White Box, how something cool can be in a small package.
White Box is a game that despite a few nitpicks and groans, I think is a wonderful game especially at shops or cons. I love the majority of it, but there's a few things that just bug me and keep me from giving it a perfect score.
The first thing I loved about White Box was the size of the thing. It's a compact 140 page rule set that's digest sized. Not only is it small and compact, the font is a good size to read for those of us with bad eyes. I mean compared to a full sized paperback of Basic Fantasy it is small.
This makes it great for running a game on the go. This book, some paper, pencils and dice and you are off to the races. As stated before the font size is very readable and the layout is simple and very easy to read. I really enjoy the art in this book. It has this coherency that makes it have both an iconic look like older RPG's and a feeling of a predefined world within the game. The art is truly excellent!
Now onto the nitpicking.
The default Skill Attributes are BRUTAL. Having a modifier in the default in the default system is incredibly rare. On a 3d6, a 3-6 means a -1 modifier and a 15-18 means a +1 modifier. Throughout the book it's heavily suggested you can change or modify any part of the game that you want, but there's a quick cutoff point when rules might require changes before the 10th page of the book.
Within the game itself there are 4 classes and four and a half races. Your standard cleric/fighter/thief/magic-user are there but thief is listed as an optional class. I guess that's for people wanting to emulate pre-Greyhawk OD&D, but it seemed silly to add optional to an iconic class like that. Each class gets just ONE saving throw. I like this, a lot. They have a matrix based on older D&D concurrent with the single throw, but the one throw is just amazing. That stood out as a mechanic I enjoyed and want to use more.
Onto the races, there's Dwarf, Elf, an Elf variant, and Halfling. Each has a mix of bonuses and limitations namely class and level restrictions.. Human isn't listed because if you pick human, you don't pick a race which I felt needed to be more clear within the book. Human just can play whatever without getting any bonuses. I'm not the biggest fan of level restrictions, but the nonhuman races do get some neat abilities so it feels somewhat balanced out. The Elf Variant seemed far better than the standard elf. The standard elf could change between fighter and magic user class each day. The variant is just both magic user and fighter with more XP required to level up.
Weapons and equipment are ok, with the exception that weapons all do 1d6 with either a +1 or -1 modifier. Just a big irritant right there. So far there's 2 house rules to get this game really perfect for me. Variable weapon damage would just make more sense. Combat is very simple roll to break AC.
In magic, I found out the magic user is feeble in this game. There's no damage spells for a magic user until they can access 3rd level magic which is at 5th level. There is no magic missile in this game, no real way for a wizard to defend themselves beyond a dagger until that point.
The rest in the book is great for DMs/GMs with all the tools required. The monster list is solid and the system supports both an ascending AC and Descending AC so you can use either in your game to expand upon it although you should just stick to one style of AC for coherency within a game. In the back is a House rules page you can use to keep the game more to your flavor if you don't mind writing in a book.
White Box is compatible with Swords & Wizardry products according to the book cover. You can find White Box on rpgnow as a PDF or print with varying prices and on amazon as a $7 softcover. The amazon price is amazing and I still suggest you buy this book despite my complaints. There aren't many digest sized games that are this good and at this price.
Rating: 3/5 Electrum!
Pros
The first thing I loved about White Box was the size of the thing. It's a compact 140 page rule set that's digest sized. Not only is it small and compact, the font is a good size to read for those of us with bad eyes. I mean compared to a full sized paperback of Basic Fantasy it is small.
 |
| So tiny and yet READABLE |
Now onto the nitpicking.
The default Skill Attributes are BRUTAL. Having a modifier in the default in the default system is incredibly rare. On a 3d6, a 3-6 means a -1 modifier and a 15-18 means a +1 modifier. Throughout the book it's heavily suggested you can change or modify any part of the game that you want, but there's a quick cutoff point when rules might require changes before the 10th page of the book.
Within the game itself there are 4 classes and four and a half races. Your standard cleric/fighter/thief/magic-user are there but thief is listed as an optional class. I guess that's for people wanting to emulate pre-Greyhawk OD&D, but it seemed silly to add optional to an iconic class like that. Each class gets just ONE saving throw. I like this, a lot. They have a matrix based on older D&D concurrent with the single throw, but the one throw is just amazing. That stood out as a mechanic I enjoyed and want to use more.
Onto the races, there's Dwarf, Elf, an Elf variant, and Halfling. Each has a mix of bonuses and limitations namely class and level restrictions.. Human isn't listed because if you pick human, you don't pick a race which I felt needed to be more clear within the book. Human just can play whatever without getting any bonuses. I'm not the biggest fan of level restrictions, but the nonhuman races do get some neat abilities so it feels somewhat balanced out. The Elf Variant seemed far better than the standard elf. The standard elf could change between fighter and magic user class each day. The variant is just both magic user and fighter with more XP required to level up.
Weapons and equipment are ok, with the exception that weapons all do 1d6 with either a +1 or -1 modifier. Just a big irritant right there. So far there's 2 house rules to get this game really perfect for me. Variable weapon damage would just make more sense. Combat is very simple roll to break AC.
In magic, I found out the magic user is feeble in this game. There's no damage spells for a magic user until they can access 3rd level magic which is at 5th level. There is no magic missile in this game, no real way for a wizard to defend themselves beyond a dagger until that point.
The rest in the book is great for DMs/GMs with all the tools required. The monster list is solid and the system supports both an ascending AC and Descending AC so you can use either in your game to expand upon it although you should just stick to one style of AC for coherency within a game. In the back is a House rules page you can use to keep the game more to your flavor if you don't mind writing in a book.
White Box is compatible with Swords & Wizardry products according to the book cover. You can find White Box on rpgnow as a PDF or print with varying prices and on amazon as a $7 softcover. The amazon price is amazing and I still suggest you buy this book despite my complaints. There aren't many digest sized games that are this good and at this price.
Rating: 3/5 Electrum!
Pros
- Small lightweight easy to carry book while having everything needed for play inside
- Amazing artwork and an easy to read layout
- Easy to plug in house rules
- Single saving throw is a great mechanic.
- Too reliant on houserules to fill in the gaps
- The wizard is nigh defenseless until later levels
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