Hackmaster Basic is now Free!

[Anxe]

Hey guys,

Hackmaster Basic, the sequel to the Origins Game of the Year in 2001, is now free to download and play! The game is a lot grittier than D&D3.5 which dominates these boards. Even for a high-level character going up against a few orcs alone can be a dangerous thing to do. Combat is done in seconds instead of rounds and your character can do something different on each second. Melee is reactive because you roll for defense as well as attack. My group and I love the game, and we'd like to see more people playing. Now that the basic rules are free, it'll be a lot cheaper for people to try it and like it! So please go check out Hackmaster and see if it's something you and your group want to play.

The link is here: Hackmaster Basic (http://www.kenzerco.com/product_info.php?cPath=25_94&products_id=862)

[LibraryOgre]

I am a HUGE fan of the new Hackmaster. If you're familiar with the old version, but haven't looked at the new one, give it a shot. A lot of the WotC-mandated silly tone of old HM is gone (their license with Wizards specified the game had to be a parody), and the mechanics are very tight.... pretty crunchy, but well-integrated.

[Chambers]

Nice! I've had the promo version of Hackmaster Basic for over a year now. Someone ran a demo at our FLGS and Kenzer sent her a box of product support to give away. The promo version is shorter (191 pages) and it only gives the classes up to level 5 but otherwise it's a complete rpg and a good quality book.

I enjoyed the tick mark/counter combat initiative and the spell point system was interesting. I haven't found anyone else locally that had the full RPG though, so maybe this release will prompt people to start a game.

[Totally Guy]

Not seen this before, nice one.

The site just making sure my payment of nothing has gone through successfully then hopefully it'll download.

[Anxe]

Make sure you download it using the link in the text, not the add to cart function. I think that's easier. Just right click and do "save as."

Another cool thing I like about the game is that you get to know your character's family as you roll him up. What his parents and siblings are like. You can always make it up on your own, but it has a real natural feeling to it if you don't decide that stuff.

[Knaight]

The game is a lot grittier than D&D3.5 which dominates these boards. Even for a high-level character going up against a few orcs alone can be a dangerous thing to do. Combat is done in seconds instead of rounds and your character can do something different on each second. Melee is reactive because you roll for defense as well as attack.

Okay. Why should I play this instead of GURPS, which also does all these things? What does Hackmaster have going for it?

[Anxe]

GURPS much less room for advancement after character creation in my opinion. Hackmaster has a better magic system combining vanician casting and spell points into the same system. Additionally I found Hackmaster's system less confusing for combat than GURPS. Both are about equal in complexity for character creation. GURPS is also much more versatile because it can be used for any setting. Hackmaster is definitely for high fantasy/sword and sorcery.

But there's no reason for YOU to play Hackmaster over GURPS. The point is that the system is free, so you can check it out. After you've seen the smaller differences you can decide which one you want to play.

[LibraryOgre]

Okay. Why should I play this instead of GURPS, which also does all these things? What does Hackmaster have going for it?

Personally, I prefer the structure of a class and level system for a fantasy game; it not only fits my prejudices, but it also works to avoid overpowered options, by design. There's no real power gap between mages and melee; thieves are not stand-up fighters, but they're fast and can be wickedly effective with good support.

Simply put? It's a good, solid game. Nothing wrong with GURPS, but it's not what I like for my medieval fantasy.