Why BFRPG?

[Frank Turfler]

I'm an old school DM with new school players. Starting with a fresh group of tabletop rpg virgins we jumped into the DnD Next playtest with two feet. Most recently I just haven't been feeling like it is DnD anymore. I'd like to look at other perhaps simpler options that would allow for "bolt-on" rules and features without breaking the game, but that is also fairly well supported. I've been looking at Swords & Wizardry and Castles & Crusades as possible base rule set but I feel like I am swimming in a sea of retro clones, DnD editions and reimagines. It was recommended that I look into BFRPG. Can someone tell me why I would choose BFRPG over anything else?

[Hywaywolf]

IMO its because BFRPG doesn't try to be a clone of some other game. Through BFRPG's heart beats the blood of old school, but its sinews has the strength and coordination of the better parts of d20 modern gaming. BFRPG is a melding of the best of both worlds. Not to mention an active community that is involved in keeping BFRPG strong and fresh. Plus it and all of the wonderful supplements and adventures are free.

[seandon4]

I risk not doing it as much justice as the others, but I have nothing but good things to say about BF, so here it goes:

- I'll second Hywaywolf and say that BFRPG is a prime example of allowing "bolt on" rules and options (any number of them) without breaking. It is a very creative community with lots of great artwork and supplements; it's not really concerned about being rigidly "authentic" to any other system but instead takes the best of all worlds.

- I did a lot of comparing of systems in the past myself. The main reason I went with BFRPG over other systems or retro-clones is the balance between simplicity and having enough rules to cover most common activities. There are other simple systems out there, but they usually fall back on more "advanced" (complicated) rules for anything not covered in the core rules; BFRPG has a "do more with less" feel that makes it easy to resolve actions quickly without ever having to get too complicated (less numbers to crunch), while allowing everyone to focus on adventure.

- I was also considering C&C, but found that BFRPG seems to have a bigger community and a bigger player base. Also it seems C&C's ability resolution is not for everyone, as it can require more on-the-fly mental agility, where as BFRPG has tables that are balanced ahead of time.

- In fairness it does depend on what you're looking for; if you're an ad&d (1e/2e) person then in truth S&W SRD, C&C, or Labyrinth Lord's AEC are more in line with that. But if you want something with more of a classic/original DnD modular bolt-on and off feel, then BFRPG is the one -- you can even create your own supplements and share.

- I have players who used to play 3.x, but they have no problem using BFRPG for our weekly games. We played through 2 campaigns last year, using old-feel rules, and they are still joining each week this year.

[SmootRK]

Aspects of this sort of query comes up periodically.

For me, BFRPG just hits a sweet spot for me, both as player/GM as well as my particular efforts to design gaming materials. There are several factors that make this happen for me:

1. BFRPG IS b/x dungeons and dragons with just a few key modifications. This means that it is one of simpler systems, yet not too simple like the editions such as the original editions. That earlier system was just too lacking and often not well thought out. I dislike (to lesser degree) the S&W retro for the same reason, just too simplified.

I would equate BFRPG to the Labrinth Lord retro, exccept that LL is much more of near exact copy of the b/x rules... and BFRPG was not necessarily written to copy rules so much as to copy the "feel" of those rules.

Conversely, because BFRPG is based upon b/x, It is not too complex or simply wonky with all the material. Even AD&D 1e can be just too much rules stuff to work through. Definitely cannot stand the 3.x or 4.x versions at all for the rules complexity and bloat (and yes I had a large amount of 3.x experience, including writing a bit for the games... just got totally burned out on it after a while).

2. BFRPG is basically rock solid finished. All that is being done is to refine the writing and the addition of optional plug-in sort of supplements. This is ideal for me as a sort of hobbyist game material developer. I am SO DONE with the idea of having to update periodically to keep up with the latest edition. For me, a solid bedrock to build on is a major feature... and I do not want the core rules to be changed except in the most minor of ways which do not invalidate previous editions.

3. BFRPG is quite interchangable with virtually all the various editions that are out there. And honestly I don't care if the AC value is one integer different between systems, or that one uses decending AC or whatnot. All so easy to tweak things even on the fly for me.

4. The Supplements!! lots of cool stuff there. And one of the more endearing aspects of how these are all written and presented is that they follow a plug-in or bolt on methodology. Any one or more such supplements can be utilized without any others. There are not big books of take it all or leave it all sort of materials. There is a great deal of wisdom in having each individual sort of option offered as a single piece with little or no connection to the other options/supplements.

The piecemeal method allows one to build the game into whatever one wants without extra bagage.

5. Importantly, the offerings are given as a sort of OPEN SOURCE project, including by offering the materials using tools such as Libre/OpenOffice. I won't go into this too much except to say that I prefer all such materials that can be freely shared to actually be freely shared. For this reason I like not only BFPRG for its open souce mentality, but also other non-gaming tools for this reason... LibreOffice is my office program, Linux (lately using LinuxMint) is my operating system, Gimp is my image manipulation platform, firefox and chrome are my browsers, VLC plays my videos, and so forth. I am done with corporate chains and never-ending spending on stuff.

Share freely.

6. These guys here are just top notch. I would love to sit down and game with any of them. Really, just nothing but good things to say about the fellows who frequent this forum.

I would like to go ahead and offer an open invitation to anyone who might be traveling through Colorado Springs (or nearby) to get in contact with me. At the very least a chance to shake hands and perhaps share lunch while folks are going through the area.

[LibraryLass]

Are you saying the lady here isn't also top notch, Smoot?

[SmootRK]

Are you saying the lady here isn't also top notch, Smoot?

Of course. In my particular American vernacular "guys" is genderless term. You are the ranking non-dude around here, with all the power and perks that goes along with such distinction.

[Sorin_777]

Speaking as a new guy who just chose BFRPG as my system of choice...

On the one hand, I've always been a BX guy. Coming back into the game, the one thing that I always found clumsy were attack tables. When I heard that BFRPG had rising AC I was intrigued, but also had other options on the table. The final tipping point resides in the above comments. Solid tested system, great modules and supplements, and of course community involvement.

[Jandolar]

I can't add much to whats already been said. Most of us here started out playing the red and blue box D&D sets, BFRPG is as close that old gaming system as you can get (in my opinion). It brings back the old feel of simple rules and simply fun gaming. The books are nice and small and free to download. You won't be spending $50++ on a book that will be out of date in 2 years as will all the supplements that go along with it just to start buying all over again. I spent more on two sets of new dice than I did on the 5 BFRPG books that I have and I actually bought them from Amazon because I wanted bound books with nicely rendered art on the covers.

For me BFRPG just feels right.

[Hywaywolf]

Another great thing about BFRPG is there isn't a need to be a salesman for the game. Its free. Read it. play it. join in a online game if you don't have a group. If you like it, then keep playing it. Join the community and add your perspective to current and future projects. But if you don't like it, no harm done. You aren't out any money and you still probably had fun playing in a game. No one will take it personally if you decide its not the game for you.

[JoeCarr28]

As some have mentioned above, for me it is the solidity of the system. It's simple, robust, yet surprisingly full featured given that its entirely contained within just 150-ish pages. I've played Basic Fantasy quite a bit over the last couple of years and it just works (really well!). My preference now is to play it more or less raw with an absolute minimum of house rules and bolt-ons (all the way down to 3d6 in order for attributes and rolled hit points) and it's fine. As a GM, I often go a whole session without referring to the rules once - they just kind of disappear into the background and allow you to get on with the adventure.

Again as mentioned above, the other thing I really like is the active, friendly and knowledgeable community. If you ask a question you'll typically get several responses within a day or so (as you will have discovered!). And the fact that the creator, Solomoriah, is also fully engaged in the community really helps when it comes to understanding the thinking behind the rules and why they have been written a certain way.