I'm not dogging D&D, it's fun, but the way it's setup doesn't lend itself well to a low-magic Gritty setting. It does High Fantasy, High Magic, and High-action settings well.
I've actually considered picking up the Conan game quite a few times, but I'm not very knowledgable about the game. What does it do differently than D&D?
AC is replaced by parry and dodge defenses. Armor now absorbs damage, or you can attempt to bypass armor through finesse. In the latter case you have to beat the opponents defense by the same amount as the DR. Magic is completely reworked and toned down, but it's darker. Stats go up faster. Skill points from intelligence ignore cross-class distinctions. And more. Overall it's a grittier and more epic feeling game.
AC is replaced by parry and dodge defenses. Armor now absorbs damage, or you can attempt to bypass armor through finesse. In the latter case you have to beat the opponents defense by the same amount as the DR. Magic is completely reworked and toned down, but it's darker. Stats go up faster. Skill points from intelligence ignore cross-class distinctions. And more. Overall it's a grittier and more epic feeling game.
I'll definately give it another look the next time I make a trip to the game store.
It's very detailed, and true to the original works of Conan literature.
4e does assume a certain number of magic items, but that can be taken care of by simply stipulating that PCs get certain flat bonuses when they reach certain levels.
I still recommend taking a look at the Conan RPG, as there's great material in there, but 4e might still work. (Ultimately, we'll have to wait until June to know for sure, though.)
Unfortunately it's looking like Mongoose may not be picking up 4e, so if you want to play Conan d20 you'll have to stick to 3e or homebrew it.
And that's bad because...?
Conan RPG from Mongoose is pretty much an OGL-based standalone product. All the rules are in there and therefore don't require PHB.
I still recommend taking a look at the Conan RPG, as there's great material in there, but 4e might still work. (Ultimately, we'll have to wait until June to know for sure, though.)
Unlike 3e, I'm not in a rush to get 4e.
Unfortunately it's looking like Mongoose may not be picking up 4e, so if you want to play Conan d20 you'll have to stick to 3e or homebrew it.
Why would they? Conan d20 is stand-alone, and doesn't use most of the 3.x rules anyway. IE instead of DC from armor, they have parry and dodge, the magic system is completely different, there is no reliance on magic items, etc...
To update that system to 4E would kill it, taking away the Howard flavor, thus it wouldn't be Conan anymore!
From what I hear, 4e will be quite suitable for this type of setting, moreso than 3.x was.
I still recommend taking a look at the Conan RPG, as there's great material in there, but 4e might still work. (Ultimately, we'll have to wait until June to know for sure, though.)
The first issue between these two settings that comes to mind is that 4E is a setting where you need a “full party” to accomplish much. In Conan, that full party could be 5 fighters, try that in D&D.
Conan, is not magic reliant, and what little magic there is is powerful as all heck. Aside from the above stated facts, an arcane controller, or a priest would be near impossible to guarantee every party, and they don't need to be there.
There are hardly any magic items in the system, and there isn't a problem with it that way. It is harder on the players to accomplish things, but that is how it is supposed to be.
All said, I don't see where 4E will do any justice for Conan. Mongoose has no intention on fixing something that isn't broken, Vince, while curious about 4E, has no desire to model “his” game upon a MMO based system, and the players would revolt something fierce. That said, who knows? I don't lay all my eggs in one basket anymore, when it comes to RPGs as a year down the line you get the “revised x times” edition.
Beowulf; The 13th Warrior, and other similar artistic works.
To be nitpicky, Eaters of the Dead (aka. The 13th Warrior) was itself based on Beowulf so that is a little reduntant.
It's a good idea and I support it. I'm hoping that the default "Points of Light" setting is of this vein, though I imagine it will cleave to a more sanitized and safe "high fantasy" milieu.
I agree that a darker low-magic world would be a welcomed change for D&D, but it seems to me like WotC is hoping to appeal to the kiddies with 4e. That said, i expect to see a resurgence of casual resurections and Monty Hall-style treasure come mid-summer.
Not if we veterans -- who have had made rookie mistakes when we were rookies -- take matters in our own hands and educate them.
Okay, not me. I'm not into 4e yet. :P
Not if we veterans -- who have had made rookie mistakes when we were rookies -- take matters in our own hands and educate them.
Okay, not me. I'm not into 4e yet. :P
Well I am pretty much on board for 4e at this point. I resisted for quite a while, but decided that the real key to enjoying D&D lies in who you are playing with more than the specifics of the rules. This edition just seems like it is better suited for drawing inspiration from the movie Labyrinth than anything Robert E. Howard ever wrote. I'm not saying that's a bad thing per see, just that it's probably going to take a little more work to make a gritty setting viable with the new engine.
As for educating the younger players I am presently teaching D&D to a group of WoW fanatics, so I'm doing my part. :D
I'm not saying I feel that the Conan RPG needs to be updated. I'd just like it if WoTC made a similar style of setting. I'm not sure how that would mesh with 4E, but I'd at least like to see what would come out of the attempt.
I see a lot of really good reviews for the Conan RPG. I still haven't had a chance to pick it up, but I do plan to do so. I've just been a bit busier than expected lately.
I'm not saying I feel that the Conan RPG needs to be updated. I'd just like it if WoTC made a similar style of setting. I'm not sure how that would mesh with 4E, but I'd at least like to see what would come out of the attempt.
Maybe they'll do it as part of the "one setting per year" plan, but I'm not holding my breath if they intend to sustain such a setting for more than a year, unlike Eberron and Forgotten Realms lines.
Iron Heroes doesn't really have a campaign world described in it. There's a bare bones campaign setting (more of a suggestion of a setting really), but it's not fully fleshed out like d20 Conan. So, depending on what you're looking for, Iron Heroes may or may not fulfill all your needs.