Diving In: Dungeon Crawl Classics

Here is a fun one. I have not dived into Dungeon Crawl Classics because the book is so huge. Well, now I don't have a reason not to. And I know, I probably should have checked for this earlier:

DCC Free Quick Start Rules

I watched some video reviews of DCC, and one thing that seems the be a common thread through them is, "I picked this game up, recoiled at its apparent complexity, put it on the shelf for a long time, and then when I picked it back up it is my favorite game." They then follow that up with, "Once I ran it everything was a breeze to run." In short, it is sort of like B/X with some special rules around magic, crit charts, and tons of random charts shoved in every place a random chart could go.

That intimidation factor, where the size of the game itself feels like a barrier to entry, is an interesting thing that I felt too. I thought, oh, cool book, great art, but a shelf filler instead of one I play and enjoy.

That huge chasm and imposing stone door on the cover are apt metaphors for the game. But once you get in there, the fun begins.

Now, a problem I have is that running this solo is tough - which is why I stick with other B/X games. DCC has this funnel thing going on where every player gets 2-3 zero-level characters, and those that survive a deadly gauntlet become level one characters. The starting adventure in this setup is for 15-20 characters, which is a lot for one person to manage. This reminds me of the "clones" mechanic in Paranoia, where character death in silly and tragic fashion is a part of the fun.

I get the feeling this is a game built for small to medium groups, but I can roll up some characters and give it a shot. I wonder if there are any solo adventures for DCC out there, perhaps with a smaller group size, like 6-8 level zero starting characters. Still, that is a lot.

Someone should come out with 3x5 character cards with complete characters and art, and give me about 60 of them in a premade deck - just so I can pick as many as I need and run these sample cannon fodder through a dungeon. Or let me create new ones on a blank template card and add them to the deck. That way, I would always have a cast of characters to randomly pull from and run - by myself or with others.

That said, I have this printed out and want to give it a go, even if I have to roll up a small army to get started. This is why I have a lot of dice. More soon.