Hackmaster Basic (Probably a one-shot, but potentially more depending on interest)

I remember picking up the original Hackmaster Player's Handbook mostly as a laugh and because I enjoyed Knights of the Dinner Table comic. However it didn't take me long to see why a parody system won game of the year and had a very long following for years. Now however they're overhauling the rules and releasing a new version. What this means is that the starter kit for the new version is available for free download and what I'd like to do is get a group of people to try it out with me before I decide on forking over the cash for the new books. Hackmaster Basic is a complete game, sufficient to let characters advance up to level 5 and completely compatible with the PHB, GMG and Hacklopedia of Beasts. Anyhow, feel free to check out the info for yourself and get in touch with me if you'd like to try this game out. <a href="http://www.kenzerco.com/hackmaster/designers_foreword.php" rel="nofollow">http://www.kenzerco.com/hackmaster/designers_foreword.php</a> &lt;---- Links to the Basic PDF and a walkthrough of gameplay.

Are you talking Basic with pregens or Basic with simple character gen (since there are two versions)? I'd be up for it, although I'd honestly prefer to have the full power of the PHB at my disposal (even if we stick to Basic for the rules and cap of the game). When demoing the game early on, I found that the PHB just made better and less pigeon holed characters without really complicating anything. I'd be happy to help with that side of things if you wanted to go down that road. With the release of Basic, which takes out character creation, I'm not exactly sure what that looks like since I'd already picked up the PHB by that point. While not opposed to pregens, they do take a lot of options away.

That's kind of the rub for me at the moment. I bought the original PHB, GMG, Hacklopedia's, modules, etc... and due to a number of factors just didn't get to use them very much at all. I'm really hesitant about forking out the money for the new version without trying it out. While I'm not opposed to buying the books (again) and even renewing my HMGMA membership, I'd really like to see how basic runs. Plus a general interest in running a game of it here on Roll20 which doesn't seem to be much interest at all unfortunately.

One concern I've heard is that people didn't want to play an overtly complicated joke game. It's an uphill battle that Kenzer is fighting with the new edition. Mix that with the very slow release cycle and a lot of people are probably just looking elsewhere for their fantasy. I've been able to drum up interest in Hackmaster in the past, but it is going to be a smaller pool interested in trying it. That's just what it is. Another thing to consider is "Beginner Game Syndrome." I see this all the time with Star Wars and Pathfinder, which also have formal beginner items. With the full rules now available, an odd situation is created where player (and GMs) often want to start with the beginner item but immediately deal with the full game. Any Hackmaster player probably doesn't want to be confined to Basic, while new players who continue are going to want to try new material that the PHB brings to the game. The beginner items are great for what they are, but they do create something of an odd situation. I admire wanting to get the most out of Basic. I was using Basic when I was running for monsters, advancement, and other details outside of character creation and the main rules. It's still a great item for those who don't have the rules. But it is very limiting (more so if you use the version without character creation) and could limit your interest pool even further.

I'd play Basic, but I don't want to spend the time it takes to make a character for just a one shot. Its not a "make a character in 5 minutes" kind of game.