The Inn's Modular System for House Rules

[Daedalus]

Thanks, drathe. I'll take you up on that. It sure would be purdy if you could move Bene's first post (I didn't number that one) and the other ! marked posts right after his introductory post in the new thread. That way subsequent posts that the new thread attracts will be placed in their correct, later order.

[Sjeng]

Sounds like a good idea... I'm regularly stumped about the rules, as the basic rules don't always cover every possible situation or question one might have.
Modular "addons" or even changes to the rules might make the game much clearer.
I would however try to stick to the original rules as much as possible though, and only use "addon" modules myself, to stay as close to the original rules as possible.
I'd like some info on changing gear/weapons while in a dungeon, and how much one can bring along.
Movement would still be 2d6, but with milder penalties for armor, like 2d6-2 or 2d6-3 for platemail etc.
Perhaps some extra spells for the wizard to learn for money, which then can be used once a quest, but become permanent.

Is this by chance like the Imperial Academy rules? Haven't really read through those yet. You might want to implement that as well?

[Big Bene]

Sounds like a good idea... I'm regularly stumped about the rules, as the basic rules don't always cover every possible situation or question one might have.
Modular "addons" or even changes to the rules might make the game much clearer.

I call all the additional rules that are not part of the original, but the player group has agreed upon "house rules".
People use house rules for many reasons. One of them is what you want to do - "filling the gaps" where the original rules have left something unclear or didn't cover a situaltion at all.
Other players may want to have special situations or the whole game more complex, to better reflect the "reality" of the game world or to increase the "roleplaying". Other still just don't like a particular part of the original rules. Some might find the game by the original rules too much or too less a challange. Some just have fun making up rules of their own. Some may want a special rule just to cover a story element they need in one quest they made.

I would however try to stick to the original rules as much as possible though, and only use "addon" modules myself, to stay as close to the original rules as possible.

That's a good thing, but not mandatory. People may stick as close to or move as far away from the original rules as they want when making up the rules that fit their group best. Personally, I like HQ very much the way it is. I sometimes get an idea that takes me along quite far away, but I still try to make it a way that doesn't affect any other part of the original rules. But to each his own.

I'd like some info on changing gear/weapons while in a dungeon, and how much one can bring along.
Movement would still be 2d6, but with milder penalties for armor, like 2d6-2 or 2d6-3 for platemail etc.
Perhaps some extra spells for the wizard to learn for money, which then can be used once a quest, but become permanent.

These are quite good examples for house rules. Btu the aim of this project is not to provide house rules per se, but a background that would make it possible to use different houserules for different game situatioins and still have a coherent, compatible game.

Is this by chance like the Imperial Academy rules? Haven't really read through those yet. You might want to implement that as well?

It's not like the Imperial Army. The IA is a complex house rule that refers to Advancement / Experience and Skills. The modular system will include "the Lore of Experience and Advancement" and the "Skill Lore" (if we stick to Daedalus' naming concept), but will a) cover much more "Lores", but b) cover each of these, including Experience and Skills, only very briefely, just defining some basic rules wich a house rule (a "module")would have to obey to keep it compatible with the rest of the system.

[Daedalus]

After checking the preliminary ideas for the Rules Sections (Lores) posted by Big Bene and re-worked by torilen, I combined and re-ordered them with what I considered should be included. A few were left out by torilen's version, but I feel deserve consideration (colored in red). I also added some of my own Lores that I think perhaps should be included (colored in blue). For reference, I also included some section titles suggested by Big Bene that should be presented before the Lores.

PREAMBLE

BASIC VALUES

BASIC RULES

LORES
GAME SETUP
SEQUENCE OF PLAY
HEROES
ABILITIES
MOVEMENT
ACTIONS
COMBAT (basic values: Attack and Defense)
MAGIC
SEARCHING(when and what to search, how to search)
TREASURE SEARCH
TRAPS/SECRET DOOR SEARCH
TRAP DISARMING
VISION/LIGHT
TRAPS
EXTRAORDINARY SITUATIONS (falling, swimming, etc.)
EQUIPMENT USE(WEAPON USE, ARMOR USE, EQUIPMENT USE)
MERCENARIES
MONSTERS
THE EVIL SORCERER'S TURN
MONSTER ACTIONS
DEAD HEROES AND MONSTERS
BETWEEN QUESTS (the Armory, events)
EXPERIENCE/ADVANCEMENT
OTHER (basic rules: )

[torilen]

Good call on the additions to the list - though my thought was to include things like
climbing, falling, swimming in either the movement or action section....along with
pushing/pulling/lifting.
And perhaps new things (to make it a little more rpg if people desire) like moving
quietly, hiding, listening.

For magic - the basic value would be the following, I think:
who can cast
how many spells known
how many spells per quest
spell list available

Just some thoughts from a tired, sick person. Eh...what am I saying, I'm probably delusional. hehehe

[Daedalus]

torilen-

Upon consideration, I agree with you about an Action section. Extraordinary Situations could be better represented with the original 6 actions. One approach could be to list them individually as actions, following the Instruction Booklet organization: Push/Pull an Object, Lift an Object, Carry an Object, Hide, Listen, and possibly Move Quietly.

Another way could be to add them in under more general catagories: a 7th action called called Move Object (pushing, pulling, lifting, and carrying) and an 8th action called Use Ability (moving quietly, hiding, listening = stealth?). The rules for roleplaying abilities could then be referenced from the Ablilities Lore. I think this general catagory approach should fit in more naturally with our current organization.

I'd put climbing, falling, swimming, move quietly, jumping, and running/double moving in the Movement Lore, but prohibit their use in combination with other actions.

As an aside, would it be better to subsume the Traps/Secret Door Search, Treasure Search and the Searching into a Search Lore rather than list them seperately?

[torilen]

daedalus - there would be benefits to doing it both ways for the searching. If you list them separately, then
people would certainly be able to find what they were looking for a lot more easily. On the other hand, if you
list them all under Searches, then people would know, "hey, anything I want to know about searching is going
to be right here.
Maybe what I think would be a good idea for secret door searches, someone else might think would work for
trap searches...if they are in separate threads, that person might now ever run across my secret door search
idea.

Of course, it would also depend on drathe, I think. Would drathe want to make a thread for three different
search types...or would he just want to make one thread for searches? OR...would he want to make a header
thread for searches, and then make three sub-threads for the different types?

That would be an option, too.

Personally...as I think about it - I think one thread for searches would be better. Anyone who adds their ideas to
it, though, would need to put a header at the top in big letters:
SEARCH: TRAPS
SEARCH: SECRET DOORS
...something like that, maybe.

[Big Bene]

Poll so far:
11 positive, 1 neutral, 1 negative, and one day to go. Looks we have to do it after all...

Will write a longer answer to the last posts by Torilen and Daedalus, as soon as I can spare some time...

[sadkitchen]

Looks we have to do it after all...

Don't sound so excited.

All of the organizational talks are sounding great. I would just like to throw my vote in that all searches need to be together. Possible idea is have a Lore of searching with 3 different “sub-lores” titled traps, treasure, and secret doors. Maybe even a fourth titled everything else.

Sub-lores don't sound right to me, but being on the uncreative side of language skills it is the best idea I have. I'm sure if you all like this idea you will have a better suggestion for that in about 1.3 posts.

-Sad Kitchen

[torilen]

How about this:
The entire project is a Tome
Categories would be a Lore
Subcategories would be Scrolls

whaddaya think?