From the Book:
"Why Did I Write This? I needed a break during a creative drought on some work I was doing. I wanted to write a sword & sorcery in a Harryhausen vein, with a veneer of dungeon-crawling, low-fantasy, pulp RPG. During the design, the game morphed a bit into a more traditional low-fantasy/heroic fantasy RPG, but I tried to keep some of the sword & sorcery feeling as I went.
I was interested in four things with this game:
- Creating an anti-canon game and setting, where things could shift,
change and adjust.
◆ Well the setting kept growing. I think there’s enough there that
it’s not “canon” but I think I missed the mark. - Something classless, but still “old-school” feeling.
◆ This is probably the only one I actually hit on the target. - Trying to create a bit of a resource management RPG, while not
overwhelming anything.
◆ I do think I missed the mark here. - Something that was easy to run at the tabletop and tried some
new rules to minimize the need for GM bookkeeping and mental
digression. I wanted something where the GM didn’t have to monitor
out of game stuff if I could avoid it, by designing around that
element of the game.
◆ I definitely didn’t achieve this. This is one of the more complex
games I’ve written, for sure.
That’s it. It’s not fancy, it’s just fun. I’m here to throw dice and have a
good time, and I hope this game gives you that too.
- Alan"
Drive-thru currently only shows the pdf and softbound versions available, as they are still waiting on final proofs for the hardcover version, per the most recent Kickstarter update. Currently (as of 10/14/2023), the pdf shows a price of $12.99; the softcover shows $24.99; and the combo shows an original price of $37.98, with as sale price of $24.99 and a note stating the pdf is a free addition.
This is a departure from Gallant Knight Games’ other endeavors in that it isn’t Tiny D6. We start by getting some background on the world. Mechanics are relatively crunch-free: roll a d12 and an applicable stat die. If you roll 2 or less, it’s a complete failure. A roll of 3 - 10 is a success, but you also suffer a setback. 11 - 18 is a success with no special effects. 19+ is a critical and comes with a bonus of some sort. Combat is based on the same concept and uses the same ranges to determine where you fall in combat order.
Characters start with a 3d6 roll in each of 4 attributes (wise, hale, agile, mighty). After rolling the initial scores you can add +3 to one ability; +1 to three; or +1 to one and +2 to another. You then pick a couple skills (or use one of the “skill packages” included) and apply either a d4, d6, or d8, which would be rolled with the d12 when needed. There are two magic-user types in the game (Godcaller and Sorcerer) in addition to the more mundane offerings, with an option to be able to play as both Godcaller and Sorcerer. There is a smattering of monsters and other creatures to use as opponents throughout the adventures, as well as rules and tables for GM-less play.
Alan Bahr also included what he refers to as a “Double Feature:” “The Odyssey of the Aespyr” (a seafaring expansion), and “Katabasis” (an underworld expansion). Each gives you enough for the proverbial sandbox to play pretty much any kind of adventure.
The book itself tops out at 144 pages, but it’s packed with enough information to have pretty much any type of adventure in a setting hearkening back to Ancient Greece.
DriveThruRPG (If it doesn’t load, you can copy everything but the “preview” word. I was “picked” to see the new DT-RPG website, or type Swords of Meropis in the search bar on the site)