| | As it implies, Ballad is a fantasy roleplaying game. The Ballad system requires no more than a good imagination and a maximum of 6 six-sided dice for play (generally only 3 dice are actually needed), but maintains a high level of realism in both the spell and faith magic systems and in combat, including provision for critical injuries, aggressive attacks, armour attrition and combat fatigue. From the Author
I first started designing this game system in 1983. Back then I was primarily GMing RuneQuest and DragonQuest, along with other systems, but had some ideas for a simpler game that concentrated more on action and roleplaying than housekeeping. I also wanted a game that didn't require large handfuls (e.g. Tunnels & Trolls) or a multitude of different-sided dice (e.g. AD&D) to play. Just a few six-sided dice, readily available from any common boxed board game. After a brief writing frenzy, I put the project on hiatus, visiting the rules every now and then to add little bits here and there. The world I envisioned for the game (then un-named) was that of the Greater Earth, a world similar to our own (perhaps our own?) suffering from an apocalyptic collapse to an early Renaissance era after having previously reached an undefined (but considerable) level of technology. Feedback
As mentioned above, these rules haven't been actively tested. Any feedback on suggested changes are appreciated (and credited). It also helps to let us know whether our efforts are appreciated (or not). Finally, it provides some encouragement to continue adding new items to the site. You can send us email at ballad@ellipsis.net.nz (please remove the obvious "spam block content" from the email address before sending). Looking forward to your comments. Enjoy! |
