Basic Fantasy RPG Core Rules 4th Edition

[Solomoriah]

Announcing!

Core Rules 4th Edition, Release 130 -- May 22, 2023
Additional changes suggested by Thorin Schmidt and Martin Serena have resulted in this new print release candidate. Once more, with feeling...

https://basicfantasy.org/downloads.html#corerules4

[ThorinSchmidt]

So. This is not an error, just an inconsistency.

Fish, Giant Barracuda, Page 94

The first line of the description reads

Barracuda are predatory fish found in salt water.

That is of course, a perfectly legitimate plural spelling of barracuda. The rest of the description, however, uses "barracudas" exclusively, making it an inconsistent use. I realize trying to get consistency between entries is a virtual impossibility. Internal consistency, though, might be desirable?

[Solomoriah]

Ack.

Not holding the release for this one thing. But I'll fix it if or when there is another.

[TPFox]

Here's one more that likely will not change the current edition: Women are underrepresented in the 4th edition drawings of adventurers. All the races of male, and I found only 1 picture in the book of a female adventurer. If you compare it to the much older TSR publication, the Rules Cyclopedia for example, you will see in the Rules Cyclopedia a very deliberate effort to include women. It's not 50% of the time, but there is a clear effort. Just a thought anyways.

[ThorinSchmidt]

Giant, Cloud Page 98-99

In the final paragraph of the description: (emphasis added)

... A favorite tactic is to circle the enemies, barraging them with rocks while the giants with magical abilities confound them with spells. ...

Shouldn't "the" be "their?"
It isn't incorrect as "the," yet it seems to read better as "their."

[SmootRK]

Giant, Cloud Page 98-99

In the final paragraph of the description: (emphasis added)

... A favorite tactic is to circle the enemies, barraging them with rocks while the giants with magical abilities confound them with spells. ...

Shouldn't "the" be "their?"
It isn't incorrect as "the," yet it seems to read better as "their."

or (just an alternate take on this)
"... is to encircle enemies, barraging with rocks while the magic-using giants add to the confusion during combat."

[Boggo]

or (just an alternate take on this)
"... is to encircle enemies, barraging with rocks while the magic-using giants add to the confusion during combat."

this is much better English I gotta say though I'd personally leave in the "the" "... is to encircle the enemies, ..."

[Solomoriah]

Here's one more that likely will not change the current edition: Women are underrepresented in the 4th edition drawings of adventurers. All the races of male, and I found only 1 picture in the book of a female adventurer. If you compare it to the much older TSR publication, the Rules Cyclopedia for example, you will see in the Rules Cyclopedia a very deliberate effort to include women. It's not 50% of the time, but there is a clear effort. Just a thought anyways.

There was no particular effort to guide the artwork of the Core Rules; indeed, I commissioned (in the sense of requesting specifics) only five of them. One is the adventurer Morningstar, found on page 1; she's the first character ever rolled by a player in my original game, over 40 years ago. (1)

Scrolling through the book I note that I have always interpreted the character receiving healing on page 20 as a female, though I see now that the character is elf-androgynous and thus could be either (or none, or both, whatever).

One of the adventurers in the group image on page 41 is evidently female. I'd comment on her inappropriate clothing, but I think the artist was going for irony in his depiction of "stereotypical" characters. (2)

The lightbearer on page 43 appears female to me. At least, she's drawn that way. (3)

One of the adventurers on page 44 appears female to me, though I see now that it might be another case of elf androgyny.

The cleric turning undead on page 58 could be either, but again I see that figure as female. (4)

I should stop and mention that I'm going by how the character drawings are "coded" as there is almost no way for me to know what the artists intended (except for Morningstar as I knew her before the artist did).

The adventuring party on page 59 contains two members I see as female (drinking the potion, and examining the chest). This image also contains a man of apparently African origin. The artist for that image is Al Cook, and I know he is particularly sensitive to the presentation of both women and people of color in his artwork. (5, 6)

The character on page 61 who appears to have made her saving throw is apparently female, as is the centaur on page 73. Naturally, so is the dryad on page 86. Only one of those is an adventurer, so I suppose I shouldn't count the other two. (7)

There's a woman warrior attacking a giant toad on page 95; she's not wearing the most appropriate armor, but she is well armed. (8)

The ghost on 97 is female, though of course not an adventurer, nor are the cloud giant on page 98, the harpy on 111, the medusa on 127, the mermaid on 128, the nixie on page 130, or the orc on page 131. One of the pixies on page 134 is female as well, but again we'll skip counting her as she is not an adventurer either. But the woman in armor riding the giant snake (and preparing to decapitate it) on page 144 surely does count. (9)

Skipping past the sprite on page 147, we find a female adventurer holding a torch in the scene on page 152. I suspect she's probably the magic-user of the party since she's neither armed nor armored. (10)

I take the scroll-reader on page 166 as female, but possibly just another androgynous elf. Piotr could tell us his intent if he feels like it, as that is a recent addition.

The character with the bloody sword and the bloody face on page 185 appears to be a woman as well; given that this is also an Al Cook piece, I'm going to assume she is in fact she. (11)

And, Luigi Castellani's swashbuckler on page 189 appears female to me. (12)

Twelve adventurers I'd consider definitely female (or at least, drawn that way), and three more who are androgynous and thus might or might not count. I don't think that's all that bad, considering I never made any specific requests regarding gender except for Morningstar.

[TPFox]

Great! I guess I obviously didn't look closely enough then. Just trying to get this 4th edition as perfect as it can be.

[bugleyman]

Is it time yet? Is it? My Amazon trigger finger is ready...