Check out Die in a Dungeon on Kickstarter!: bit.ly/Dungenerator His Majesty the Worm in PDF: bit.ly/HisMajestytheWormPDF Get it in print: bit.ly/HisMajestytheWormPrint Newsletter: bit.ly/TheGlatisant My RPGs (PDF): bit.ly/QuestingBeastPDFs My RPGs (Print): bit.ly/QuestingBeastBooks Patreon: bit.ly/QBPatreon
It's an interesting phenomenon seeing how OSR style games are pushing boundaries with randomizing mechanics, specifically with the materials used to do so. With many, it's a deck of playing cards. With "Dread" it's a Jenga tower. In "Five Torches Deep" there's a way to create a dungeon using a Rubik's cube. There's even non traditional ways of using polyhedral dice like in "Vaults of Vaarn's" pointcrawl randomizer. I'm always curious to see how different innocuous or everyday objects can create a "subgame" of chance in a roleplaying environment.
I've been designing almost this EXACT set of card mechanics for a system in my head over the past few weeks, also with OSR style play in mind. It's crazy how people can reach similar ideas independently. We were going to try it out with my home group later tonight.
I am in love with this game. Yet to run the first session, but everything I've read so far is just superb. I've been looking for a game like His Majesty the Worm for years.
I wish Exalted Funeral would make a tarot deck to go with this, with the same style of black&white artwork as the book. Seems more fitting than using some random tarot deck that may not match the vibe.
HMTW seems like an incredibly interesting game! I’ve listened to all the interviews with the creator that I could find on my niche indie podcasts, and I’m even more excited now! I was gearing up to run The Roots of the Old Khaldur mega-incursion for Trophy Gold, but… it might be time to test out HMTW
> as (almost) always Did it ever occur to you that an RPG actually didn't use cards or other RNG mechanic for 'skill' checks? If so, would you point me to it?
Thanks for this - picked it up a few months ago but haven’t had a chance to do more than scan through it (Outcast Silver Raiders had priority in the reading queue). Love the idea that the party comes up with a guild to bond over from the get-go, in my current campaign, player engagement has been strictly utilitarian.
You know, I'm ok with not covering the entire page with *something*. Maybe it is because I have an art background, but I feel the art and the layout in these books can often benefit from allowing the work to breathe.
I think using white space artfully can be quite effective. I don't feel like that's the case here, it feels like sometimes whole half pages are just blank.
Did you notice in the Alchemy section one of the things you can make, just after the Ogre entry is "Questing Beast" as well as a monster of the same name in that section?
Hmmm...I've been looking at this for a while and while I'm pretty sure I'd never run the game as written, it is overflowing with interesting ideas I'd merrily pilfer for other games.
Pentacles evolved to coins (and staves to clubs) in the spanish playing cards deck (used in other countries as well, of course, as is the french deck) Those decks were derived from the tarot deck, and branched off The suit change was probably a way to avoid the church scrutiny, kinda like the demon removal in MtG during the satanic panic era
I think the 4 Lore questions is a limit to keep the game moving...otherwise what is stopping players from playing 20 questions over every single lore drop or hint?
It seems to me that while this surely has some "old-school sensibilities", it also has a ton of "dissociated" mechanics, a layer of abstract game separating the player from their characters and the world. That's a direction that i struggle to associate with OSR or NSR. I'm not implying any judgement here, just an observation. It definitely seem interesting and innovative.
I honestly didn't like this one too much I find right now the osr is so rampant with samey feeling artsy stuff that none of it is easily usable at the table or its far too simple to be used in long term play.
Check out Die in a Dungeon on Kickstarter!: bit.ly/Dungenerator
His Majesty the Worm in PDF: bit.ly/HisMajestytheWormPDF
Get it in print: bit.ly/HisMajestytheWormPrint
Newsletter: bit.ly/TheGlatisant
My RPGs (PDF): bit.ly/QuestingBeastPDFs
My RPGs (Print): bit.ly/QuestingBeastBooks
Patreon: bit.ly/QBPatreon
It's an interesting phenomenon seeing how OSR style games are pushing boundaries with randomizing mechanics, specifically with the materials used to do so. With many, it's a deck of playing cards. With "Dread" it's a Jenga tower. In "Five Torches Deep" there's a way to create a dungeon using a Rubik's cube. There's even non traditional ways of using polyhedral dice like in "Vaults of Vaarn's" pointcrawl randomizer. I'm always curious to see how different innocuous or everyday objects can create a "subgame" of chance in a roleplaying environment.
Because of it's limited but more open ended rules being able to do more rather than less if it had a buncha rules for everything like 5e.
I’m not sure I’d call Dread OSR-styled but yes it is cool!
Dread isn't a dungeoncrawling game, or even a fantasy RPG, so it wouldn't be OSR. But I still get your point. I also find these things interesting.
I've been designing almost this EXACT set of card mechanics for a system in my head over the past few weeks, also with OSR style play in mind. It's crazy how people can reach similar ideas independently. We were going to try it out with my home group later tonight.
I am in love with this game. Yet to run the first session, but everything I've read so far is just superb. I've been looking for a game like His Majesty the Worm for years.
I wish Exalted Funeral would make a tarot deck to go with this, with the same style of black&white artwork as the book. Seems more fitting than using some random tarot deck that may not match the vibe.
28:59 You didn’t mention the Questing Beast in the monster manual! 😂
HMTW seems like an incredibly interesting game! I’ve listened to all the interviews with the creator that I could find on my niche indie podcasts, and I’m even more excited now! I was gearing up to run The Roots of the Old Khaldur mega-incursion for Trophy Gold, but… it might be time to test out HMTW
Aw dang! As (almost) always, it proceeds thus:
*Somebody:* This RPG does not use dice!
*Me:* Yeah?!
*Somebody:* It uses…cards!
*Me:* Nooooo
I mean, what are you looking for?
Not cards, that’s for sure.
> as (almost) always
Did it ever occur to you that an RPG actually didn't use cards or other RNG mechanic for 'skill' checks? If so, would you point me to it?
@@Trokkin there are many, but I will simply name two that are among my favourites.
*NOBILIS 2E*
&
*UNDYING*
@@jeremytitus9519If you're looking for "no randomizer", you can always just tell a story with your friends
Thanks for this - picked it up a few months ago but haven’t had a chance to do more than scan through it (Outcast Silver Raiders had priority in the reading queue). Love the idea that the party comes up with a guild to bond over from the get-go, in my current campaign, player engagement has been strictly utilitarian.
Outcast Silver Raiders is so good
The cycles of play are very reminiscent of Torchbearer, which is Burning Wheel lite applied to dungeon crawling.
You know, I'm ok with not covering the entire page with *something*. Maybe it is because I have an art background, but I feel the art and the layout in these books can often benefit from allowing the work to breathe.
I think using white space artfully can be quite effective. I don't feel like that's the case here, it feels like sometimes whole half pages are just blank.
@@QuestingBeast I also speculate that he ran out of budget to pay for more art that he wanted to do. Plus general inexperience in doing the layout.
Did you notice in the Alchemy section one of the things you can make, just after the Ogre entry is "Questing Beast" as well as a monster of the same name in that section?
Should be getting my copy next week, nice to get an overview just in time!
'Throwing away the dice'!
Perish the thought! Hehe.
Great video and review!!! This looks really interesting. I like that it’s pushing boundaries.
The WORM!!! Such a neat description of a megadungeon and the ramifications of living there. Cool procedures as well.
Love the sponsor - backed!
today I resized the QB logo isnt a crocodile with pizza
Review Request: Land of Eem and the Mucklands Sandbox Campaign. Please and thank you!
The social encounter table is similar to Tenra Bansho Zero. I think it’s really neat.
Hmmm...I've been looking at this for a while and while I'm pretty sure I'd never run the game as written, it is overflowing with interesting ideas I'd merrily pilfer for other games.
Ben, you should do a video on the new Wonderland book. I jsut finished it and it is absolutely amazing. Probably my new favorite setting book!
Pentacles evolved to coins (and staves to clubs) in the spanish playing cards deck (used in other countries as well, of course, as is the french deck)
Those decks were derived from the tarot deck, and branched off
The suit change was probably a way to avoid the church scrutiny, kinda like the demon removal in MtG during the satanic panic era
More like the other way around. The earliest Tarot decks call them coins.
@bjhale my bad
Then we kept the original symbol
Tarot, eh? Who remembers Everway?
😂 yep this is a little different
@@coldstream11 Very different in a good way, but some of the tarot interactions in Everway were pretty interesting.
@@coldstream11A lot more focused. I had Everway back in the day, but struggled with trying to run it. I was young.
I overhyped myself by thinking it will be something like the Amber, but dungeon crawl.
Really fascinating sounding game
I think the 4 Lore questions is a limit to keep the game moving...otherwise what is stopping players from playing 20 questions over every single lore drop or hint?
It seems to me that while this surely has some "old-school sensibilities", it also has a ton of "dissociated" mechanics, a layer of abstract game separating the player from their characters and the world. That's a direction that i struggle to associate with OSR or NSR. I'm not implying any judgement here, just an observation. It definitely seem interesting and innovative.
Worm worm worm worm
Sounds pretty interesting
The art looks like the books shown in the Roman Polanski movie, The Ninth Gate
I wonder if the author asked authorization to use the logo of the Mortiis band in the art cover.
Both the author and Mortiis used a public domain piece of art by John Bauer
@@samchelmsthe mortiis logo was the first thing I noticed. Nice to know its public domain 👍
Does the game explain the word 'Orthoganally' or am I going to have to Google it?
We need more edition trivia.
$40 for a PDF is highway robbery
I get the appeal of slot based inventory management, but if you want simplicity, just eyeball it.
I honestly didn't like this one too much I find right now the osr is so rampant with samey feeling artsy stuff that none of it is easily usable at the table or its far too simple to be used in long term play.
Man….how many times can you plug your own game in a video? Should be a drinking game 🤣
... well, its not really D&D without dice. No offense, I don't think Knave is D&D either. YMMV.
What edition of D&D do you play?