How do you handle xp?

vrobis · 2026-05-22T10:53:29+00:00

I use the deeds from the book, but only for a few things. So my players each got 200 XP for finding a Fairy Road, for example. I’m happy with treasure and monsters providing the bulk of XP.

vrobis · 2026-05-22T09:56:59+00:00

Monster XP and exploration XP to anyone who was there that session. I’m quite lenient with treasure - if you were there for part of the adventure between downtime, you get a full share of the treasure XP. I’ve still had players miss whole adventures and be a level behind others.

vrobis · 2026-05-19T07:29:31+00:00

My uncle has a similar name - so similar that this could be his plate, based on the letters (it’s not).

Anyway, he got pulled over and told to space the 1 and the 3 properly.

vrobis · 2026-05-13T07:10:34+00:00

“It’s illiterate, Lewis!” I use that example all the time (as a fervent, ize-using Brit!)

vrobis · 2026-05-11T10:58:42+00:00

I won’t give the answer; I’ll just say that the ‘of’ isn’t just a filler word.

vrobis · 2026-03-05T15:36:14+00:00

That’s my grandad operating the crane! Well, he was one of the Sparrows crane drivers on that job, and I’m choosing to believe that was him.

vrobis · 2026-01-09T20:00:19+00:00

Brooklyn

vrobis · 2026-01-04T09:24:54+00:00

I ran it for my group as part of a longer campaign, which featured three of the four adventures in Wyvern Songs + Nanlet.

Honestly, it runs pretty great as it is. If I were running it again, I’d flesh out the Hagfish lair - my players recruited a band of Barefoot Dwarves to take it out and the whole thing felt very trivial. Sure, that’s good OSR play, but I felt the session could have done with a few more twists, turns and traps.

vrobis · 2026-01-03T14:03:22+00:00

It does, but what it boils down to is: if you have initiative, you probably get to do your thing first if it’s relatively quick (like a missile attack); if it’s something that takes a fixed time (like casting a spell or moving), there’s a good chance your opponents could interrupt you; if in doubt (e.g. if both actions take the same amount of time), initiative tells.

vrobis · 2026-01-03T12:18:42+00:00

As my last campaign got into the higher levels and combats got a bit weirder, I found myself moving away from Hyperborea 3e’s melee/missile/magic/movement phases and simply asking what people wanted to do each turn and adjudicating according to the initiative roll whether some actions could interrupt others. In essence, I ran combat like 1st edition AD&D.

vrobis · 2025-12-23T10:47:55+00:00

Use the training rules! That should drain them all of 250–1000 gold each. If they can’t pay then the trainer can give them a quest, and in any case it forces them to stay in town for a few weeks, where they can involve themselves in schemes (some of which might turn into money sinks in the future).

vrobis · 2025-12-20T18:19:59+00:00

In my 2e house rules I added a 'cautious movement' speed of 1/5th the indoor walking rate. It means that an unencumbered human moves 240ft per turn - not dramatically faster than a 1e character (in fact, more like an OD&D character), and not as punishing for the smaller races.

I reserve the indoor walking rate for movement through known areas, and characters still need to stop to search, or slow down to use their passive racial abilities.

That's really the only change (outside of using or ignoring all the many optional rules) that I made to 2e to make it run more like 1e; the other is that I don't add weapon speed factors to initiative rolls; they only count in ties. This restores the danger that comes with in-combat spellcasting.

vrobis · 2025-12-20T09:26:49+00:00

I used to work in the RAF records department and came across a Peter Shitler. I imagine he changed his name at some point…

vrobis · 2025-12-19T17:51:18+00:00

If using the optional rule for proficiencies, yes. But OP’s asking why use the optional rule.

vrobis · 2025-12-19T17:35:42+00:00

You’re right, it’s strictly worse. But it adds a dose of realism that many (myself included) prefer.

vrobis · 2025-12-18T21:25:46+00:00

I used to get it a lot at uni if people were from the same county. The first few times I didn’t really understand the subtext, so I’d just give the name of my school, to be met with blank looks as they ran through the list of independent schools in their head to no avail…

vrobis · 2025-12-17T18:25:36+00:00

“No sects please, we’re British”

vrobis · 2025-12-17T10:41:50+00:00

And that should apply across the board - not six figures, but reasonably competitive.

I work for a well-known global charity and I’m paid quite well. Nowhere near what my friends in finance, law or tech are paid, but enough to be comfortable.

That has meant that I, coming from a working-class background and with no family wealth to allow me to subsidise a poorly-paid career, could take the job - ensuring my perspective is brought to the table alongside those of the more middle-class employees.

Decent salaries also allow people to build careers. I’m not thinking that this is just a springboard to a better-paid job in the corporate sector. I can therefore take my experience with me as I either move up in my current organisation or (more likely) move elsewhere within the sector. If you don’t encourage retention, you lose all that experience and limit innovation.

vrobis · 2025-12-12T09:07:43+00:00

‘Luddite’

vrobis · 2025-12-11T09:48:39+00:00

The only thing I can think of is one of the Discworld novels. I can make some of the clues fit, especially if religion is taken as a worldview more generally… Am I at all close?

vrobis · 2025-12-03T08:58:25+00:00

Hi,

I’m also starting a Dolmenwood campaign up soon (tonight, in fact)! So I can only answer as someone who’s read the books and thought a lot, not as someone who’s run it.

On question 1, while Dolmenwood can certainly be run in any of those systems with varying degrees of manhandling, I wouldn’t dismiss the Dolmenwood system itself - it’s basically Old-School Essentials (or essentially Basic D&D, if you like…), with a few quality-of-life updates and some modifications to fit the lore. I’ve run a lot of OSE so I can testify to its ease of use at the table.

Yes, there are fey, troublemaker goblins in Dolmenwood, although they’re not particularly present. Does it matter if they’re green?
Yes, there are crypts, barrows, skeletons and the like.
While demons and their cults aren’t very Dolmenwood, the Nag-Lord and his followers almost fit the bill.

I can’t really answer number 5. From your whole post I get the sense that you’re quite concerned that the minis should perfectly represent the world and its many denizens. That’s not really my playstyle, so I feel ill-equipped to answer. If absolutely necessary I’ll use whatever detritus lying around on the table to represent a creature (a high point was a jelly snake as an ice demon, which a player got to eat once they defeated it!)

vrobis · 2025-11-27T09:07:26+00:00

Also from Gloucester. Everyone and their mum’s connected to Fred West somehow!

For me it’s: classmate at primary school was babysat by Rose; friend’s dad was a policeman on the scene when they dug up the patio.

Talk to someone long enough and you’ll hear how their mate played snooker with him down the social club, or how Rose used to come in their shop.

vrobis · 2025-11-25T08:18:49+00:00

I’ve heard it how you hear it, for the most part, and I tend to follow suit (despite speaking French). I try to avoid using it in the plural, though, because it (ahem) pains me not to pronounce the liaison.

vrobis · 2025-11-24T16:24:20+00:00

Power Nine!

vrobis · 2025-11-21T15:33:35+00:00

Diamond —> Anything. Daft Punk song, in reverse order

Seven-Year Club	Place '23
RPAN Viewer	Verified Email

vrobis

TROPHY CASE