(this post was started awhile ago, and I'm finally getting back to it).
These books were my first introduction into this role playing world. I remember having a shelf full of them when I was a kid. Listening to Nirvana Nevermind on a cassette and rolling dice on my lap, instead of doing homework.
When I first jumped onto google plus, I think my first search term was Fighting Fantasy. Shortly after I found the OSR. Shortly after that I created a community for Advanced Fighting Fantasy. I then grabbed the NEW version of AFF by +Graham Bottley . I dubbed it AFF 2.0, I think it stuck. I love that there was a vibrant community around all things fighting fantasy. All this is possible because of the internet. I remember being a nerdy kid thinking "I wonder if other people know how cool this is?". I didn't know that it was HUGE in the UK (yonder magical island across the sea from me, where there are pubs on every corner, note I must go there).
My interest in AFF & FF has been reignited latetly, as I've been reading a few of the solo books in my spare time. Crown of kings & armies of death. Which has got me thinking about either writing my own rules hack, re-buying the original dungeoneer or just running AFF 2.0. The other night I found a PILE of resources out there for AFF.
The original advanced rules were broken, there was a lot of things like leveling up that just made heroes gods eventually. That being said, the simplicity of the system is JUST AWESOME. And honestly I think it would be perfect for 1 shots or even a 3-4 session type game. Part of the reason I don't know if I would run Aff2.0 as a one shot is that not everybody has the rules handy. (especially if playing online). So what I might do, is just go ahead and create a house rules document with the basics. Possibly use a few tweaks from Troika, AFF 2.0 etc. Basically something that allows a quick start type of game. (speaking of quickstarts there's one for aff 2.0).
If you haven't heard about TROIKA! you should go and check it out. It's a throwback to the original set of advanced rules, however there's lots of fun little tweaks. From a brief little read, there is a world behind the rules, classes, backgrounds that all tie in. (A full review is upcoming). Here's the blurb.
Troika! is a complete role playing game, giving you everything you need to create characters and lead them through the hump-backed sky towards adventure.
The game is a response to decrepit UK RPGs. A "retro" RPG rebuilt without sentimentality, corpses of darlings litter the streets.
The game is 56 pages and includes:
Unified art direction by Jeremy Duncan.
A fully automated character creation system to represent the vagaries of fate.
36 backgrounds. You have no influence on who you were, only on who you will become.
A setting baked into the rules and resistant to untangling.
Plainly expressed rules, easily accessible and highly modifiable.
Just a few thoughts on Troika while I'm rambling here. I really like it! However the baked in setting and background isn't really my cup of tea currently. To a degree the backgrounds sort of remind me of Barbarians of Lemuria (another wonderful system that's easy to run).
So in my quest last night to find some interesting resources I found the following cool shit:
*Note that's basically where I'm going to get my home brew version.
*Fan written adventures for AFF (and version 2.0): https://fightingfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Fan_Written_Advanced_Fighting_Fantasy
*Dyson Logos redrew the map for "warlock of firetop mountain". https://dysonlogos.blog/2019/01/26/the-warlock-of-firetop-mountain-combined/
*A bunch of fan rules: http://fightingfantasygamebooks.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1788&Itemid=37
*A pile of monsters: http://fightingfantasygamebooks.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=445&Itemid=65
*adventure sheets: http://fightingfantasygamebooks.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1407&Itemid=68
*Dysons review on AFF2.0: https://dysonlogos.blog/2014/08/07/advanced-fighting-fantasys-reboot/
What I've always loved about the system is the simplicity. That and the idea of just being an adventurer (in the books). You start off with a backpack, a sword and a torch and your wits. Love it.
I enjoyed this post and featured it on my podcast this week.
ReplyDeletehttps://frothsofdnd.blogspot.com/2019/02/humpday-blog-o-rama-2619.html
Yeah! I'll have a listen tomorrow morning!
DeleteReally This goes far beyond the commenting! It wrote his thoughts while reading the article amazingly :)
ReplyDeleteCheating Playing Cards in Delhi