The Valley of the Pharaohs - 40th Anniversary Edition

Original Color Map to be Included
8 months ago – Thu, Mar 21, 2024 at 11:49:30 AM

If you have seen the original boxed game from back in 1983 you might remember the large format, color map of Egypt which extended to the Fifth Cataract.  This will be included in the PDF documents associated with the new edition but not in printed form (you can get that done at a print shop if you so desire).

The original map was done by Kevin Siembieda and measured 16" x 22".

Crunch vs Non-Crunch
8 months ago – Wed, Mar 20, 2024 at 06:52:42 PM

One aspect of the game I've been grappling with is the amount of 'crunch' in the system.  When I say 'crunch' I'm talking about the complexity of the rule systems themselves.  In general the original rules were pretty 'crunch-less', i.e., pretty simple.  You had 5 attributes rolled with 3D6. You rolled for caste, chose an Occupation, then chose various skills.  Combat was roll d20 with anything 5 or over hitting, armor added the equivalent to extra Hit Points.  Attacks could be dodged or parried by rolling a D20 equal to or exceeding the attacker's roll.

Skill checks were at the GMs discretion and straight forward, roll equal or under you are successful.  Casting spells was also simple, roll against your skill or difficulty of the spell.

The modifications which have been made increase the 'crunch' as far as character creation is concerned but not the overall game play.  There are now additional races to play, each with potential dice variations for attributes.  There are still only 4 castes but many more Occupational Specialties (about 120 or so).  In addition there are rules for determining the party starting region and other potential background information.  These only increase the time it takes to create a character and not really the game play (flow) while running a session.

Additional rules for combat have been added but these should be easily remembered after the group has run through a couple of fighting encounters.  Skill use has been expanded and explained in terms of simple (quick) checks, intermediate checks (something which has a few steps to accomplish), and advanced (multi day activities).  Again these are suggestions for skill use to be discussed by the GM and the players.

Skill advancement is still the same and is pretty 'crunch-less'.  If you are eligible to advance a skill you roll percentile dice and if you roll equal to or below your current level you can advance by 1D6 percentage points.  This makes it harder to advance as one's skill increases.  An advisor I've been calling on for opinions and suggestions about the game (long time D&D/RPG player and Math Professor) has indicated that once you get up to mid/upper 80's in skill percentage you are about at 12th level when compared to a game with experience points/levels.