRD material (essentially all the core class material) preloaded in compendiums for easy character creation and rolling. I only highlight this because you mentioned playing around with the platform last week-not plugging or pushing you towards the platform, but it’s a good option. I know the struggle of getting players oriented to a new system!
Thumbs up to your comment, "In fact, I don't even know what old school means any more." People seem to think that D&D was played a certain way back in the 70's and 80's. Every group played it the way that was the most fun to them.
I'm grateful for the Crown and Skull deep dive, but I'm THRILLED for the KS announcement for City of Arches. I seem to recall asking about it in a previous video and being mildly mocked. So glad to see a physical version of CoA is in the works.
I’ve been so curious about this! Ty for the review and letting me know about the free download sample. That’s neat!
From the character generator tables and dungeon generators this is awesome!
Now I’m thinking about that special cover 🤓🤓
Crown and Skull seems to be pushing the envelope and really trying out some creative solutions to recurring problems. I'm not sure if it's for this old timer - If I'm d20ing I'd rather use a hacked OSR system - but it looks good enough to buy just for the ideas. Really glad you showed it off.
❤Runehammer!
Looks like really interesting system. I want to see how it's played. 👍
I had choice paralysis myself in the past. Then when I purchased a new book I would always try to find something that I can use in my next session. It might be an item, npc or scenario. But that search would force me to leaf through the book and use something right away. Most of the time it's an item or an idea. Sometimes I take chapters.
For example, one of my most memorable recent NPC is the Riffler taken from The Book of Many. The adventure the players are going through right now is taken from the Grim Hollow book that recently popped out in dndbeyond.
I do that with old books too. Recently I watched a tiktok video about Ravenloft. I opened the book, liked the art of an item and used it in the next session.
So always find one thing that you use right away. That leaves me feeling satisfied that I used my new book and I am not missing out.
Crown and Skulls is a post OSR. I really liked the mechanics. I believe I'll try a one shot with my group soon to take a break from DnD 5e
I wanna see mike use forge of foes to build us some Crown and Skull monsters!
Cool will look into. Also check out the DarkAge of Man RPG.
Sounds to me like a game that encourages running away as a viable strategy if you find you're digging a hole for yourself... like you might be a lot more careful with which fights you take on, too. That aspect of it could play more like an OSR game? Not sure, but that's how I think I'd be inclined to play if I ran the risks you mentioned here. It sounds very interesting, in any case. I happen to really enjoy that style of play.
very keen on your opinions and comments after playing a campaign of Crown & Skull 🙏🏻
Thanks
Equip and skills being your hit points sounds like Knave 2e, where if you have a spell book and takes damage, your book could be burnt or thron apart and you just lose your ability to cast this spell
Does the combat go faster because DM is not rolling?
i honestly think the phase system is the thing that makes combat go the quickest
Hey there! I'm a bit puzzled about the D20 mechanic and what makes it unique. I understand that it works like any other d20 system, but instead of rolling high, you are rolling low. However, I'm not quite sure why this is such a big deal. Is it just to make people feel good about rolling a 1 instead of a 20?
I was hoping you could shed some light on this for me. Are there any statistical differences between trying to roll a 1 versus a 20? I'm just trying to get a better grasp on the D20 mechanic and why it's important. Thanks for your help!
3 months late to this, but hey, maybe you still want to know!
A roll under system is less about the actual math surrounding rolling the die, and more focused on changing the script on how Skills or Attributes operate.
In a traditional d20 system, you have a target number, you roll your die, then you usually add and sometimes subtract from that based on your Skills and/or attributea to see if you hit the target number.
For the roll under systems, you have a target number, you roll your dice, and your failure/success is based on your Attributes/Skills relation to the number. It makes your numbers going up more impactful. Whereas traditional d20 systems usually use small numbers to avoid making the actual numbers and math of the system less cumbersome. So in summary, roll under systems are typically less math intensive, and it's actually usually faster to determine success and failure. The main downside is that it's not as intuitive, and there's a certain mental gymnastics you have to do to get used to you needing your rolled numbers to be low instead of high. These are traditionally done as d100 systems though, not typically with a d20.
My opinion is that in a vaccum, roll under systems are quicker and less cumbersome but TTRPG's are so established, it's hard for older players to get used to it. It also goes against basic psychology of bigger numbers = better. Hope this provided some insight!
If you want to look more into Roll Under Systems, you've got Runehammer Roleplaying, Runequest, Call of Cthulu, and GURPS are all Roll Under Systems.
I'm not sure why the automatically-hit-just-roll-damage mechanic is so popular these days. Into the Odd, Cairn, the MCDM RPG, and now Crown and Skull have jumped on it. The argument is made that it's more fun if you never miss, but if you never miss, low damage rolls will just be the new thing players grumble about. If the argument is that it saves time, I'd counter that I much prefer the approach of Cypher System. where you roll to hit but your damage is the thing that's always consistent.
In that regard Crown and Skull is similar to what you mention about Cypher System. You have a single dice roll and if you fail to exceed the targets defense you miss, if you go above it, you do damage according to how much you exceed it. A single roll that covers three things, whether you hit, how much damage you do and also granting more damage potential to bigger weapons. Sounds elegant to me without being too simple. I see the appeal.
Crown and Skull looks a looooot like 2023's Dragonbane but taking just a few extra steps away from modern dnd. D20 Roll under, focus on skills and gear, no true classes, the monster design, etc.
The initiative and health systems in this one are a bit more complex and Dragonbane instead opted to deliberately be as vague as possible about any potential world in order to promote homebrew campaign settings but other than that they really do seem to share a tooooon of DNA. If you're having trouble imagining how Crown and Skull would play, maybe test out DB to ease into the playstyle a bit.
While surface it does seem similar, the monster AI and roll under are pretty much the only things that are similar. For context, I’ve ran 10 sessions of Dragonbane and 20 sessions of Crown and Skull. Try the players guide for free and run a session or two and you’ll see the difference.
@@Rnedlose0784 What are your opinions on C&S now? Any pitfalls or important things you did learn? Does the dungeon exploration work? Got a game coming up in two weeks, know Dragonbane inside out, but C&S looks very interesting.
Take another fantasy game, and figure out the essence of it, then build it in Crown & Skull.
Dude, from like 1:20 to around 2:30 there’s a Confederate flag on the screen.
Maybe blur that out?