DCC is a great game. Excellent job explaining the magic system, which is not necessarily complex but does have multiple outcomes and nuance. I think it does get complicated with the wizard duels though.
Yeaaah... I purposely left out wizard duel's since even I as a GM have not yet gone over that. But who knows maybe in the future when I have implemented them into my game, I can talk about it more heavily.
Is not that hard, personally I would recommend to simplify it by making it a simple roll off, the winer checks the die matrix rolls the indicated die and aply the corresponding effect and once you are familiar with the levels of success you could skip the matrix altogether and simply wing it in a cinematic and evocative way
@Blerdy_Disposition I love spell duels. I've gotten some of the coolest moments in any RPG from them. I had a game go to 8th level and near the end of that campaign two wizards cast magic missile at eachother, both maxing out and thus causing a disturbance and throwing 20-ish magic missiles each doing like 12 damage each across this massive combat. Was sick
I remember one of my wizard players had a levitate spell but whenever he levitated hundreds of rats come falling out of his robe every time so instead and simply levitating he’s actually being propped up on a column of rats This spell created tons of opportunities for hilarious Situations
DCC is amazing, gonzo gaming and easy to jump into. My home game is on Session 8, and we're having fun like we used to when we were kids in our parent's basement playing all night long on the weekends. Goodman Games is a fantastic and the DCC community is welcoming and supportive.
I've been aware of the game for some time and got to run it briefly for someone as their forray into TTRPGs so I guess this video is my sign that the consideration of running it should become a serious one. Love the magic system but also all the classes in DCC are so deeply loved in their design, with even Fighters being really cool to a degree that most fantasy trad games tend to fail. I also really love the idea of petitioning powerful forces since it reminds me very much of Concordance in NetHack. :D
I really do recommend DCC. It is a fun system and well worth the time and investment. While it ain't perfect (its not fun if you like highly optmized gaming with lots of crunch) its magic system sticks out as a strong selling point for folks wanting something more wacky and zany.
Oh yeah, funny it only took a minute or so and I'm shacking my head mutter "yep"... I also think that's part of why I burnt out on fantasy for a 25+ year stretch. Casting a spell in DCC is like hitting your breaks on a icy rood in winter, hopefully most times it goes the way you want but every once in a while it doesn't. That's the same for all the goodies/baddies everyone gets in the mechanics. Those critical successes are nearly the same as a critter/NPC can do to a PC so it does balance out and makes good "war stories".
Honestly? I like some more unpredictability and mystery than what is usually standard in D&D-like games, but this is too much for me; having unexpected side-effects (that could be negative, beneficial, or neutral) and then dealing with them is cool, but I still want the wizard to feel competent overall, they are just masters of an unreliable art. Wild magic in Spheres of Power (Pathfinder 1ed) and flux in Invisible Sun are, to me, way better implementations of unpredictable magic. Mind you, major flux in Invisible Sun can have reality shattering effects on the narrative, but the GM chooses or invents the effect instead of rolling (that's for all flux, not just major), and it usually can only happens when you're performing great feats of magic.
P.S. unlike flux in Invisible Sun, wild magic in Spheres of Power is not compulsory to casting any magic, but GM can choose to make it so, and it's what I'd do.
I can respect that. It does (on paper seem a lot) and when playing/creating a wizard this can be super overwhelming. I have to give Pathfinder 1e and 2e a try sometime in the future for sure.
In my experience these sorts of wizards never really come off as incomptent at their magic. Just insanely dangerous. Feels more like the whims of fate screwing you than the wizard being bad at being a wizard. But taste is taste and that's just my view and experience.
