Castles & Crusades
Castles & Crusades is a role-playing game published by Troll Lord Games. Its initial incarnation was a commemorative boxed addition, called the White Box Set. The White Box was released at Gencon in 2004. The Castles & Crusades Players handbook followed that December, shipping just in time for Christmas to all direct to consumer customers. The full release of the Castles & Crusades Players Handbook occurred in January 2005 where it enjoyed a wide appeal in the retail and direct to consumer markets.
Castles & Crusades was created using the OGL 1.0 and based on Dungeons & Dragons. The designers strove to create a simplified version of the game, one that focused on the story and adventure more than the mechanics.All the core classes and races, the alignments system, attributes and hit point system were retained with only slight adjustments in hit dice. The highly intricate system of skills and feats that later version of Dungeons and Dragons developed were discarded, replaced by what the designers called the SIEGE Engine, styled as an extremely easy game mechanic with universal applications.
The SIEGE Engine works on an attribute check system. Attributes are divided into primary and secondary attributes. Primary attributes have a base chance to succeed of 12; secondary attributes have a base chance to succeed of 18; the CK adds a challenge level to the base, the resulting number, the challenge class, is the target number required to succeed at a check. The players adds his level, any attribute bonus and class bonus to the roll. If they hit the target number or higher they succeed. The SIEGE Engine is desired for use for anything that requires a check in the game aside from combat, from moving rocks to diplomacy.
All the rules required for play can be found within the Castle & Crusades Players Handbook. This book enjoyed printings in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012. The fifth printing is in color.
A monster book followed in 2006, Castles & Crusades Monsters & Treasure has undergone 3 separate printings.
The name of the game derives from the Castle & Crusade Society, founded in the pre-Dungeons & Dragons era, by Gary Gygax. The title is in homage to the roleplaying industry's birth.
Other books for the game are as follows:
- Players Handbook
- Monsters & Treasure
- Castle Keepers Guide
- Of Gods & Monsters by James M. Ward
- Classic Monsters
- Monsters & Treasure of Aihrde
- Codex Celtarum
- Free City of Eskadia
There is a world setting,
- The World of AihrdeAfter Winter's Dark Campaign Setting Folio
- After Winters Dark Campaign Maps
External links
- Troll Lord Games is the publisher of Castles & Crusades. The site includes a list of products in the line.
- Castles & Crusades Society Currently active C&C Society, publishes the quarterly "Domesday Book"
- Goodman Games publishes several adventure modules under the Castles & Crusades license.
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