Old School Renaissance – Castles and Crusades – Players Handbook

Castles and Crusades, Old School

Publisher: Troll Lord Games

Plunge into worlds of fantastic adventure where dragons lie and the undead stalk the shades of your mind’s imaginings, where creatures of legend plunder wealth through the horror of their passage. Monsters grim and foul taunt with the ecstasy of gold and glory. Upon the heels of these foes stalk heroes of great might; those who take up sword and shield, who harness eldritch might, those who traverse the narrow corridors in search of sport, and those who serve a purpose greater than all the others: Heroes, Freebooters, Mercenaries, and Adventurers.

Review of Castles & Crusades Players Handbook

Introduction

Castles & Crusades Players Handbook is a book that introduces you to a fantasy role-playing game that is inspired by the classic rules of Dungeons & Dragons, but with a simpler and more flexible system. The book contains everything you need to create and play your own characters in a world of magic, adventure, and danger.

Content

The book is divided into eight chapters that cover the following topics:

  • The RPG: This chapter explains the basic concepts and rules of the game, such as the attribute check system, the Siege Engine, and the attribute modifiers. It also gives some tips on how to role-play and what you need to play the game.
  • The Classes: This chapter presents 13 archetypal character classes that you can choose from, such as fighter, wizard, cleric, rogue, bard, druid, illusionist, knight, paladin, ranger, barbarian, monk, and assassin. Each class has its own abilities, skills, weapons, and equipment. The chapter also explains how to multi-class and use class-and-a-half options.
  • The Races: This chapter describes seven races that you can play as, such as human, elf, dwarf, halfling, half-elf, gnome, and half-orc. Each race has its own traits, abilities, and modifiers. The chapter also gives some examples of names and backgrounds for each race.
  • Completing the Character: This chapter helps you to finalize your character creation by choosing an alignment, a personality, a background story, and an equipment list. It also gives some advice on how to develop your character during the game.
  • Magic: This chapter explores the four major spellcasting classes: cleric, druid, wizard, and illusionist. It explains how they cast spells, how to use mana points, how to prepare spells, and how to use spell components. It also lists all the spells available for each class.
  • Spell Descriptions: This chapter provides detailed descriptions of all the spells in the game, organized by level and class. It includes information on the spell’s name, effect, duration, range, target, saving throw, mana cost, and component.
  • The Castle Keeper & the Game: This chapter expands on the role of the Castle Keeper (CK), which is the equivalent of the Dungeon Master (DM) in Dungeons & Dragons. It gives some guidelines on how to create and run a game of Castles & Crusades, how to use attribute checks for various situations, how to handle combat and damage, how to award experience points and treasure, and how to deal with special circumstances.
  • Combat: This chapter explains the combat system of Castles & Crusades in detail. It covers topics such as initiative order, movement rate, actions per round, attack rolls and damage rolls, armor class and defense modifiers, critical hits and fumbles, saving throws, special attacks and maneuvers, healing and death, and environmental effects.

Evaluation

The book is well-written and easy to understand. It uses clear examples and tables to illustrate the rules and concepts. It also has a glossary of terms and an index for quick reference. The book is well-designed and well-printed. It has a hardcover binding and full-color pages. It also has beautiful illustrations and graphics that enhance the fantasy atmosphere of the game.

The book is suitable for both beginners and veterans of role-playing games. Beginners will find it easy to learn and play Castles & Crusades with this book as their guide. Veterans will find it refreshing and enjoyable to play Castles & Crusades with its simple but deep system that allows for a lot of customization and creativity.

The book is compatible with other game systems based on the classic rules of Dungeons & Dragons. You can use it as a supplement or an alternative for other role-playing games. You can also use it as a source of inspiration for your own games.

Conclusion

Castles & Crusades Players Handbook is a book that offers you everything you need to play a fun and exciting fantasy role-playing game. The book is well-written, well-designed, well-printed, and well-illustrated. The book is a quality work that shows the passion and expertise of the authors and publishers. The book is an invitation to discover or rediscover the charm of Castles & Crusades, a role-playing game simple but deep, fun but challenging, classic but innovative.

Castles and Crusades – Players Handbook on DrivethruRpg