General questions about the game

Dungeoneer the RPG is fast paced and easy to learn, and yet is packed with depth and tactical game play. You can set up your game session in moments and enjoy playing for hours.

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gilgalad
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General questions about the game

Post by gilgalad »

So since this is a hybrid rpg will it be packaged in a boxed set format?

I'm not sure if I've seen it mentioned anywhere but will you need dice to play?

About how many games will it take to reach the highest level of play?

Will you need to purchase expansions to reach the higher levels or will everything you need be in the one set?

Will you be able to use any of the existing Dungeoneer card sets in the game deck or are they incompatible?

What form will expansions take? Books, maps, cards?

What about miniatures? Do we need some to play? Will you be making any?

Sorry if it's too early yet to be asking all of this but inquiring minds want to know. :D
Thomas Denmark
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Re: General questions about the game

Post by Thomas Denmark »

Yes, boxed set.

Requires 6-sided dice. 1 or 2 per player is ideal.

One long weekend of gaming should get you to the highest (10th) level.

No expansions required. The set should be complete - though expansions are planned!

Yes, you can use existing Dungeoneer cards. Some cards may require modification - which information will be included or available online. This has not been determined yet.

I don't know if expansions will be a deck of cards or a module with an attached deck or just modules or what. TBD

Miniatures are certainly handy, but not required.

Hope this info helps, I was happy to provide it.
Thomas Denmark
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Banesfinger
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Post by Banesfinger »

From Thomas Denmark's Dungeoneer Blog:
http://dungeoneering.blogspot.com/

Currently the contents are looking something like this:

- 3 booklets (player's guide, dungeonlord's guide, and world guide)
- 220 cards
- 100 peril/glory tokens
- dice
- character sheets

Note this is not final.
differentSmoke
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Post by differentSmoke »

Ok. Let's me start by saying that from the first time I played Dungeoneer, I thought it had potential for a simple RPG system. I was very excited when I heard an actual RPG was in the making. Afterwards though, I assumed it was just going to be another d20 game. So I was very excited to find out it wasn't, that you're really trying to get the feeling of the card game to the RPG.

"No +1 swords" really got my hopes up. Also, I love that Peril,as I understand it, works as a kind of Karma, and that Glory is the universal "coin", and how it can represent anything from money to resources to favors to just luck(again, as I understood it)

However, I'm not that happy with some of the things I've read lately. I like dungeon crawls, to some extent, but RolePlaying is a very, very important aspect to me as well.

So, Question Nº1:
So, is there space for dramatic conflicts, even if their resolution has nothing to do with the system?

Thomas Denmark mentioned something about characters being created by the choice of 5 cards that determine different aspects of the character.
QNº2
Let's say there's 4 cards of each kind, would that mean 4x4x4x4x4=1024 possible, workable, playable, REASONABLY balanced types of character you could play? Or would some combinations be restricted, or simply too underpowering?

I'm looking forward for the "Character Creation in 10 minutes and less", btw.

QNº3:
How involved will be the cards in the resolution of conflicts?
Question(s)Nº4:
Will a system be provided to create your own cards? How "mechanical" will it be, will there be rules to ensure the creation of balanced cards? Can players create their own cards?

QNº5:
How will magic work?(tough one?) How abstract? Spell based? Effect based?

QNº6:
Will "stealthy" characters have a place in the game? Will trying to sneak your way in and out of the dungeon count as a valid approach?(sorry, Thief at heart)

that would be it, for now.
I'm still very thrilled about this game, I think it could be the next big thing.
Banesfinger
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Post by Banesfinger »

differentSmoke wrote:...RolePlaying is a very, very important aspect to me...so, is there space for dramatic conflicts, even if their resolution has nothing to do with the system?
I'm not sure if this answers your question, but here is a quote on "roleplaying" from a previous thread:
warpweaver wrote:The most recent test of "Escape from Palanthion" at Gamescape North in San Rafael, California was a great success...Every hero kept in character for their roleplay phase. There was not a single roleplay interaction that was not at least interesting or amusing (netting the speaker 1 glory), if not hillareous or inspiring (providing 2 or in one case 3 glory).
warpweaver
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Dungeoneer Adventures: Questions & Answers

Post by warpweaver »

differentSmoke wrote: Question Nº1:
So, is there space for dramatic conflicts, even if their resolution has nothing to do with the system?
Yes.
differentSmoke wrote: Thomas Denmark mentioned something about characters being created by the choice of 5 cards that determine different aspects of the character.
QNº2
Let's say there's 4 cards of each kind, would that mean 4x4x4x4x4=1024 possible, workable, playable, REASONABLY balanced types of character you could play? Or would some combinations be restricted, or simply too underpowering?
At present there are 5 templates and 6 callings. We are still balancing the cultures, aptitudes and races. There will be at least 5 or 6 of each. Our main limitation here is the number of cards we can put in the set! There are so many cool races in Tarniss that Thomas has invented (e.g. Drakan, Necro, Shragnoloth, Pogwai) it's rally hard to slim it down, while still making space for elves, dwarves and ogres.

I have seen all sorts of card combinations that led to fascinating heroes.

Wednesday night, Dzintars, one of the original playtesters, tried out an Adventurer template, with the Arcane aptitude. I was suprised at this particular combination, as so far only people taking Magic user or Eldritch had bothered to select Arcane. This hero prooved key to the groups strategy. With the Adventurer's ability to help out other heroes with threats, and the Arcane aptitude boosting his ability to deal with magic, the Arcane Adventurer was just as important a member of the team as the extremely specialized optimized Tough Imperial Fighter played by Jeffrey (from who we expect nothing less that highly optimized, he's the same hero who originally made the final move that prevented the renaimation of Tiamat in the first playtest of "The Sunken Ziggurat").

He did need almost as much protection from swarms of melee based vermin as the eldritch did. Lucky for him, Michael, who has also been with us since the very first DGA playtest, took a Warrior template. With a Warrior and a Fighter in the group, Norm, a reliable Eldritch player in many of our games, could safely focus in magic, making use of his favorite strategy of repeatedly spellstriking the monsters. That sure keeps the population of 0 magic vermin in check!

In last weeks game, Ana, an experienced WoW player who joined us for some of her first tabletop RPG adventures had a Magic User, who through a clever selection of boons and treasures, had built herself up into a melee powerhouse. With the Magic User's, solid progress in the magic attribute and some defensive equipment she was really an extremely hard target for the poor Dungeonlord. I had to rely on traps to keep her off balance. Since the group had neglected to bring anyone along who could deal effectively with speed threats, that was the most effective way of spending her peril.

You can also thank her for helping rename the Common culture option to Rustic.
differentSmoke wrote: I'm looking forward for the "Character Creation in 10 minutes and less", btw.
While dinner took over an hour, that party was fully assembled less than 10 minutes after the table was cleared. (Thanks to the heroes who cleaned it as the Dungeonlord sorted through his pile of quest and map cards!)
differentSmoke wrote: QNº3:
How involved will be the cards in the resolution of conflicts?
Question(s)Nº4:
Will a system be provided to create your own cards? How "mechanical" will it be, will there be rules to ensure the creation of balanced cards? Can players create their own cards?
Card creation by independant Dungeonlords is an important part of the game. Don't forget that you can use Dungeoneer cards from any set in DGA.
differentSmoke wrote: QNº5:
How will magic work?(tough one?) How abstract? Spell based? Effect based?
Magic works the way it works in Dungeoneer! There are new magic Tactics such as Spellstrike, Counterspell and Runespell. These greatly increase a heroes flexibility in combat.
differentSmoke wrote: QNº6:
Will "stealthy" characters have a place in the game? Will trying to sneak your way in and out of the dungeon count as a valid approach?(sorry, Thief at heart)
Well, if it's a clue as to how important the 'rogue' roll is in DGA I will let slip that as a player of d20, it's been a LONG time since I didn't take my first level in Rogue, or undercertain circumstances, Bard. Don't be fooled by the template Adventurer. Don't you know that it's rude to call people 'thieves' these days, unless of course ... they are caught red handed.

;)

Onwards to Glory!
bye for now,
richard pocklington
Banesfinger
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Post by Banesfinger »

Will it be possible to play this game via "Play by Post" or even with a friend over the internet (using virtual table top software)?

The reason I ask is this game will use cards. What happens if some of the players don't have direct access to those cards?
warpweaver
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Post by warpweaver »

Thomas Denmark came up with a very clever way to play the game without physical cards.

I prefer to play with cards, as they really help me organize my thoughts as a dungeonlord or as a hero.

Remote play is not an explicit design goal, but we hope that the system is flexible enough that you could use it even if not everyone is in the same room.

That being said, the game is fast, furious and best played around the table with everyone right there slapping cards down and rolling dice.

Onwards to Glory!
bye for now,
richard pocklington
Thomas Denmark
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Post by Thomas Denmark »

Without some specialized software, or some clever solution I don't know how well play-by-post would work.

There is a way to track cards without actually using cards, it was an original design we had back before we knew we would be able to publish it in a boxed set with cards.
Thomas Denmark
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Banesfinger
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Post by Banesfinger »

Thomas Denmark wrote:There is a way to track cards without actually using cards...
Will this 'option' be in the rules, or posted to the site (a web enhancement)?
warpweaver
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Post by warpweaver »

It's in the rules as an optional rule.
We have kept things true to the dungeoneer tradition by including several optional rules you can use to expand or extend your game.
bye for now,
richard pocklington
Iceberg256
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Re: Dungeoneer Adventures: Questions & Answers

Post by Iceberg256 »

warpweaver wrote: At present there are 5 templates and 6 callings. We are still balancing the cultures, aptitudes and races. There will be at least 5 or 6 of each. Our main limitation here is the number of cards we can put in the set! There are so many cool races in Tarniss that Thomas has invented (e.g. Drakan, Necro, Shragnoloth, Pogwai) it's rally hard to slim it down, while still making space for elves, dwarves and ogres.

I have seen all sorts of card combinations that led to fascinating heroes.
Are there any combinations that would be incompatable?
I'm curious if it would be feasable to randomly create characters by dealing out these cards to each player. I'm sure this could result in some interesting combinations.

Also, how is character death handled in game? For example, if a character in a 6th level party dies, do they have to start from scratch at 1st level?
Banesfinger
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Post by Banesfinger »

Another general question:

Since the PC templates/abilities are based on cards, AND there are a limited amount of cards availible, does that mean:

- We have 6 players who all want to be "fighters", and there are only 4 "fighter" cards in the deck, then 2 players are out of luck?
Thomas Denmark
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Re: Dungeoneer Adventures: Questions & Answers

Post by Thomas Denmark »

Iceberg256 wrote: Are there any combinations that would be incompatable?
I'm curious if it would be feasable to randomly create characters by dealing out these cards to each player. I'm sure this could result in some interesting combinations.

Also, how is character death handled in game? For example, if a character in a 6th level party dies, do they have to start from scratch at 1st level?
There are some combinations that are strange yes - incompatible no. I don't see any reason cards couldn't be dealt out randomly.

Just as in the card game:
Respawn: your character comes back healed in a starting location (perhaps healed in a local temple)
Reincarnation: new character at the lowest level of the current "grade" (heroic, epic, legendary) the party average is at.
Thomas Denmark
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Thomas Denmark
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Post by Thomas Denmark »

Banesfinger wrote:Another general question:

Since the PC templates/abilities are based on cards, AND there are a limited amount of cards availible, does that mean:

- We have 6 players who all want to be "fighters", and there are only 4 "fighter" cards in the deck, then 2 players are out of luck?
If you want to forgo using cards during character generation you can consult the charts old-school style in the Player's Guide. It takes a bit longer, and you sacrifice the guaranteed variety of character types in your party.
Thomas Denmark
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dragomagno
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Post by dragomagno »

Hallo everyone!
So...summarizing: in Dungeoneer RPG you can use ALL the sets of Dungeoneer XCG to create your own adventure.
Now I ask: can we use also the Dungeoneer RPG cards to expand the game of Dungeoneer XCG???? :?:
'couse I mad 'bout Dungeoneer XCG...... :lol:
warpweaver
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Post by warpweaver »

Yes, but not all of them.
bye for now,
richard pocklington
dragomagno
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Post by dragomagno »

warpweaver wrote:Yes, but not all of them.
Thanks for the answer!! :)
OK! You probably mean I can't use the Hero cards of Dungeoneer RPG in Dungeoneer XCG, right?
Or maybe also some map, monster, adventure cards of Dungeoneer RPG would be unusable in XCG? :?:
warpweaver
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Post by warpweaver »

It's a complicated question.

Many of the hero cards are perfectly compatible with XCG, some have different effects which are more or less powerful.

For example, the Hero Background Calling, Curiosity, allows you to draw the top five cards of the hero deck, examine them and put any number of them back on the deck in any order with the rest on the bottom of the deck.

If you decided to enrich your XCG game by allowing all heroes to choose a calling, you would each have a calling background card in addition to your hero character card. This would give you a specific bonus when you completed your favored quest type.

The curiosity calling is great in the DGA as the heroes are working together and knowing which treasures and boons are coming up is very valuable.

In the XCG you might just be able to deny your enemy an anti-fiend spell becasue you ahve 2 fiends in your hand and want to use them on them.

The reknown calling on the other hand gives you extra glory when you complete a threat quest. I feel it' stronger in the XCG then in the DGA.

The incompatible cards are mostly those dealing specifically with the roleplay phase. XCG does not have a roleplay phase, so they just dont make sense in that environment.
bye for now,
richard pocklington
dragomagno
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Post by dragomagno »

warpweaver wrote:The incompatible cards are mostly those dealing specifically with the roleplay phase. XCG does not have a roleplay phase, so they just dont make sense in that environment.
I think that's an important issue....
I also think never before a RPG game was so close in the concept to a cards game (and viceversa) like in Dungeoneer! :)
I really can't wait to have the RPG "part" of this game, since I jet got ALL the XCG expansions!! :o
What me and my friends (veterans players of the XCG "part" of Dungeoneer...) ask ourselves in these days it's a very simply question: "would the new comer RPG expansion of Dungeoneer be able to extend the dungeons and all the wilderness terrains of existing sets of XCG Dungeoneer, maybe putting on the scene new ambientantions, allowing us to trip across Taryns, the fantastic world created by Thomas Denmark??! :?: "

Of course everyone of us is well prepared to have a new experience of game with the "RPG soul" of Dungeoneer (yes, we love it :wink: ), but we want to keep also the "XCG body" of Dungeoneer! :)

This means: "Ok guys! Tonight we'll have a lot o bloody fun with 4-5 amazing challenges with D.XCG and in the next weekend we'll be involved in a dirty dirty dirty adventure with D.RPG (of course, I'll be the Dungeonlord mhuahauauah!! :twisted: )!! Yes yes yes, be sure guys: WE CAN USE THE SAME DECKS OF DUNGEONEER CARDS IN BOTH CIRCUMSTANCES!!! ":D :D

So...this would be reasonable?! :wink:

Please, answer my question! :)
dragomagno
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Post by dragomagno »

dragomagno wrote:"would the new comer RPG expansion of Dungeoneer be able to extend the dungeons and all the wilderness terrains of existing sets of XCG Dungeoneer, maybe putting on the scene new ambientantions, allowing us to trip across Taryns, the fantastic world created by Thomas Denmark??! :?: "
Was my question offensive? :?:
:(
goodmangames
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Post by goodmangames »

I think we must have missed that question! Richard and Thomas are closer to the design details than me so guys, correct me if I'm wrong, but the general idea is that we're trying to make the RPG as compatible with the existing cards as possible. There are some cases where it simply won't work without modification. But where it will work, it's possible. Considering that there will be both dungeon and wilderness expeditions in any RPG, yes, you will be able to use some of the existing dungeon and wilderness cards in the RPG.
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Treebore
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Post by Treebore »

So this is still being done?

Cool.

I was thinking that maybe this had been cancelled in favor of the other RPG game announcement.

Good, I think the cards are a real good mechanic for the game master as well as the player.

I say this because I like it when the story of the campaign unfolds in ways I, as the GM, didn't anticipate. Which keeps me fresh and involved in the campaign. I think the card mechanic will greatly increase this "feel" that I like.
Castles and Crusades is my game of choice!
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