Castles and Crusades: Conversion questions.

[turkishproverb]

So, I have it on strong authority I'll be getting the two existing core books for the game this thread is titled for soon. From what I've read, it plays a lot like a simplified second/third Edition Ad&D Hybrid. While I'm looking forward to reading them for myself, I am now wondering how hard it would be to convert adventures etc. to this new system.

For example, how hard would it be to run something like forgotten realms using C&C?

Or on a more primal level, how hard would it be to convert magic items? Items in general? Characters?

[Altair_the_Vexed]

I have the basic rules from the free RPG day.

It essentially is a simple 3.5, plus some of the better ideas from earlier D&D editions. It looks to me like it'll be easier to convert from 3.5 to C&C than from 1st or 2nd Ed to C&C.
You should be able to just drop most 3.5 magic items in.
If you've got the Forgotten Realms 3.5 material, it should easily convert.

Stuff to watch out for:
Skills - IIRC, these are handled totally differently in C&C.
Feats - IIRC, there are no feats in C&C.
Classes - some classes from 3.5 don't exist in C&C (sorcerers, for example).
Combat moves - IIRC, the 3.5 combat moves (like Bull Rush, etc) aren't in C&C.

[Matthew]

Altair basically has the right of it. Skill checks are basically handled more vaguely than D20/3e, each character having "primary" and "secondary" attributes (three of each for humans, two primary and four secondary for demi-humans) that all skill actions are then keyed to. Skills tests against primary attributes have a basic DC of 12, and those against secondary attributes a DC of 18. Instead of skill points, if the action is appropriate to the class (a thief sneaking, for instance) then the character also adds his level as a modifier in place of skill points. The DC can be scaled up or down depending on the difficulty of the task. For converting on the fly between D20/3e and C&C you have to decide on a relationship of DCs to find a difficulty modifier. Often "15" is chosen as the average (being half way between 12 and 18) so a D20/3e DC 20 would be a +5 difficulty for C&C and DC 10 would be −5 difficulty. This works as a rule of thumb, but there are far fewer modifiers in C&C than D20/3e, so in practice as the levels get higher you may want to convert using a lower than 1:1 ratio of difference.

The biggest gripe D20/3e players have with C&C is the lack of official rules for multi-class or dual-class characters. No wholly satisfactory solutions have so far been posited, though if this Castle Keeper's Guide ever materialises, there should be something there. Speaking of which, that supplement is also slated to contain some "feat-like" rules for those who desire them. Comparatively, it is a very rules light game, and is designed so that it supposed to be easy to port missing elements directly over (multi-class and dual-class rules not withstanding), such as the D20/3e combat actions. These days I am less enamoured of variations on existing systems where a lot is intended to be changed or added, but probably I am just increasingly set in my ways!

[hamlet]

All above is true.

I have only to add that C&C should play very well with Forgotten Realms of any edition, though I'd recommend laying hands ont he old grey box edition simply because it hews just a bit closer to the core assumptions of C&C/AD&D and would reduce the need to make adaptations.

Adapting material from other editions is generally simple. From AD&D of any edition, virtually without change. The only thing you'd have to do is work from the monster stats of the C&C version rather than the original as there will be some differences. From 3.x, you'll have to play it a little fast and loose going for a transliteration rather than a translation so to speak, but it shouldn't be altogether impossible.

[turkishproverb]

Well, the day in question has come and gone and I got the two castles and crusades books and several campaign books for...Dragonlance. :smallconfused:

[Matthew]

Well, for what it is worth, the Castle Keeper's Guide is finally out...

[turkishproverb]

Well, for what it is worth, the Castle Keeper's Guide is finally out...

...:smallconfused:

Great. Now I have to buy another book. And most of what I got for Christmas from friends were RPG books too. hrm...

I wonder if It'll be coming in the foe leather my current two are in...

[Matthew]

I would not worry about it. By all accounts you do not really need that book to run the game at all. For the most part it is just a collection of "official" optional rules.

[turkishproverb]

Still, it is interesting. Hrm...

[Matthew]

Definitely. I would probably buy it if they produced a faux leather one, or even using the previous trade dress, if only really for sake of completion. I am somewhat curious to see what the book contains, but will be waiting on the reviews to start appearing before spending any money.

[turkishproverb]

Definitely. I would probably buy it if they produced a faux leather one, or even using the previous trade dress, if only really for sake of completion. I am somewhat curious to see what the book contains, but will be waiting on the reviews to start appearing before spending any money.

Yea, it looks like right now only the "Digest" is available, and while those little books are fun, I'd prefer it to match the other two books I've got (Well, three counting Haunted Highlands) for the system as much as possible.