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Lankhmar

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Aug 01, 2004 12:33:26 Anyone ever get a decent game of this running?
I found my old copy whilst moving and sadly it was still packed from the move before. I tried to get up a couple of campaigns but the setting was well nigh unplayable in 1ED, I never got the 2ED conversion and frankly 3ED players would probalby scream and run at such a variant setting.

Also the city has some glaring inconsistencies it it (eg. a major sea power with only two graving docks, both of them naval) as presented in the old TSR setting book, but I'd like to know if anyone managed to beat them down.
#2
Zyphus
Aug 01, 2004 16:29:20 It is possible with Fritz Leiber fans, and people that want to be White wizards. Note that Lankhmar is pretty small, and can fit easily with Melnibourne or other OOP worlds. I believe our characters went to Lankhmar once, but the campaign wasn't just there and only natives were White or Black wizards. If the characters want to be pirates, you use 7th Sea material, or they like to wander a lot, it is a good change of scenery.
#3
samualt_barronsword
Aug 02, 2004 11:12:20 I've taken material from the Lankhmar sourcebooks and the original stories and mixed them into my homebrew campaign world. Monsters like the Invsisble Ghouls of Newhon and the organizations like the Rat God cult out of Ilthmar are important elements in several of the adventure plot lines the PC's brush up against. That being said, I have never tried running a strictly Lankhmar campaign as detailed in the Lankhmar sourcebooks.
#4
incenjucar
Aug 02, 2004 17:14:28 I had a friend who was pretty in to it, but, alas, we never actually USED the rules.

It may just have a been a little too much of a niche product.
#5
zombiegleemax
Aug 02, 2004 17:56:34 There seem to be two sides to this topic whenever it comes up. I've heard fans of Newhon say the D&D treatment of the world wasn't nearly close enough to what it should have been.

But I've also heard fans of D&D say the setting was too restrictive in its mechanics.

So, as Incenjucar said, it's probably something that won't ever work for a large amount of gamers one way or another.

I'm a Fritz Leiber fan myself and I've toyed with the idea of running a Newhon game from time to time but I usually end up falling in that "too tight mechanics" group and go with something else. As good as the stories of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are, it seems that they don't translate well to an actual game.
#6
zombiegleemax
Aug 02, 2004 21:36:34 I ran an excellent city campaign with the Lankhmar boxed set, but almost entirely converted it to AD&D. It was an excellent example of how to build a city & make it feel alive.
I wish I could find the set now, but I fear it is lost.

For the record, I'm DMing 3.5 now, but I'm also glad the classics are still in play.
#7
zombiegleemax
Aug 03, 2004 14:12:04 I played in Lankhmar for about 10+ years with my DM. Its an awesome campaign world from a players perspective. I do not know how much he strayed from the books or printed sourcebook material but he has all of them, books and D&D source. I have had several characters reach a very high level and it was generally great fun to play.

When we play we still play in Lankhmar and we do so exclusively. I am a Dark Sun fanatic but I have never gotten a successful campaign started while the Lankhmar campaign has remained for all of these years. Currently we do not play very often at all but when we do its a really cool world to play in. We have done everything from stay in Lankhmar to travel the small world to even going into Samuri areas well East of any printed maps (cannot remember exact details of that). We have commanded ships and gone everywhere. My DM has even brought in some of the historical sourcebooks from 2nd edition into Lankhmar to just add to the flavor of his campaign, I think the Rome one and Vikings ones specifically.

Great world, should still be supported and its fun to play.
#8
zombiegleemax
Aug 18, 2004 21:16:18 I have some TSR Lankhmar books, and want to incorporate them into my V3.0 campaign. However, I can't make head nor tail of the stats given for various monsters and NPCs, especially THAC0.
I've heard it means "To Hit AC 0", but what does *that* translate to, if anything, in 3rd Edition ?
#9
zombiegleemax
Aug 19, 2004 3:21:13 THAC0 is a simple number line.

If your THAC0 is 10 then you need to roll a 10 or higher to hit an AC of 0 (which is equal to an AC of 20 in 3e).

AC in 2e went down, not up, so as the AC got better (lower) you added that number to what you needed to hit. And the other way around if the AC got worse.

So with the above mentioned THAC0 of 10 you needed to roll a 20 to hit an AC of -10 (the best you could get and equal to a 30 AC in 3e) or a 2 or higher (1 always missed) to hit an AC of 10 (the worst possible and equal to a 10 in 3e...lol).

I know it sounds confusing but it's a high school math class number line and nothing more. Most who have problems with it do so because they try to read it as more confusing than it is.
#10
algolei_dup
Aug 19, 2004 5:20:00 "High school?!" I learned that stuff in elementary school!! What are they teaching kids these days.... *grumble mumble mumble* :D

Okay, it's really simple, zizinit: When the Lankhmar book says "AC0," you can read that as "AC20."

THAC0 means "To Hit Armour Class 0"--it's simply telling you what number on the d20 roll you need to hit AC0.

Therefore, if someone has a THAC0 of 19, that means their BAB is +1.

It's important to note, however, that the editions don't translate over perfectly. In 2nd edition, 1st-level characters started with the equivalent of BAB+0. In 1st edition, 1st-level Magic-Users and Thieves (what you'd call Wizards and Rogues in 3E) had the equivalent of BAB-1. [Yeah, that's a negative BAB.]

So you can see that converting from earlier editions to 3.xE might require you to actually recreate the characters/creatures using third edition rules.
#11
zombiegleemax
Aug 19, 2004 7:23:33 Ok, so maybe I just learned it in high school cause I'm a slacker. :D
#12
zombiegleemax
Aug 19, 2004 11:39:57 So the 3E stat that has the same *function* as THAC0 is Base Armor Bonus?
#13
zombiegleemax
Aug 19, 2004 12:15:37 Actually the 3e stat that functions as THAC0 would be Base Attack Bonus.

A THAC0 of 10 needs a 10 or higher to hit an AC of 0.

The 3e translation would be a base attack of +10 needs a 10 or higher to hit an AC of 20. ;)
#14
zombiegleemax
Aug 19, 2004 12:36:49 Base *Attack* Bonus. Of course! Silly me. Thank you,
and thanks for the explanation that followed.

Thanks to all of you for your help!
#15
zombiegleemax
Aug 19, 2004 13:13:19 No problem, hope it helped your conversion needs.
#16
dndgameupdate1
Sep 06, 2004 6:09:05 I have the 2E book for Lankhmar and it has been used in my game. I have the city situated in the northern part of the continent and it is a major trade route city. I love the maps and descriptions in the book.

I also explain the weird magic rules by stating that a war with high magics took place close by some time in the past, creating a slow magic area. The players seemed to like the changes and the city was full of opportunities.
(Reply to #16)
Emirikol

I'm running my 5e campaign in Lankhmar's world. I'm going to play out the new Elemental evil module (Princes of Apocalypse).

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/167876/D%26D%20Stuff/5E%20Nehwon%20Campaign%20House%20Rules%201.0.docx

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/167876/D%26D%20Stuff/D%26D%205e%20Random%20Character%20Generator%206.1.4%20Lankhmar%20-%20PROGRESS.xlsx

jh

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Aug 01, 2004 12:33:26	Anyone ever get a decent game of this running? I found my old copy whilst moving and sadly it was still packed from the move before. I tried to get up a couple of campaigns but the setting was well nigh unplayable in 1ED, I never got the 2ED conversion and frankly 3ED players would probalby scream and run at such a variant setting. Also the city has some glaring inconsistencies it it (eg. a major sea power with only two graving docks, both of them naval) as presented in the old TSR setting book, but I'd like to know if anyone managed to beat them down.
#2 Zyphus Aug 01, 2004 16:29:20	It is possible with Fritz Leiber fans, and people that want to be White wizards. Note that Lankhmar is pretty small, and can fit easily with Melnibourne or other OOP worlds. I believe our characters went to Lankhmar once, but the campaign wasn't just there and only natives were White or Black wizards. If the characters want to be pirates, you use 7th Sea material, or they like to wander a lot, it is a good change of scenery.
#3 samualt_barronsword Aug 02, 2004 11:12:20	I've taken material from the Lankhmar sourcebooks and the original stories and mixed them into my homebrew campaign world. Monsters like the Invsisble Ghouls of Newhon and the organizations like the Rat God cult out of Ilthmar are important elements in several of the adventure plot lines the PC's brush up against. That being said, I have never tried running a strictly Lankhmar campaign as detailed in the Lankhmar sourcebooks.
#4 incenjucar Aug 02, 2004 17:14:28	I had a friend who was pretty in to it, but, alas, we never actually USED the rules. It may just have a been a little too much of a niche product.
#5 zombiegleemax Aug 02, 2004 17:56:34	There seem to be two sides to this topic whenever it comes up. I've heard fans of Newhon say the D&D treatment of the world wasn't nearly close enough to what it should have been. But I've also heard fans of D&D say the setting was too restrictive in its mechanics. So, as Incenjucar said, it's probably something that won't ever work for a large amount of gamers one way or another. I'm a Fritz Leiber fan myself and I've toyed with the idea of running a Newhon game from time to time but I usually end up falling in that "too tight mechanics" group and go with something else. As good as the stories of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are, it seems that they don't translate well to an actual game.
#6 zombiegleemax Aug 02, 2004 21:36:34	I ran an excellent city campaign with the Lankhmar boxed set, but almost entirely converted it to AD&D. It was an excellent example of how to build a city & make it feel alive. I wish I could find the set now, but I fear it is lost. For the record, I'm DMing 3.5 now, but I'm also glad the classics are still in play.
#7 zombiegleemax Aug 03, 2004 14:12:04	I played in Lankhmar for about 10+ years with my DM. Its an awesome campaign world from a players perspective. I do not know how much he strayed from the books or printed sourcebook material but he has all of them, books and D&D source. I have had several characters reach a very high level and it was generally great fun to play. When we play we still play in Lankhmar and we do so exclusively. I am a Dark Sun fanatic but I have never gotten a successful campaign started while the Lankhmar campaign has remained for all of these years. Currently we do not play very often at all but when we do its a really cool world to play in. We have done everything from stay in Lankhmar to travel the small world to even going into Samuri areas well East of any printed maps (cannot remember exact details of that). We have commanded ships and gone everywhere. My DM has even brought in some of the historical sourcebooks from 2nd edition into Lankhmar to just add to the flavor of his campaign, I think the Rome one and Vikings ones specifically. Great world, should still be supported and its fun to play.
#8 zombiegleemax Aug 18, 2004 21:16:18	I have some TSR Lankhmar books, and want to incorporate them into my V3.0 campaign. However, I can't make head nor tail of the stats given for various monsters and NPCs, especially THAC0. I've heard it means "To Hit AC 0", but what does that translate to, if anything, in 3rd Edition ?
#9 zombiegleemax Aug 19, 2004 3:21:13	THAC0 is a simple number line. If your THAC0 is 10 then you need to roll a 10 or higher to hit an AC of 0 (which is equal to an AC of 20 in 3e). AC in 2e went down, not up, so as the AC got better (lower) you added that number to what you needed to hit. And the other way around if the AC got worse. So with the above mentioned THAC0 of 10 you needed to roll a 20 to hit an AC of -10 (the best you could get and equal to a 30 AC in 3e) or a 2 or higher (1 always missed) to hit an AC of 10 (the worst possible and equal to a 10 in 3e...lol). I know it sounds confusing but it's a high school math class number line and nothing more. Most who have problems with it do so because they try to read it as more confusing than it is.
#10 algolei_dup Aug 19, 2004 5:20:00	"High school?!" I learned that stuff in elementary school!! What are they teaching kids these days.... grumble mumble mumble :D Okay, it's really simple, zizinit: When the Lankhmar book says "AC0," you can read that as "AC20." THAC0 means "To Hit Armour Class 0"--it's simply telling you what number on the d20 roll you need to hit AC0. Therefore, if someone has a THAC0 of 19, that means their BAB is +1. It's important to note, however, that the editions don't translate over perfectly. In 2nd edition, 1st-level characters started with the equivalent of BAB+0. In 1st edition, 1st-level Magic-Users and Thieves (what you'd call Wizards and Rogues in 3E) had the equivalent of BAB-1. [Yeah, that's a negative BAB.] So you can see that converting from earlier editions to 3.xE might require you to actually recreate the characters/creatures using third edition rules.
#11 zombiegleemax Aug 19, 2004 7:23:33	Ok, so maybe I just learned it in high school cause I'm a slacker. :D
#12 zombiegleemax Aug 19, 2004 11:39:57	So the 3E stat that has the same function as THAC0 is Base Armor Bonus?
#13 zombiegleemax Aug 19, 2004 12:15:37	Actually the 3e stat that functions as THAC0 would be Base Attack Bonus. A THAC0 of 10 needs a 10 or higher to hit an AC of 0. The 3e translation would be a base attack of +10 needs a 10 or higher to hit an AC of 20. ;)
#14 zombiegleemax Aug 19, 2004 12:36:49	Base Attack Bonus. Of course! Silly me. Thank you, and thanks for the explanation that followed. Thanks to all of you for your help!
#15 zombiegleemax Aug 19, 2004 13:13:19	No problem, hope it helped your conversion needs.
#16 dndgameupdate1 Sep 06, 2004 6:09:05	I have the 2E book for Lankhmar and it has been used in my game. I have the city situated in the northern part of the continent and it is a major trade route city. I love the maps and descriptions in the book. I also explain the weird magic rules by stating that a war with high magics took place close by some time in the past, creating a slow magic area. The players seemed to like the changes and the city was full of opportunities.
(Reply to #16) Emirikol	I'm running my 5e campaign in Lankhmar's world. I'm going to play out the new Elemental evil module (Princes of Apocalypse). https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/167876/D%26D%20Stuff/5E%20Nehwon%20Campaign%20House%20Rules%201.0.docx https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/167876/D%26D%20Stuff/D%26D%205e%20Random%20Character%20Generator%206.1.4%20Lankhmar%20-%20PROGRESS.xlsx jh