RetroRoleplaying: The Blog

It's been several years since I last added a new "donor-only" download to the benefits of being a RetroRoleplaying Cancer Fund donor. However, today I've released a new version of Microlite74, Microlite74: Perilous Adventures, as a new password-protected "donor only" download.

Microlite74: Perilous Adventures is Microlite74 as I would use it today in my games. It was created from my private drafts of what was originally called Fantastic Adventures last September, although it does not much resemble the one public release of Fantastic Adventures. While my current group decided they were prefer our game rules to be based on Swords & Wizardy rather than on Microlite74, the Microlite74-based rules I developed over the last six months are probably what I would personally use to run any new Microlite74 games today.

I originally thought about using them as a basis for a fourth edition of Microlite74, but decided the world did not need another edition of Microlite74 when the current third edition is popular and works quite well. Instead I decided to make another special version of Microlite74, leaving the third edition of the game alone.

Microlite74: Perilous Adventures starts with Microlite74 Basic: the three classes and spells only going to 6th level for magic-users and 5th level for clerics. The background system as used in Microlite81 Extended is added which makes it easy to create individualized characters on the fly. Want to play a thief-type character? Select a thievish background of some type for your character Want to play a ranger-like character, Select some type of outdoorsman or hunter background. Want to play a knight of the realm, select the fighter class and the "knight of the realm" background. I included a number of spell lists (magic-user, illusionist, necromancer, witch, cleric, and druid) with magic-users selecting from the first four and clerics selecting from the last two. Fighters have a number of special abilities they can select from as they level. This adds additional low complexity customization. You can play just about any type of character that fits your GM's setting by selecting the appropriate class, background, and spell list/fighter abilities, so there is no need for a large number of classes.

Rules-wise, Microlite74: Perilous Adventures uses most of the rules from Microlite74 Extended, all of the monsters from Microlite74 Extended and Companion III, and a selection of optional rules from the Companion I and Companion III. A slightly modified version of Companion II: Treasures is also included to make the system complete.

The donor-only edition of Microlite74: Perilous Adventures is 64 pages long and includes artwork by Håkan Ackegård. RetroRoleplaying Cancer Fund donors already have the password needed to view this file and can download it from the following link:

Download the special donor-only edition of Microlite74: Perilous Adventures.

If you aren't a RetroRoleplaying Cancer Fund donor, it is easy to become one (and get this and other special donor-only downloads). However, a version of Microlite74: Perilous Adventures with public domain art will likely be released in the future, perhaps in late 2016 or in early 2017.