SUN ROT: Inq28 And OD&D Kiss?

While work has kept me from doing a lot of thinking on BX D&D, it hasn't kept me from exploring a latent hobby of mine very close to D&D, which is miniature wargaming. Below is not a review, but first impressions of a game whose energy grabbed me- Sun Rot.

Miniatures from Gardens of Hecate's Folk Horrors set
The center and right ones have some kitbashing applied

Inq28: The Grotesque & Narrativesque

Now is perhaps one of the best times to get into the "wardollies" hobby because of the Inq28 scene, which, to me, is pretty much the OSR for the Warhammer crowd. This scene is currently filled with the same DIY-heat that produced a lot of the "wow" of the OSR scene back in the day.

Inq28✤ was formed out of fans scaling GW's Inquisitor series to 28 mm. Along the way other games such as Mordheim and Necromunda, also fan favs, had a resurgence of interest much like ODD, BX, and AD&D did with Dungeons & Dragons. And like AD&D, Mordheim and Necromunda were pretty much kept alive for ~20 years solely through fan support.

Unlike GW's current mostly competitive stance, this scene focuses more on narrative wargaming, where competition takes a back seat to emergent story, phantasmagorpic playing boards, and grotesque kitbashed miniatures (meant in the romanticism sense). I don't think I can do it justice so I invite you to look at the awesome 28MAG to see examples of what I am talking about. The movement even put on an art show where folks built their own godling after looking at each piece.

If you are thinking, "well, is tournament play still happening in these games?", the answer is "yes!" but again the focus is more on the experience of collective play with others and getting to tell rad stories about success or failure. If that seems odd, perhaps its best to look at Turm 2024.

Another point of similarity is that new games have also been spawned from the scene that carry the spirit of, say Mordheim, but are not compatible with that system. This includes games like Forbidden Psalms (a 'Borg), Necropolis 28, Turnip 28, 1490 DOOM, and many others. A huge ogre in this field is Trench Crusade, designed by the same creators as Mordheim. But a game that really caught my eye is Sun Rot.

What all these games have is a lot of pretty sick, DIY, let's-be-creative-humans, don't-worry-about-the-rules, chunky, scrappy, fun-focused energy oozing with a grim-dark, occult, gothic aesthetic of ruin! 

From Matt Ross/smashbash

Roll Dice. Flip Cards. Escape Fate.

Sun Rot is described as:

GM-led, rules-light, cooperative adventure board game — perfect for newcomers to narrative tabletop gaming

In Sun Rot, a player(s) control(s) 2-3+ PCs, each characterized by a class card and a class deck. There are also two smaller communal decks for basic attacks and non-combat actions. The class card, by RPG standards, is more similar to a monster stat line: movement, health, & special ability. The class and communal decks have a variety of outcomes (which can range from "you hit, attack again" to "your target and one enemy have their fates combined"). On a player's turn, they get 1 movement (3 tiles or inches) and two additional actions. To perform an action, declare it, roll a d6, and on a 4+ flip a card from the class deck or one of the communal decks. A PCs saves on a 5+ to prevent something from happening to them- generally an enemy attack (which requires no roll). There is also an item deck. When killed, monsters drop items.

The goal is to traverse three boards seeking a portal that will allow the PCs to escape this current reality for a better one? A different one? A perfect one? But they do have to keep their Oracle NPC alive and half their party to traverse this astral gate.✤✤

Now, here is where the game really starts to assert itself. You get 1 movement and 2 actions. So what are the actions that you can do? And who can do them between your fighter, cleric, wizard, and... astrologer?

The fighter's class deck mostly has cards that damage, as does the wizard's. But what about the astrologer? This class' deck is about manipulation and rarely, or never, I've not counted, mentions damage. Also, there is no mention of range or even melee for that matter. So does the fighter start with a sword and bow? Does the wizard have a maximum range? Is it LOS? Can magic be used in base-to-base contact with an enemy model? You can pick up items, but when are they placed on the board? How many can a PC carry? Can they be sold? Is there a currency? The game doesn't mention one. Nor any sort of experience mechanic.

Sun Rot: The party split west (trying to find the music) and
north (trying to fight the celebrants and save the merchant) 

Recreating OD&D From First Principles(?)

Sun Rot says the answers to those questions are what your table agrees upon right then and there. The only goal would be to make a ruling that feels fair to the table and is applied consistently going forward until requiring revision. And everything is up for grabs. Since you have a non-combat actions communal deck, your PC might try to negotiate with NPCs who appear on the board or even monsters. You can climb structures if you want, break doors, look for items, or just sing a song.

There is nothing in the rules that outlines any of those actions. But there is also nothing that forbids them. There is only a resolution mechanic: roll dice, on a 4+, flip cards. And has a goal, two in fact, keep the oracle alive and find the portal. So my advice when starting to play Sun Rot might be to have a blank sheet of paper labeled: [Your Name's] SUN ROT HOUSE RULES. 

First act of my Sun Rot scenario

A wargame-turned-RPG sounds very much like the path that Fantasy Chainmail took through the alchemical processes of Arneson's Blackmoor. And after writing and playing my own scenario with a friend, I think it might be the closest I will come to the same feeling those in '74 must have felt when trying to run their first game of D&D. 

I felt like we could make the game go, but it was interpreting what the cards meant that created huge sparks of enjoyment. Often times when my friend wanted to do something that was not clear, I would just ask "What do you think?". From there we would quickly figure out what would be most applicable.

The cards also provide a prompt for negotiation too. That's the thing about Sun Rot, the GM might have laid out the scenario, but even they don't have specific rules for how cards in the class, communal, or event decks work until they are drawn. This creates surprise for all parties. 

And that, I think, gets to the heart of what Sun Rot really is- a framework to encourage kitbash across miniatures, terrain, and even the rules of the game into a system that works for you. Much like how OD&D is a "kit" that helps you, in 1974, mix and re-mix all the historical and fantasy literature and movies that were present in its era into a new type of game. 

But because Sun Rot (and OD&D) have so little mechanically and by way of explanation, you are forced to turn your attention back to the game and the fiction you are establishing. In this way, you are forced to consider, perhaps, thinking in terms of your character more than the ruleset: "My fighter is trying to get the NPC to give me the ring" rather than "What do the rules say my fighter can do?".

I'll close this with bit from an interview Matt Ross in Glaive v3 which is both a fantastic interview and a great magazine: 

"We got back in with Lost Mine of Phandelver. Aside from the OD&D stuff, I think that's probably the best introduction to D&D. Ever."

"...I don't think the game part of D&D is what makes it good, you know? I still playing D&D but a hacked version. Light anybody who's been playing it for a long time, once you've played it, you know enough and you don't have to be like 'and this is what a bugbear's start are' or whatever."

"I remove all the bloat and try to do my dice rolling up front... I think D&D is most fun when you have an old school mindset." 

✤ I realize I completely butchered this history, but I want to get on with the blog post

✤✤ Again, there is a little more to it, but this post is not about the exact rules per se.