[Maxwell Luther]

I've also found C&C to be just what I need for my high adventure fantasy games (for low fantasy, it's always been WFRP for me).

After I saw the 4E rulebooks in a "PDF Preview" I was immediately turned off by the complete paradigm shift and went looking for something to provide me with the feel and experiences I had with OD&D/1e, but with more streamlined rules. C&C is it.

Bascially, C&C is what 2e should have been. It takes a single die mechanic of D20, revises and makes sense of Saving Rolls and eliminates THAC0, race based classes and a hundred different mini systems for every conveivable action. It's the best of OD&D mixed with the best from 3e without all the needless complexity of either.

Some folks might think that the 'archetypes' presented in the class system are limiting, but the system of Primes allows you to make a fighter who is dextrous like zorro (DEX), a leader like Henry V (CHA), as well read as Saladin(INT), or as wise in the way of combat tactics as Musashi (WIS). On top of that, the SEIGE system means that you don't need rigidly defined skills. Using the system of Primes and the Archetype, the CK can easily decide what a single character can or cannot do and whether it is enough of an 'archetypal' skill that you will allow them to apply their Class Level to it .

A fighter, for example, won't be able to pick locks, decipher dead languages or, in my games, read (unless he has INT for a Prime). He will, however, know how to read his opponents to try and predict their next action, intimidate folks and do basic maintenance on his and his parties weapons and armour, etc. and he will add his Class Level to those types of skills. He can also jump, swing, climb, etc. but he won't add his Class level to those, and will be depending strictly on his attributes.

Basically, the rules are minimal and minimally invasive. You can teach them in 15 minutes and the CK can prepare a game in almost no time at all (especially if they use the 'Engineering Dungeons' book). Add to that the fact that the PHB is $20 and is all you really need because all the OD&D/1e/2e material is completely compatible with it (with only the minor modification of subtracting the old AC's from 20) and you can see what a value this game is. I even bought the Monsters & Treasures book to go along with it and I'm still only out $5 more than a single D&D 4e book. I've found my high fantasy gaming system for the forseeable future...