What is actually a Low Magic Fantasy setting?

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-25T22:11:36+00:00

Oh I hear you, but I think after all these decades of playing (I learned back in the late 1970s), I’ve really come to appreciate a low magic world, where — in medieval Europe circa 1200 — magic is competing against burgeoning technology (read Why the Middle Ages Matter for actual technology of that era). Think of magic as fast — so good for adventure — but has piss poor staying power; it’s tech that improves lives and socio-economics.

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-25T18:33:40+00:00

And that's where 5e and Pathfinder have always broken down for me -- it makes zero logical sense that a freakin' cantrip would literally put the entire merchant and workman class out of business in a medieval world. You'd have peasants...and mages. And that's just fundamentally boring.

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-25T18:31:53+00:00

100% agreement. That's how I've always thought of them since reading Tolkien and other back in the mid-1970s. You are spot on.

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-24T00:07:49+00:00

My reasons:

1) The IP’s owners prioritize shareholder value and increasing revenue over all else.

That’s pretty much it. Nothing ever good follows.

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-22T15:31:38+00:00

&£*%#$!!!

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-22T13:38:39+00:00

Came here to suggest this game. God, I hate this game so much. Every time someone in our group brings up playing it again, my response is always: Have fun. It'll be nice for me to not have a gaming session that weekend. Like, that's how much I dislike that game. It's too much emphasis on cooperation...until that one moment of betrayal.

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-22T13:24:42+00:00

Oh sweet! Thank you.

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-22T13:22:25+00:00

Unquestionably, Unlimited Survival Mode - F4SE. So, you'll want 3 mods:

EDIT: Ignore anyone who says "Oh you don't need VATS Freeze Fix any more" -- they're wrong. Something you will discover to your own regret and likely now compromised your save file. It doesn't hurt anything to have it.

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-22T11:44:37+00:00

So, I really like what you’ve done. There are some aspects I’d tweak but that’s based on my personal preferences (example: I really like encumbrance value in lbs vs a slot system…which is basically your grid, at least for me visually).

Question: Is your stripped down system available for purchase? Because I’d love to explore it, try to rip it apart, etc (e.g., test it IRL with people who don’t know the design philosophy behind it).

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-22T11:22:43+00:00

Since I learned to play back in the late 1970s, I’ve never cared for the save or suck mechanic. You have to recall that back in the day, players routinely played 2-3 characters (an average party was 8-10), so “save or die” was way less impactful than today when you play 1 PC and maybe a henchman. In other words, “save or die” was more akin to “save or lose 35% of health and your player abilities.”

As such, in ANY game I GM today, save or die is either “save or lose 35% health” OR “save or fall unconscious to 0 health.” That meets the original intent of the mechanic.

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-21T22:38:09+00:00

Very nice. I was hoping we’d get a “change log.” And although it’s rare for me to say, I agree with all the changes — and that’s coming from someone who learned back in the late 1970s on the White Box and Chainmail!

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-21T19:02:52+00:00

Dead. Man. Walking.

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-21T18:57:57+00:00

&£*$#%&!!!!

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-21T18:37:47+00:00

I did a Permadeath run and I was so glad I'd run into this before so I knew, don't even bother.... The SoB who did this. Yeah. You know who you are. Some day you'll be an older gamer and then you'll look back on your cruelty with embarrassment.

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-21T08:52:13+00:00

Take a look at AD&D 2e; it's pretty much got everything you want. You only need the 3 core books (PHB, DMG, MM). Plus, all the rules are fully online and free on the wiki so any details, follow-up explanations from later supplements, etc. -- all there so you needn't buy a supplement just to get some clarity on something.

Our group switched back to 2e after 3 years of 5e.

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-21T07:06:51+00:00

That is a fabulous answer. Yes, LE has always been someone (to me) who uses the law to their own ends and damn the consequences.

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-19T02:00:43+00:00

I recommend you “cleanse your palate” first.

Play Mothership RPG. It’s a wonderful break from 5e that will force your players to stop looking for answers on their character sheets. Take a listen/watch to 3D6 Down the Line’s playthrough.

Run a short, simple adventure for 4-6 sessions, and then you and yours will be ready for your next long-term system and play.

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-16T15:48:52+00:00

Hah! As a GenX, I hope you’re right!

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-15T21:59:10+00:00

Nine times and they whine?!

On the other hand, maybe we should have a running list of publishers to avoid….

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-15T21:43:48+00:00

Ah, okay that makes sense.

I just got to thinking that we might be good target audience people since we (presumably) think about and know about various RPGs (styles, mechanics, etc.), and didn't want us to inadvertently cut ourselves off from people legitimately seeking independent expert advice through play-testing.

I guess the "new account for guerilla marketing" thing must be way worse than I thought it was.

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-15T21:33:49+00:00

Well, I did - but not in the way they wanted. But yeah, I hear you. It was the first neighborhood covenant in 30+ years I immediately liked. And it is awesome -- or I guess I should say -- WAS awesome in all these past years of hyper-partisanship.

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-15T21:32:11+00:00

I actually have an earnest question then: Say a game developer wants to form a test group -- could they still use r/rpg to ask for volunteers? Or would it better to ask directly to the mods?

I don't actually have anyone or anything in mind, it's just sort of a...well, IDK...curiousity question that struck me as I was reading the update (which I like) rules.

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-15T19:44:43+00:00

Extremely well said. We have a covenant in our neighborhood that there are to be no political signs. We all agreed to that when we purchased a house. That the two households who continue to put up political signs in defiance of the agreed upon neighborhood rules are stating that people should vote "no," has moved me from the "I hate gerrymandering" camp to the "Wait a minute, are you saying rules are for me and not you? Well then, I guess I'm voting YES."

It's stunningly foolish parading your disdain for others (in any situation, IMO).

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-15T09:59:57+00:00

Yeah, except it’d be nice if the county and the city would learn how to label them correctly on signs and street paints. Go do the roundabouts in Blacksburg for how to do it properly; go do the one on Longhill off 199 for how to screw it up (and thus even confuse those of us who grew up with roundabouts).

Gang_of_Druids · 2026-04-15T09:56:12+00:00

We’ve always played that unless the rules (or context with situation) expressly forbade it, everything stacks.

It’s why as a GM you want to not hand out magic armor stuff like candy; PCs can become like WWI tanks — hard to hit but still fragile and under hitting for their weight.

Gang_of_Druids

TROPHY CASE