Blackmoor and 3.5

Mythlym · 11-16-2011, 09:45 PM

3.5 D&D is not my favorite system. I would much rather play Blackmoor Basic and even AD&D verse 3.5

With so much material for 3.5 Blackmoor though I really am tempted to get over my issues with 3.5 and run a Blackmoor campaign and use Castle Blackmoor Dungeon as the meat of the campaign.

I know it's at least possible to convert the many books to Basic ect.. but frankly I know my lazy game ethic would ruin my attempt.

Also the fact that I can grab the 3.5 stuff on the cheap is a nice factor. Buying the PDF's is probably the best option there. I have run many a game off my laptop before so nothing new there.

Also Hi guys! I'm not a brand new poster though I only posted once or twice at most before on my old account here(DevilSwine) but I lost my information so just started a new account.

I was going to start running 4E Blackmoor next weekend but have reconsidered and am leaning heavily towards 3.5 due to the heavy amount of Blackmoor material.

***Havard*** · 11-17-2011, 02:39 AM

Welcome back! Smile

I think you are in good company here. Many of us love the TSR era editions of D&D. However, I always wanted to make a website for "all things Blackmoor".

I wish you luck with your campaign! A campaign centered around the Dungeons of Castle Blackmoor sounds like it will be alot of fun! If you should change your mind about which edition to use, keep in mind that conversions to older editions is pretty easy. With adventures you will just have to replace monsters with the closest equivalent of that edition.

Let us know how it goes! Smile

-Havard

Mythlym · 11-17-2011, 08:49 AM

I decided to go with Pathfinder. Well,I decided to go with a heavily modified Pathfinder. I use most of Pathfinders rules but I cut attacks of Opportunity Way down,roll group initiative and use a scaling exp table so that low levels come fast,med slower and anything over 8th is slow was heck!

Mythlym · 11-17-2011, 06:55 PM

Well the game was called due to two of the players being called into work. It's on for next sunday.

One thing that really is getting to me a little is Pathfinder. While I love to play Pathfinder its more complicated than I generally like to DM. Also I just have a hard time reconciling Blackmoors atmosphere with the more heavy rules set.

I have till Sunday to figure it out.

I could run it with Basic or Swords and Wizardry. Also 4E is being pushed by one of the players(but I doubt he could convince me that 4E would be better than the other options.

Also reading The Dungeon Crawl Blog where he kinda went through the same thing and came up with a lot of ideas.

***Havard*** · 11-18-2011, 05:23 AM

Mythlym Wrote:Well the game was called due to two of the players being called into work. It's on for next sunday.

One thing that really is getting to me a little is Pathfinder. While I love to play Pathfinder its more complicated than I generally like to DM. Also I just have a hard time reconciling Blackmoors atmosphere with the more heavy rules set.

I have till Sunday to figure it out.

You could do what I did when I ran 3E. Tone down the rules. This really depends the most on whether you can get your players to play along with it. If they are old school players it might be easier than if not.

Basically I sped things up by not using miniatures, leaving Skill resolution and AoO's mainly to DM's fiat (although with an underlying understanding of how the rules were supposed to work, rather than complete arbitrariness), and keeping NPC stats to a minimum.

Quote: I could run it with Basic or Swords and Wizardry. Also 4E is being pushed by one of the players(but I doubt he could convince me that 4E would be better than the other options.

S&W sounds interest, but I think it is too rules light for my preferences.

Quote: Also reading The Dungeon Crawl Blog where he kinda went through the same thing and came up with a lot of ideas.

linky?

Quote:My little D&D Blackmoor blog where I talk about our group.
http://adventuresinblackmoor.blogspot.com/

Awesome! Subscribed and reading with interest! Love having another Blackmoor Blog on the block! Smile

-Havard

-Havard

Mythlym · 11-18-2011, 11:06 AM

http://www.timbannock.com/dungeoncrawl/ ... blackmoor/

Thats the blog I was reading yesterday on his work with Blackmoor and his game.

***Havard*** · 11-18-2011, 12:19 PM

Mythlym Wrote:http://www.timbannock.com/dungeoncrawl/2...blackmoor/

Thats the blog I was reading yesterday on his work with Blackmoor and his game.

Ah, yes of course!
I know the blog, had just forgotten the name Smile

Looking forward to seeing how you can use these ideas Smile

-Havard

***Havard*** · 12-20-2011, 09:48 AM

Mythlym Wrote:Well the game was called due to two of the players being called into work. It's on for next sunday.

One thing that really is getting to me a little is Pathfinder. While I love to play Pathfinder its more complicated than I generally like to DM. Also I just have a hard time reconciling Blackmoors atmosphere with the more heavy rules set.

I have till Sunday to figure it out.

I could run it with Basic or Swords and Wizardry. Also 4E is being pushed by one of the players(but I doubt he could convince me that 4E would be better than the other options.

Hello again!
Which system did you end up using? It would be interesting to see Pathfinder Conversions for Blackmoor...

-Havard

aldarron · 12-20-2011, 12:47 PM

Mythlym Wrote:I know it's at least possible to convert the many books to Basic ect.. but frankly I know my lazy game ethic would ruin my attempt.

Honestly I just convert on the fly in game. It is dead easy to do with Dragons at Dawn and almost as easy with classic D&D. I just look at the key stats/info and ignore all the other complexity-makes-my-head-hurt crap.

***Havard*** · 12-21-2011, 05:50 AM

Aldarron Wrote:
Mythlym Wrote:I know it's at least possible to convert the many books to Basic ect.. but frankly I know my lazy game ethic would ruin my attempt.

Honestly I just convert on the fly in game. It is dead easy to do with Dragons at Dawn and almost as easy with classic D&D. I just look at the key stats/info and ignore all the other complexity-makes-my-head-hurt crap.

This is how I do it as well. Conversions from older editions to 3E/4E does require alot of work, but this has to do with the nature of those editions. In older editions all you really have to do is assign HD, AC and all that stuff. Calculating AC is done by using this forumula:

20-[3E AC]=[AD&D AC]

HD remain the same, and for the rest simply ignore alot of 3E stuff, and assign the other attributes as you see fit. That said, I have started doing some conversion work in this forum.

-Havard