Wherein I Answer Various Swords & Wizardry Light / Continual Light Questions

I've been asked a ton of questions regarding Swords & Wizardry Light / Continual Light, whether on the blog, via direct message, email or the like. I figured I'd take some time to address what I can -in no particular order...

Q) I like the sepia color cover. Will that be an option upon release of Swords & Wizardry Continual Light?

A) In truth? No idea. In PDF I'm sure we can do it. For the print release, it depends on the route taken to print. More on that with a later Q / A.


Q) Is Swords & Wizardry Light a "cash grab"?

A) Neither Zach, James nor myself got paid for the work on SWL (although I am getting comped in part or in whole on two conventions). Frog God Games printed thousands of copies of SWL in print to give away for free, along with other freebies that should be debuting at Gary Con. If you define a "cash grab" as "giving stuff away for free", then yes ;)


Q) Isn't the point of Swords & Wizardry Light to get gamers to play Swords & Wizardry Complete? What is with this Continual Light crap?

A) The point of SWL is getting gamers to play an OSR game with little buy in. Swords & Wizardry in its various flavors is my go to game. I LOVE Swords & Wizardry Complete. Still, some gamers are drawn to the "rules light" gaming of SWL, so why not expand their options with Swords & Wizardry Continual Light?


Q) How do you make money on Swords & Wizardry Light?

A) Referring to the Magic 8 Ball - Answer is fuzzy. Ask again later ;)


Q) When will Swords & Wizardry Continual Light release?

A) We are aiming for Gary Con. What we are referring to as the SWCL Beta is really the rules alone without the support material. That should be ready for Gary Con, at about 16 to 20 pages, in a limited edition Gary Con release, signed and numbered, printed at my house. We are guessing 30 or so printed copies followed by a release of the PDF for free and possibly POD (or Print from my Home - not sure yet) The print version will be relatively close to cost - This will be followed later in the Spring / Early Summer by what we are tentatively calling the SWCL Deluxe Edition. 32 to 40 pages, seven adventures (one for each level) and a sandbox setting. Truly a complete game, just add dice. This PDF will have a nominal price. The print version will be either POD or "other". Still in discussions.


Q) What got you started on a minimalist OSR ruleset?

A) Ask Zach Glazer. I blame him. Seriously, I wanted a ruleset that could be left at game stores, libraries and cons that would invoke memories of gaming in the 70 and 80s without being being heavy. From such ideas grew Swords & Wizardry Light.


Q) What can you tell me about the Torchlight Zine?

A) The current idea (which is subject to change) is to have a theme with every issue. Want a SWL Western hack or Sci-Fi Hack or something else? Half the issue will be devoted to a genre hack and the rest to general SWL adventures, classes, magic, NPCs and such. Looking at 12 to 20 pages, digest sized per issue.


Q) Why is Swords & Wizardry Light Three Levels?

A) Party because the D&D Basic set covered the first three levels but mostly because that was a comfortable range that allowed level advancement while also allowing use to keep to four pages. As a follow up, SWCL covers seven levels for much the same reason. Its a also a good place to stop before spell powers throw things outa whack.


Q) What are your plans to support Swords & Wizardry Light / Continual Light?

A) I think much of this has already been covered. Aside from the Torchlight Zine we may throw the occasional SWL / SWCL stand alone adventure into the mix (we, meaning +Zach Glazar , +James Spahn and myself.) In truth tho, the success of SWL / SWCL will reside in the hands of the community. Folks like +Tim Shorts and +Thom Wilson are already producing SWL content via their Patreons. +Timothy Brannan has written a Witch Class for SWL.  +Michael Badolato is working on an expanded monster book for SWL / SWCL. We are building a vibrant community and amazing content. Join us :)


Q) Someone posted online that games such as Swords & Wizardry Light are too small to be useful for long term play. What do you say to them?

A) Everyone has their own opinion. I respectfully disagree. I think SWCL is an excellent ruleset for campaign play and I think SWL is perfect for Convention Play or a short campaign. In the end, to each their own. No one is forced to play SWL just like I'm not forced to play Pathfinder.

First Up - Quick Conversion Docs for Currently Released Lower Level Swords & Wizardry Adventures

While Swords & Wizardry Light is compatible with the other flavors of Swords & Wizardry that doesn't hold true with currently released adventures.

Why?

Well, the first reason is that not all of the monsters from the fuller rulesets are included within the 4 pages that compose Swords & Wizardry Light.

The second reason is that magic items are not included in Swords & Wizardry Light. While that was partially due to space constraints the idea of keeping magic items "magical" came into play too. They are meant to be introduced via adventures, not as a magical shopping list.

Then there are spells that didn't make the Swords & Wizardry Light spell lists.

All of the above crop up in adventures currently released for the Swords & Wizardry Lines.

Over the next few weeks I'm going to go through the adventures released by Matt, Bill and others via either Matt's Lulu Storefront or Frog God Games and put together cheat sheets for these adventures. By their very nature, they'll expand the material available for Swords & Wizardry Light GMs and players.

This is the list I have so far of adventure that cover levels 1 through 3 (some might go higher)

Tomb of the Iron God
DemonSpore
Grimmsgate
MCMLXXV
Hall of Bones
Stoneheart Valler
Rogues in Rembalo
Lost City of Baracus

Let me know if I'm missing any.

For those looking to write for Swords & Wizardry Light, we'll work on getting some very basic guidelines closer to release.

For now, if you are aiming to write for Swords & Wizardry Light - remember, magic items need a short explanation, even if they are already in a Swords & Wizardry rulebook AND S&W Light is releasing in the form of a folder / GM's screen. If what you want to write fits on a two-sided one-sheet, it can fit right into that folder. Neat, right?

Swords & Wizardry Light - Designer Notes - Swords & Wizardry Light Emulates Swords & Wizardry, Not OD&D

When I started working on Swords & Wizardry Light, the idea was to tear down Swords & Wizardry White Box to its bare bones and rebuild it minimally, with one of the the ideas being that it would be a stepping stone to Swords & Wizardry Complete. The other idea was for it to be a lighter yet viable alternative to the current Swords & Wizardry options, both for campaign play and convention play.

SWL does NOT emulate OD&D, with or without its supplements. It emulates Swords & Wizardry. That is its purpose. As such, it doesn't hew exactly to White Box, Core or Complete but works with all of them. You should be able to use spells, magic items and creatures from any of these flavors of Swords & Wizardry with little if any adjustments. Character classes have been greatly simplified with Light, so if there is a hiccup in compatibility, its on the preparation side and not so much in the game session itself.

In the next week or so we'll be putting up a conversion guide for those that want to start with SWL and move on to Swords & Wizardry Complete. While the rules are compatible, characters created using the Light rules are less powerful than those made directly with the Complete rules. We are also putting together some support material to make running current Swords & Wizardry Complete adventures using Light a seamless process.

In addition, +James Spahn and I are working on a player's one-sheet and a GM's one-sheet to add a few classes from Complete (and beyond), leveling to level 5, new spells and for the DM more creatures, magic item guidelines and a bit more. Our goal is for a gaming group to have a complete campaign in the Lost City of Barakus setting using the Light rules. I think we can hit that mark ;)

We treat classes beyond the core four as variants of the core. I'll offer the Bard as an example:

Bards function exactly as thieves, except they may cast Charm Person and Detect Magic once per day. Once per combat they may sing an inspiring song, granting all allies +1 to all attack rolls for 5 rounds. Bards need one additional adventure for each level attained.

As I've said before, Swords & Wizardry Light has legs. Surprising legs.

Oh, and just over 540 downloads for SWL as I type this...

The Origins of Swords & Wizardry Light or Ain't Retirement Grand?

I know I've posted about the origins of Swords & Wizardry Light in the past but there comes a time when you need to address certain falsehoods in the narrative making the rounds. So, here we are, back to the beginning. Strangely enough, the origins go back nearly three years to the day. Hold my beer, I need two hands to type ;)

Three years ago on St Patrick's Day, 2016, I signed out from work for the final time at 605 AM. I would run accumulated time and terminal leave for nearly four months, but for all effects and purposes, I was retired.

Retirement hits different people in different ways. A common theme is a need for a replacement time sink to work. You wouldn't think this would be needed. Not having to work is awesome! Work does, however, give one a purpose and I found myself in search of such purpose and lots of free time on my hands. Pub lunches and naps can only take one so far ;)

I started toying with the idea of a guerilla marketing ruleset for OSR gaming. Something that could be printed on a single sheet - both sides - and left in libraries, community centers, game stores and the like. I brainstormed that idea for a while. Bought legal sized paper for my printer, as I thought I might need the extra space of a larger sheet of paper. I had lots of ideas, and that was good. I found something to do in retirement.

Sometime in the late spring, I shared my idea with Zach Glazar (Frog God Games). We are friends and often use the other as a sounding board. Ideas that may sound good to oneself may not survive the intense gaze of another's more critical - and less biased - thinking.

I expected some ideas for layout, general feedback on rules to include or exclude. I hadn't even settled on a ruleset to strip down. I half expected to build one from the ground up of my own, using the various existing rulesets for inspiration. Instead, Zach told me my vision was lacking. I had a great idea - an awesome idea - but I was thinking too small. He then told me to hold that thought and he would get back to me.

Before I knew it, instead of some throwaway sheet of paper that would probably never fit enough rules to be playable (or if it did, the font would be too small to be readable), what if I had four pages, professionally laid out with high-quality art, using the Swords & Wizardry rules and stripping them down to the bare bones (and even whittled away at some of those bones) and Frog God Games would publish - both in print (to give away for free) and in PDF. Oh, and it would be called Swords & Wizardry Light.

Without Zach, without Frog God Games, there would be no Swords & Wizardry Light. There might be some hacked out ruleset, barely playable but certainly loved by its creator, hoping to be found in some random libraries, but its impact would have been minimal.

Swords & Wizardry Light was never the work of one person. It was a team effort from the moment we named it. Zach doing layout and feedback, Scott Swift on editing, James Spahn on smoothing out the rules and all of us trying to save space, one character (note: not "player character") at a time. All while thanking Matt Finch and Bill Webb for even allowing us to do what we did to the house ruleset of Frog God Games.

As a ruleset, Swords & Wizardry Light was intended to lower the entry bar to old school style roleplaying and RPGs in general. To feel comfortable and familiar to lapsed gamers and non-intimidating to new players, young and old. Oh, and since it is built on the bones of Swords & Wizardry, its a perfect marketing tool for Swords & Wizardry Complete. It is meant to complement the larger ruleset, not compete with it. It only covers three levels, and that is by design (and space consideration)

The rest pretty much is history. It debuted at GameHole Con in 2016 and has been given away at cons, via snail mail, with Frog God orders, PDF and more - thousands upon thousands of times. It's a perfect ruleset to run at conventions and works well for pick up games. It gives just enough of the fuller rules to bring folks back to the Frog God booth at conventions asking for more Swords & Wizardry. More OSR.

I do believe it accomplishes the goals we set out for it and more.

So, there you have it. The true story of the origins of Swords & Wizardry Light. Less exciting then some narratives and dramaless, unless you include the period where I was trying to emulate a d20 with 3d6...

Thoughts on a Swords & Wizardry: Light Sandbox Setting and More

I think 4 pages is the key to Swords & Wizardry: Light releases. It's forces one to make sure everything is nice and compact and a single sheet is all you need to print.

Needless to say, I'm now thinking of a sandbox setting for S&W: Light. Perhaps 8 5 miles hexes E/W by 10 5 miles hexes N/S.

A sentence or two highlighting each hex. 3 or 4 paragraphs giving an overview of the area in general.

Now, obviously there would be dangers where 3rd level characters just shouldn't be poking around. Which brings us to the next topic of discussion.

There have been a number of inquiries as to whether or not to allow characters to advance under the light rules instead of moving on to one of the fuller S&W rulesets. I do appreciate that lighter is often better for some, some I'm toying with the idea of an "Extra Light" release, adding advancement and monsters for characters of up to 7th level.

So, we are looking at the following releases:

Swords & Wizardry: Light ruleset

Swords & Wizardry: Light Intro Adventure

Swords & Wizardry: Light - Deadly Machination - tables, charts, additional rules and DM advice

and possibly:

Swords & Wizardry: Light - Adventure Sandbox

Swords & Wizardry: "Extra" Ligt - Advancement to level 7

All 4 page releases.

Give me your thoughts :)

Content Question - What Resources Would Make Your Swords & Wizardry Light Experience Better? (Poll)

What would make your Swords & Wizardry Light experience better?

I'm sure that's a question that can be asked of most any RPG and in some way the answers will apply to all OSR systems, but Swords & Wizardry Light has a unique challenge - it's more than a Quickstart but less than a fully robust game system. Four pages of rules imposed some space limitations.

So, what we want to know is what you would like to have available to make your experience with Swords & Wizardry Light "better" for you and your group. Better is a relative word, so I'll give you some random ideas:

- Real play examples

- New spells

- Sample magic items

- New monsters

- Sample encounters

- One Sheet / Short adventures

- Sample setting

- New classes (currently being play tested)

- More levels (currently being play tested)

- New races

Again, this is just a small list and certainly not all inclusive. Much of this potential new content would be posted here at The Tavern and / or on the Swords & Wizardry Light Resource Page, also hosted here at The Tavern.

There is a poll attached to this post. You may choose multiple answers. Please feel free to comment and add your thoughts to the mix. Swords & Wizardry Light was written to be your game, so tell us* what you want.

*Note - "Us" doesn't refer to just James, Zach and myself, nor is it limited to FGGs. "Us" in this context is the Swords & Wizardry Light Community. 

The Latest Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day Posts - Volume 5 :)

Jack's Toolbox - Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day - So, Swords & Wizardry is one of many game systems that are indicative of the “Old School Renaissance  movement in tabletop RPG gaming. The idea is that RPGs these days aren’t like they were “back in the old days,” and that we’ve lost something in modern games that we had back then...

HexGeneration - Swords & Wizardry: Stepping Back to Move Forward -When Tenkar’s Tavern put out the call for bloggers to talk about Swords & Wizardry I pretty much dismissed it at first.  I have a love for all things OSR and I felt there was no need to sing the praises of one game over another.

Aeons & Augauries - Of Swords & Wizardry - It's Swords & Wizardy Appreciation Day. On this day it's only fair to share one of the best evenings I ever had and Swords and Wizardry was part of it.

Under Siege - Happy S&W Appreciation Day! - Swords & Wizardry is, at its heart, a rules light game where young and older players alike can gather call create characters, roll some dice, and share stories of adventure.  It does so by keeping things simple while giving power to the story teller (the DM or GM) to create worlds of adventure to be explored and plundered.

D20 Dark Ages - Why Swords & Wizardry is the #1 RPG - It was a toss up between Swords & Wizardry and Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG in my mind. And I love both, and I wish could play more of each. Both harken back to "Old School" game design...

Back to the Dungeon - Swords & Wizardry: Ot the Little Game that Could! - Swords and Wizardry! What a game! It invokes this primal primitive version of gaming...

The Iron Tavern - Is Swords & Wizardry The One? - What makes Swords & Wizardry stick out amongst the other “retroclones” other there?

Carjacked Seraphim - Totemic Paladin (S&W Appreciation Day) - In my Queston Campaign, all those years ago, I replaced regular Paladins with a different type of Paladin called a "Totemic Paladin." These Paladins had powers based upon their totem animal, rather than the standard list of Paladin powers...

Barbarians of Provo - Sword and Wizardry Appreciation Day and my first ever Crypts and Things game - As you might have guessed, today is Sword and Wizardry Application Day.  This also happens to coincide with the preparation of my first ever Crypts and Things game that is scheduled to go down this Saturday.

Realms in the Mist - Here are some house rules and variants that I use in my home campaign - feel free to steal anything you find, I hope to have some more - new spells - posted this afternoon...

New Release - Non-Human Player Codex for Swords & Wizardry Light

I meant to mention this release earlier, but the week has been a busy one. But now that I'm home from Jury Duty (The Six Angels of Justice rendered their verdict at 445 PM ;) its time to play catch up.

The Non-Human Player Codex for Swords & Wizardry Light is quite simply a home run. Priced at PWYW, it gives some additional options and depth to the 3 core non-human classes for Swords & Wizardry Light and Swords & Wizardry Continual Light. Use it to make each character unique OR to make unique sub-races - it works well either way. At PWYW pricing there is no reason not to pick this gem up.

Up your non-human game for Swords & Wizardry Light and Swords & Wizardry Continual Light with this handy reference guide and collection of new house rules!  Enjoy the same popular trait tables found in its predecessor, Non-Human Player Codex for Swords & Wizardry Complete, recalibrated and rewritten for Light and Continual Light.  Includes the following: 

Abilities/Class reference for core SWL and SWCL non-humans (Dwarf, Elf, Halfling).
Trait tables to add nuance and distinctiveness to your non-human characters.
All in a convenient, concise, and easily-printed reference.  

Dare to be different with your demi-human PCs, while keeping the rules light!

Yep, that's an affiliate link above. Shoppin' through The Tavern's affiliate links keeps the taps flowing and the lights on here at The Tavern :) 

Frog God Games is Having a DEEP Discount Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day Sale - Get Yours Before the Getting is Done!

Help Matt Finch celebrate with deep discounts!!  He will not be undersold!!  Another 6 a.m. start at the office for Matt. Swords & Wizardry appreciation day 2017!! We appreciate that. No one more than Swords & Wizardry creator and capitalist extraordinaire Matt Finch (pictured). In return he has a hoard of appreciation for you- in the form of savings. Get yourself some of our Lost Lands poster maps for $5 each coupon code-  LEGION-MAP-5 Pick up three Lost Lands hardcovers! Choose between Stoneheart Valley, Lost City of Barakus or Tome of Horrors 4 for only $10 each. Use coupon code-     LEGION-HC-10 Need some rules on paper? How about a dark adventure underground? Get Cyclopean Deeps I or the 3rd Printing of the Swords and Wizardry rules each only $20 using coupon code- LEGION-HC-20 PLUS 25% Off all Swords & Wizardry PDFs-  LEGION-01101-25 Gateway to the Legion* Sale begins now!! *see below Swords & Wizardry Legion I want you!! To join the legion! We have begun a new project with the goal of promoting the playing of Swords & Wizardry. Michael Badolato has volunteered to manage it while I am the Frog God Partner who facilitates that. What exactly is the Legion? Well, it's an attempt to create an appreciation society for Swords & Wizardry with a focus on the Light variant, a stripped-down-to-the-basics version of Matt Finch's retroclone, Swords & Wizardry. The system is only four pages long, uses only two dice (d6 and d20), and is the perfect blueprint for convention games, introducing newbies to RPGS in general or Swords & Wizardry in particular, or as a gateway to kids wanting a beginning RPG they can jump into without having to learn a lot of rules. That's not to say that veteran gamers won't get a lot of fun out of Swords & Wizardry Light...they will, especially those used to old school systems where it's about the game itself and not the rules. By stripping S&W down to the basics, the rules fade into the background and the actual game play....solving puzzles, investigating ruins and dungeons, battling monsters, inter-party squabbling.....becomes the important thing. To find out more you can contact Mike by going to the Legion's Facebook Group (Facebook Legion Group). If Facebook is not your thing than he can be contacted via his email address- mikebadolato@ntrpgcon.com. Swords & Wizardry happens at Facebook's most notorious tavern... Need even more Swords & Wizardry? Got a light? Or are you complete? Either way you should come and see what is happening at the Tenkar's Tavern - a Neutral Ground Aptly run by well-known scofflaw Erik Tenkar. The happenings in the Swords & Wizardry fan community happen even faster there. Hate Facebook? Try Tenkar's Tavern on the web. File photo of typical  patron...

Frog God Sale Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day Sale Extended

The sale has been extended. sharing for those that thought they missed out.

Help Matt Finch celebrate with deep discounts!!

He will not be undersold!!

Another 6 a.m. start at the office for Matt.

Swords & Wizardry appreciation day 2017!! We appreciate that. No one more than Swords & Wizardry creator and capitalist extraordinaire Matt Finch (pictured). In return he has a hoard of appreciation for you- in the form of savings. Get yourself some of our Lost Lands poster maps for $5 each coupon code-  LEGION-MAP-5 Pick up three Lost Lands hardcovers! Choose between Stoneheart Valley, Lost City of Barakus or Tome of Horrors 4 for only $10 each. Use coupon code-     LEGION-HC-10 Need some rules on paper? How about a dark adventure underground? Get Cyclopean Deeps I or the 3rd Printing of the Swords and Wizardry rules each only $20 using coupon code- LEGION-HC-20 PLUS 25% Off all Swords & Wizardry PDFs-  LEGION-01101-25

Gateway to the Legion* Sale begins now!!

*see below

Swords & Wizardry Legion

I want you!! To join the legion! We have begun a new project with the goal of promoting the playing of Swords & Wizardry. Michael Badolato has volunteered to manage it while I am the Frog God Partner who facilitates that. What exactly is the Legion? Well, it's an attempt to create an appreciation society for Swords & Wizardry with a focus on the Light variant, a stripped-down-to-the-basics version of Matt Finch's retroclone, Swords & Wizardry. The system is only four pages long, uses only two dice (d6 and d20), and is the perfect blueprint for convention games, introducing newbies to RPGS in general or Swords & Wizardry in particular, or as a gateway to kids wanting a beginning RPG they can jump into without having to learn a lot of rules. That's not to say that veteran gamers won't get a lot of fun out of Swords & Wizardry Light...they will, especially those used to old school systems where it's about the game itself and not the rules. By stripping S&W down to the basics, the rules fade into the background and the actual game play....solving puzzles, investigating ruins and dungeons, battling monsters, inter-party squabbling.....becomes the important thing. To find out more you can contact Mike by going to the Legion's Facebook Group (Facebook Legion Group). If Facebook is not your thing than he can be contacted via his email address- mikebadolato@ntrpgcon.com.

Swords & Wizardry happens at Facebook's most notorious tavern...

Need even more Swords & Wizardry? Got a light? Or are you complete? Either way you should come and see what is happening at the Tenkar's Tavern - a Neutral Ground Aptly run by well-known scofflaw Erik Tenkar. The happenings in the Swords & Wizardry fan community happen even faster there. Hate Facebook? Try Tenkar's Tavern on the web. File photo of typical  patron...