This is a neat little system! I’m creating new adventures for my characters and I’m wondering how I could handle non-perilous encounters. For example, if the adventure called for the hero to try and persuade a non-hostile NPC to give them passage on their ship, how could I handle that? Losing resolve/getting injured doesn’t seem right, in the event the hero failed his rolls! I realize that is beyond the scope of the core rules, but it would be a cool addition to implement!
Well, the intent was that "resolve" wouldn't just mean "hit points". It means "ability to continue on continuing on," of which things like injury would be a part, but I was intending it to be more of a measure of how close you are to failure at your quest so that it could explicitly be used for non-combat situations or scenarios. That way, you can imagine the story consequences of a failed roll to be whatever makes sense for your character, the test, and the story.
For example, suppose your rogue is trying to sneak into a tyrant's palace and you fail a check from d8 Armed sentries. What does the resolve loss represent? You might imagine having had to take a few sentries down in a quick fight, and getting injured in the process. But you might instead imagine that you lost precious time because you had to stay hidden in the shadows until they passed. You might imagine them having seen you trying to sneak in and raising the alarm. You might imagine the sentries guarding the easy path and having to find another way in. Any of these would be a valid interpretation for resolve loss, and only one of them represents injuries.
In the case you mentioned, failing to persuade an NPC to give you passage on a ship would certainly seem like a valid setback in the scenario's goals, so it seems in line with how I envisioned resolve to work.
But if you're looking to introduce a test that doesn't run the risk of a resolve setback, say for story purposes, the mechanics of the game as written can handle that – simply ask the player in a lock paragaph to make a check and instead of losing resolve on failure, they just get a different story consequence.
For example:
🔒 The dowager duchess angrily demands an explanation for why you have magically appeared in her chambers carrying a chicken. Make a check against d8 Suspicious circumstances and d8 Better explain yourself quick! If you succeed, she laughs at your predicament and allows you to leave peacefully; skip ahead to the next lock paragraph. If you fail, do not lose any resolve, but she shouts, "Guards!" and you have to leap out the window to escape; advance 1.
If you look in the comments for Volume Two of this game I talked a bit with a user named Verdant Green about this topic. It includes both design information and the specific requirements from my publisher for sharing fan-made content for the game.
Just played the first two adventures of this game. Both very satisfying and I had a great time with each challenge.
I often like to model my heros off of characters I already know. About to start another journey through the castle Charon with Wolverine. I replaced the last D6 characteristic with a D4 and gave him his classic healing factor. The catch is that it can be rolled every round but you only gain health if it out rolls BOTH (or maybe just one) of the challenge dice. Might take him to face off against Jarl after crushing some cultists.
Thanks a lot for a great game. Looking forward to playing the rest in the series.
(Also, not sure if others are doing this but I printed two adventures back to back on one sheet. So just unfold to get a new one.)
I love seeing people kitbashing their own stuff into this system. It's gratifying and exciting to see it, because it's confirmation that I had some success on some of the design goals of the game – simplicity, flexibility, approachability, etc. Thanks for taking the time to mention that – it made my day!
And the double-sided adventure pages is a great idea! Two booklets in one, even more portable than before.
Well, I don't have a good way to make and maintain multiple page formats for these – sorry – but I find that it's usually necessary to do a little trimming of the booklet pages anyway to get nice consistent margins (depending on your printer settings and capabilities), so I don't think it would save you much effort in practical terms. Most people need to trim a little anyway; you'd just trim off slightly different sized bits.
I recommend printing it as large as possible on A4 and then simply trimming off the ends to create consistent margins. If I have my math right, you'll trim 6.25cm off of each end, leaving a center of 27.2 cm or so, if you can print the US Letter source at the full width of A4.
Many printers can't print the full width of the page even when what's being printed has margins already, though, so you may need to adjust these to match whatever capabilities your printer has.
(I think this is why a lot of the fine folks who show the game on YouTube seem to have inconsistent margins on their copies – their printer couldn't print to the full size of the page and they didn't trim, so when they folded the booklet, it has the booklet margins plus the printable margins on the "outer" edges. I have yet to come up with a good solution on how to deal with that, even in US letter sizes, unfortunately.)
Anyway, folding the pages along the centers of the between-page margins will help clarify the size of those outer margins before you trim, if it's helpful. As long as each "page" is pretty close to being the same size, with the content in the center of its rectangle, it should fold up fairly nicely. (There will always be a little shift because of paper thickness when folded.)
In any case, thanks for your interest in the game, and I hope you enjoy it on your holiday!
I find the system very good for in between. Thank you for that. Unfortunately, I had a few questions while playing. Can you answer them for me? (I speak German and will use a translator to ask the questions).
Note: I think it would be an advantage if you used fixed terms in the instructions. For example, the “progress roll” with one six-sided die and the “challenge roll” with two six-sided dice (made up of X and Y). A combat roll is then this and that. Consistent terms make it easier to follow the rules.
Questions:
Do I roll my two skill dice first and the two environment dice at the same time, look at the result and THEN decide whether I want to reroll one or more of the dice for stamina - or do I roll my dice first, THEN decide whether I want to reroll and when the result is clear, I roll the environment dice - and can then decide again whether I want to reroll any of them.
Can I re-roll environment dice at all - or can I only pay with stamina for my skill rolls?
Do I roll my two skill dice first and the two environment dice at the same time, look at the result and THEN decide whether I want to reroll one or more of the dice for stamina - or do I roll my dice first, THEN decide whether I want to reroll and when the result is clear, I roll the environment dice - and can then decide again whether I want to reroll any of them.
You roll ALL the dice at once.
After you see the results of all the dice, you then decide your re-rolls.
Can I re-roll environment dice at all - or can I only pay with stamina for my skill rolls?
You can re-roll any die in the exchange. It doesn't matter whether it was your dice or the dice of the environment.
Can I reroll a repeated die due to stamina use?
I think you are asking if you can continue to re-roll dice by spending more stamina.
If so, then yes, you can continue re-rolling dice if you keep spending more stamina.
Those are the rules as I intended them. However, if you enjoy playing with different rules, go ahead! You could decide that you can only re-roll dice from your hero and not the dice from the environment or that you can only perform one re-roll. That would make the game harder of course, but if that feels more natural to you, that's fine. You could balance the difficulty by giving yourself some extra stamina or resolve.
Anyway, thanks for playing "Dungeon Hero" and I'm glad to hear you enjoy it!
Is this any relation to "Dungeon Hero" , the conversion document for a D&D style play for Hero Games system (a set of packages for use with Fantasy Hero)? That's been around for more than 30 years.
I never got the blessing of the original creator of the system, but he also sold his rights to it so it's a big grey area. Either way a Non-yes is a no. Also seemed like there wasn't enough interest but I do plan to release it under my own system which is similar but different. I still have to change this Zine to the new system. The system and the first Zine with Tangent is done, I'll release it when I make one more. Looking like 5 or 6 zines, the start of a campaign series that you can continue or use as one offs.
Oh wow, I didn't know that the original creator sold the rights to it. Hmm. I was considering making a story expansion for it of my own, but since there is a legal grey area---and I don't want to step on any toes. I will refrain from doing so.
Your project sounds really awesome. I can't wait until you have everything done and up. I will definitely check it out when you do.
Both the new people which info is in the other comments and the original creator agreed that its ok to make adventures as long as there is a free to download option. He mentioned in a few comments the only monetization allowed is the support one that also has a free option. I would encourage you to still make your content as it's the only way it will expand. Its a good simple system, just not very well known. The people that bought the rights made a card game out of it that I haven't tried but when I contacted them they had no future plans for it.
Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity in providing community copies of your game. I’m a disabled pension who can’t afford much so these free gifts really help me out in playing games and keeping my mind active.
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Hello!
This is a neat little system! I’m creating new adventures for my characters and I’m wondering how I could handle non-perilous encounters. For example, if the adventure called for the hero to try and persuade a non-hostile NPC to give them passage on their ship, how could I handle that? Losing resolve/getting injured doesn’t seem right, in the event the hero failed his rolls! I realize that is beyond the scope of the core rules, but it would be a cool addition to implement!
Thanks!
Well, the intent was that "resolve" wouldn't just mean "hit points". It means "ability to continue on continuing on," of which things like injury would be a part, but I was intending it to be more of a measure of how close you are to failure at your quest so that it could explicitly be used for non-combat situations or scenarios. That way, you can imagine the story consequences of a failed roll to be whatever makes sense for your character, the test, and the story.
For example, suppose your rogue is trying to sneak into a tyrant's palace and you fail a check from d8 Armed sentries. What does the resolve loss represent? You might imagine having had to take a few sentries down in a quick fight, and getting injured in the process. But you might instead imagine that you lost precious time because you had to stay hidden in the shadows until they passed. You might imagine them having seen you trying to sneak in and raising the alarm. You might imagine the sentries guarding the easy path and having to find another way in. Any of these would be a valid interpretation for resolve loss, and only one of them represents injuries.
In the case you mentioned, failing to persuade an NPC to give you passage on a ship would certainly seem like a valid setback in the scenario's goals, so it seems in line with how I envisioned resolve to work.
But if you're looking to introduce a test that doesn't run the risk of a resolve setback, say for story purposes, the mechanics of the game as written can handle that – simply ask the player in a lock paragaph to make a check and instead of losing resolve on failure, they just get a different story consequence.
For example:
🔒 The dowager duchess angrily demands an explanation for why you have magically appeared in her chambers carrying a chicken. Make a check against d8 Suspicious circumstances and d8 Better explain yourself quick! If you succeed, she laughs at your predicament and allows you to leave peacefully; skip ahead to the next lock paragraph. If you fail, do not lose any resolve, but she shouts, "Guards!" and you have to leap out the window to escape; advance 1.
Excellent! The locked paragraph option is what I’m looking for. Also, it gave me a good laugh, so thanks!
very good game, i love playing it. do you have any guide so i can make my own story?
Glad you like the game!
If you look in the comments for Volume Two of this game I talked a bit with a user named Verdant Green about this topic. It includes both design information and the specific requirements from my publisher for sharing fan-made content for the game.
Step 1: Become a cleric.
Step 2: Put "Divine intervention" as your D12 trait.
Step 3: Easy mode.
Just played the first two adventures of this game. Both very satisfying and I had a great time with each challenge.
I often like to model my heros off of characters I already know. About to start another journey through the castle Charon with Wolverine. I replaced the last D6 characteristic with a D4 and gave him his classic healing factor. The catch is that it can be rolled every round but you only gain health if it out rolls BOTH (or maybe just one) of the challenge dice. Might take him to face off against Jarl after crushing some cultists.
Thanks a lot for a great game. Looking forward to playing the rest in the series.
(Also, not sure if others are doing this but I printed two adventures back to back on one sheet. So just unfold to get a new one.)
Awesome, glad to hear you're enjoying it.
I love seeing people kitbashing their own stuff into this system. It's gratifying and exciting to see it, because it's confirmation that I had some success on some of the design goals of the game – simplicity, flexibility, approachability, etc. Thanks for taking the time to mention that – it made my day!
And the double-sided adventure pages is a great idea! Two booklets in one, even more portable than before.
Good luck with your Wolverine playthrough!
This looks really nice to take with me on holidays. Would it be possible to get these in A4 format?
Well, I don't have a good way to make and maintain multiple page formats for these – sorry – but I find that it's usually necessary to do a little trimming of the booklet pages anyway to get nice consistent margins (depending on your printer settings and capabilities), so I don't think it would save you much effort in practical terms. Most people need to trim a little anyway; you'd just trim off slightly different sized bits.
I recommend printing it as large as possible on A4 and then simply trimming off the ends to create consistent margins. If I have my math right, you'll trim 6.25cm off of each end, leaving a center of 27.2 cm or so, if you can print the US Letter source at the full width of A4.
Many printers can't print the full width of the page even when what's being printed has margins already, though, so you may need to adjust these to match whatever capabilities your printer has.
(I think this is why a lot of the fine folks who show the game on YouTube seem to have inconsistent margins on their copies – their printer couldn't print to the full size of the page and they didn't trim, so when they folded the booklet, it has the booklet margins plus the printable margins on the "outer" edges. I have yet to come up with a good solution on how to deal with that, even in US letter sizes, unfortunately.)
Anyway, folding the pages along the centers of the between-page margins will help clarify the size of those outer margins before you trim, if it's helpful. As long as each "page" is pretty close to being the same size, with the content in the center of its rectangle, it should fold up fairly nicely. (There will always be a little shift because of paper thickness when folded.)
In any case, thanks for your interest in the game, and I hope you enjoy it on your holiday!
Dear Dungeon Hero creator,
I find the system very good for in between. Thank you for that. Unfortunately, I had a few questions while playing. Can you answer them for me? (I speak German and will use a translator to ask the questions).
Note: I think it would be an advantage if you used fixed terms in the instructions. For example, the “progress roll” with one six-sided die and the “challenge roll” with two six-sided dice (made up of X and Y). A combat roll is then this and that. Consistent terms make it easier to follow the rules.
Questions:
Do I roll my two skill dice first and the two environment dice at the same time, look at the result and THEN decide whether I want to reroll one or more of the dice for stamina - or do I roll my dice first, THEN decide whether I want to reroll and when the result is clear, I roll the environment dice - and can then decide again whether I want to reroll any of them.
Can I re-roll environment dice at all - or can I only pay with stamina for my skill rolls?
Can I reroll a repeated die due to stamina use?
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Thank you very much,Daystalker
You roll ALL the dice at once.
After you see the results of all the dice, you then decide your re-rolls.
You can re-roll any die in the exchange. It doesn't matter whether it was your dice or the dice of the environment.
I think you are asking if you can continue to re-roll dice by spending more stamina.
If so, then yes, you can continue re-rolling dice if you keep spending more stamina.
Those are the rules as I intended them. However, if you enjoy playing with different rules, go ahead! You could decide that you can only re-roll dice from your hero and not the dice from the environment or that you can only perform one re-roll. That would make the game harder of course, but if that feels more natural to you, that's fine. You could balance the difficulty by giving yourself some extra stamina or resolve.
Anyway, thanks for playing "Dungeon Hero" and I'm glad to hear you enjoy it!
Is this any relation to "Dungeon Hero" , the conversion document for a D&D style play for Hero Games system (a set of packages for use with Fantasy Hero)? That's been around for more than 30 years.
Sorry, no. Hadn't heard of that.
Hello, Wondering if I can send this to you, considering making more if there's interest. Would love to have a chat about it. Love the system.
Sure, send me a link. Would love to check it out.
I've downloaded it. I'll check it out
do you have it posted up? I would love to check it out!
I never got the blessing of the original creator of the system, but he also sold his rights to it so it's a big grey area. Either way a Non-yes is a no. Also seemed like there wasn't enough interest but I do plan to release it under my own system which is similar but different. I still have to change this Zine to the new system. The system and the first Zine with Tangent is done, I'll release it when I make one more. Looking like 5 or 6 zines, the start of a campaign series that you can continue or use as one offs.
Oh wow, I didn't know that the original creator sold the rights to it. Hmm. I was considering making a story expansion for it of my own, but since there is a legal grey area---and I don't want to step on any toes. I will refrain from doing so.
Your project sounds really awesome. I can't wait until you have everything done and up. I will definitely check it out when you do.
Both the new people which info is in the other comments and the original creator agreed that its ok to make adventures as long as there is a free to download option. He mentioned in a few comments the only monetization allowed is the support one that also has a free option. I would encourage you to still make your content as it's the only way it will expand. Its a good simple system, just not very well known. The people that bought the rights made a card game out of it that I haven't tried but when I contacted them they had no future plans for it.
Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity in providing community copies of your game. I’m a disabled pension who can’t afford much so these free gifts really help me out in playing games and keeping my mind active.
I really appreciate your hard work and kindness
Thanks, hope you enjoy the game!