Knave! Recruiting for Classless, Rules-Light OSR

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Feb 26, 2021 1:35 am
Knave is Ben Milton's classless OSR toolkit, a rules-light game that boils old-school play down to the basics. The game focuses on dangerous, low-level adventuring; on misfits, ne'er-do-wells, and nogoodniks for whom robbing tombs, delving dungeons, and exploring ruins is somehow the best chance of avoiding an early and shallow grave.

Some things to be aware of and okay with if this kind of game interests you:

-The PCs will be human-only
-The world is low-magic, and we'll be using Knave's simple level-less magic system
-Monsters, spirits and the supernatural are believed in but rarely seen by civilized folk; this game, however, will take place on the fringes of society, in those dark places where such things still dwell
-Character death is a very real possibility

I've got one player already and am looking for 2-3 more who are down with exploring a quick dive into the OSR. This won't be a long game -- I have one simple adventure planned, and when that's complete we'll evaluate whether we want to continue or fold up and move on. (While I'm an experienced PbP GM, this is my first time running a game on GP, so I'm looking to keep things simple.)

This won't be first-come first-serve -- I'm looking for the players who will be the best fit for the game, so would love to hear from everyone interested, even if more people than I can accept throw their hats in the ring. I'm hoping for the steady pace of something like a post a day from people, but know that there are days when the game will move both faster and slower than that.

Drop a line here if you're interested!
Feb 26, 2021 8:04 am
I own Knave but have yet to play it. Very interested in trying it out.
Feb 26, 2021 8:50 am
It's really a pretty spiffy little game. I dig it a lot -- lots of flavor in the random tables used for character generation, too...
Feb 26, 2021 10:32 am
Would love to play Knave too.
A one shot in an easy system sounds like a good idea to test the waters, and your setting pitch is appealing. I'd love playing a nobody trying to survive another day.
If anyone wants to check what a character looks like, there is a nice generator here (or another one there)
Last edited February 26, 2021 11:42 am
Feb 26, 2021 10:59 am
I love random character generation. I would be interested in playing. I can do 1 post a day.
I have no experience with the game, but am keen to try
Feb 26, 2021 12:44 pm
Loddfafnir says:
Would love to play Knave too.
A one shot in an easy system sounds like a good idea to test the waters, and your setting pitch is appealing. I'd love playing a nobody trying to survive another day.
If anyone wants to check what a character looks like, there is a nice generator here (or another one there)
That's cool, just clicking the link generated the character and I already like her.
Feb 26, 2021 1:37 pm
I've read but never played Knave. Might be interested if there's a spot that needs filling.
Feb 26, 2021 3:07 pm
I'd be interested. New to Gamer's Plane but interested to learn.
Feb 26, 2021 4:47 pm
Glad to see the interest here, and yes, describing it as playing a nobody trying to survive another day is a pretty decent take on things. Life is cheap in Knave. :)

The game is here and public, if you want to peek in at what I have so far -- it's not much, but it's a start.

The premise is a simple one -- you and your fellows have up and left the civilized towns and cities of the kingdom because war is brewing, food is becoming scarce, and the King is using press gangs to swell the ranks of his army.

All I have for the setting so far -- and there will not be much more:
Quote:
* King Markos gathers his forces, for war brews in the west with a bitter foe. Perhaps this is a good time to vacate, avoiding conscription and the like...

* The Church is corrupt and divided. In the old country, the druids, witches, and woodweirds plot against the big-hatted bishops in their fancy robes.

* Young Marchioness Aedra Vollander has reclaimed her ancestral seat in the ruined province of Ophirae. Rumor has it coin is plentiful for those who will help her clear her lands, and that there are treasures aplenty in those old, dark ruins.

* You and your friends have journeyed far and hard from the last settlement that can rightly call itself civilized, leaving behind your old life and your troubles. A quiet village lies ahead, a final place to rest your heads before you venture into the dark woods that ring Ophirae like a wall...
For those that don't make it into the game, it will be a quick burn, I think, so be on the lookout for more short-form OSR games from me in this vein. I have interest in running Mork Borg, Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells, Glaive, Into the Odd, Electric Bastionland, and the 17th Century Minimalist -- as well as potentially a longer Beyond the Wall game.

But for now, Knave! I'm hoping to get things rolling this weekend...
Feb 26, 2021 5:22 pm
This is a nice way to organize the forum. CATS sounds like a very useful tool.

Player facing rolls is a great idea (but it's straight from the rules if I'm not mistaken).
Last edited February 26, 2021 5:23 pm
Feb 26, 2021 5:28 pm
Loddfafnir says:
This is a nice way to organize the forum. CATS sounds like a very useful tool.

Player facing rolls is a great idea (but it's straight from the rules if I'm not mistaken).
Highly recommend CATS, especially when playing with new folks. Check it out here.

And yep, player-facing rolls are mentioned in the rules, but they're not the default so I figured I'd call out that I wanted to use them. Be prepared, though -- this is OSR, and I tend to embrace the rulings over rules side of things with full force, coming up with mechanics on the fly as they are needed.
Feb 26, 2021 5:34 pm
Quote:
Highly recommend CATS, especially when playing with new folks
Thanks for the link.
Quote:
And yep, player-facing rolls are mentioned in the rules, but they're not the default so I figured I'd call out that I wanted to use them. Be prepared, though -- this is OSR, and I tend to embrace the rulings over rules side of things with full force, coming up with mechanics on the fly as they are needed.
I was just thinking to myself that it didn't really matter if it was in the rules or not. OSR games would need a much longer rulebook if not for this rulings over rules thing.
Feb 26, 2021 6:19 pm
I also recommend cats. They're very soft and cute
Feb 26, 2021 7:51 pm
bowlofspinach says:
I also recommend cats. They're very soft and cute
Indeed! =]

(Though any actual cats in this Knave game will be alley cats, all claws and hisses...)
Feb 27, 2021 2:49 pm
Throwing my hat in the ring. Been a while since I played pbp and Knave but very eager for both.
Feb 27, 2021 10:13 pm
Alright folks -- I've sent invites out. If you didn't get one, please don't take offense -- I like to keep my games small. I intend to keep this OSR series hopping with a bunch of short and frequent games, so hopefully there will be other opportunities to play together. Thanks for all the interest, everyone!
Feb 28, 2021 4:41 am
Maybe next time. I hope you have an enjoyable game.
Feb 28, 2021 6:05 am
Thanks -- appreciate that. I wish I could accommodate everyone, but experience tells me I have an easier time keeping things rolling with smaller groups of players. Knowing you like random character generation, I'll keep that in mind for what I run next. Lots of options there in the OSR!
Mar 4, 2021 11:32 pm
Read Knave and was interested to see it in action, but was too busy to commit right now. Bless you for making it a public thread so I can read along.
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