I am working on my own fantasy heartbreaker RPG. Of course, I realize that the last thing that the world needs is yet another spin on the OSR D&D rules. There are several other versions of D&D that I enjoy: Dungeon Crawl Classics, Shadowdark, Worlds without Number, and even (heresy!) 5th Edition D&D, among others. Each of them has aspects that I like, yet none of them quite has the combination of features that I prefer.
I like a game with elegantly simple rules, but one which also allows players the freedom to create individualized characters that fit their preferences. One of my pet peeves is that old-school D&D did not allow players to easily create PCs like their favorite fictional heroes: Conan, Elric, and other fantasy protagonists did not fit any of the basic classes. I want a game that allows multi-classing and custom powers, so we can play heroes like those in our favorite stories.
As much as I enjoy a good dungeon crawl, I also like for characters to be able to develop a longer dramatic arc between adventures. I always enjoyed the "Winter Phases" of the Pendragon RPG, which allowed a PC to build a family, construct a fortress, make new allies and enemies, and craft their own story within the larger campaign. Other games, including 5th edition, have added downtime options between adventures. This is a feature I wanted to emphasize.
One of my main design goals for WyRM is COMPATIBILITY. I was motivated to create this game after a Worlds Without Number (WWN) campaign in which we played various published D&D and OSR adventures. We liked the WWN rules, especially the backgrounds and character classes. However we were frustrated that WWN was not more compatible with the published modules we were using, especially regarding spells, prices, and treasure.
We also thought that some of the WWN features seemed more hassle than they were worth, such as shock damage, arts, and separate 2d6 vs d20 resolution systems for different situations.
WyRM is intended to be similar to WWN but simplified and more compatible with published adventures for D&D and other OSR games.
Simplified how? All rolls on d20 instead of some on 2d6. No shock damage. No arts. Simpler powers instead of foci. Fewer skills.
More compatible how? Has all of the spells from B/X and Shadowdark. Based on the same gold piece prices and treasure values as B/X (with "correction" of some of my pet peeves.
The current title of the game is WyRM, a quasi-acronym for Warrior Rogue Mage, because these are the three main character classes.
WyRM is still under development. Feedback is welcome!
Link to Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AHxfZFXZKP_25N2joh8LGfRr-koXOYbZX2p_CBKYhgc/edit?usp=sharing
