Crypts & Things starts with the heroic stories of adventure that from a young age set me (and others) so many years ago on this lifetime journey to places people today only dream about. Journeys to the center of the earth, to antediluvian civilizations, exotic planets far across time and space and to a dying earth under a fading sun. These never-never land tourists are generally hard muscled men and women of action much like those illustrated on the cover of Crypts & Things and the sword & sorcery books that inspire C&T.
Crypts & Things also starts with the excellent Swords & Wizardry OSR rules written by Matt Finch to emulate the early edition play of the World's Most Popular FRPG. Crypts & Things is designed by Newt Newport and published by D101 Games. The original Crypts & Things dates to 2011 and C&T Remastered made its appearance in 2016. In keeping with its swords & sorcery feel, players choose to play a barbarian, fighter, sorcerer, or thief who will face a variety of brigands, bandits, cultists, and sorcerer villains as well as the occasional supernatural creature.
The contents of Crypts... includes The Scrolls of Wonder (chargen and system rules) and The Book of Doom which describes C&T's default setting, the Continent of Terror. Yes, that's the intent of Crypts & Things, a world of mystery and terror. Characters are heroic because they face the unknown. The game is intense because it involves discovering things mankind is not meant to know.
There are no elves, dwarves or hoblings among the peoples of Zarth or on the Continent of Terror. There are, however, beast hybrids, lizard people and serpent nobles, which give C&T some of its old school swords & sorcery feel. Magic or sorcery is classified as "white", "grey" or "black". The use of black magic in C&T carries with it the threat of corruption as do certain "vile" locations.
Many of us in the hobby like to play in our game the kind of characters and worlds we read about. For enthusiasts like me who enjoy old school swords & sorcery tales (often with some mythos thrown in), a game such as Crypts & Things can be a great means to that end.
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