First Impressions - Tombpunk

Tombpunk... ready for action.

'Tombpunk' is a quick and dirty RPG developed by Alan Bahr, the author of 'Cold Shadows' and more. He wrote this as a challenge to himself and also to get it out of his mind. When I saw the original Kickstarter I ignored it on the grounds that I didn't need yet another fantasy heartbreaker.

More recently, Alan ran another campaign for an expansion called 'Rogues', which looks at criminals and gave me a very Llankmar vibe. it wasn't especially expensive, so I picked it up and got a copy of the Tombpunk core rules at what looks like cost price from DTRPG.

The game is strikingly presented in a short 102-page hardback, with black and white interiors. It is written very conversationally, reminding me a little of the style that Graham Spearing used for 'Wordplay'. The tone is very approachable.

This does reflect one of the design challenges that the author set himself, which included:

a) Having a straightforward and conversational tone.

b) Having just enough rules for play

c) Being 'quick and dirty' and to the point, and perhaps incomplete.

d) Avoiding power-creep.

Overall, Bahr has met these admirably.

The core mechanics are based around two types of tests - Attribute tests and Resources Tests. They both use a roll-under or equal-to mechanic, with advantage/disadvantage available. Attribute Tests use a d 12, and are rolled against one of your three core attributes: Might, Grit or Deftness. The test can be made with advantage or disadvantage, and there is no automatic success or failure.

If the narrator needs to make an attribute test against you, then they have to roll above your attribute to succeed, the mirror of a player's roll. As a result, NPCs and enemies have minimal statistics, with a key element being whether they are rolling with advantage or disadvantage.

Resource checks are made against a character's Courage, Coin or Will scores. These are lower than the attributes and the check is made on a d6. If you roll above, the resource is typically reduced by one. You may well succeed, but your ability to do so again has atrophied.

I did initially think that the Coin valve could be abused, especially if you convert treasure to Coin (one point of treasure yields d3 points of Coin), but then realised that although you can get your Coin score at a level it can't be reduced on a d6 roll, taxes will constantly eat at it.

Taxes? Yes, you can't escape them in this game. You need to spend a point of coin to cover your tax duties each month to the local lord. You also need to pay a further coin to be licensed as an adventurer. Oh, and it costs you another coin per week to feed yourself and cover living costs. So all of a sudden, you're paying 6 coin a month to live. Best raid that dungeon. Or rob someone.

Returning to the other resources, Courage is used mainly to resist in terrifying situations.

Will serves two reasons; a way to resist the supernatural, dark magics and the occult, and a measure for how much Lifeblood you can recover. Once per day you can restore Lifeblood equal to your will.

Lifeblood is the equivalent of hit points. Once you hit zero on this, then you're making a Grit save every action to avoid dying until you get healed. Combat starts with initiative, using a Deftness test to see if you go before or after the opposition.

Melee attacks use Might, missile attacks use Deftness. If an attack hits, damage is rolled (in the main based on class), and a reduction can be applied based on amour. Weapons (and other equipment) can have qualities - tags which indicate weapon behaviours - which can modify how an attack goes.

For example, a versatile weapon can be used one or two handed, and steps the damage dice up one level (eg d6 to d8) when used in both hands. A light weapon can be used with Deftness or Might as the relevant attribute. Brutal weapons give an effect similar to advantage (but not limited to two dice) for damage rolls.

There are only three character classes: Warriors (which would cover D&D fighter and Rogue classes), Shepherds (spiritual guides similar to Clercs) and Ritualists (magic-users).

There's no restriction on which class you can be based on the attributes you initially roll. Resources and lifeblood values are derived from the class you choose. Damage is rolled based on class - weapons only affect damage through their qualities.

Warriors do more damage and have weapon training that lets them add a quality to a weapon temporarily for each strike.

Shepherds have the power of prayer. If they worship at sunset or sunrise they can restore Courage or Will to themselves or their fellows. They can also heal others. Their religious status allows them to draw on hospitality from the faithful. Finally, in times of dire need, they can spend will to gain advantage by drawing upon the guidance of their dirty.

Ritualists can perform alchemy. By purchasing the right ingredients, they can make smoke bombs, firebombs, healing salves and more. They can also cast spells. This is completely freeform with a grit check being needed to determine success or failure. The Narrator sets difficultly (advantage, standard, disadvantage) and agrees the effects. Obviously, you can codify the 'spell' afterwards if you want to use it again.

One thing that's worth noting is that there's no levelling up or experience mechanic in the game.This goes back to one of the core principles that the author set out with: "no power creep". You can spend a point of treasure with an appropriate crafter to add a quality to weapons or equipment but your base attributes don't change.

You can also use Coin to recruit hirelings. They aren't incredibly effectively, but they may provide some ablative protection for your character.

The game is meant to feel a bit brutal, which is consistent with delivering an old-school feel with a coherent, modem engine. There's a cute example at the start of the book where a comic is used to illustrate the flavour of the game. A group of bold adventurers head into a dungeon with their leader monologuing about the opportunity while the rest of the party slowly get picked off, one-by-one, until they reach the treasure and the leader realises no-one else is talking back to her. It cuts with her standing with a guttering torch beside the treasure, with the darkness around full of eyes watching her hungrily.

The other adventurers would have failed attribute tests, which are used as a type of saving throw against traps and other dangers. Every dungeon has a darkness rating. This is an abstract way to decide when to let the party find the treasure. A party has a light rating; when they clear a room, or defeat a monster, they can make a check. On a success, the darkness rating is reduced. When it hits zero, the party gets their treasure points. Dungeons slowly recover over time.

There are some optional rules for ancestries and cultures. The ancestries give a way to differentiate elves, dwarves and halflings. The culture rules give some background advantages - the rules say to let the human characters use these as well if the non-humans have them. Cultures include mercantile (allows one Coin test re-roll/day), religious (re-roll Will in a similar way) and more unique ones such as magical (which allows you to gain ritualist benefits).

The Enemies section has some unique monsters and some classics. By classics, I mean creatures like a Hydra or skeletons. Enemies are defined by their Lifeblood, the attack (standard) advantage (disadvantage) and damage type and dice. They may have some other abilities. It's a simple system.

Finally, there are two "micro-settings". Both start with some micro-fiction that helps to set the flavour that they want to achieve.

'The Jerk in the Castle' riffs on Robin Hood and is full of cheese jokes. It's a fun setting, and you could step back the humour if it's not your thing.

'Dirty-Hand Haven' is a setting all about grave robbing the cemeteries of a large city, whilst trying to avoid the wrath of the Gravediggers who protect the necropolis.

To sum up: I'm impressed by this game. There's an energy to it that combines well with a simple and coherent engine. Having recently played OSE, it does nail the same vibe, with dungeons being scary unknowns. Mechanically, the game reminds me of the simplicity of The Black Hack, Troika! and Advanced Fighting Fantasy. A fun little game.

22 August 2021

PS. The only thing I can't find for this is an official character sheet.

Update: You can find my review of the supplement 'Rogues' here.