28 October 2016

Half a character sheet

Inspired as so often by Dyson Logos, and the fabulously illustrated sheets from the Doomslakers pages, and trying to get a handle on my encumbrance issues that I discussed recently, I've come up with the front of a planned two-sided character sheet for humans, elves and dwarves in BFRPG. I might redraw the backpack with one row fewer boxes for halflings.

Still to come is the reverse side with spell-book, thief skills and space for notes.


Feedback and suggestions welcome.
Rab

11 comments:

  1. I like the look of it, although you might pass on the scabbard, not sure it adds much (besides visual interest, which is not nothing!)

    What is going on with the shape of the various stat squares?

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    1. Thanks :)

      The "scabbard" was to represent something hefty hung from the belt or somehow strapped to the outside of the pack - a shovel, a quiver, whatever - that wasn't being carried in the hands.

      The odd box shapes is just me riffing on Dyson's style, and to break up what I feared would be the monotony of regular squares.

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    2. I thought maybe they keyed to the related saves, and spent a little bit of time trying to work it out... glad to hear it is random, and I was not oblivious to their use!

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  2. A great start,visually pleasing and practical too. Personally I like the scabbard and the eclectic stat box shapes.
    I wish this sort of thing had been around in my D &a D gaming days in the 1980s.
    Btw I am in primary education and run a games club. Have you any thoughts about where to start with a one off role playing session for 9 to 12 year olds.?
    Cheers
    Alan

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    1. Thanks Alan.

      I reckon 9-12 is a perfect starting age, as long as there's an older DM. Kid's are pretty brutal (as are the fairy stories they've grown up on), so I reckon as long as you skirt around sex or torture then any game setting you choose would work. Some advice I've seen suggests using pre-generated characters but I'd say that rolling up their character is an important part of getting them immersed (3d6 in order, with one reroll at the end). Choosing equipment is slow, though, so I would say they all have a standard adventuring pack (backpack, bedroll, flint and tinder, eating knife, lantern and one pint of oil) and then 2d6x10 gold to buy weapons and armour. Clerics would get a wooden holy symbol, thieves would get lockpicks, wizards would get a spellbook. Having a really short shopping list would speed that bit up and let them get into it.

      BFRPG is my current ruleset of choice and the Morgansfort adventure book is designed for beginner players with some good guidance/box text for the new gamer. You could do a lot worse than start there. Four to six players is probably best to allow each of them to properly contribute.

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    2. I should add, as you'll probably have noticed from game reports from my Averaigne campaign that neither sex nor torture beyond roughing someone up a bit make any kind of appearance. Not only do I find gaming those issues distasteful, my idea of a fantasy game is of the Tolkienesque or Arthurian variety, not top-shelf, "clear your search history", or "Saw"/"Hostel" stuff. Beyond personal preference, doing so as the teacher of the players would be so, so far beyond acceptable.

      The closest I can imagine we'll get to a steamy scene would be the dropping of a handkerchief, or the bestowal of a chaste kiss to a champion's cheek, and I'm totally happy with that.

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  3. It's very nice and a good reminder of the physical realities. We used to play d&d as though everyone had infinite carrying capacity. In the haste to accumulate loot we never really thought about it.

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    1. Thanks, Scalene, that was exactly the purpose so it seems like I'm getting it right, or right enough.

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  4. TV tropes describes it well here http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Hammerspace

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    1. Exactly! Hammerspace (and its quantum physics companion, Hammertime) is what I'm fighting against.

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  5. Really informative blog post.Really looking forward to read more. Cool. blacksmith

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