Microlite20

Over 500 copies of original 1.0 release of Microlite74 have been downloaded since it was release just over two months ago. Release 1.1 is available for download today in two different forms.

I'll be running two Paizo Pathfinder modules using the M20 Hard Core rules for my regular Monday game. I picked M20 because some players have expressed their unhappiness about power gaming, buffing, and magic item inflation in our two year D&D 3.5 campaign. Using very simple rules I had hoped to sidestep these issues, because there is very little to powergame.

As my 18 year old son was cleaning (excavating with a backhoe) his room, he found a game that I had picked up for him a few years back when I first met his mom (I adopted him after she and I got married). I vaguely remember picking this up for him with the intent of playing it with him, but stock car racing and high school got in the way (his school, my racing :> ) and I forgot about it.

I love pre-generated characters, me. They speed up the whole “preparing for a one-shot adventure” thing - just toss the characters in a pile, let the players fight over them then start playing. Hang onto the remainder ready for the inevitable replacement drop-in characters, and you’re done. They’re also a small window into the mind of the scenario writer, showing you the kind of characters that he (or she) expects to suit the game. If the pre-gens are all gritty warrior types and your players prefer deep angst-filled multi-class complexities then the scenario might not be for you.

It’s with all this in mind that I’ve thrown together a pdf containing not 4, 5 or 6 but 100 pre-generated Kobold characters primed and ready for my contribution to ChattyDM’s Project Kobold Love. In the best old-school Microlite20 style it’s a 2-page ugly unformatted table with one character per line, just like in the old Classic D&D modules. Have the players roll d100 to select a character, or if you’re the generous type let ‘em pick. Strike a line through that entry and use the rest of the list as backup characters, NPCs or anything else you can think of.

I’ve set the racial bonuses for these Microlite20 Kobolds at -2 STR, +2 DEX and +1 Subterfuge meaning these are agile, sneaky little buggers. The table it also skewed slightly in favour of Rogues, but all of the classes are pretty well represented.

Enjoy.

Download it here (21k pdf)

The latest 2d6 Feet in a Random Direction podcast is up, and features the guys talking all about a certain teeny tiny role-playing game.

Want to listen? Download the mp3 here!

My M20 Hard Core rules ready for some playtesting. Basically I've taken M20, made some changes based on M74 plus some other stuff in order to make M20 even more old school than it already is. Quick summary: No skills, no rogues, all weapons do 1d6, wizards limited to six spell levels, clerics limited to five spell levels and a very restricted spell list, an encumbrance system based on 12 item slots…

This just in from 1000buffalo:

Howdy All!

My (late) entries for the 2008 Pacificon Game Expo are off, and - as noted in the subject line - both games will use the Microlite20 rules.

The entries haven't posted through yet, but should be appearing in the next few days. Both games are slated for 3-6 players with a 4 hour run time.

I'll be running a Sat, 3pm session - "A Gallery of Evil" based on the Paizo module of the same name.

Sunday, 3pm, will be "Legacy of the Savage Kings" based on the DDC module.

As follow-up from the Con, I expect the Microlite will get some discussion on an upcoming episode of my podcast, 2d6 Feet in a Random Direction, as I generally talk about games I've recently run and the like.

Thanks!

Brian

Just to let you know that Greywulf's Lair has moved. After four happy years at EPFarms, I've moved my blog so that it's hosted right here at the same place as Microlite20.

So it's goodbye, Greywulf's Lair, hello Greywulf's Lair!. Drop by and say hi :)

The internet, how I hate thee.

We've just upgraded this site to the latest version of drupal, and it worked..... kinda.A few of the modules and themes managed to get lost in the translation - hence the temporary change of theme. All will be well soon though!Thank you for your patience.