A Short Review: Hackmaster Player's Handbook
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
The HackMaster Player's Guide is published by KenzerCo, a relatively young but rapidly growing company known for publishing the hit roleplaying gamer-related humor magazine, "Knights of the Dinner Table." The book weighs in at a whopping four hundred pages, and is soft-cover, retailing at $29.99 US, or $44.99 Canada.
HackMaster itself is the game the Knights of the Dinner Table play within the magazine, and began as a spoof of Dungeons & Dragons. Fans were quick to write in to the writers of KoDT and suggest the making of HackMaster as an actual game, suggestions that quickly turned to demands for the product.
So, in July of 2001, the Hackmaster Player Guide was released, using the core rules for the first and second editions of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. HackMaster describes itself as "the 1st/2nd editions with new crunchy-bits and a whole lot of fresh attitude."
The book also boasts, "Playing this game will make you feel like you did when you first started roleplaying. Excited. Filled with wonder. And just a bit nervous."
In a way, when playing HackMaster, you're roleplaying on two levels. The first, obvious level, where you roleplay your character. And the second level, where you're sucked into the 'world' of Knights of the Dinner Table, and the attitudes prevalent in it, summed up by such phrases as "When in doubt, hack!" and "What do you want to hack today?" The game actively encourages something almost all other RPGs find anathema- open opposition between Game Master and players, as well as players grubbing for experience points, gold, and magic weapons.
The rule system is vastly more complicated that AD&D 1st or 2nd Edition. The book itself says that your first character should take at least forty-five minutes; more likely is an hour or more. The rules you need to learn simply to play are numerous, and sometimes difficult. In some ways, it resembles Shadowrun, which was published by the now deceased FASA corporation- this game is definetly not for beginning roleplayers.
However, it does boast some things that are certainly improvements over AD&D's old editions. For instance, the skill, talent and proficencies system is vastly superior to the old 'weapon/non-weapon proficiencies' system, allowing for greater character customization.
And, too, as you go up in levels, your Ability scores increase, something the previous editions lacked, a recurring complaint from many players. Failing magic or divine intervention, in previous editions, your strength of 15 *stayed* 15 until you bought the farm.
So, its main flaw is also one of its strengths; the rules are very complicated, but allow you to do many things you couldn't do with a less complicated system.
This game is fully playable, and somewhat novel in its open exhortation to 'hack and slash,' not to mention encouraging adversity between the players and the game master. And the players and the players, for that matter.
However, this game will mainly appeal to one of two groups; old school gamers, who were around for first and second editions, and fans of Knights of the Dinner Table, who will play out of love for the Knights.
Hackmaster, Knights of the Dinner Table and all associated terms are copyright KenzerCo.
HackMaster itself is the game the Knights of the Dinner Table play within the magazine, and began as a spoof of Dungeons & Dragons. Fans were quick to write in to the writers of KoDT and suggest the making of HackMaster as an actual game, suggestions that quickly turned to demands for the product.
So, in July of 2001, the Hackmaster Player Guide was released, using the core rules for the first and second editions of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. HackMaster describes itself as "the 1st/2nd editions with new crunchy-bits and a whole lot of fresh attitude."
The book also boasts, "Playing this game will make you feel like you did when you first started roleplaying. Excited. Filled with wonder. And just a bit nervous."
In a way, when playing HackMaster, you're roleplaying on two levels. The first, obvious level, where you roleplay your character. And the second level, where you're sucked into the 'world' of Knights of the Dinner Table, and the attitudes prevalent in it, summed up by such phrases as "When in doubt, hack!" and "What do you want to hack today?" The game actively encourages something almost all other RPGs find anathema- open opposition between Game Master and players, as well as players grubbing for experience points, gold, and magic weapons.
The rule system is vastly more complicated that AD&D 1st or 2nd Edition. The book itself says that your first character should take at least forty-five minutes; more likely is an hour or more. The rules you need to learn simply to play are numerous, and sometimes difficult. In some ways, it resembles Shadowrun, which was published by the now deceased FASA corporation- this game is definetly not for beginning roleplayers.
However, it does boast some things that are certainly improvements over AD&D's old editions. For instance, the skill, talent and proficencies system is vastly superior to the old 'weapon/non-weapon proficiencies' system, allowing for greater character customization.
And, too, as you go up in levels, your Ability scores increase, something the previous editions lacked, a recurring complaint from many players. Failing magic or divine intervention, in previous editions, your strength of 15 *stayed* 15 until you bought the farm.
So, its main flaw is also one of its strengths; the rules are very complicated, but allow you to do many things you couldn't do with a less complicated system.
This game is fully playable, and somewhat novel in its open exhortation to 'hack and slash,' not to mention encouraging adversity between the players and the game master. And the players and the players, for that matter.
However, this game will mainly appeal to one of two groups; old school gamers, who were around for first and second editions, and fans of Knights of the Dinner Table, who will play out of love for the Knights.
Hackmaster, Knights of the Dinner Table and all associated terms are copyright KenzerCo.
