Is C&C dying a slow death on FG?

/shockvalue

I bought the ruleset about a year ago and am finally getting around to trying it out, so wanted to do so on FG. However, a quick glance at these forums show that there is only about one post a month and most of those are about the ruleset being out of date. Another slight concern is that 90% of the posts are the same four people, so the FG/C&C community appears to be really small.

I don't really care about any of that, though - just so long as I can play, run and have fun - so how out of date is it? Am I still going to be able to play on FG effectively with the newer versions of C&C easily, or has it turned into a bit of a headache?

On a related note - seems like a built-in ruleset would limit your ability to house rule stuff?

Personally, I like as little automation as possible past the basics of some double-click or drag and drop dice rolling (adding skill+attribute in that sort of system). I've got Castles & Crusades but haven't played recently. Like you, I get the impression that there's not a lot of regular C&C games. AFAIK, the ruleset still runs fine on the latest production version of FG2 (2.9.2). It just doesn't have all the bells and whistles that the 3.5e and 4e rulesets do. Those, I can do without. Like you say, if the ruleset is doing stuff automatically for you then it can limit the game to the automation that the ruleset is covering.

C&C isn't dead at all, but it's kind-of in a semi-coma at this point, as I'm the guy on the hook for the ruleset right now. The previous developer utterly and unexpectedly vanished, so I took on the responsibility to try and get the current semi-finished ruleset completed and released. I've been getting help fro Dakadin, the guy doing the Rolemaster rulesets. So the upshot is: it's still alive and "in development", but the pace is exceedingly slow, as I'm not much of a FG developer, and I'm picking up somebody else's unfinished and undocumented code, so progress has been very slow. I hope we'll have a bit more progress in the coming weeks, tho.

I'm currently running 2 campaigns, one of which is an old west game with a ton of hybrid rules using the current release of the C&C ruleset. It's missing some of the very nice bells and whistles of the newer rulesets, like rollable tables, an 'on map' popup toolbar to adjust grid size and switch between image/map tools, manual entry of inventory items, etc. But it works pretty well - certainly is very usable in my opinion, if a bit bare-bones and non-flashy.

The new ruleset in development does have a bunch more bells and whistles, but I *think* it should be pretty 'house-rulable' (that's my hyphenated word - I own it now). The specific deficiencies I mentioned above are addressed in this new version. I do think it will see the light of day, but it's going to be a bit of a wait as Dakadin and I wade through the 60 or so bugs that are in the bug database right now, blocking release.

I wish there was more conversation on the C&C thread, but the conversation had really died down since Sorcerer disappeared. In general, I think most folks just aren't aware of C&C as an option for old school retro games. I'm hoping that if this new C&C ruleset can somehow get squeezed out, there will be a bit more interest. In the meantime, I hope it gives folks some hope to see the attached screenshot of the dev ruleset (not final, and subject to Smiteworks approval).

Have faith!

there are 3 C&C Campaigns that I know of currently running, that are not on the Calendar. So there are likely quite a number of C&C games running that we just don't know about...

C&C players are a secretive bunch of critters, they tend to stay in their huddled groups and rarely peek into the forums, they shriek profoundly at any mention of 3.5 or 4E... don't say it too loudly...

But seriously, there are a few games of this going on and the ruleset functions well enough :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dr_venture

The new ruleset in development does have a bunch more bells and whistles, but I *think* it should be pretty 'house-rulable' (that's my hyphenated word - I own it now).

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Webster, where's the humanity! A hyphenated word hath been taketh (and coined pretty much in the same way).

No really, I run 1 game regular, in between the others, and then the odd one shot now and then. The rules are good and bold, like strong coffee for example. It *is* a time trip back to the good ol' days when making a house rule didn't smash the system. I'm also working on a campaign in my spare time which will probably be posted on the Calendar somewhere down the line (when I convert good ol' handwritten material into FG - imagine, no computer).

C&C fans are all over the place. Sneaking their guilty pleasure with old school gaming. I'm sure if you holler, they'll come out. If you check the postings, we're at least more active than anyone (including me) playing Call of Cthulhu.

Cheers,
SF

Actually, the way they're releasing all the AD&D 1e material, there should be a resurgence in C&C gaming. Tomb of Horror C&C style. Vindictive.

Cheers.
SF

i have a regular C&C group running. we only play fortnightly but have a good group of regulars and a smaller group who occasionally turn up!
it is the easiest rule-set to just pick up and run. it is extremely easy to introduce your own house rules.
whats missing? there are a few nice features from the newer rulesets that are not (yet?) available but combat rolls work and rulebooks are drag and droppable (at least in current beta they are!).