The playtest for Heroic Fantasy 2nd Edition is now well underway, with my players exploring the Forest of Margreve in Kobold Press’ Midgard setting. I’m aiming for half a dozen or so sessions to test out the balance of the game. Conscious of how much playtesting takes place out there, I can expand this to another group (with standing invites for current players) if I feel it is needed.
So far so good, with the text developing alongside the play. Most of what we have now is tweaks to the game on version 5 of the 2nd edition text. The ordering of text into a better flow, and some embelishments to what is also there. The key changes are:
- Continuous leaning into the dice ladder to manage escalting and ascending dice.
- Extended and Group Tests plus ‘Aiding another’.
- Advancement increases only four Attributes rather than all of them. Two of the advancing attributes are defined by Archetype.
- Recoveries are going to stay as an ‘encounter power’ for now.
- Long Rests give a Recovery die with +2 Steps on the Dice Ladder
- More spells added
- Monster vulnerability and resistance added. Monster Size bonuses for Hit Points.
- Some more Monsters added
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| The Heroic Fantasy Room on Role |
Heroic Fantasy remains true to the earlier Black Hack core mechanics, thus remaining light and quick to play. Indeed, so much so, I felt that the whole character sheet could be successfully represented in Role. So, we are using Role completely, and I am enjoying it. I hope to sell Heroic Fantasy on Role as well as Drivethru, so it is good to get an early start over there.
To come, we have some more play with a level up to conclude this first test at 2nd level. I’d like to try a 5th level game too, to see how the numbers work out. Text will continue to improve throughout.
There is quite a lot of ‘gut’ going on with this process. I wanted to see how I felt about the game, modified as it is, after such a long gap. Would I still feel some of the love? Can I continue whilst enjoying the arrival of Free League’s Dragonbane? I am delighted to say that the answer to this is “yes”! What I wanted was incremental improvements to a quick play, rules light, heroic fantasy game, that does the ‘D&D’ but without the bloat; a game that I can run at home, at conventions and put out as a book. A game where I can take established material and convert quickly or even on the fly. I think all those boxes are ticked.
Press on. I hope to be in layout by the close of May.