For you youngsters who don't know the name E. Gary Gygax, he is the father of fantasy role playing games. He is the creator of Dungeons and Dragons, writing pen and paper games back when most of your parents were necking in the back of a Deuce (go ask your folks what a Deuce and a Quarter is). Well Dungeons & Dragons has just turned 30 and Gary is still at it, overcoming health problems earlier this year to work on Lejendary Adventure.
The development team for LA has been working in pure stealth mode for over a year, giving rise to rumors that this was yet another MMORPG destined for the "might have been" pile. Thankfully, Gary has given the indication that LA is still in development. Here is an excerpt from his recent interview at Game Banshee where he discusses all things RP, Lejendary Adventure included:
GB: For those RPG fans that are unfamiliar with your Lejendary Adventure FRPG project, can you provide some details about the basic game mechanics, such as character development and the magic system?
Gary: Well it is a rules-light, skill-bundled based system that is constructed so once you learn the rules basics all play is very easily and quickly managed, and you hardly ever have to crack the books, except maybe to see what the spells are doing to do or to get monster stats. But you don't need to look up the rules. It is basically a D% system for ability checks when you are using skills. And the game master simply decides if there are any penalties or bonuses.
The rules are guidelines... The player can create just about any sort of a character he wants to have with this system. There are archetypes in there that are called Ordered Avatars, so there is an Elementalist Order, Enchanters or mages Order, a Noble or knightly Order, and so forth. Or you can choose whatever skill bundles you want and make a character that is perhaps a sorcerer and a knight, and any one of the old-time sense of the meaning sorcerer - like one who uses magic demons for his magic. There is no level progression, you start quite strong with a good deal of hit points and a good deal of power. Then it just takes you a long time to go up from there, because every adventure you probably get one percent addition to one of five or six abilities and you probably want twelve abilities for an advanced Avatar, you know, for your character, so you have got to get built up and buy new abilities too. It's a good long-term game; it's very exciting, very accessible, and very easy to play.
It's nice to get some news on LA and to see that it is still coming along. Although the site has not been updated in a while (save the forums), you can see some shots and read a few things about the game at the official website.
To read the interview with Mr. Gygax, click here. Also check out the cool D&D art gallery the guys at GB put together.
