Wednesday, November 6, 2019

BX What If?


Recently, Mark Hunt released BX Gangbusters, a version of Gangbusters using BX DnD's rules. This led me to discover that he did something similar earlier this year with Tall Tales BX Wild West.

While I know we've seen different genres powered by Swords and Wizardry, I don't recall BX being used in different genres.

Additionally, it made me wonder what would our hobby look like if earlier versions of DnD had been available to build games on? Would Call of Cthulhu be a class and levels game? TSR's Marvel Super Heroes? The World of Darkness?

Or would these designers embrace their individuality and keep their own systems?

I don't know for sure.

I do know that TSR tried using ADnD 2E's system with Buck Rogers and Gamma World, but was that too little too late?

And, of course, we had the d20 glut after DnD 3.X and the OGL and maybe that would've occurred 15 to 20 years earlier?

I find it an intriguing game of "What If"?

Regardless of any of that though, I urge you to check Mark Hunt's BX Gangbusters and Tall Tales BX Wild West.

5 comments:

Ruprecht said...

Hard to imagine Call of Cthulu being based on class and levels as your character is likely to go insane before you have a chance to level up.

Cross Planes said...

And that's a good point. I just wonder if the Perrin Conventions would have been used to further diverge from D&D. Maybe we'd end up right here after all, it just seems like an interesting to ask.

Pun Isaac said...

The Otherside mentioned a BX version of Barsoom in a post today. http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2019/11/reviews-osr-mars.html

Ruprecht said...

I do think it would have been a cool move to have all of the TSR properties with the same core mechanic. Then the idea of planar travel across the multiverse might have become pretty awesome.

Cross Planes said...

@Justin, Excellent, I've been thinking of picking up B/X Mars.

@ Ruprecht, That would have been very cool.

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