Half-Ogres were a common thing in AD&D games back in the day; I played one, and I've had several in my campaigns, including one current player character who's been in play 20 years (real time). I think they may have appeared in Dragon originally. They are found in the Half Humans Supplement on the Downloads page.

@toddlyons

8 ай бұрын

I'm intrigued and hope to be able to play one someday, though I'm only able to do BFRPG as a solo game these days. But the next one of my PCs to die... 🤔

I tell ya, Todd. There's also some real good gems in the workshop. I've found quite a few pet projects in the forums that people haven't put up in the showcase or downloads yet. The BFRPG community will remain my favorite RPG communities. I really ought to get back on the forums sometime.

@toddlyons

6 ай бұрын

Absolutely. So long as they are complete, workshop projects can graduate up to being featured on a page. It might be incumbent on a writer to let Solo know when they think a project is ready. If there are favourite supplements you've found that you want to draw attention to, the Forum is a good place to do it.

Thanks for highlighting this. Anyone that picks up Basic Fantasy (or any pen and paper game) and assumes that what is in the text is all it has to offer is always mistaken! There are more things to do and see. Players and Game Masters should never stop pushing for more things to add and change in the game they want to play.

OK, on the questions I remember… 1. I like the way Castles & Crusades handles Illusionist magic. They aren’t making fake things, they are changing people’s perceptions of reality, which then alters reality. In C&C an Illusionist actually has healing spells that function on this principle. 2. The story is Babe Ruth called his shot, it’s in the lore now, but other than one BLURRY photograph there really isn’t much other evidence. Mighty Case at Bat is a poem which kinda riffs off the scene. 3. I am so glad you started a KZread Channel!

@toddlyons

8 ай бұрын

1. Actually messing with peoples' minds does make it more powerful, and I like that take. 2. Interesting. It struck me as a funny concept but I was fuzzy on the details. 3. Thank you! I promise to try to stop saying "I never meant to start a KZread channel" but I'm still in disbelief that I'm doing this. Reality will set in eventually.

@DMTalesTTRPG

8 ай бұрын

@@toddlyons always a pleasure conversing with you!

@MarkHyde

8 ай бұрын

@@toddlyons Sharing your insights might mean aligning with others views - always a plus to realize you're not alone on here. :)

Actually, Showcase documents are required to be complete, but not necessarily "finished." Thanks for the kind words! I will note that the bard in the Glain Companion is a disappointment to me and will be removed...

@toddlyons

8 ай бұрын

Interesting. I'd love to know more about how it misses the mark.

Awesome informative video on a product that is new to me. I have run BFRPG for a decade or more, made my own modifications here and there, but I honestly didn't know this document existed until I see it on your video. I will check into it with enthusiasm! I greatly appreciate the content I consistently find in your videos. I think they are helpful and inspiring and of significant benefit to the community. Cheers!

@toddlyons

8 ай бұрын

I'm so grateful to hear that. There are a lot of neat supplements for the system that I'd like to feature for people who don't have the time to go digging. ⛏

I’ve known about this for a long just never delved into it. Great video!

@toddlyons

8 ай бұрын

Thanks! It seemed like it was time for another reminder that BFRPG is a lot bigger than the Core Rules. This is a good way to easily expand it into something more like AD&D for the folks who want that.

Thank you for another wonderful video.

@toddlyons

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for saying so. I honestly look at every single one before the release date and wonder, " Will this be interesting to anyone?" But then every one is designed as a chat with friends, so I guess only friends will hang out to listen. I like that idea.

@praxistallyogarro

8 ай бұрын

I do enjoy the conversational tone in the way that you deliver your content, One of my players refers to you as "The Bob Ross of D&D".@@toddlyons

@toddlyons

8 ай бұрын

@@praxistallyogarro I'm touched. Bob was actually a badass when he was a drill sergeant. His vocal style was him distancing himself from that life. I too have had a lot of anger in my life but this is my normal voice when I'm in a good place. I'm glad if people like it.

Illusionists... ah. I played one in 2E for a few years; Alderon Spendler was his name, and the GM rued the day he let me play an illusionist. See, as a GM I make up scenes all the time; letting me do it as a player is probably not a good idea. Yeah, fireballs are fun, but a good illusion can entertain you for hours... And you should know, illusionists aren't using "fake" magic, they're casting glamours and veils and phantasms. Seriously, take a second look.

I have never seen this!!!

Thanks for showcasing Chris's own campaign world 'house rules publication' these are pretty close to my choice of added Supplement content if I were to run my own games eventually. I also like that additional race and class options are on the BFRPG's SRD website too. :)

@toddlyons

8 ай бұрын

There's so much un-mined gold in there which I hope to feature in turn, monthly. Every second video will be something more generic to OSR.

Thank you for this, sir! Good stuff and this is cool to see how Chris tends to run his, or did, as you rightly said Gary also did. 🤓👊 One note though, I did notice that in your videos, there are times that your audio skips/glitches. Here is was at roughly the 9:00 mark. Is that a wifi thing or maybe a mic thing for you? Not a problem, I deal with it and enjoy your videos enough that it's ok, but thought you'd like to know. Appreciate ya! 👊

@toddlyons

8 ай бұрын

It's an Audio-Technica AT2020 and I'm not sure what the issue is with it. I can't tell if it's a hardware problem, a driver problem, or if it's just extremely sensitive. I'm testing it with different mic covers and positions. Keeping it over a foot away seems to help a little. I might have to switch to something else if I can't fix it.

Also, I really love and agree with your comment on just distinguishing how one plays the various classes rather than adding more and more onto the game. It's so much more creative roleplaying to have the core and then manipulate how you set them up and play them that makes the differences, rather than having mechanical issues now have to be added/resolved because you added more into the mix. But, IMHO-ONLY here... to each his or her own I guess. It's, for some, a "play-style" choice/system choice? 🤔 Although I loved and used the heck out of the Complete books line from 2E back in their heyday, they were seen by me often more direction to help add creative roleplaying for this idea rather than mechanical...but a lot of my players turned them into mechanical more often than not, unfortunately. Oh well, my two cents here and thnx again, sir!

@toddlyons

8 ай бұрын

Anything that substitutes creative problem solving or role-play for a dice roll really diminishes the game's potential.. but it's hard to convince people that have learned to reply on those dice (or abilities). Teaching old-school play to brand new players can be more effective, but not every GM is up to the task.

@retrodmray

8 ай бұрын

@toddlyons I'm one that may not be fully up to the task with these newer players from the forever-videogame era. It's probably a patience thing and a lack of understanding why they don't understand. Lol 😋 Even though I'm a Chaplain, that doesn't mean that that extends to how I can sympathize/empathize with those who've only ever known videogames. Lol 😅 I do try though! Too old I guess. Thnx for the videos, as always! 👊🤓

I first encountered the half ogre character race in Dragon Magazine way a long time ago in, maybe, 1983(?...). I made a half ogre character. He had a 6 INT and his name was Otis. Lol

@toddlyons

5 ай бұрын

Otis? Sweet. I really want to run one now.

I think Illusionist was originally added because Gnomes couldn't be full magic users. I prefer the idea of a specialist wizard, where you get more spells within one "school" and/or can't learn magic-user spells in other "schools." In such a case, an illusionist is just a specialist. But why use an illusionist instead of a full magic user is similar to playing a rogue instead of a fighter: why sneak past a group when I can just run them through with a sword? Sometimes it's more fun, safe, practical, or interesting to distract or confuse others with illusions than just fireball them. If I can't teleport away from a group but I can hide behind a fake wall, then that's good enough to get away. In general though, there needs to be something new that illusion spells can bring (e.g., can I distract others or solve problems in a way non-illusion magic cannot?) Maybe illusions can cause fear, but there's no "scare" spell that a magic user has. I haven't looked at the spell lists in that document (or BFRPG for that matter) to know, but the spells available really determine whether an illusionist as a separate class makes sense. Otherwise the specialization isn't really worth it beyond Role-Playing opportunities or race restrictions.

@toddlyons

8 ай бұрын

I wasn't a fan of Druids until I saw one played really well in a game. Maybe I just need to see Chris Gonnerman's Illusionist character (or someone of similar talent) in action to better grasp how that skill set can be put to best use.

I will say that I gained a huge respect for illusion magic when reading the Black Company, lol. Not that D&D really fits that world, but still :D

@toddlyons

7 ай бұрын

I've neither played an illusionist nor been in a group where it was played by another character. I'm going to have to try it and see.

Illusionist class! 🌈🌞🌚🧙🏻‍♂️

Some interesting things are codified, But a lot of the character classes are redundant. I'm more rulings and house rules over strict RAW

@MarkHyde

8 ай бұрын

They come a lot from 1st ed AD&D. After folding in character class articles introducing these classes back in the day, when the classic four were the original make-up. Some GMs prefer that mix of extra classes - mainly because maybe it was their intro into the hobby.

@toddlyons

8 ай бұрын

I'm totally with you.

If you want to be a Paladin, pick Fighter, play a religious character.

@toddlyons

8 ай бұрын

Yes! And as your GM I'd be happy to decide whether your prayers were answered or if your actions warranted some form of divine intervention.

@Joshuazx

8 ай бұрын

@@toddlyons prefect!