Dungeon Crawl Classics General Discussion

[Doc Sammy]

So, back in June of this year, I purchased a hard copy of the corebook for Dungeon Crawl Classics at Cavalier Comics, the FLGS in Wise, VA. I've skimmed through it and I like a lot of what I see in it, it's OSR without being a complete carbon copy or generic retro-clone of a previous system (not that there is anything wrong with that seeing as I love OSR retro-clones!) and I like the pulpy and gritty Sword & Sorcery feel to it.

The only obstacle I have is that I don't own a set of Zocchi Dice, just regular gaming dice and I don't have a smartphone either, so no dice-rolling apps either. I recently was looking through the book again and apparently, there are ways you can run DCC with normal dice only, making adjustments for the Zocchi Dice when necessary.

I would love to do a DCC game one day, either as a player in someone else's game or as a GM with my own homebrew setting.

Anyone else have experience with Dungeon Crawl Classics and if so, any tips for a first-time player or GM?

 

[Ulairi]

I have experience with it. I’d suggest picking up Sailors on the Starless Sea. It’s a perfect introduction to the game.

You don’t need Zocchi Dice to play. I picked up a tube finally from the MCC Kickstarter and have played in many sessions without them.

I’d suggest you print out the spells that the magic users have so you can become familiar with them.

DCC from my experience has been about module play more than other RPGs I’ve played. GG makes a lot of really good ones.

 

[Doc Sammy]

I have experience with it. I’d suggest picking up Sailors on the Starless Sea. It’s a perfect introduction to the game.

You don’t need Zocchi Dice to play. I picked up a tube finally from the MCC Kickstarter and have played in many sessions without them.

I’d suggest you print out the spells that the magic users have so you can become familiar with them.

DCC from my experience has been about module play more than other RPGs I’ve played. GG makes a lot of really good ones.

I generally prefer making my own adventures to modules, but I will look into them.

 

[Nick J]

All of the dice in the dice chain can be simulated with regular RPG dice. D3 = D6/2, D5=D6 (re-roll 6s), D7=D8 (re-roll 8s), D14, D16 = D20 (re-roll results in excess of highest possible number). D24=D12 with a control die, D30=D10 with a D6 control die (1-2 = 1-10, 3-4=11-20, 5-6=21-30).

Other than that, you should definitely go to www.purplesorcerer.com
The crawler's companion runs natively in windows, so you don't need a smartphone (includes the dice roller, plus a ton of rule-lookups, etc.)
https://purplesorcerer.com/crawler.php
I also strongly recommend generating a bunch of zeroes and hand them out randomly to your players
https://purplesorcerer.com/create_party.php
Once players reach level one and gain access to spells it's easy to print out each spell and give them to the player for reference
https://purplesorcerer.com/grimoire.php

 

[TheophilusCarter]

DCC is pretty wonderful. I haven't read a game in a very long time that made me feel like a kid again the way DCC did. Having said that, it's not really for me right now. The presumption is a good handful of players, each with multiple characters (esp. at lower levels), and that's just not super practical at the moment. It also doubles-down on the old-school approach to rules, and I'm really more about streamlined rules (up to and including unified mechanics, all with the same kind of dice rolls). None of that is to say there's anything wrong with it; it's just going for something very different than what I'm looking for these days.

 

[CRKrueger]

Wise, Virginia, a town of like 3500 people has a Comic Shop that stocks DCC?
That is beyond awesome.

 

[Nick J]

One note on the desktop application for the Crawler's Companion. It's unsigned, so Windows UAC may try to terminate the installation. The way I got around it was to change the properties to "run as administrator" and install it to my D drive. If you try to put it in C:\Program Files (x86), it may terminate the install and remove the executable. YMMV.

 

[Baulderstone]

I have experience with it. I’d suggest picking up Sailors on the Starless Sea. It’s a perfect introduction to the game.

That is a good one.

One thing to remember with dice is that you don't actually need to get the expensive Zocchi brand ones. Impact makes DCC dice that are perfectly good and cheaper as well. You can get a set with just the more unusual dice, or you can get a full set with the standards thrown in.

I like having d24s and d30s even when running B/X. They work great for adding difficulty to roll-under ability checks without needed to mess with modifiers.

 

[Doc Sammy]

Wise, Virginia, a town of like 3500 people has a Comic Shop that stocks DCC?
That is beyond awesome.

Yep, Cavalier Comics has been in operation since 1996 and is a well-run shop with great ownership and a great atmosphere. I love it and try to visit it every time I see my Dad over in Wise.

It helps that it's the only FLGS in town, with the next nearest places to buy comics, games, and other nerd stuff is usually either a two-hour drive to Kingsport and Johnson City in Tennessee or a four-hour drive to here in Roanoke.

And while Roanoke has a bigger geek scene and two awesome conventions I regularly attend (Star City Anime and MystiCon), it doesn't have an FLGS as awesome as Cavalier Comics.

Fuck, from 2012 up until around 2016, Roanoke didn't have an FLGS at all.

 

[Tommy Brownell]

I've not ran it, but I'm hacking the Critical Hits tables for 5e. Next campaign is probably getting the magic system as well, unless we play Adventures in Middle-Earth.

 

[Doc Sammy]

I might be convinced to make my own custom homebrew setting for DCC. I have a few ideas in mind, actually.

One of them is a modern zombie apocalypse scenario with only humans as playable characters (though magic would still exist, albeit in a rare state) and another is a grimdark horror medieval fantasy setting with anime influences where Halflings are replaced with cutesy chibi Leprechauns (though they are mechanically identical).

Both would be Survival Sandbox games.

 

[Charlie D]

I might be convinced to make my own custom homebrew setting for DCC. I have a few ideas in mind, actually.

One of them is a modern zombie apocalypse scenario with only humans as playable characters (though magic would still exist, albeit in a rare state) and another is a grimdark horror medieval fantasy setting with anime influences where Halflings are replaced with cutesy chibi Leprechauns (though they are mechanically identical).

Both would be Survival Sandbox games.

I have run DCC. If you make your own adventures I'd plan on combing through monster collections to beef up what is in the main book. You may also want to find a list of magic items to hand out (tweaked to be weird of course) unless you want to make up quite a few from scratch.

DCC as written is great to run with the modules. If you run your own and like DIY projects you will find it easy to twist to get the results you want if you have other rules to look for inspiration or are willing to make it up yourself.

 

[Séadna]

In case anybody doesn't know, Goodman Games have a Kickstarter (three days left) for the first expansion for DCC.
Link:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1409961192/dcc-annual-and-other-forbidden-tomes

Cover:


You can also get a new single volume printing of the Chained Coffin adventures and setting (contains more material than the original box set), as well as DCC itself in one of two new covers. I especially love this one by Catalan artist Sanjulián:



Sanjulián has a book already kickstartered for his art here (NSFW due to some images with nudity):
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/120326342/sanjulian-master-of-fantasy-art



Will be out in stores later in the year.

 

[Doc Sammy]

That is awesome!

 

[finarvyn]

My group and I were playtesters for the original rulebook and the early modules, and I have to say that I love the game even though I don't play it much at the moment. (Too many options, not enough time.) I like the old school concept, love the Kovacks artwork, and really like the notion that big baddie monsters should be unique.

The Goodman DCC RPG modules are written so that you don't get mindless encounters of orcs or kobolds but instead a lot more flavor than most other modules, and as I mentioned a unique monster at the end. Keep in mind that Goodman started the DCC RPG product line with module #66, so if you buy modules numbered 1-65 you will be looking at a 3E or 4E product instead of a DCC RPG one.

 

[yabaziou]

I have actually 2 copies of the DCC corebooks : one hardcover and another soft cover because I feel like I will need a copy for me and one for the players during game play.

I have also figured on how to solve my issue with the magic system : I will use this game for a Conan-like world with a lot of adventures and adventurers but little magic and none for the players since sorcery is very,very rare.

 

[Dumarest]

Here's a free site you can use to "roll" any number of any type of dice:

http://rolladie.net/roll-a-d20-die#...roll_only=false&totals_only=false&start=false​

I use it sometimes when I'm at work and updating a play-by-post.

 

[Gringnr]

Sorry for the necro, I just (on a lark) picked up the DCC hardback (wizard cover) for 30 bucks. Not sure whether to keep it or sell it (it's missing the art folio that was included, though). Leafing through it, it's pretty cool. I don't do much D&D, and I've been vocal about being "over" it, but DCC looks a lot more like something I'd play than most of the other OSR stuff. And its focus on modules is a plus for me, as that's actually my preferred style of play. Anyone wanna try to sell me on/off this?

 

[under_score]

DCC is great fun and the line of modules is full of entertaining adventures. Probably the best way to get into DCC is trying out some of their modules. Sailors on the Starless Sea, They Served Brandolyn Red, and Doom of the Savage Kings are some of my favorites.
Personally though, DCC has fallen out of favor with my group for campaign play. I love the game for convention play and one shots but the extreme swinginess and craziness of the system can be a little tiring week after week.
I did back Dark Trails, the upcoming weird west DCC game. I'm usually not so interested in weird west stuff but Dark Trails manages to feel like something else to me. Maybe more like a comic book game with western flavor rather than a western game with weirdness intruding. I got to play it last Gary Con and had fun with it.

 

[Gringnr]

My groups tend less towards long campaigns and more towards module play so that's one in the plus column.

 

[under_score]

My groups tend less towards long campaigns and more towards module play so that's one in the plus column.

You should definitely give it a try then.
Also, while my module recommendations above are level 0 and 1, don't be afraid to jump into some mid level play. I think the DCC fandom is overly obsessed with the funnel. It's fun and can lead to lots of memorable moments and sets a tone that life is cheap, but DCC really shines at levels 3-5. Players become pretty powerful and have a lot more tools at their disposal.

 

[Baulderstone]

You should definitely give it a try then.
Also, while my module recommendations above are level 0 and 1, don't be afraid to jump into some mid level play. I think the DCC fandom is overly obsessed with the funnel. It's fun and can lead to lots of memorable moments and sets a tone that life is cheap, but DCC really shines at levels 3-5. Players become pretty powerful and have a lot more tools at their disposal.

Yes, I played in the module Enter the Dagon when Edgewise ran it, and I believe we made 4th-level characters. At that level, we had very capable characters, but death was still very much on the table. Funnels are indeed a lot of fun, but you miss out on the full potential of the magic and combat systems at 0-level.

In my experience, DCC is one of those games where the actual play matches the tone the book is selling. If you flip through the book and think it look awesome, there is a very good chance you won't be disappointed. It is the crunchiest version of D&D that I actually like (I tend towards the B/X end of the spectrum), but I find that the crunch all provides fun results in play. When I am rolling on a table, it's generally with enthusiasm to see the result.

I've had nothing but good experiences with the game, both as a player and GM.

 

[Wormturn]

For a recent-ish DCC campaign I made a nice big ocean map and populated it with islands and a few coastlines, peppering it with the adventure sites from the modules. We went from level 0-5 using this model, including a couple of side adventures which were generated by the Divine Wrath tables as a result of the clerics doing their thing. It was a fun romp and I'd use the material again in a heartbeat.

 

[Halda]

My groups tend less towards long campaigns and more towards module play so that's one in the plus column.

I think DCC can easily support this. As other have said there is a great selection of modules for DCC (well over 75 official ones, plus LOTS of third party). It is easy to string them to together for episodic play if that helps at all.

Also as everyone has said it really has the crazy built into it. You can take it any direction you like. Plus it is very complete in one book, and it is an amazing price!

 

[finarvyn]

My groups tend less towards long campaigns and more towards module play so that's one in the plus column.

I think that the DCC modules are clever and innovative. They are designed with new creepy monsters instead of just recycling stuff from a Monster Manual, so players won't quite know what to expect or how to deal with them. (They won't already know the weaknesses, for example. A couple of my players all have the regular monster books memorized.)

 

[Gringnr]

I think DCC can easily support this. As other have said there is a great selection of modules for DCC (well over 75 official ones, plus LOTS of third party). It is easy to string them to together for episodic play if that helps at all.

Also as everyone has said it really has the crazy built into it. You can take it any direction you like. Plus it is very complete in one book, and it is an amazing price!

Well, I think I've been talked into keeping it. Also ordered some of the funny dice from Impact (thanks to TristramEvans for the tip). And, having paid $30 for the hardcover, I am very satisfied with the product. However, I almost feel like I have to have the Lankhmar set now lol. Liebernis my absolute favorite fantasy author, and DCC is the best ruleset I have seen for this. Okay, it's only the second, but still, it's orders of magnitude better than D&D's treatment, which tried too hard to play it "straight", when humor is central to the setting.

Edit: oops, I mean thanks to Baulderstone for the dice tip!

 

[TristramEvans]

Some of the full page art in DCC is the most evocative art in any roleplaying game rulebook I've ever seen - maybe not technically the most proficient, but bubbling over with imagination fuel.

 

[Gringnr]

Some of the full page art in DCC is the most evocative art in any roleplaying game rulebook I've ever seen - maybe not technically the most proficient, but bubbling over with imagination fuel.

I think so, too. I also thought it was a nice touch, getting Jennell Jaquays to contribute art to the Lankhmar box set. Her "Newton Mythos" illustrations in Dieties & Demigods, which I saw prior to ever reading the Fafhrd and Gray Mouser stories, have always been my headcanon for Lieber's world.

 

[under_score]

Yeah, you should definitely check out the Lankhmar set. Of the big S&S authors, Lieber is the one I somehow missed out on growing up, so I skipped backing that. I've since gotten to look over a friend's set and think it's one of the coolest products in the DCC line. I'm working my way through Lieber's works and mean to pick up the box set in print when I get the chance.

 

[Gringnr]

Yeah, you should definitely check out the Lankhmar set. Of the big S&S authors, Lieber is the one I somehow missed out on growing up, so I skipped backing that. I've since gotten to look over a friend's set and think it's one of the coolest products in the DCC line. I'm working my way through Lieber's works and mean to pick up the box set in print when I get the chance.

$47 plus free next-day Prime shipping? Done and done.

 

[under_score]

$47 plus free next-day Prime shipping? Done and done.

Damn, that's kind of frustrating. I really have been trying to buy directly from people and companies and not be so reliant on Amazon. But direct from GG is $60 plus shipping. Hardly an insignificant difference.

 

[Gringnr]

Damn, that's kind of frustrating. I really have been trying to buy directly from people and companies and not be so reliant on Amazon. But direct from GG is $60 plus shipping. Hardly an insignificant difference.

Agreed. I have been checking FLGS for stuff, but usually end up buying online, either by reason of price or availability.

 

[apOweyn]

Wise, Virginia, a town of like 3500 people has a Comic Shop that stocks DCC?
That is beyond awesome.

Times they are a-changing. Winchester, Virginia’s Books-A-Million has DCC in stock too. Along with 2d20 Conan and a range of other seemingly unlikely titles. Better range than most actual game shops I’ve seen lately.

 

[3rik]

I did back Dark Trails, the upcoming weird west DCC game. I'm usually not so interested in weird west stuff but Dark Trails manages to feel like something else to me. Maybe more like a comic book game with western flavor rather than a western game with weirdness intruding.

Exactly the same reason I late-backed Dark Trails.

 

[Gringnr]

LOL Noble Knight just offered me $60 for the DCC hardback I paid $30 for. I think the wizard cover might be kind of rare, but I'm not sure. I had sent them an inquiry a week or so ago, because at first, my goal was to sell it. But now, I spent almost $50 on the Lankhmar box. Plus I got a "not interested" from another seller, and was expecting the same from Noble Knight. Life is funny sometimes.

 

[Gringnr]

TBH, I've been wanting the Lankhmar set anyway, Lieber is my favorite fantasy author. I've not read the Robin Wayne Bailey book. Anyone else? Is it any good?

 

[Tulpa Girl]

We had great fun playing in a DCC campaign, getting our characters up to 5th level before we all died in an epic TPK (and that was after my character died and was eventually rescued from the Deathlands).

It's not a game for DMs who have a pre-planned campaign scripted out in advance, as eventually some of the crazy effects from high rolls on spellcastings and other occurrences will send the direction of the game completely off the rails and into entirely unforseen areas of play.

 

[Gringnr]

It's not a game for DMs who have a pre-planned campaign scripted out in advance

Jeez, this sounds perfect for my lazy-ass GMing style. Crunch level? I've only skimmed so far...

 

[Séadna]

Jeez, this sounds perfect for my lazy-ass GMing style. Crunch level? I've only skimmed so far...

There's an app Crawler's companion that reduces the game to be rules-light basically as it performs all the table look ups.

 

[Wormturn]

TBH, I've been wanting the Lankhmar set anyway, Lieber is my favorite fantasy author. I've not read the Robin Wayne Bailey book. Anyone else? Is it any good?

The DCC Lankhmar set is one of the best RPG products I've picked up for many a long year, both as a big fan of Lieber, and for the alternative rules it gives that can be back-ported into DCC proper to tweak the tone (e.g. to tamp down the gonzo).