''Eldritch Role-Playing System'' is a role-playing game published by

Goodman Games Goodman Games is an American game publisher best known for the ''Dungeon Crawl Classics'' series of adventure modules and role-playing game, its science fiction offshoot ''Mutant Crawl Classics'', and ''Original Adventures Reincarnated'', a lin ...

in 2008.

Description

''Eldritch Role-Playing System'' is an epic fantasy

role-playing game system A tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG or TRPG), also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a kind of role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech and sometimes movements. Participants d ...

contained in a 96-page book designed by Dan Cross and Randall Petras, with interior art by Eric Bergeron, and cover art by Peter Bradley. Rather than being based on ''D&D''s character class system, this RPG is based on abilities and actions.

Publication history

Starting in 2001, Goodman Games had built its business on creating

d20 System The d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast, originally developed for the Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition, 3rd edition of ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The system is named after ...

fantasy role-playing adventures using ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...

3.0'' rules under

Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast LLC (WotC or Wizards) is an American game Publishing, publisher, most of which are based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science-fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail game stores. In 1999, toy ...

(WotC)'s

Open Game License The Open Game License (OGL) is a public copyright license by Wizards of the Coast that may be used by tabletop role-playing game developers to grant permission to modify, copy, and redistribute some of the content designed for their games, no ...

(OGL) for the

. When WotC started to develop a fourth edition of ''D&D'' in 2007, word circulated that the new version would not be covered by the OGL, which would leave Goodman Games unable to produce any further products. Goodman Games decided to experiment by trying to develop an RPG of their own. In 2007, Goodman Games hinted they were working on a role-playing game based on the '' Dungeoneer'' card game; although that game was never produced, Goodman did publish the abstract epic fantasy role-playing game ''Eldritch Role-Playing System Core Rulebook'' (2008), by Dan Cross and Randall Petras. The product was not well supported; Goodman Games only supplemented the original Core Rulebook with some small PDFs.

Reception

Malcolm Bowers, author of ''Gary Gygax's Extraordinary Book of Names'', found parts of the book "impenetrably complex." He pointed out that "weird terminology" made the task of assimilating the rules very difficult. "To avoid the unlovely 'to hit roll', the authors came up with the worse 'potential harm' and 'threatpoints' -- the simpler 'attack' or 'threat' would have done, surely." Bowers also found the production values lower than expected: spelling mistakes, misplaced text, stretched images, and changes to certain terms partway through the book. He concluded that overall, the more abstract "classless" approach worked well, but that more story-telling and improvisation would be required of the

gamemaster A gamemaster (GM; also known as game master, game manager, game moderator, referee, storyteller, or master of ceremonies) is a person who acts as a facilitator, organizer, officiant regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer r ...

. With no supplemental adventures available, Bowers also pointed out that designing a campaign would fall squarely on the gamemaster. He concluded, "You'll need your own

campaign setting A campaign setting is a setting for a tabletop role-playing game or wargame campaign. Most campaign settings are fictional worlds; however, some are historical or contemporary real-world locations. A '' campaign'' is a series of individual adve ...

, especially if you want to focus less on action than interaction. I recommend it if you're an experienced GM looking for something a bit different."

References

{{reflist Fantasy role-playing games Goodman Games games Role-playing games introduced in 2008