Horde Wars Basic
The Lowdown On A Game That You Will Want To Check Out
Didn’t I tell you that I’d still be here promoting indie games? Well, that’s no lie. Still here, still showing them off.
This one’s a bit special to me though. I’ve been playtesting this one for months now and it’s really awesome. Believe it or not, I didn’t have a copy of the rules. All I had was access to some google documents and whatever information that our DM, Blackwall, presented to us at the time. It’s still super-easy to get into. It’s still playable in a rules-as-written or even modifiable way and this cover that you’re seeing was done by none other than Jon Torres, The Basic Expert.
The best part, Horde Wars Basic is available at Big Geek Emporium in the basic rules format for only $5! You can start playing this game today! Granted, it’s available in PDF-format but popping this onto a tablet and using a D12 system (which runs really smoothly and elegantly) is going to take your gaming table to an entirely new world.
The mechanics are simple and straight-forward. You select your character race, and then start rolling your stats, selecting your class, getting your starting gear and then, let the adventure begin!
Sure, you can do bog-standard fantasy, dungeon-crawling, treasure hunts and even mass-combat and you can even do horror-based fantasy with it. This system accomodates classic sword & sorcery fantasy all the way up to a sort of grounded high-fantasy setting without the superhero aspect of it.
From my own personal experience, I’ve played a version of my human fighter/barbarian character, Drago and I’ve also played a take on an Arthurian Knight by the name of Sir Arthur Royce as a pre-generated character. Upon first glance, these characters can seem overpowered but, believe one thing, the challenges are there to either match or exceed your levels and skills. As a player, I’ve been accused of “flirting with death” which I’ve respectfully disagreed and corrected stating that, when it comes to Sir Royce, I’m not flirting at all, I’m into full-scale seduction. I’ve been perilously close to dying on more than one occasion due to the dice just not working with me or maybe just making a really dumb move on my part.
No matter whether, live or nearly die as my characters have in past sessions and games, it’s been a lot of fun with a bunch of people who have had just as much fun navigating a system many of us were just unfamiliar with. In that, the adventure is two-fold and our latest game has taken it’s turn into horror and I can’t wait to rejoin since I was scheduled to work on a game night for our last one.
Let’s talk about the d12 for a second. It’s a die that’s barely, if ever used but this is one of two games I’ve looked at that takes that die and makes it the star of the show. It’s a bold approach for certain but one I think has been needed. On top of that the simplicity of the rules make it easy to learn and easier to teach. Roll a d12 against a skill or a challenge, add modifiers and measure success or failure. Very simple, very elegant.
Also there are playable orcs, humans, elves, halflings, dwarves, you know, the usual bill-of-fare here, however, some ancient cultures are reflected. The orcs have a sort of exaggerated Viking Raider-style culture. Likewise, you can make a human who comes from that culture, giving you an in with the orcs or you can even do Viking Skald which isn’t just a bard of sorts. Playing one of these poets can give you some pretty hardcore spells and abilities to use at advanced levels.
Also there are religious organizations there like The Church of The Creator which has a religious order of warrior monks holding titles of nobility. While they’re not dyed-in-the-wool paladins, there’s a path to paladinship should you choose to pursue it and yes, they’re open to both men and women alike. Holy relics, weapons and even crypts, keeps and monasteries are prevalent in the game and will aid you in your quests at times.
Elves, Dwarves and Halflings have their own societies and orders as well, and whil the game isn’t lore-dense, in it’s basic form, it’s not meant to be. Horde Wars Advanced will be coming soon to Kickstarter and will no doubt feature more options, races, weapons, etc.
Having access to the full game in basic form now, it helped me get a bit of a better grasp on past games and how they worked. Playing it before access to the book was available proves that it’s so easy that anyone could can jump right in and start running adventures immediately.
The GM’s section works even for those who want to do low-prep sessions will find that there is a sample adventure ready toward the end of the book that will allow you to get your players jumped right into the world and from there, build even more. There are plenty of languages, artifacts, races, classes and an included Bestiary of monsters for you to enjoy.
This is a game that, from experience, I can confidently recommend and you’re getting a generous, near-200 pages of material that will allow you to take a break from WoTC and get to playing something that will both old and new-schoolers can and will enjoy. Pick up your copy today and give it a try!
Author’s Note: This content will always be 100% Free to you. There are no plans to monetize it ever. If you really want to contribute, simply comment, subscribe and share these posts with friends. If you feel like I’ve earned that something extra, hit any of the wish lists and you can send a gift or just come find me on the internet and hang out with me. If you send something, please be sure to include your name so I can personally thank you. If you don’t, then simply feel free to enjoy the content with my deepest appreciation for your visit. Thank You. Be sure to pick up a copy of Horde Wars Basic though! Get yourself something and tell Blackwall that Raven sent ya!