Basic Conversion

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WARDUKE
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Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2018 9:05 am

Basic Conversion

Post by WARDUKE »

Hi all,

Are there any compiled conversion notes for taking existing D&D Basic modules and converting them to BFRPG?

If so, where can I find those?

Thank you.
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SmootRK
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Re: Basic Conversion

Post by SmootRK »

Not entirely sure you will get a comprehensive conversion document because it would probably entail several direct comparisons and mentions of certain games and editions. Leans towards a certain grey area... might violate certain parts of OGL.

That said, AC is probably the only portion that I really bother with most of the time. Other parts I use as is, or wing it. Other things to look out for is that sometimes there are no spell counterparts in BFRPG (so I simply choose alternate).
Is it really the end, not some crazy dream?
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orobouros
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Re: Basic Conversion

Post by orobouros »

I'm a fan of one-page dungeons since I run a lot of single sessions. Conversion is generally pretty easy; I can take the monster description and fill in the details from the Basic Fantasy books. Converting from ascending AC to descending AC is pretty simple and if you forget, just check what a "normal man" needs to roll to hit an unarmored "normal man" and scale from there.

More important, go through the module _after_ conversion and play it through on your own. Not all modules are equal and some can leave an ill-prepared party dead on the floor. If you're striving for 100% authenticity you may just have to play with the original rules. But the Basic Fantasy rules are very solid and you ought to be able to "create" a new adventure from the original source that plays out very well.

If you have a certain module in mind there's a good chance somebody else has already done a conversion and posted the details online. Certain commercial publishers sell conversion kits for modules, so this isn't something particularly novel.

As mentioned, don't worry about the details too much and be confident in your ability to wing it while playing.
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Olgabelle
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Re: Basic Conversion

Post by Olgabelle »

Just invert ACs and use BF descriptions of monsters and magic where you can. Don't be afraid to wing it on the rest. BF and rules lite games are much more forgiving that way. 🙂
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chiisu81
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Re: Basic Conversion

Post by chiisu81 »

Also remember Basic Fantasy RPG by default doesn't use the 1gp=1XP rule (it is an optional rule however, p. 153) so you may need to adjust accordingly.
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orobouros
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Re: Basic Conversion

Post by orobouros »

This conversion issue is why I allow the 1 gp spent = 1 xp earned. I'm fond of the old modules I never got to play when they came out.
sean8223
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Re: Basic Conversion

Post by sean8223 »

AC is really the only thing to convert I find. I use the GP for XP optional rule, so I looked into how the treasure types align and found that BFRPG monster treasure types are highly compatible with Moldvay/Cook (and even the same in many instances). So I use them without conversion.

It's a little more complicated with AD&D monsters, but BFRPG treaure types seem to map to the AD&D MM 1e as follows:

* Treasure types A-I are more or less equivalent
* BFRPG treasure types J-O are more or less equivalent to AD&D O-T
* BFRPG treasure types P-T are more or less equivalent to AD&D J-N
* BFRPG treasure types U-V don't have an AD&D equivalent
* AD&D treasure types U-Z don't have a BFRPG or Moldvay/Cook equivalent
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