Read-through of Main Gauche supplement for Zweihänder Grim & Perilous RPG

[Gringnr]

CHAPTER 2: LIBER ARMORUM

Chapter 2 is an expansion on the ideas contained in the core book's 7th Chapter, "Trappings". It isn't very long, 18 pages actually. But, unsurprisingly, it's packed to the gills.

It begins with "Settlements & Availability", which describes the three basic types (and sizes) of settlements to be found in the game world. It also details the various economic and commercial nuances of each (in ascending order of size- Village, Town, City). The book goes into the inter-dependencies of each settlement type with the others, usual distances apart (given in days of foot travel), how their size and remoteness affects the availability and pricing of goods, which social classes are most prevalent, and how they are usually governed.

I like this section very much, for two reasons. One, it's very useful, and one can easily see its utility in play. I know Zweihander has "no established setting", but touches like this make it easier to function without one. At this point, all you need are a name and some NPCs. Maybe some details about what this village produces (Fish? Pumpkins?), or who the local Burgomaster is. Sure, you could come up with all of this on your own, but it's nice to have all of the heavy lifting done for you. Another tool in the kit.

The second thing I like about this section is that it's very straightforward. Linear, not too wordy, but still descriptive enough. Stuff like this represents a definite improvement over the sometimes jumbled and overwritten core book.

Next up, we have "New Materials In Craftsmanship", which lists eight materials from which armor and weapons can be crafted. This is a new concept. Most of these materials are considered non-traditional, so, "off the rack" weapons will not have these qualities or materials as a matter of course. The book tells us that the Standard Pricing in the core rules assumes construction of Iron. However, the new materials include, but are not limited to, Cold Iron (effective against certain Magickal creatures as if Anointed), Ironwood (an unnaturally strong wood that increases the range of arrows and such), Meteoric Iron (armor and weapons crafted from this are more effective), and Mithril (ancient Elven secret, fused to mail, making it light and strong). Some of these materials have drawbacks as well, either in terms of cost (as much as 9 times Standard Pricing in some cases) or fragility. So, unlike a lot of supplements, Main Gauche preserves balance and avoids power creep (looking at you, High Guard).

There is also a nifty formula for translating a Character's weight to Encumbrance points, just in case your Half-Ogre and Dwarf want to use the ol' "Fastball Special" on an opponent.

Next, we get "New Weapons" -bit of an understatement, this. 60 new weapons in all. That's more than in the core book! Did you enjoy the page in the AD&D Player's Handbook with the picture of all the weapons? Well, then, you're gonna be an orgasmic mess when you see this ****. Every weapon is illustrated. It looks like there are also a few old faves from the aforementioned Player's Handbook, and, if I'm not mistaken, Tunnels & Trolls as well (here's a little nostalgia for the old folks)

As in the core book, the weapons are grouped by type: Martial Melee, Simple Melee, Martial Ranged and Simple Ranged. Each is described according to the same format as the corebook (Name, Skill, Load, Handling, Distance, Qualities, Type, Alt. Damage, Encumbrance Value and Price). There are tables for each type of weapon. The "Alt. Damage" listing is a nice touch. You may remember that Basic Damage in Zweihander is 1 exploding d6 (referred to as the Fury Die) + Combat Bonus (or another Attribute Bonus, depending on Traits or Weapon Qualities), modified by Traits /Weapon Qualities, etc. Alternate Damage is similar, but instead of defaulting to Combat Bonus it references Combat Bonus, Agility Bonus, or Brawn Bonus depending on Weapon, then adds or subtracts a fixed amount. It's optional, but it can help to distinguish the weapons from each other a bit more. In the main book, the Alternative Damage was in a separate Chapter from the main weapon lists. Here, it's all together. I like that better. However, it would have been nice to have the weapons from the Zweihander core book rolled into these tables as well. I get that it would have made these big tables downright MASSIVE, but given the way the Professions from both books were melded in Main Gauche, and how cool that was, it seems to me to be a bit of a missed opportunity. To be totally fair, my group doesn't use Alternative Damage, but still.

In addition to new Weapons, there are new Weapon Qualities. Remember, Qualities are properties that change how a Weapon operates, deals Damage, etc. Some Qualities bestow a benefit, and some are a drawback, and since a Weapon can have more than one Quality, the combinations make each weapon distinct. There are 9 new Qualities here, and they nicely expand the options and effects available in Combat.

Like Weapons, Armor and Shields have Qualities. In fact, there are new Types and Qualities for both. There are optional rules in Zweihander for Piecemeal Armor, and, as with Weapons, those have been folded into the new item tables rather than kept separate.

War Machines, which include large field Weapons such as Cannons and Bolt Throwers, are greatly expanded upon here, with 6 new Types and 6 new Qualities.

Overall, Chapter 2 is a roaring success. It's a concise, yet comprehensive set of tools that can be used to add variety and distinction to the Weapons in your Zweihander game. Two thumbs way up for this Chapter!

That's it for now, be seeing you.