A Role Playing Games Blog
X-plorers
Best & Worst of Gaming 2009 [Part 3]
1January 5, 2010
If you haven’t already, you should have a look at Part 1 and Part 2 of my Best & Worst of Gaming 2009 series.
Best Adventure
The best adventure of 2009 was not one, but many! If you have followed my blog you may have read about Michael Shorten’s and Philippe-Antoine Ménard’s One Page Dungeon Contest. They looked for the best one-page dungeons and on July 31st they released the One Page Dungeon Codex 2009 which contained all winners and the runner-ups, but also several blog articles about the history of the One Page Dungeon Template and how to use it. Definitely my pick for best adventure in 2009! And the fact, that my contest entry was one of the runner-ups had nothing to do with that decision… honestly!
Best Free Product
For me the best free product of 2008 was Christian Kennig’s Dungeonslayers game, because of the rules-light system and it’s great community support. For the German edition of the game you can not only download the free core rules, but also four rules supplements (which add optional rules, new equipment and new spells to the game) and over twelve one page dungeons. Aside from that there are several accessories like printable floor plans, various sheets, monster cards, a GM screen and many more free goodies. If you are looking for a great free fantasy game which is not an OD&D clone, you should have a look at Dungeonslayers.
Best Production Values
The production values of roleplaying games have improved tremendously over the years but the product line that impressed me most recently was Alpha Omega by Mind Storm Labs. The original core book had been printed back in December 2007, but the creature book called “The Encountered Vol. 1” has just been released last year, so I think the Alpha Omega game line is still eligible for this category. Like the core book, the Alpha Omega creature book is a hardcover book with horizontal format, full-color glossy paper and gorgeous artwork. If you have the chance to leaf through a copy of one of the Alpha Omega books at a FLGS, you should do so.
Close seconds in this category were the recently released Rogue Trader RPG and Paizo’s Pathfinder RPG (but haven’t we praised Paizo often enough already?).
Best Trend
The best trend of 2009 was probably the renewed interest in old-school gaming. I am sure this trend started even earlier, but last year it became much more noticeable if you ask me. Swords & Wizardry won an Silver ENnie, Grey Area Games released the awesome pseudo retro-clone X-Plorers and even Green Ronin’s latest game, the Dragon Age RPG, is very much reminiscent of old-school games and even comes in a boxed set to boot.
This concludes Part 3 of the series. I will cover the remaining categories in the fourth and final post, so stay tuned!
Guide to retro-clone roleplaying games
0August 31, 2009
It’s probably pretty obvious that I recently discovered the world of old-school gaming for me. In a way this new passion started with Dungeonslayers (which is actually not old-school at all) and later I stumbled upon X-plorers. Since I love SF and it seemed easy to run, I gave it a try and this paved the road for me having a look at the real retro-clones like Swords & Wizardry.
One thing that bugged me for quite a while was the question what the differences between the various retro-clones are. The most well known are obviously Swords & Wizardry (which itself is available in two distinct versions), Microlite74, OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord and Basic Fantasy RPG.
All of those games are inspired by early editions of D&D and make use of the d20 Fantasy SRD under the terms of the OGL and they are all available for free as PDF. But what versions of D&D do they try to emulate and what version is the right one for me?
I initially wanted to write a big post about all this, but when I started doing research I stumbled upon the perfect article about retro-clone roleplaying games at the “To The Blogmobile!” blog. The post not only describes the various games in detail it also links a few interesting reviews.
If you are interested in playing any retro-clone, you should probably read “Old is new again: a guide to ‘retro-clone’ roleplaying games" before doing so.
Ask The Readers: What is your favorite D&D retro-clone and why?
7August 28, 2009
I have never played the original D&D from 1974 or any other version of D&D before AD&D 2nd Edition.
But then the release of several D&D retro-clones allowed me to explore what people call “old school” or “traditional adventure” (like in TARGA) roleplaying. I have to admit I still haven’t played a OD&D retro-clone, but I’ve run X-plorers which is a SF game heavily inspired by Swords & Wizardry and which is definitely old-school from its design.
I am currently pretty excited about running a Swords & Wizardry White Box game. So, why did I choose this game? There are mainly two reasons:
- Michael Shorten’s S&W Quick Start
Michael is my personal expert on all things old-school. When I have some questions regarding legacy D&D (especially OD&D) he’s the first person I ask. I also enjoy reading his blog, especially his solo game reports and everything about the Ultima sandbox game he’s working on.
Some time ago he has published a quick start booklet for S&W that is supposed to help new players and DMs get into old-school gaming using the Swords & Wizardry rules. I enjoyed reading this very much, so that’s one of the reasons why I slant towards S&W. - David Bezio’s X-plorers
Another game I had a lot of fun with was the aforementioned X-plorers. From David I learned that the game was heavily inspired by S&W and he also recommened me to give S&W White Box a try. In his opinion the Swords & Wizardry White Box stands out from all other retro-clones and is a game that pretty much can stand on its own. That definitely sounded interesting!
In the end my decision to use S&W is grounded on the fact that two people I hold in high regard have recommended the game to me. This doesn’t mean I am not open towards trying out the “competition” as well. 
So, what are your thought on that subject? What is your favorite D&D retro-clone and why should anyone pick that game over the others?
Interview with David Bezio
2August 27, 2009
It’s great to read reviews and explore the stuff that someone has written but I always found it even more interesting to get to know the persons behind the games. That’s why I love doing interviews so much. This time I asked David Bezio, author of the SF roleplaying game X-plorers to answer a few questions for me.
Stargazer’s World: Could you please tell my readers about you? What are you doing when you are not designing RPGs and how did you get into the hobby in the first place?
David Bezio: I’m a pretty average guy (great way to start an interview, huh? “I’m boring as hell!”). I work for the USPS as a city letter carrier and have a family, my wife Melissa and two “kids”. The youngest will be out of the house in about 2 years, the oldest is in college. Most people who meet me don’t think I’m that old. I don’t know if it’s because I look young, or if it’s because I’m so immature.
Like almost everything cool (or nerdy, depending on your perspective) that I’m into is because of my older sister Colette. We grew up in the country, so I had nothing better to do than tag around after her while I was growing up. She got me reading Sci Fi and Fantasy, drawing, writing, and eventually playing RPGs. I’m a contact nerd, or something.
Stargazer’s World: When did you decide to start writing an old-school SF roleplaying game?
About 4 or 5 months before it came out…seriously, that’s it. I’ve always liked sci fi role playing, and as a kid, I probably GMed more Star Frontiers than D&D. SF has some mechanical issues though, and I was really tempted to play Mongoose Traveller…but that is just a bit “complicated” for my taste (not to mention the setting is too detailed for me to wrap my brain around). I thought, “boy, wouldn’t it be nice if I had a game as simple as B/X D&D, but for Sci Fi, to fall back on?” So I started writing.
Stargazer’s World: Recently I started reading Swords & Wizardry White Box and I noticed several similarities. Is this coincidence or was this game an inspiration for X-plorers?
David Bezio: S&W: WB was not only a HUGE inspiration, but I also used its OGL. While X-plorers looks about 90% different than that game now, I started the project with the word version of S&W:WB and started adding things, and taking things away. While I’m still a huge B/X D&D fan, I really found S&W: WB liberating and refreshing. While B/X D&D is probably a better all-around game, you can’t beat S&W:WB for really bringing back that old school FEEL when you play. Matt Finch and Marv Breig really did the old school movement a huge favor by releasing this game, and did it with style and class as well. If you’re thinking about picking up a retro clone, it’s my recomendation for feel alone.
Stargazer’s World: It seems a lot of people are having great interest in playing roleplaying games from the "good old days". There are a lot of OD&D retro-clones and your own game has a strong 1974 feel. Why do you think there’s renewed interest in old-school gaming?
David Bezio: I think a lot of people have gotten to the breaking point. Rules keep getting more and more complicated and complete, and settings keep getting more detailed and complex. I think many role players (especially older ones with busy lives) have gotten to the point where they simply want to get together with friends and have a good time, not try to remember 400 pages of rules. I also think a lot of GMs have been feeling stifled by rules and settings that don’t allow as much room for “doing your own thing” as the old school ones do.
Stargazer’s World: Your company’s website lists several upcoming books, can you tell us a bit about them? What will be the main differences between Mythic Kingdoms and other games emulating OD&D for example?
David Bezio: ("Company" stiffles giggles) I’m actually thinking about scrapping MK, simply because I don’t want to fracture a small player base any further. There are 5 very good retro-clones of basic and OD&D already…do we really need another one, even if it does make several changes? That and I should really concentrate on X-plorers a bit more for now. I’ll probably consider releasing my setting (The Phoenix Barony) as a supplement for S&W:WB instead…but not right away, too many other things in the pipe.
Stargazer’s World: Do you consider creating another "what if" games like Mythic
Kingdoms and X-plorers? Do you intend to explore more genres in an old-school format?
David Bezio: I actually had 3 lined up. Heretic Warrior, my horror setting, Wild Waste, my sci-fi western world, and Zodiac Sunrise, my Mecha setting. But, again, I have more ideas than time. It’s going to be plenty of work just getting GT out every 3 months (hopefully ) The good news is, Wild Waste is going to appear in Galactic Troubleshooters #3 along with an adventure on that world. Zodiac Sunrise may see a place in GT as well, with some Mecha add on rules (although I really wish someone else would write them instead of me). Heretic Warrior is in limbo…who knows…
Stargazer’s World: Did you recruit most of your playtesters over the internet or did you do most the testing "in house"? Do you think X-plorers would have been possible without the ‘net?
David Bezio: I’ll be honest, and hope it doesn’t alienate the internet community…Over 600 people downloaded the X-plorers playtest version. Of those people, I heard back from a number less than you can count on my hands. Most of the playtesting was done by my group, and rigorous solo testing (yes, I fought with myself a lot). So, open playtesting wasn’t as productive as I hoped it would be.
No, X-plorers wouldn’t have come about (and won’t continue) without the net. It would just be one of the many RPGs I’ve written over the years for myself and my friends. With all the old school talk, I felt there were a lot of people searching for a game like this, so I decided to share. Unfortunately sharing takes money (most people probably think it’s the other way around when you publish something) and a lot of time. I’m not a pimp, and it takes outside interest to keep me motivated (it might seem easy, but, anyone who has done it probably agrees with me that even a small project like this takes a lot of effort). If the internet community doesn’t get pumped and contribute their thoughts and ideas (and money when they buy products) X-plorers won’t be able to grow and flourish.
Stargazer’s World: Is there anything else you want to talk about?
David Bezio: Yeah, I purchased a house recently, and have a game room in the basement with carpet and everything…but no table to actually play on! 3 stinking months and still no place to play in my new house yet. Sucks! That’s all .
Stargazer’s World: Thanks for answering a few questions for us! I wish you all the best in your future projects and hope we can perhaps do a follow-up interview in the future!
X-plorers solo game
2August 24, 2009
This weekend I wanted to give X-plorers a try, but alas aside from my girlfriend noone was around to play, so we decided to run the mission in the back of the book as solo game.
My girlfriend rolled up a Scientist and I used the pregenerated characters as NPCs. But in order not to let all the NPCs do all the work, she was pretty much in charge of the group of X-plorers. After I have read the rules thoroughly, I never had to look at the rules again. This was very relaxing and allowed me to focus entirely on running the game and playing the various NPCs. Combat was pretty fast and deadly (my girlfriend’s character almost died in the first fight), but it seemed appropriate for the setting. It took us about two hours to create a character and play through the entire mission.
From that game I discovered two things:
- X-plorers is easy to run and to play and it’s a hell lot of fun! The introductory mission was a bit clichéd, but both me and my girlfriend enjoyed it tremendously. When time permits I will definitely give X-plorers another chance with a larger group.
- Solo games are fun. I have to admit it was the first time we tried something like this. We didn’t have that much roleplaying and social interaction as in normal games, but this may be at least partly because of the mission. But running a solo game is fun and I am pretty sure you can have a lot of roleplaying with an adventure more focussed on that.
We won’t probably start an X-plorers solo campaign, because my girlfriend prefers fantasy or horror games, but even she enjoyed the old-school style of X-plorers. I think we might give Swords & Wizardry a try for our next solo game.
First Look: X-plorers
0August 21, 2009
X-plorers is a new roleplaying game by David Bezio’s Grey Area Games. But although its brand-new you could easily mistake it for a game from the 70s. And I mean that in a good way. The basic idea behind X-plorers is a thought experiment: What if the fathers of roleplaying were SF fans instead of wargamers and fantasy fans? And X-Plorers is like the answer to that. In many ways it reads like what D&D might have become if it was a science fiction game.
The 62-paged book (David was nice enough to provide me with a free review PDF of the final version. Thanks, David!) contains everything you need to start playing, aside from players, dice and such things, of course. The first few pages describe what X-plorers is about, provides some background on the game’s setting, and gives a detailed example of how gameplay works. I don’t think that anyone who picks up this particular game will need an explanation what a roleplaying game is, but it certainly helps to set the mood. The game is using the OGL and uses material from both the SRD from WotC and Sword & Wizardry. If you have played any d20 game and/or retro-clone you should be able to get a hang of the rules in mere minutes.
Chapter 1 gives details on the character creation. Using 3D6 you roll up the four attributes Agility, Intelligence, Physique and Presence. After that you can choose your character class. X-plorers comes with four basic classes, that are presented in Chapter 2: Scientist, Soldier, Scout and Technician. The class determines to what skills a character has access to and how he advances with each level. Although the different classes are much less different then in D&D for example. The Scientist and the Technician even share the Computers skill, although the Technician may even use this skill to repair the computer or write programs. All classes get a d6 hit die and aside from the Soldier all classes have the same “base hit bonus” progression. I think this works pretty well in a SF game.
The progression table goes from level 1 to 10, but gamemasters can easily extrapolate from there and play to any character level they wish. There’s also some kind of multi-classing, which allows characters to learn skills from other classes.
Chapter 3 focuses on equipment. There you’ll find anything your characters will ever need in their missions from a basic compass to various high-tech weapons and even vehicles and robots. Although the chapter is quite short I didn’t have the feeling that anything was missing.
Chapter 4 is about how the game works. In some detail you get explanations on how skill throws and saving throws work, how to get experience and level up characters, and last but not least: combat rules. Combat works pretty much The combat rules are very streamlined when compared with the ones in the SRD and David even added a nice critical hit chart. When a NPC hits 0 hp he’s out. When a PC gets pummeled down to 0 hp he rolls on a table with a d6. If he rolls a 1 he’s pushing up the daisies, but with a result of 6 an adrenaline surge occurs and the player gets d6 hp back but at the end of the combat he looses consciousness for 1d6x10 minutes. Cool!
Chapter 5 contains all the rules about space from travel times and cost to space ships and ship combat. The combat system is very detailed and works without any battlemap. Instead you use a space combat chart for each enemy ship. When the encounter starts, there are 5 “Space Units” between the enemy ship and the player ship. During the movement phase the pilot of the ships can then decide if the want to keep the distance, evade or move into attack positions. The system is designed in a way that each class can take over a certain job in the ship. Soldiers can use the guns, scientists plot courses using the navigational computers, technicians try to fix battle damage and scouts are great as pilots. The damage system works much like in the personal combat rules and there’s even a Ship Critical Hit Table, which is slightly more deadly than the normal Critical Hit table, especially since a result of 1-2 (Explosion!) usually results in the death of all player characters!
Chapter 6 is for referee’s only and give hints and advice how to create and run missions and how and where to get ideas and inspiration. The rules section of the book is then concluded with chapter 7 which provides rules for creating NPCs, creatures and aliens. It also contains a couple of sample creatures and some basic NPCs like Security Guards and Pirates (every game is better with Pirates! Yarrr!)
The book is then concluded with chapter 8: Cleopatra Station. Cleopatra Station is a complete mission for 3-5 player characters which will probably take 2-4 hours to complete. I don’t want to go into detail here in order not to spoil anyone, but it’s a great adventure to help the players familiarize with the rules and the world. It might be a bit clichéd, but hey, wasn’t that the idea? I haven’t run the mission yet, but I hope I can do so this weekend.
X-plorers is a great book: it feels like a RPG from ´”more civilized times”, with pretty easy to learn rules and some really nice ideas (like the Adrenaline Surge result on the Critical Hit Table) and an ingenious space combat system. If you ever wished the first roleplaying game ever created was not about crawling around in Dungeons and slaying Dragons but exploring space with skill and laser gun, X-plorers is the game for you!
Ok, you’re sold and you want to give X-plorers a try, what can you do? There are three ways to get your hands on that fine game:
- You can buy the softcover version at Lulu for €9.30 (Sorry, I just get prices in € when I go to Lulu, it should be about 13 bucks or so, when I am not mistaken)
- Or you can download the PDF version for just €4.65 but you’ll have to print it out for yourself.
- If you are still unsure if X-plorers is the game for you, get the free version from the Grey Area Games website. It doesn’t include the TOC, the sample mission, the pregenerated characters, the top secret chapter, which is so secret I didn’t mention it in my review until now, the combat summary sheet and the awesome artwork. But aside from that it’s a fully playable game for free.
Ok, I am now going to prep my first X-plorers game for saturday. I am so excited! 
And by the way, the first issue of Galactic Troubleshooters, the official quarterly X-plorers supplement was released a few days ago. It can be bought here.
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