Cairn: a gem hidden in the crowded OSR scene

 

This ttrpg is my new obsession. It's seriously good.

Cairn is a game by Yochai Gal, and it's described as a "mix of Into the Odd and Knave". I've used it for two adventures: one is currently ongoing (although it's reaching the end); the second one is a one-shot I prepared for an italian convention in Turin (ToPlay), where I used the game as a foundation for a Demon's Souls themed adventure. I played this last one-shot three times (two at the con, one back at home). In these occasions I hacked some rules to better reflect some souls-like aspects, but overall 90% of them were left untouched. That's because they are very simple and elegant. Point of importance: there is an italian translation, and that's what I used. It's not always perfect, but that's a minor nuisance.

The player response has been quite positive. As of now, I've introduced more than a dozen players to this game, some close friends and others complete strangers (the con players), with ages ranging from 13 to 35. To my understanding every one of them liked the system, in particular a group of the con players and a couple of my close friends. While I need to practice more the OSR style of play (I surely went on a "roll-for-meaningless-things" spree a couple of times, that's from playing D&D 5e too much), I feel that I got the gist of it. The only things that can create a little confusion in some players is the Hit Protection system: not everyone understood this immediately, but after just a few rounds of combat it became crystal clear. Probably the very name (Hit Protection, abbreviated in HP) created some confusion.

An overview

There are no races and no classes, although there are some optional starting packages that give you equipment pertaining to certain archetypes. The character generation can be randomized if you so desire and rolling a new character is pretty quick, very useful especially in case of character death. Each character has three ability scores (Strength, Dexterity an Will), which are used for saves rather than active checks. This is a very important part and, as I wrote above, one which I still need to become familiar with. In fact the game runs on the assumption that actions are always successful if easy enough, if you have the time or if you have the right equipment. Saves come into play whenever something external to the characters actively creates the chance of failure. It's a slight difference from the usual skill checks, but it's very important. It saves time, gives real depth to characters' backgrounds and empowers logical thinking.

Armor reduces the damage one takes, up to a maximum of 3. In a system where you can sustain (at best) up to 6 damage without being already at risk of rolling a new character, armor is very important. A character with 3 armor, 6 HP and an above average Strength, is truly built to last in a game like this. Recovering from battle is both quick and slow. Without spoiling too much, light injuries (those which only damage HPs) are immediately removed, while deep wounds (those which damage your Strength score) require a lot of rest and possibly the aid of healers. Basically, Gritty Realism in D&D 5e, but with less resources.

Equipment is important and Cairn has a simple but well thought encumbrance system. You normally have 10 item slots, which can be nullified if you gain Fatigue. If your Fatigue reaches 10, not only you can't carry any item, you will also lose your HP. Therefore, sidekicks and carts become very useful for a wealthy party. You'll also benefit from thinking on how a piece of equipment can be used in various situations to maximize its utility, trust me. I already do that in D&D, being a problem-solver is one of my favorite aspects of ttrpgs.

Spells are treated as narratively as possible. There are no numbers, no distances, no spell levels. Again, this boosts creativity but requires players to accept the Warden's (the Game Master) decisions, and requires the Warden to be strictly impartial. A spell could be amplified and there are some suggestion on how to do so without breaking balance and flow, but the Warden has the final word. Everyone can cast a spell, provided they have a scroll or a book. To me, a single spell per book is a little restrictive, but it's probably for balance's sake.

Monsters are quite simple. They have HP, one or two different attacks and sometimes a special ability or a quirk. The base manual of Cairn only has an handful of monsters, but it teaches you how to convert other D&D/OSR monsters for this system. On the Cairn SRD website there is a compendium with many more monsters, which are mainly imported from D&D itself, so you can probably find those which you are used to.

A wrap up

I won't delve any longer into the game mechanics because I'd like for you to check it out, since the pdf is free and the print on demand book is really, really cheap. If you want to give back to the author, you can do so by visiting https://store.cairnrpg.com/. There is also a Cairn 2e in the works and this is very probably the next kickstarter I'll be participating in. That said, I think that this edition of the game is beautifully self-contained. The rules can be explained in under 15 minutes and when you learn them, the game is fast-paced in its execution. It is a nice compromise between depth, elegance and quickness and, as I've experienced, it's perfect to run adventure at conventions.

Of course that's a matter of taste. But, strangely enough, OSR games fit the modern niche of easy-to-learn ttrpgs quite well (except in the case of chunky retroclones obviously). So I guess they are here to remain. Possibly even prosper.

I think that I'm going to explore Cairn a little more. I'm already working on a dungeon crawl based upon Saint George and that pesky dragon he slained...