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Fenris 2d6
by Erin S. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/11/2013 08:51:05

Fenris 2d6 provides a quick-to-learn and easy-to-play framework for fantasy roleplaying with a dose of Renaissance built in. What does that mean? Well, think Van Helsing, Norse fairy tales, or anything by the Brothers Grimm.

There are 3 classes: warrior (fighter), mystic (cleric), and magician (magic-user). This is reminiscent of the White Box of old, though each class has abilities that define their niche perfectly. The warrior can execute fighting moves, the mystic is more properly defined as a warrior/magician who worships a diety, and the magician is more powerful at low levels than his WB counterpart.

No thief? No worries - the ability-based task resolution system takes care of that, so picking a lock is a matter of DEX, INT, or WIS. Climbing is STR or DEX, and yes, for many tasks, more than one ability can apply, but you only get to roll once, so choose wisely.

Fenris also offers one of the best alignment-as-mechanic systems I've seen. There's Lawful and Chaotic, and your actions during an adventure are divided into Law XP or Chaos XP. Only XP matching your alignment counts toward advancement, and XP earned in the opposite alignment hinders advancement. Mystic spells also have alignment, which is a simple way to define what spells a given deity grants its clergy (though mystics can cast opposite alignment spells at an XP cost).

Combat is based on the familiar WB standard, but supplemented by mortal wounds, unique damage determination (i.e., it's not a hit point slugfest), a simple "critical hit" system, and plenty of situational modifiers. Warriors are (not surprisingly) the best at fighting, as they can execute fighting moves that vary from weapon to weapon. This really expands the player options for a warrior, turning him into a specialized fighting machine instead of bog-standard fighter with a lot of hit points and low armour class.

Finally, Fenris comes with its own introductory campaign setting, a full bestiary, complete treasure tables, and a mass combat engine. Optional rules are provided for post-Renaissance settings, including weapons (i.e., firearms), armour, and attendant combat mechanics.

While Fenris is published under the OGL, it's not a retroclone - it takes bits of the SRD, but a lot of the material is the author's own invention. Those familiar with the White Box or other early forms of D&D will find steady ground, along with dozens of new mechanics, house rules, and great, original ideas.

(As a side note to the reviewer who groused about over-use of Product Identify designations: that's simply the author abiding by the OGL terms, which state that anything that's not Open Content must be designated as such. Is "Roll a 2d6" generic? Sure, but it's not Open Content. Don't fault the author for adhering to the license terms.)



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Fenris 2d6
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Fenris 2d6 epub
by Erin S. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/11/2013 08:50:41

Fenris 2d6 provides a quick-to-learn and easy-to-play framework for fantasy roleplaying with a dose of Renaissance built in. What does that mean? Well, think Van Helsing, Norse fairy tales, or anything by the Brothers Grimm.

There are 3 classes: warrior (fighter), mystic (cleric), and magician (magic-user). This is reminiscent of the White Box of old, though each class has abilities that define their niche perfectly. The warrior can execute fighting moves, the mystic is more properly defined as a warrior/magician who worships a diety, and the magician is more powerful at low levels than his WB counterpart.

No thief? No worries - the ability-based task resolution system takes care of that, so picking a lock is a matter of DEX, INT, or WIS. Climbing is STR or DEX, and yes, for many tasks, more than one ability can apply, but you only get to roll once, so choose wisely.

Fenris also offers one of the best alignment-as-mechanic systems I've seen. There's Lawful and Chaotic, and your actions during an adventure are divided into Law XP or Chaos XP. Only XP matching your alignment counts toward advancement, and XP earned in the opposite alignment hinders advancement. Mystic spells also have alignment, which is a simple way to define what spells a given deity grants its clergy (though mystics can cast opposite alignment spells at an XP cost).

Combat is based on the familiar WB standard, but supplemented by mortal wounds, unique damage determination (i.e., it's not a hit point slugfest), a simple "critical hit" system, and plenty of situational modifiers. Warriors are (not surprisingly) the best at fighting, as they can execute fighting moves that vary from weapon to weapon. This really expands the player options for a warrior, turning him into a specialized fighting machine instead of bog-standard fighter with a lot of hit points and low armour class.

Finally, Fenris comes with its own introductory campaign setting, a full bestiary, complete treasure tables, and a mass combat engine. Optional rules are provided for post-Renaissance settings, including weapons (i.e., firearms), armour, and attendant combat mechanics.

While Fenris is published under the OGL, it's not a retroclone - it takes bits of the SRD, but a lot of the material is the author's own invention. Those familiar with the White Box or other early forms of D&D will find steady ground, along with dozens of new mechanics, house rules, and great, original ideas.

(As a side note to the reviewer who groused about over-use of Product Identify designations: that's simply the author abiding by the OGL terms, which state that anything that's not Open Content must be designated as such. Is "Roll a 2d6" generic? Sure, but it's not Open Content. Don't fault the author for adhering to the license terms.)



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Fenris 2d6 epub
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Fenris 2d6
by Ernest M. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 06/10/2013 13:57:49

A very nice and concise rule set; however, the Product Identity claimed within Fenris 2d6 almost caused me to only give a three star rating and failed to award four or five stars which this OSR undoubtedly deserves.

Product Identity [IP] is there to protect the author and creator. Yes, this is good, it protects your work... What is not good is when page 147 has the following Product Identity (see below) that is so vanilla and generic that one could find the following in just about every 2d6 rule set which rolls high. (The most absurd is "Roll a 2d6. [IP]" - seriously, that's IP?). A quick search through the document reveals that [IP] is used 1,058 times in 162 pages... That is excessive and saddens me as this is a great reinterpretation of OSR gaming at its best.

Below, examples and the Designation of IP blip...

Whenever you attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you roll two six sided dies (2d6). To determine if your character succeeds at a task you do this:[IP] Roll a 2d6.[IP] Add any relevant modifiers.[IP] Compare the result to a Check Roll Number.[IP]

A natural unmodified die roll of 2 is a failure.[IP] A natural unmodified die roll of 12 is a success.[IP]

DESIGNATION OF PRODUCT IDENTITY The name “Fenris 2d6” when used in any context, is product identity. Additionally the content of paragraphs, and sentences which are followed with “[IP]” in superscript or subscript are product identity. The content of table cells which are followed with “[IP]”in superscript or subscript are product identity. The titles and entire content of tables which have “[IP]” in the bottom row are product identity. All artwork created by Gregory B. MacKenzie is product identity. The Trade Dress of this work (font, layout, style of artwork, etc.) is reserved as Product Identity.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Fenris 2d6
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Creator Reply:
In a product which uses the Open Games License (OGL), and Open Game Content from the System Resource Document (SRD), an author is required by the license to identify both Product Identity and Open Game Content. Any content contributed by this author to the game must be identified as product identity. It has been suggested to use a different font, or some other method of clearly identifying an author's product identity. I chose to use [IP] throughout the text, in subscript or superscript, or in tables, to identify the Product Identity. That is why you will find [IP] throughout the text. I felt it was a relatively unobtrusive choice. Content derived from the SRD is unmarked.
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