Too Many Projects

This post is mostly for myself, to help keep track of all the ideas I've talked about, and have floating in my head. I'm not saying I'm actually going to do any of these, and they're definitely subject to interest and need. However I do want to keep track of the cool ideas I have, in case I do want to start working on them. As I work on them, I'll probably just take notes on my own, but I might post ideas from time to time, as I already have.

Wizards & Warriors - A Microlite20 derivative that uses a spell dice system for magic, thus simplifying the game, and removing the need for spell lists and books.

Warband - A very basic, OD&D like game where the goal is to raise an army, and conquer the land. Very much Mount & Blade inspired, hence the name.

Arcane Adventures - My main house rules. This is what I've been posting about a lot, when it comes to my "edition-less" and "class-less" gaming ideas. There will only be the "Adventurer" class, and everything will be up to player and referee cooperation. Magic will be rare, mysterious, but still open to everyone's use. There won't be a skill system, but common adventuring tasks will have a % chance listed, with common modifiers, that the referee can use for making rulings.

Advanced Fantasy - Basically just my house rules for AD&D. I think I've said before that, while my preferred fantasy isn't Gygaxian*, and the most fun I have is free-form D&D, I do still love Gygaxian D&D. I could just use Adventures Dark & Deep, but I don't feel it captures the "D&D feel" everyone is used too. Sometimes I just want to have a party of Bards, Rangers, Paladins, and Wizards, and not worry about creatively coming up with stuff on the spot.

Elder Scrolls d20 - If I wanted to actually emulate the Elder Scrolls, I think a d100 game would be more appropriate. However I think Elder Scrolls captures the "spirit" of D&D rather well, so apply the principles to a d20 game might work. Mainly it would be skill based, which is why it would need to use the "d20 system", and not just be old school D&D. For magic, you would take each school as a separate skill, using the bonus to beat a "Casting DC" or some such. It would use Int (or Wis) + Mod/level to determine a "Magicka" score, which would function like Microlite20's casting.

I don't feel the need to make any sort of "OD&D" or "B/X" project for a few reasons. B/X is ready to go out of the box. If you want OD&D, you play OD&D, because, well it's OD&D. It's weird, its pulpy, it doesn't make much sense on the surface, but has a hidden logic that feels good. I don't think there's anything I could do for either that would beneficial. AD&D on the other hand has had so many revisions, and editions, and none of them completely agree. For me I want to have all of the Gygaxian material in one place, even if it's not strictly Gygaxian.

I don't see why all of these couldn't be relatively compatible, meaning only one set of monsters would be necessary to make. If I did ever make my own game company, I could simply release them all under a "Fantasy Adventures" title, then release a "Bestiary" as a general fantasy gaming resource. I could do the same thing with spell books for the most part - Advanced Fantasy would actually have spell lists, since it will have AD&D style classes, and Arcane Adventures will be able to use any set of spells. I could even include a small section on any spell book for "Using in Arcane Adventures", or some such.

*When I say Gygaxian, I'm referring to a style of fantasy adventuring that has come to be, largely due to the work of Gary Gygax. While 3rd Edition D&D isn't strictly Gygaxian in play style, it has most of the elements of Gygaxian fantasy: magic items as treasure, the AD&D Classes, AD&D Races, etc. At this point D&D has become a genre of fantasy all its own, and I think that can be attributed to the style Gygax pushed for and published with 1st Edition, that was later expanded upon in 2nd and 3rd Edition. While later versions may not be what Gygax would want, there definitely his brainchild.

Note also that I'm not trying to exclude Arneson's part in D&D. He has a distinctly different feel to his games and works. Gygaxian D&D is basically Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, and the derivatives there of.