Need Conan Rule Book

[TimoftheC2]

Hi all,

This is my first time posting here, normally I just look at the "other miniatures" forum when I have a B5 Miniatures question.

I hav'nt done roleplaying in a very long time but used to be a D&D man (still have a lot of the books) but I would like to get back in to it.

I'm a big conan fan and am even re-reading the books as we speak and thought it would be cool to see what conan RPG's are available and blow me, mongoose do one (I have a very blinkered view on the net - only look at what i need to look at).

However, I've found that it is now out of print and I am struggling to get a copy of the second edition core rules. Therefore, does anybody have a book they would be willihng to sell or can point me in the direction af a store that has one for sale at a reasonable price at all?

Many thanks,

Tim

 

[Supplement Four]

I don't have one to sell, and yes, the stuff usually is pricey. You can find deals if you are patient, but they are few and far between.

I'll tell you this, though. Mongoose did a downright FANTASTIC job on this d20 version of Conan. The game is simply brilliant. I'd go with Second Edition, but you can't really go wrong with any of the editions. The game is an exceptional match between d20 rules and the gritty feel for Conan's Hyborian Age.

The Mongoose Conan game is the best version of d20 3rd edition that I've ever seen. I absolutely do think it is a better version than Pathfinder (although Pathfinder is a hell of a game in its own right).

A couple of notes about the game:

-- It's sublte, but the Conan d20 game should be played at the lower levels. Think of the game as being played in the 1-10 levels, with only some very exceptional beings in the 11-20 range.

-- Use a static game universe, level-wise. In some d20 games, the adventure scales with the level of the party. In the Conan game, savage Picts are 1st level. Belit's corsairs are level 1-2. Use that as a measuring stick. Anytime the characters run into a normal, non-important-NPC pict, then make him 1st level, no matter what the level of the PCs (in other words, don't raise the level of the Picts to match the level of the PCs). This is a static universe as far as levels go, and this truly shows how powerful the PCs are. Believe me, the game will still be deadly.

-- I find it quite easy to play this game with non-traditional D&D type parties. Where D&D encourages a mix of character classes, the Conan RPG is quite easy to run where all the PCs are all of the same class. You can also easily run the game with just one or two PCs instead of requiring a party of five or six.

 

[Supplement Four]

A couple more notes:

-- Don't be afraid to spend a long time at 1st level. Allow the characters to advance slowly. Here's the general rule I use for awarding XP. Enemy Level x 100 is the main award I give. As a small bonus, I usually add in the hit points of the enemy. So, a PC fights a 1st level Pict, and that Pict has 11 hp, then the PC will get 111 XP for defeating the Pict. So, if three PCs fight one Pict together, they gets get 1/3 of the XP, or only 37 xp each.

This is designed so that the PC must defeat 10 creatures (or there abouts) of of his own level before he is allowed to advance to the next level.

-- As GM, remember that the Hyborian Age is not a standard fantasy world. It's not D&D. Always remember this when making monster and enemy selections when creating adventures. There should not be a different monster type in every room of a dungeon. This is sword & sorcery action, not typical fantasy game play. Think of the Conan stories when creating adventures. As a rule of thumb, Conan games will have less encounters than a typical D&D game, and the monsters will be less varied. Conan RPG adventurers will fight a lot of human enemies besides beasties.

-- Sorcerery is rare. It is typically very evil. There are few "good" spellcasters. In most cases, sorcerery is a perversion of nature that is shunned by most.

-- Your battles will take on an entirely new feel from its D&D brethren if you embrace the combat maneuvers (spelled out in their own section of Second Edition). In typical fantasy games, magic and spells will space up combat. In Conan, sorcery is scarce, and the majority of your fights will not include it. Instead, make your Conan combat exciting by using Trips and Sunders, Feints and Grapples. (The second edition Grapple is streamelined from that you see in the other editions.) Use demoralize other, under the Intimidate skill. Throw sand in an opponent's face, or grapple him and slit his throat with your dagger. The game came be so much more than just I-go-you-go d20 blows.

Learning all the combat maneuvers can be intimidating at first, but focus on just the onces the PCs can do. If the PCs are 1st level, this narrows what is possible. If a character doesn't have a prerequisite attribute level, then don't bother learning that maneuver until it becomes something useful for the game. Learn combat maneuvers the way you learn Feats, just focus on the handful that are useful to the players.

 

[TimoftheC2]

Supplement Four - wow mate what a great reply - many thanks for that, I will certainly bear everything you said in mind when I get to running the game 8)

In my search for a rule book I have come across a site that overs the enitire book as a download re: http://www.scribd.com/doc/90409876/Conan-Rpg-2nd-Edition

Does anybody know if this is - A) legal, and B) if the site can be trusted as you have to pay for the download?

Thanks

Tim

 

[Supplement Four]

Supplement Four - wow mate what a great reply - many thanks for that, I will certainly bear everything you said in mind when I get to running the game 8)

In my search for a rule book I have come across a site that overs the enitire book as a download re: http://www.scribd.com/doc/90409876/Conan-Rpg-2nd-Edition

Does anybody know if this is - A) legal, and B) if the site can be trusted as you have to pay for the download?

Thanks

Tim

Hey Tim,

Scribd can absolutely be trusted (as far as viruses go), but I don't think the download is legal.

 

[MongooseMatt]

It isn't

 

[TimoftheC2]

It isn't

Thanks Matthew - I didn't think it looked right despite the sites claims.

Ah well, I'll just keep looking for a book :roll:

As a small aside - can anyone remeber how much they original second edition rule book retailed for at all? Will be a guide so I Know not to pay too much over the odds.

Thanks,

Tim

 

[MongooseMatt]

As a small aside - can anyone remeber how much they original second edition rule book retailed for at all? Will be a guide so I Know not to pay too much over the odds.

Thanks,

Tim

Going back a bit, but I _think_ it was $49.95.

 

[Supplement Four]

Just keep looking. Second edition seems to be the most expensive in the second hand market, but I found a second copy, in excellent edition, for $40 bucks (either found it on Amazon marketplace or on eBay, I can't remember). True, I've seen the second editions for more than $200, too. You've just got to wait and look and be patient. Eventually, you'll find a deal.

If you find a deal for one of the other editions (the original edition, or the Atlantean edition), I'd suggest that you grab it. You can start your game using it, then start using Second Edition whenever you can find the book.

Man, I wish Mongoose still had the license.