WOIN - What's O.L.D. is N.E.W.

[CRKrueger]

WOIN (What's O.L.D. is N.E.W.) is the base system for three games by Enworld Publishing:
O.L.D. - Fantasy Heroic Roleplaying Game
N.O.W. - Modern Action Roleplaying Game
N.E.W. - Science Fiction Roleplaying Game
It's described as a crunchy tactical RPG with d6 pool mechanics and lifepath character generation. The base system is completely free with SRD published under the OGL, with 4 different compatible logos you are free to use as long as you attribute on your license page. The three "Era Games" have specific content to their era, I don't know how much open content those have. But you can download the first chapter of each for free. The website has a ton of content in downloads as well as links to online generators, etc in the 3PP area.

I think the game would get a lot more airtime if it were named or marketed differently. A completely open non-narrative game system with rules to support multiple genres, sounds like I need to take a closer look. Like most settingless systems, it's gonna be slow to build until someone lands a license that gets eyeballs.

 

[yojimbouk]

It's a mash up of d20 and D6. Two great tastes that don't taste great together.

 

[Baulderstone]

I took a look at it a while back. All I can remember is thinking that it was needlessly confusing in places. It's a dice pool system, but the number assigned to an attribute isn't the number of dice you roll. You need to consult a chart for that. If your Agility is 3, you roll 2 dice. If it is 10, you roll 4 dice. I always thought the main advantage of a dice pool system was just looking at your attribute and rolling that many dice.

 

[TristramEvans]

I'm sure there's some psychological term paper just waiting to be written about why geeks love alliterative acronyms so much

 

[The Butcher]

a crunchy tactical RPG with d6 pool mechanics

In my experience, crunch and dice pools go together like peanut butter and herpes.

Maybe they found a way to make it work, but I'm skeptical.

I'm sure there's some psychological term paper just waiting to be written about why geeks love alliterative acronyms so much

Not just geeks. Medical science is rife with clinical trials that have been contrivedly named to produce a pronounceable (not sure it qualifies as "alliterative") acronym like COLOR or TORPEDO or (I shit you not) BATMAN.

 

[Baulderstone]

Not just geeks. Medical science is rife with clinical trials that have been contrivedly named to produce a pronounceable (not sure it qualifies as "alliterative") acronym like COLOR or TORPEDO or (I shit you not) BATMAN.

Whether they are gamers or not, anyone that works at naming their trial TORPEDO or BATMAN is a geek or nerd at some variety.

It's interesting how geek and nerd have changed their definitions over time, at least in areas I have lived. Back in the early 80s, geeks and nerds were both unpopular, but nerds were the smart unpopular kids, and geeks were the poorly-socialized kids who weren't all that smart either. I'm not sure where geek mutated into being a term for people that are obsessively into something.

 

[CRKrueger]

(I shit you not) BATMAN.

Being in a Batman Trial would be cool...

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of an oral bisphosphonate (alendronate) in preventing bone loss in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer who are receiving anastrozole therapy, and to determine how long alendronate treatment is needed.

...or maybe not.

 

[The Butcher]

...or maybe not.

Hey, I have a bunch of old ladies on anastrazole back at my clinic, it's a big deal ok? ;)

 

[TristramEvans]

Hey, I have a bunch of old ladies on anastrazole back at my clinic, it's a big deal ok? ;)

Maybe their woins are on fire....

 

[K_Peterson]

I took a flyer on the Xenomorphs: The Fall of Somerset Landing Kickstarter, because I was interested in the Aliens-eque sourcebook and for a chance to take a look at the N.E.W system. I can be a sucker when it comes to new Scifi Rpgs.

The sourcebook looks useful, and I could see myself easily reusing it with another system - like Traveller, or Jovian Chronicles, or GURPS. But the N.E.W. system? Ugh.

The odd dice pool mechanic is one concern for me, but the real stinky aspect in the Rpg's are the various Traits/Exploits. Loads of abilities (like class features) acquired through the lifepath chargen, many which create exceptions to the rules. In some cases, it seems like you have to purchase these abilities in chargen or through XP to perform some tactical combat options. And there's a whole economy of spending dice in your dice pool to generate extra effects. Because according to N.E.W.:

The concept of buying effects with your attack dice is fundamental to the combat system of N.E.W. Without “buying” extra damage dice or desired effects, a successful attack will tend to do very little damage. High damage, therefore, is achieved by a large attack dice pool being partially spent on damage and effects.

Not a system I'd ever want to use or even try to digest. So much that's unappealing to me from just skimming the core book. So many widgets; a lot of over-engineering, IMO.

 

[Ladybird]

I think the game would get a lot more airtime if it were named or marketed differently. A completely open non-narrative game system with rules to support multiple genres, sounds like I need to take a closer look. Like most settingless systems, it's gonna be slow to build until someone lands a license that gets eyeballs.

They've got license for Judge Dredd and other 2000AD settings, and while I'm not sure I'd want to use the same underlying system for Dredd, Rogue Trooper (Sci-fi war stories / medical drama), Nikolai Dante (Swashbuckling, politics and rebellion in future Russia) and Sinister Dexter (Hyberurban cyberpunk hitmen), it's a decent license, especially in the UK and especially if the Dredd TV series takes off.

I took a look at it a while back. All I can remember is thinking that it was needlessly confusing in places. It's a dice pool system, but the number assigned to an attribute isn't the number of dice you roll. You need to consult a chart for that.

Yeah, that... seems to be missing the point of a die pool system, really, although I could see it working in place of modifiers if target numbers were relatively static.

 

[Baulderstone]

Not a system I'd ever want to use or even try to digest. So much that's unappealing to me from just skimming the core book. So many widgets; a lot of over-engineering, IMO.

Sounds similar to my reasons for disliking the system in the new Star Trek game. Every damn roll was a convoluted mess of spending multiple currencies to effect the outcome in different ways.

 

[K_Peterson]

Sounds similar to my reasons for disliking the system in the new Star Trek game. Every damn roll was a convoluted mess of spending multiple currencies to effect the outcome in different ways.

Think that's the 2D20 system. I played in a campaign of Mutant Chronicles 3e last year, which uses 2D20. Wasn't a fan. And the GM got really tired of the abstract rules, and the focused competition between GM and players with that system.

 

[Baulderstone]

Think that's the 2D20 system. I played in a campaign of Mutant Chronicles 3e last year, which uses 2D20. Wasn't a fan. And the GM got really tired of the abstract rules, and the focused competition between GM and players with that system.

Yeah. That is the one.

I really don't have a big issue with abstract rules, but if I am in the mood for abstraction, I want to go light. Something like HeroQuest or Over the Edge.

 

[Necrozius]

Ugh I hate acronyms. That was a major reason I couldn't get into Rifts back in the day (PP, DB, MDS... VOMIT).

 

[Shipyard Locked]

Ugh I hate acronyms. That was a major reason I couldn't get into Rifts back in the day (PP, DB, MDS... VOMIT).

Just checking, is VOMIT actually a Rifts acronym or just your physiological response?

 

[Ladybird]

Ugh I hate acronyms. That was a major reason I couldn't get into Rifts back in the day (PP, DB, MDS... VOMIT).

In fairness, the stat abbreviations don't look that much worse than other RPG's.

The game names, though, definitely seem somewhat forced for the sake of the gimmick.

 

[Endless Flight]

When I saw Enworld Publishing, I scrunched my nose. I never liked the place and my feelings about anything related flow from that, even if they are unwarranted.

 

[TristramEvans]

When I saw Enworld Publishing, I scrunched my nose. I never liked the place and my feelings about anything related flow from that, even if they are unwarranted.

Hey, c'mon, if we're going to ding people for bringing up cross-forum drama we should probably avoid it ourselves

 

[Endless Flight]

I’ve got no problem if somebody says they don’t like it somewhere else. I think we’ve had many posts here by people sharing their previous dissatisfaction with other places and trying to find a home they like. My problem with cross-forum drama is people reliving specific events at other places here, sometimes years after the fact. That’s also why I allow fresh starts for people who might have an unsavory reputation elsewhere. No prior baggage will be taken into account because if that happened this place would become an extension of whatever forum the members were at previously.

 

[TristramEvans]

ok fair enough. I just didnt want to give the impression we weren't playing by our own rules

 

[Endless Flight]

Oh yeah, I could share all kinds of ridiculous things I was involved in at other places but why would I bring that up here?? Most people here wouldn’t know who the hell I was talking about! I always go to that George Carlin skit where he talks about listening to other people’s stupid bullshit. I kind of view cross-forum drama like that.

As for Enworld specifically, I had about 10 posts there and am still friends with an ex-mod, so there was no trouble. I just don’t like the place, mostly from second half accounts I’ve heard from others.

 

[Charlie D]

As for Enworld specifically, I had about 10 posts there and am still friends with an ex-mod, so there was no trouble. I just don’t like the place, mostly from second half accounts I’ve heard from others.

The big change there recently is opening up the place for freelancers to write and paying really well (for RPGs). There are rules there, some very specific, but they treat freelancers really well, respond quickly to freelancer questions, pay them well, and pay them on time. It really is a friendly place to someone who wants to do some minor RPG writing and make a little spending cash. A place for the little guy to get treated right.

 

[Endless Flight]

That’s good to read. It’s definitely a step in the right direction.

 

[Mike Myler]

WOIN was a Kickstarter, there's three books to cover the gamut of genres (OLD, NOW, NEW; Morrus began with the other two and I authored the middle one), and its visibility issue is twofold I think: long staged releases because EN World is very thorough about their process (I am about to get my free copy any day NOW and the KS ended May 2014) and maintaining journalistic integrity. Dude runs an RPG news website and I think there's some apprehension about aggrandizing or saturating the front page with WOIN-related articles, and I'm not in charge of it but I don't think it gets any real press push for other venues (although there IS a NEW actual play that's been going on for a while called Turn Order: Warped). Again not privy to information that would tell me so, but I also feel like there's some dithering going on as all the boxes get checked off to clear publishing the Judge Dredd RPG (this went up last week, for example).

 

[Dumarest]

I'm sure there's some psychological term paper just waiting to be written about why geeks love alliterative acronyms so much

In what way are any of those alliterative?

Not just geeks. Medical science is rife with clinical trials that have been contrivedly named to produce a pronounceable (not sure it qualifies as "alliterative") acronym like COLOR or TORPEDO or (I shit you not) BATMAN.

Take a look at government programs and laws and treaties, everything seems to be named so that it spells a word like START, CHIP, ESSENCE, HEAT, etc., and they'll even try to force it with a misspelling like ASEAN.

 

[Dammit Victor]

Ugh I hate acronyms. That was a major reason I couldn't get into Rifts back in the day (PP, DB, MDS... VOMIT).

Just checking, is VOMIT actually a Rifts acronym or just your physiological response?

Well. I have new lifegoals.

 

[Panzerkraken]

Well. I have new lifegoals.

Variable Online Modifier Implying Time
Vicious Occluded Monster Imitating Tim
Vaccine Ordinarily Misapplied Into Traps
Vigorous Outlay of Massive Internal Trauma

 

[The Butcher]

Just checking, is VOMIT actually a Rifts acronym or just your physiological response?

Variable Omnidirectional Mega Intensity Turret: 4d6 x 10 MD in a 100’ radius, automatic hit, no attack roll, no dodge allowed.

 

[Winterblight]

W.O.I.N sounded great, but I didnt really tick enough of the boxes for me. I bought OLD and NEW, but cant quite bring myself to read NEW as i was that disappointed with OLD. I did like the countdown mechanic and grabbed that for use in other games

 

[robertsconley]

Sounds similar to my reasons for disliking the system in the new Star Trek game. Every damn roll was a convoluted mess of spending multiple currencies to effect the outcome in different ways.

I can referee a mean session of FASA's Star Trek: The Roleplaying Game if you need a Star Trek fix

 

[Panzerkraken]

I bought a copy of OLD based on some gushing on theRPGSite, but it didn't grab me. I'm not sure exactly what it was, I think probably some of the bits mentioned above (like the checking the table for how many dice to roll) but overall I think I'll just wind up farming it for lifepath ideas.