Lamentations of the Flame Princess | Review and Page-Through

[@kevinrsmith2947]

I assume the lack of magic items is because magic (especially MU magic) is supposed to be rare and dangerous in the implied setting. The lack of a bestiary probably means they expect you to use other OSR bestiaries for monsters.

[@RedDiceDiaries]

Glad to hear your recovery is going well - thanks for the excellent review and page-through :)

[@Thegaminggang]

Thank you kindly!

[@VhaidraSaga]

BTW Jeff the Bestiary is seperate and the magic items are in the Referee (DM/GM) Book.

[@VhaidraSaga]

Also the LotFP adventures, "World of the Lost" and "Carcosa" have really good bestiaries in addition to "Veins of the Earth". There also is "The Random Esoteric Creature Generator" that makes some amazing monsters as well.

[@ElGuardiandelosArcanos]

Glad you're back Jeff! LotFP is an amazing rulebook, the best of O.S.R. with some improvements. Great review.

[@Thegaminggang]

Hey, thanks!

[@VhaidraSaga]

YES! Such a great rule set!

[@MoonMoverGaming]

I ended up running "attribute checks" using basically the same system as the skill checks: roll 1d6. If you roll equal or less than your attribute modifier, you succeed.

[@kevinrsmith2947]

About that referee book.... James Raggi has apparently been on a long, tortured journey with that. No word on when it's coming out.

[@VhaidraSaga]

Supposed to be in the next group of releases (after the summer release group) before the end if the year

[@kevinrsmith2947]

@@VhaidraSaga He turned it around that quickly? Last I heard (toward the end of last year, I believe) he was talking about starting over on it from scratch, and it looked like it was going to be a loooong time before it came out.

[@VhaidraSaga]

@@kevinrsmith2947 last report on it was that it would be out in the batch after the cornucopia of books that would be released late this summer.

[@Eron_the_Relentless]

@@VhaidraSaga I'll believe it when I see it.

[@Eron_the_Relentless]

Yes, he's been tortured by taking money (MY money is some of that) for the product then producing other stuff for a decade, and never showing a manuscript or timetable or cogent plan or frankly mild interest in actually making the ref book happen. Every few years he pretends he's going to do something, then sets the goal posts over the next horizon and watches himself fail to kick hard enough to get there, then expects his fanbase to carry the ball the rest of the way, only then to go radio silence for a year and show up again with goal posts on the horizon yet again. In short, LotFP and Cannon Films seem to use the same business strategy, and when Jim fails, he will fail the exact same way Cannon Films did. I won't be surprised when "the next cycle" becomes "the cycle after the next cycle, I pinky promise no backsies", is what I'm saying. There are people who died waiting for that ref book, and their loved ones will get the book in the mail and think their long dead relative's identity is being stolen. I'm going to say well over half of those who've paid for the ref book have moved or possibly become homeless. Several probably don't use the email they set up their indiegogo with, or have set campaign updates to spam since then. Just SHIPPING this late in itself is going to be a pain in the ass that I'm absolutely positive Jim Raggi isn't up for. Let alone actually producing the book which he now pretends is going to be a 2 volume set at 500 pages each. I'll believe that when I see it. That's also when there's a chance I'll open my wallet to LotFP again. And that's a very, very FAT chance.

[@JamesEck9095]

Really good review, you're back in fine form....that's GREAT to see! Best take from the video...good GMs/DMs steal from everywhere/everything.

[@Thegaminggang]

Thanks James! I'd have thought the stealing (or cribbing if you think the word stealing is too harsh) from various sources to craft your own games would be pretty obvious but it seems a lot of people these days are locked into only one system. There are far too many games out there which have excellent ideas or mechanics you can easily incorporate into your unique approach at the game table. ~ Jeff

[@MrRourk]

This is one of my top 10

[@VhaidraSaga]

My top 1 right now.

[@Joshuazx]

I have the Referee Guide for LOTFP. James Edward Raggi IV has made a game that is supposed to be weird, and he defines weird as unusual and strange. Monsters in LOTFP should therefore be weird. If you have a bestiary, then monsters become a quantifiable and known element of the setting, and are therefore not weird.

[@PatriceBoivin]

Giving xp for negotiation wasn't in AD&D as far as I remember. You had to do something to earn xp. Talking is not doing.

[@Thegaminggang]

Page 85 of the DMG: "Tricking or outwitting monsters or overcoming tricks and/or traps placed to guard treasure must be determined subjectively, with level of experience balanced against the degree of difficulty you assign to the gaining of the treasure." The section on XP is pretty thin in the DMG and awarding XP takes up about a page. So there's mention of gaining XP for more than just combat and treasure; the "tricking or outwitting." It certainly wasn't spelled out HOW MUCH experience the players would receive though. ~ Jeff