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| How much XP for the Goblin? |
More groan inducing titles I know, but Goblin Slayer (GS) is pretty OSR-esque in my opinion. If you've never heard of it, GS is a light novel-turned manga-turned anime that blew up in popularity in late 2018 after the anime's debut. Partly due to it's controversial first episode but also, I think, due to it's unique premise. The main protagonist just slays goblins that's it.
Well, that's not quite true, he also fights:
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| Drow |
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| Ogres |
And even...
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| Beholders |
but not out of choice but circumstance. The big bad evils above use the goblins as fodder in their chaos armies or are just random encounters in the adventures.
But how is Goblin Slayer OSR?
Its uses one of the OSR's core tenants and treats combat as war, not sport.
SPOILERS AHEAD
How do you think GS defeated the Beholder above?
Choose 1 of the answers below:
A) Shooting arrows from the hallway and cheesing it.
B) Filling the room with fine flour and igniting it, causing a massive explosion.
C) Running in and hacking it to death.
If you guessed B, you're right! Although option A was contemplated by the party as well.
Exploding dust or flour in this case is something I didn't even know was a thing. But its one of the many examples how GS treats combat; something to be feared and not a game.
But where's the goblin slaying your probably thinking. How does Goblin Slayer slay goblins. Brutally and efficiently is how. [Note: Manga is read right to left.]
But how is Goblin Slayer OSR?
Its uses one of the OSR's core tenants and treats combat as war, not sport.
SPOILERS AHEAD
How do you think GS defeated the Beholder above?
Choose 1 of the answers below:
A) Shooting arrows from the hallway and cheesing it.
B) Filling the room with fine flour and igniting it, causing a massive explosion.
C) Running in and hacking it to death.
If you guessed B, you're right! Although option A was contemplated by the party as well.
Exploding dust or flour in this case is something I didn't even know was a thing. But its one of the many examples how GS treats combat; something to be feared and not a game.
But where's the goblin slaying your probably thinking. How does Goblin Slayer slay goblins. Brutally and efficiently is how. [Note: Manga is read right to left.]
Goblin Slayer regularly uses his environment to take down goblins safely and effectively. In one of the earlier chapters GS takes a quest to slay goblins that have taken over an abandoned elven fortress. Elven fortresses tend to be made of dry wood...you can guess how he completes the quest.
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| Yes, yes they do. |
Gasoline is used to take out a room full of sleeping goblins.
Enemy numbers are culled with ranged weapons before moving into melee.
Here's panel of GS getting lambasted for always throwing his sword and then asking the M-U to bring the ceiling down with magic.
And like a lot of OSR games, GS and his party occasionally get their asses kicked.
All in all if you're a manga/anime fan and don't mind some brutal scenes (sexual assault) it might be worth checking out Goblin Slayer. For me its a perfect example of fantasy combat as war, not sport.
So what do you think? Is Goblin Slayer OSR? Let me know in the comments below.
So what do you think? Is Goblin Slayer OSR? Let me know in the comments below.
I love Goblin Salyer because it's really good advice on how to fight in a dungeon. Used good idea and are environment friendly. Not to mention the animation or drawing, which are very good.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Goblin Slayer is a great example of what OSR gameplay would look like when narrated. Thanks for reading!
DeleteI became an instant fan of Goblin Slayer in the first episode where they both explained some really clever traps and tricks the goblins use, and then show GS turning their same tricks against them by planting traps where the monsters don't expect, weaponizing light spells, and using burning corpses as a way to light objects from a distance. It struck me how amazingly this would play out in a dungeon crawl with a good DM.
ReplyDeleteIt reminded me of the games we used to play in the 80s where my players would do things like poison monster's water supplies, strategically place glowing arcane marks and watching them to spot creepng monsters, and placing contact poison on a monsters' trap reset lever, or leave exploding runes in enemy MUs' spellbooks.
The OSR style of play is about rewarding creativity, and GS's motto "imagination is a weapon" fits it beautifully.
Agreed. Thanks for reading! (love your blog btw!)
DeleteWow, this looks pretty awesome. I'm definitely going to have to check this one out!
ReplyDeleteLet me know what you think.
DeleteYeah, I agree. I watched the anime but haven't read the manga, and although I didn't watch it analytically, I started picking ideas for my games.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely check out the manga! There's a lot of stuff to mine for games.
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