Why You Should Play Dungeon Crawl Classics

Small publisher month continues as June's edition of Why You Should Play... features Dungeon Crawl Classics from Goodman Games.Jeff shares the various aspects of DCC which are outstanding and make this a very unique fantasy roleplaying game. There's currently a fantastic First-Time Fan Kit which also scores you the softcover edition of the rulebook (with PDF), a set of Zocci dice, a GM screen, an adventure, and a set of scratch off zero level characters sheets all for the low, low price of $40.00.
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[@matthewconstantine5015]

I describe DCC as "what if D&D was actually fun." I also have said that it finally delivers on all the promise of old D&D art in a way D&D never did. I can't even put my finger on it, but for me, this is the only permutation of D&D that I actually enjoy. I normally don't like class/level games anyway, but this one works. I've had a lot of fun running it and playing it. You've got to go into it with the right mindset. It plays a bit different than a lot of other games. But if everyone's onboard, I think it's pretty great. "Frozen in Time" is a really fun module. I got to play through it a few years back. My favorite funnel is "Portal Under the Stars" which I believe is usually printed in the core book.

[@Gusseig]

The art is very interesting and evocative of the "Old Days"

[@Ziggy7800Pro]

I run a couple of times and was really fun. My kids thought it is great.

[@Wraithing]

Cheers for your thorough assessment. A friend of mine has run DCC and says he enjoyed it, and the table seemed to, but he moved on… possibly to return to it when his XCC books turn up! I got the Lankhmar bundles of PDFs (can't remember if it was Humble or BoH), but mainly to mine the extra material for Savage Worlds Lankhmar. Definitely enjoyed a quick scan over the included Quickstart, but I'm not sure it would ever rise high enough on my priority list to buy a physical copy and run it myself. It has a bit of a rabid fanbase out there (lol - but what doesn't)! But everyone I've talked to in stores etc… that's tried DCC, MCC and XCC from the early release PDFs has recommended the game.

[@matthewelias7545]

Great video on one of the most fun fantasy systems out there!

[@Thegaminggang]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@wingusryu8289]

For our group I describe new comers as DCC is Conan meets the Animaniacs. I really like to go full gonzo and we have a blast. We all lean into the silt and bombastic idea if these labyrinths etc made by wizard etc and how crazy that is. Failure in dcc is also usually funny and in this system even death doesn’t sting at all. We just have insane wizard van adventures

[@Thegaminggang]

Long live wizard van adventures!

[@agilemonk6305]

Nice video, Jeff.

[@Thegaminggang]

Thank you kindly!

[@RedDiceDiaries]

I thought the idea of OSR as more of a feeling and a mindset was great, personally I do classify DCC as taking a modern approach to try and capture an old school feel, but TBH I feel that way about Shadowdark LOL

[@PohatuEudyptulaMinor]

I grabbed a bunch of the pdfs off Humble Bundle and am hoping to run a funnel at some point, which sounds gonzo as anything and fun!

[@michaelmullenfiddler]

Yay! DCC RPG!!

[@steambub]

For me, OSR should be games or supplements that are mostly compatible with TSR D&D. DCC is totally compatible with old school D&D. The reason why I prefer OSR to have this strict definition is so that if I buy DCC, I'll still be able to play Keep on the Borderlands and have Machinations of the Space Princess ready once the players find that spaceship. If we have more games labeled as OSR just because its old school feel or it's a retroclone of a different out-of-print game, then it'll just make navigating the marketplace a headache. Like buying Zweihander Dark Astral but not being an easy conversion to Metamorphosis Alpha, and having people ask why bother.

[@nutherefurlong]

Anyone try the alternative dice systems? One thing I don't understand is how spell rolls work, do you roll when you prepare a spell or when you cast it? Or both? I remember seeing an effect that extended the range of a magic missile equivalent, but it was a bit confusing because I thought that was when you cast it, which would mean you already chose a target in range (maybe?). The funnel is sort of a roleplayed version of career generation which I'm generally a fan of, so I can see how the right one would work. I mean, I can imagine a funnel not being a bloodbath, but I guess that's what makes it the most memorable, and it prepares you for the system's general lethality. Are parties with just one type of class viable, like to characters differentiate much mechanically, or is that more up to the players? There any minor spellcasters or are the divides pretty strict, like the oldest versions of the classes? Edit: That first time kit seems like a pretty good deal, especially since this is a complete game if I understand right, not shaved down rules to get you to buy more. The adventure no. 79 that's included is by Michael Curtis

[@Thegaminggang]

The roll is made when the spell is cast. If you succeed, then your roll determines the end effect. If you fail, and you're a wizard, you forget the spell for the day. If you're a cleric your chance of angering your deity increases but you can still cast the spell. Thanks for the correction on the adventure author too! ~ Jeff

[@TeskoLove]

If you want that 1,000 ft range on Magic Missile, you need to roll a 24 or higher. That means either (1) you're really lucky with a high mod and good die roll, (2) you're higher level with bonuses and bigger action dice, or (3) you're prepared to spend a bunch on spellburn! Most of the time, it would be a combination of the three. Mechanically, every character of one class is going to be similar to another, though differences do come up. Wizards and Elves are going to have different spells, and so are Clerics with different deities. Wizards and Elves can also have different patrons that further customize their spell lists and can give them special flavors like a Cleric's deity. Warriors and Dwarves can specialize in different weapon types. For example, one Warrior could go sword and board while the other chooses the bow and is more of a ranger. [Edit: also with Warriors and Dwarves, players can do wildly different things with their Mighty Deeds each turn.] With Thieves, your skill progression is related to your alignment, so chaotic thieves are going to be more assassins with skill in poisons, for example. The only class you absolutely don't want two of is the Halfling. Their "luck battery" feature doesn't stack.

[@nutherefurlong]

@@TeskoLove So the magic missile situation is someone points-bombing to try to get it, and maybe they're already aiming at someone far away and hoping for a good roll, sort of thing?

[@TeskoLove]

@@nutherefurlong Exactly! If you want to be a sniper wizard hitting someone hundreds of feet away with a single shot that does 4d12+caster level in damage, you have to actually hit that high roll. It makes certain situations very dramatic and tense, or super exciting when you roll that nat 20!

[@scottmarsh2991]

DCC is like D&D on a high-fiber diet!

[@doomhippie6673]

I bought it, tried to run it a few times and gave up. I can understand the fascination for it but to my taste it is too goofy, the adventures suck (understanding this is a matter of taste - they are everything I don't want my fantasy to be like). My players hated the funnel. They like characters they are invested in from the beginning. Since you start with 4 randoms some of them even didn't feel the need to name them since "most of them will die anyway in the first game, so why bother?" I kinda disagree with them but again understand why they feel that way. So after spending a lot of money on the game I quit it.

[@Thegaminggang]

Sorry to hear that you and your group didn't take to it. Keep in mind nothing is forcing you to run a funnel and if you're coming in from 5E it can be a staggering change in approach. The gang and I have been having quite a bit of fun with it but I do tend to tone down some of the gonzoness a bit and go for more of a sword & sorcery vibe. ~ Jeff

[@DrWaites]

I don't want to lug a 500 page rulebook with hundreds of charts to a session. Also, the one time I played (a funnel) it was a terrible experience. Everything was just completely random - like this character randomly dies because that's what the referee rolled. It seemed like the point was to laugh at the misfortune of your fellow players.

[@theeyewizard8288]

Funnel is step 4 of character creation. Most funnel allows character backups at some point. DCC starts at level 1. It’s less lethal then. Sure it’s not a game for Storygamers. It’s not third person view metaleptic narrators writing backstories. It’s first person view in character playing forward, in the moment, not knowing what happens next. It’s an open system like blackmoor proto-D&D.

[@DrWaites]

@@theeyewizard8288 I could appreciate that if ... 1) everything about the character wasn't random. I had characters in the funnel who would've made terrible level 1 characters. And guess what? They're the ones who survived because I had no agency in the characters who lived or died. 2) 6 players multiplied by 4 characters multiplied by two actions (move and attack) meant 48 actions per turn. It was as long of a slog as 5e - if not longer. 3) when we rolled multiple characters in the old days, we'd just play the one that we wanted or fit the needs of the group. You didn't need a whole session to figure it out. Does anybody actually use the system beyond the funnel? It's all I hear about.

[@Thegaminggang]

Honestly, your two comments read almost verbatim as a Reddit post from a couple months back. The first thing I'd mention is it sounds as if you played with a GM who hadn't a clue as to how a funnel adventure should be run or how DCC operates as a game. If you had six players, you shouldn't have had four character each; more likely two and then have areas of the adventure when players could restock more zero level characters if needed. NO ONE runs encounters with 24 zero level characters plus monsters or NPCs. That would be absolute madness and a clue as to you having a less than stellar GM. Also the fact that every zero level character was a clunker is also an indication of a bad GM. Playing through a funnel with a competent GM would probably change you mind on the concept. Also, as TheEyeWizard pointed out - the funnel is just to get the ball rolling, create a bit of a natural backstory for your adventurers, and introduce basic mechanics to the group. From first level on you'll find the characters are actually quite a bit more powerful than your standard low level OSR cannon fodder. ~ Jeff

[@MisanthropicPrime]

Not for me.