VyrmHack
A downloadable game
**Physical copies can be grabbed on our store HERE.
Vyrmhack is a small-scale wargame with role-playing elements. Players take on the role of a single or band of characters who explore, fight, and survive in a dark fantastical land. It is meant to be compatible with most old-school game modules and wargame-style senarios.
What’s Inside
- Light Rules for Ease of Play: Simple to learn and teach, can be played over a lunch-break or an evening game night.
- Vyrminous Characters: From a mutated Decrepit Magus to a Noble Duelist fused to their armor.
- Cooperation or Competition: Play together as a typical adventuring party or build a warband and square-off against your friends.
- Adventure and Scenario Compatible: Meant to be played with your favorite TTRPG modules or Wargame Scenario booklets.
- Monsters, Magic and More: Explore and survive a Vyrminous world with despotic lords, primal sorceries and fell gods.
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Edits and Actual PlayJul 18, 2023
- SRD Update and ExpansionJun 17, 2023
- SRD Update 05-19-2023May 19, 2023
- The first update (and fixes...)Apr 24, 2023
Comments
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Damn, wow, this game is really inspiring. I've only read it so far, but I love the system. VERY generous of you to put this SRD out for free, with awesome art, layout and writing. Obviously lots of love is being put into it. This dark fantasy aesthetic is not even really my thing, but I love it regardless.
The 20 page zine feels a perfect length to be comprehensive, but leave enough gaps for players to make it their own. The fact that you call it a wargame with rpg elements automatically put me in a different, interesting frame of mind. Some of the rules are a little confusing, but I know it's still in development, and you gave yourselves a tight page count restriction to cram in a lot of good stuff.
I'm starting up a little solo pocket game for myself, excited to try it out.
Excellent work!! Thank you <3.
After a few more testgames i have to say that i am glad that you changed to 3d6! More crits-chances is always a plus in my book ;)
Increasing the target number to 13 may ease your grudge... And it is an "evil number" in many cultures so it could fit in the setting of this doomed word :)
Have a nice day!
Hi!
Some questions about "strain".
1. Is a PC knocked out if strain > current Vitaly or if strain is > maximum vitality?
2. Maybe i missed the line where it clearly states that casting a spell for the first time costs 1 strain but i guess that the text for ritual, the mutation "Locus of Sorcery" and the info that casting a spell again costs an ADDITIONAL strain means that casting a spell for the first time costs 1 strain... Right? Did i miss something?
Thanks in advance!
Have a nice day!
A party can only have one banner, correct?
I feel like mixing and matching is funny but also a thing for late game.
It also gives some special bonuses to new party members gained after a new player joins or after the death of an existing party member if playing in campaing form.
Also the idea of sneaky guys in heavy plate armor is funny.
"each spell lasts 10min" is that real time, or what is that in game time?
Hello!
I would guess that, like in most rpgs, real time is not as important as in-game time.
If we assume this is the case then some math can be done to see how long it takes for time to pass (in-game) when we need to know it.
I assume it is important to know how much time passes during a scenario so here comes the math... Please keep in mind that english is not my native language and that math is not my favorite thing... Especially on a sunday ;)
Let's go!
1 mile = 5280 feet
12 miles = 63360 feet
- that's what a PC can manage to walk a day on open land or roads. 24 hours and after that they fall asleep... Totally exhausted ;)
1 hour = 2.640 feet
1 minute = 44 feet
10 minutes = 440 feet
- now we know how many feet a PC can move at "normal speed" through "normal terrain" before the duration of the "10 minutes spell" is over.
1 second = ~ 0,73 feet
- good to know for the next part
1 turn = 30 feet
-that's what a PC can move in 1 turn if he doesn't "run" (to do so he needs to have a free inventory slot to use the move action twice).
30 feet =~ 41 seconds
- now we know how much time passes in 1 turn.
10 minutes = ~14 turns
- now we know that a "10 minutes spell" lasts 14 turns.
1 scenario = 6 turns
6 turns = 180 feet
- a 2'x2' playing map is 180x180 ft/24x24 in/24x24 squares.
6 turns = ~ 4 minutes
- if a PC does not "run" he could travel from one edge to the opposite edge in 4 minutes.
I hope this was not confusing... And hopefully i did the math right ;)
To put it into context:
Imagine the following situation:
The warband enters a dungeon to gather valuable loot. After they get it they trigger something and an overwhelming horde of enemies rushes at them. The warband needs to escape so a "breakthrough"-scenario is played. Let's say that the first thing that happenes in turn 1 is that a "10 minutes spell" is cast. The warband manages to escape at the last turn (turn 6), runs over a bridge and destroys it to prevent the enemy from following.
They stumble through the entrance of the dungeon and get ambushed by a rivaling warband who waited for them to steal the loot.
A "brawl"-scenario is played and it lasts for the full 6 turns. After that second scenario the "effect" of the "10 minute spell" vanishes.
This hopefully helped.
A 24 hour marsh is a bit unrealistic and 16 hours would make more sense. In the end, time can be a flexible thing. As long as everyone has fun i would not go to hard on the numbers but i know that different playing-groups have different points of view.
I would like to hear why you did ask the question in the first place... Out of pure interest. I would love to know of what situation you can think of that requires to know if time passes in-game or in-real :)
Stay safe and healthy and enjoy this cool game!
Thanks, actually now that i have thought about it more, instead of thinking like a traditional miniature skirmish gamer, when i put the rpg hat on, and recall the opening words of this game, its a line to the OSR tradition of the 10min game turn.
Is the title perhaps a subtle reference to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia?
Finally started reading Vyrmhack after picking it up nearly a year ago. I'm still chewing through the gristle, but I like it a lot so far. :)
I'm wondering if people are able to make third-party content for (including games based on) Vyrmhack. The fact there's an SRD makes me think the answer is 'yes' but I just want to be sure. Thanks.
Definitely!
Hell, I have two more expansions outlined as well, I just can't get to them until I finish Ave Nox.
Awesome, thanks! Can't wait to see those two additional expansions.
Been uh, 35 days since Vyrmhack Marshal was supposed to go up. And it still hasn't as far as I can tell. Anything going on with that?
from what I can tell - the content of Marshal is included in the SRD download - not a separate file
What are the print files? I don't have cash right now but im curious.
print files are the files to let you print copies for your convenience at the table
Question: on starting equipment it says "Pick or randomly select 1 weapon, 1 tool, or 1 piece of armor."
The "or" at the end suggests you only get 1 of these. I.e. you can choose/roll for one tool to start with instead of a weapon or armour.
Is that the intention? Or is it that you get 1 weapon, 1 armour and 1 tool OR, you can ignore those to start with a sorcery/miracle?
Thanks
I see it's been changed to "&" instead of "or" so you get 1 of each. Or a weapon and spellbook
Amazing game! Can i do a inspired RPG MMO on it?
Small error catch - the digital edition has duplicate numbers in the Boons list (1-2, rather than 3-4 and 5-6 in a few places).
This game is awesome!
Is there anyway for people that bought the first physical release off your website to get the updated pdf?
yup, the keys SHOULD give access to the updated SRD (if not I'll go through and send an updated key)
Got it, thank you!
well well well, somebody read VERMIS! >:Y
If I already bought this, will I get also the future updated versions?
Yup yup, core pdf will be updated with any changes along the way, along with the SRD (SRD will always be free)
Thanks man, another thousand questions (sorry).
Whats the difference between SRD and the core pdf?
What percentage of the game is completed?
The marshall expansion thing from twitter will be added to the core game? Is it already added to the SRD?
Thanks!
- SRD has pretty much everything including the core rules (but none of the illustrations and a bit-bare bones)
- Game is fully complete, just adding stuff that I personally want in the game and interesting bits.
- Already added to the SRD, debating on how it gets incorporated (separate buy or included in the original and updating the price as a reflection)
Thanks for you replies!
I was just asking about the completness because the SRD says "In-Dev". I havent got time to read the pdfs yet, I just fell in love with the art.
In page 3 of the SRD what is the table with backgrounds (5-6) supposed to be? Is there something missing?
Here is what is shown on my pdf of the SRD:
yeah, see how it goes 1-3, 4-6, and then 5-6? is there a typo some where? is it supposed to be 1-3, 4-5, and 6?
Typo that's getting fixed for the next update, should be 1-2, 3-4, 5-6
oh yeah i didn't even see that, I thought you meant that you weren't seeing the selections under 5-6, my bad. Yeah seems like a typo to me given its all full if its 1-2, 3-4, 5-6
I feel like Stamina should be named something like Fatigue instead?
Yeah, someone on reddit mentioned the same thing but with "strain."
The next go-around with the zine and SRD will probably be updated to something akin to that (along with some errata and changes).
Read the rules over the weekend, some rough edges, but I love it. Going to become my go to for solo wargaming. Could use a few things - a bit more structure for downtime, generating adventures, but there are ways to get around that. Looking forward to my first solo game!
Great work, can't wait to test it out. I love the implied setting, very evocative!
I'm a huge fan of your work in general since purchasing the wyrd and wild, and this is another hit for me, very cool
This is a gorgeous book. The art and layouts are so crisp and clean. It was a pleasure to meet y'all at ZineFest this weekend and I'm stoked that I could get a physical copy. You are makers I highly admire and this is more excellent work from you.
Great looking game! I can't help but wonder though, isn't rolling 2d6 twice for Advantage/Disadvantage a bit cumbersome compared to, for example, rolling 3d6 and discarding the highest/lowest?
Crap... honestly never thought of that...
I'm impressed by the look and am hopeful that this plays as quick and easy as I hope it does.
This looks extremely interesting to me. Does it have specific dungeon tactical rules? Can it work on a grid?
Please include metric measures too :_)
Works on a grid! While I unfortunately stuck to english measurements, it all operates on a "base 5" (5ft = 1in or 1cm or 1 square
So 5 ft squares = 1,5 m square = 1 square. Sounds good to me!
You could use the scale that Savage Worlds uses too: 1 square = 2m x 2m
In short, you are playing with bigger squares, but that doesn't ruin anything; however it's really fast and easy to have measurements: 1 human miniature occupy 1 square, and that is also its height; finally, if you have a distance (ie. 50 meters, it's really easy to obtain the distance-in-squares... 50 / 2 = 25 squares). I love squares in Savage Worlds.
Turns out this is not a game for me regardless of grid size. I didn't expect a D&D-alike ruleset.
Nice and interesting. I can't wait too.
Looks amaaaazing! Curious : will you folks mind getting pinged about typos? If not, will there be a place we can submit what we find? Just looking to help!
Shoot them over to charlesfergusonavery@gmail.com!
wanna be one of the first to play this!
can’t wait!
Nice!
So .... How long must we wait ...
Please xD
SRD should be up tomorrow, digital copies Saturday, and physical zines next week.
I’m excited
Thank you. XD
Very Exciting!
I really enjoyed this, BUT it made me vyrm for more. The thing I loved most was the sorceries and miracle system, oh and the general vibe. I love a complete setting book with things that can be used in OSR material. All in all very cool I am interested in testing it out more.
goal is to get more stuff out for it, I set a goal of only doing a 20 page zine which was JUST enough to fit the bones of it in. Looking forward to fleshing it out with the complete pantheon, sorcery schools, and bestiary.
Love it, have thoroughly enjoyed your work for years. Big Forbidden Psalm energy in this new game and that's neat we need more mordheim clones. Exited to see how your other projects are going. Thank you for years of dark fantasy enjoyment.