darjr
I crit!
From Jim Wampler about this project
I’d love to back this, I’m on a CF break. Following though.
I’d love to back this, I’m on a CF break. Following though.
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OSR White Box Cyclopedia crowdfund is live.
- Thread starter darjr
- Start date
Nikosandros
Golden Procrastinator
It's quite interesting. Do you know what are the main differences with Swords & Wizardry?
darjr
I crit!
I do not. It looks like it’s got the base of White Box in it but I’m not sure if it’s as is with add ons or modified in place. Kind of seems like the latter.
Lidgar
Gongfarmer
Sounds like it's the S&W White Box with a bunch of optional rules/expansions (even though they say its not just that...). From the Kickstarter page:
White Box Cyclopedia builds on that rock solid foundation, unifying the original Swords & Wizardry White Box rules with two hundred pages of additional material. But White Box Cyclopedia isn't "White Box with a ton of options," it's White Box if Dave and Gary had remained friends and partners. It's a dream of how gaming would have evolved with the simplicity and elegance you remember it having, but brought into the 21st century. White Box Cyclopedia asks what would happen if we had rode nothing more than a d20 and a d6 into the same infinite well of adventure of the modern era? You'd get a complete fantasy roleplaying game we all loved, without the baggage of being "advanced." Remember those simple days? You had a few pages of rules, but somehow there was no limit to what you could do. That is the essence of White Box Cyclopedia.
While White Box Cyclopedia provides over 200 pages of optional rules, because it is rooted in the classic White Box rules these options can be ignored or implemented individually to create a fully customized play experience. Every optional rule in the game is rooted in those White Box rules, seamlessly integrated.
Referees can craft exactly the campaign they want, whether it's a classic dungeon crawl with just Fighters, Clerics, and Magic-Users or something far, far more extensive that includes the plethora of optional rules found in White Box Cyclopedia. In the end, it is your game.
Some of the options you'll find in White Box Cyclopedia include:
White Box Cyclopedia builds on that rock solid foundation, unifying the original Swords & Wizardry White Box rules with two hundred pages of additional material. But White Box Cyclopedia isn't "White Box with a ton of options," it's White Box if Dave and Gary had remained friends and partners. It's a dream of how gaming would have evolved with the simplicity and elegance you remember it having, but brought into the 21st century. White Box Cyclopedia asks what would happen if we had rode nothing more than a d20 and a d6 into the same infinite well of adventure of the modern era? You'd get a complete fantasy roleplaying game we all loved, without the baggage of being "advanced." Remember those simple days? You had a few pages of rules, but somehow there was no limit to what you could do. That is the essence of White Box Cyclopedia.
While White Box Cyclopedia provides over 200 pages of optional rules, because it is rooted in the classic White Box rules these options can be ignored or implemented individually to create a fully customized play experience. Every optional rule in the game is rooted in those White Box rules, seamlessly integrated.
Referees can craft exactly the campaign they want, whether it's a classic dungeon crawl with just Fighters, Clerics, and Magic-Users or something far, far more extensive that includes the plethora of optional rules found in White Box Cyclopedia. In the end, it is your game.
Some of the options you'll find in White Box Cyclopedia include:
- Thirty Character Classes: Even the traditional Fighter, Cleric, and Magic-User classes have optional rules to make them more unique. Classic fantasy archetypes ranging like the Acrobat, Barbarian, Cavalier, Ranger, and the Thief are are joined by more exotic options like the mysterious Metaphysician, the Tomb Robber, and the Friar.
- A Dozen Character Heritages: Alongside Humans, Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings, players using the optional rules can select crafty Goblins, powerful Troll-Kin, elusive Shadow Elves, whimsical Gnomes, and other fantastic heritages to give your campaign an exotic flavor that is still rooted in classic fantasy.
- Strongholds and Homesteads: Every character, regardless of class or heritage, can construct and maintain a stronghold that will provide unique benefits during their adventuring career and give them a meaningful way to spend their plundered wealth.
- New Spells: The White Box Cyclopedia includes over 100 spells. This includes all the spells that appeared in Swords & Wizardry White Box, dozens of new Magic-User and Cleric spells, and (by popular demand) a unique spell list for the Druid class.
- Exotic Arcane Abilities: Optional rules allow players to have psychic abilities, latent spellcasting abilities, engage in Arcane Duels, summon wily familiars, and craft magic items.
- Chivalry and Nobility: Optional Honor rules allow any character to earn their knighthood, unlocking unique abilities independent of their class or heritage.
- Genre Customization: Players aren't the only ones with new options! Referees can draw upon optional rules to flavor their campaign. So, whether you're trying to solve the riddle of steel, facing off against a vampire count in a realm of shadow and mist, or an eclectic collection of heroes on an epic quest to destroy an evil artifact, you'll have optional rules to highlight what makes those classic fantasy sub-genres unique and engaging.
- Endless Exploration: Rules for hex crawling, dungeon exploration, seafaring and ship-to-ship combat, are all included, meaning players can seamlessly travel to the ends of the world and back again.
- New Monsters: Almost 200 monsters are detailed here, ranging from classic goblins, to the familiar floating, eye-stalked Orbitus, to exotic new monsters like the Sanguine Fog and Killer Bees ("Not the bees!")
- A Hoard of Treasure: All the classic magic items found in Swords & Wizardry White Box re found here, along with new, unique treasures. Over 200 magic items are included, including intelligent weapons.
Dire Bare
Legend
Heh, that marketing copy was written by somebody wearing rose-colored glasses for sure! What if Gary and Dave had remained friends? From what I've learned about the two fathers of our hobby, that was never in the cards. They didn't work well together on the original white box!
And this call of "do you remember . . ." Is this aimed at 60+ year olds who were actually around to remember?
Well, despite the overwrought copy, I'm still interested! Could be a cool new OSR resource for the BX crowd.
darjr
I crit!
krillinfan
Explorer
I assume they meant KS, or kickstarter
That said $30 for a hardcover is a reasonable deal, backed!Similar Threads
