Ever since the release of the first edition in December 2022, Block, Dodge, Parry has been under continuous development and expansion. The available version saw a lot of updates, bringing the version up to 1.32.
Each update saw small revisions and tweaks. However, for this update, I’ve basically rewritten, restructured and updated all of Block, Dodge, Parry. Based on playtests, community feedback and new ideas, this new edition is almost twice as big as the original. It’s what I’ve been working on for the last 8 months, and I think… it’s done.
What’s New?
The original BDP originated from a bunch of blog posts, and the structure was kinda collapsing under its own weight. I’ve restructured the book so it’s easier to read, and streamlined a lot of the existing and new rules to form a coherent whole. It is explicitly focused on Wardens (Dungeon Masters, whatever you want to call it), with a Player Guide following later this year.
To just list a few new things:
- Consistent integration of Time, Gear, Skill and Complex Tasks as a resolution mechanic.
- New Damage, Injury & Death and Healing & Recovery chapters, combining all existing and new (Cooking! Herbalism! Lasting injuries!) ideas into one cohesive whole.
- Expanded the Combat chapter with new Surprise rules, zones, streamlined rules for Blocking, Dodging and Parrying (I said it! I said the thing!), detachments, sacrificing gear for defence and an expansive example of play
- Added Trinkets to Careers
- Reworked all the Skills to mesh better with the rest of the rules, and grouped them into Allies & Morale, Combat, Esoteric & Arcane, Exploration, Knowledge, Socializing and Tricks & Subterfuge.
- More ways to organically grow characters through Combat Experience (and no, it’s not the same as XP!)
- Weapons has now been expanded into Weapons, Armor & Gear, featuring new weapon skills and -variations, an armor list and a list of adventuring equipment.
- Horses, and horse armor!!!
- Reworked/streamlined Arcane Magic and Divine Magic, and newly added Lyrical Magic for the magic of songs.
- New chapter: Settlements, including hirelings and what various specialists want and offer.
- New chapter: Wilderness, about traversing the wilds, relevant procedures (traveling, making camp), and how this interacts with the rest of Block, Dodge, Parry.
- New chapter: Dungeons, and how various dungeon staples such as hidden doors and traps work within the game.
- New chapter: Friends, Foes & Monsters, on making cool NPCs and monsters with various traits and properties, and rolling up rival adventurers.
- …and a lot more!
What’s Next?
Digital Release
I will dot the final i’s, and will roll out the digital release in the coming week(s). As before, the existing release of BDP will be updated, so everyone who purchased Block, Dodge, Parry already will get this update for free.
Upon release, the current price of Block, Dodge, Parry will be increased to $15.00, to reflect all the work I put into it. Buying Block, Dodge, Parry now means getting the update for less!
The digital release will initially be a very sparse, text-only version. This is to make it easier to use as a reference document, but also because…
Fancy Digital Release/Print On Demand
A full, professional lay-out version is in the works. This version will be just like the current one – illustrated and nice – and suitable for printing. I aim to also release this as a Print On Demand version.
Player’s Guide
Once all that’s up and running, I will shift focus towards the Player’s Guide. This aims to rework the main toolkit into a succinct, handy guide for new players. This document will be available for owners of Block, Dodge, Parry at a discount, and will cost a few dollars, tops.
SRD
The free SRD will also be updated, but this is currently last on my to-do list. I am dedicated to providing my game there in full, but I will first focus on all the fancy cool new releases.