Dice and Glory! Have You Heard of Ranger Games Publishing?

We're living in a new golden age of gaming, or so the experts tell us. Dungeons and Dragons has risen like a phoenix from its 4th edition ashes, podcast and YouTube campaigns are drawing more people into the hobby by the day, and with such an influx of gamers it means there are more people playing than ever before.

But publishing tools and online markets also means there are more options than ever before.

Because you've probably played Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, Pathfinder, or both. You may have had a crack at one (or more) sphere of the World of Darkness. Perhaps you heard the Call of Cthulhu, or tried out Savage Worlds... but there are so many, many more options out there.

And I'd like to talk to you about one of those options today.

In case you didn't guess from the banner, it's the Dice & Glory system from Ranger Games Publishing. If you've never heard of it, and you're the sort of gamer who likes a big, hefty rules tome, then it might be worth a gander.

Demons to Some, Angels to Others

This isn't the first time I've talked about universal game systems (I gave a shout out to the Fyxt RPG in the long ago and fat away), but this might be the first time I've talked about one whose specific selling point is the sheer amount of crunch it offers.

As Ken Ellis said in his review, this game gives you charts, rules, and numbers for everything. You want falling damage? Hardness? Psychics? Wizards? Cyborgs? Space ships? All that and more is in there, and ready for play. Just like the core rulebook for a lot of other universal systems, though, Dice & Glory doesn't have a particular world it's tied to. The core book (which also has rules for how to run the game, and how to make your monsters) is just the jumping off point. Everything else has to be made by the DM.

For some people, this is the double-edged sword. Because there are DMs out there who are more than willing to invest the time, effort, and sheer creative juice to build their own setting using an underlying core of intricate rules. Even if it means making their own monsters, rather than just cracking an existing bestiary. Other DMs, though, don't have the time to dedicate to both learning an intricate rules system (which, to be fair, you can ignore large parts of for certain types of games), and then building their own settings.

Fortunately for those DMs, Ranger Games does have some supplemental material you can use to get started, and to get a feel for the game without doing all of the heavy lifting yourself. Provided, of course, that your table is willing to dive elbow deep into something that has a lot of moving parts when there are simpler, easier games on the market.

It's definitely not a game for first-timers, or those who prefer a looser, more narrative rule set. But for those who want all the tools to custom-design your preferred experience, consider checking out the Dice and Glory Core Rulebook.

That's all for this Moon Pope Monday installment. For more of my work, head over to my Vocal author page (or just click my Gamers archive if you only want to see my tabletop stuff). Or you could head over to the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio to check out some stuff I've helped out on! To stay on top of all my latest releases, simply follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, to support me and my work consider leaving me a tip by Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular patron. Either way, there's free stuff and my eternal gratitude in it for you.