Jack Daniel
dice-universe.blogspot.com
I tried it, but I find that it's not my cup of tea for two reasons. First, as mentioned above, it's not anywhere near as "complete" in feeling as B/X or Classic. And second, I really, really don't like that you add your level to most d20 rolls (like class skill checks and saves), as well as to the TN of any effect that you cause. That makes the primary die mechanic start to break down after level 12 or so, making high-level play, well, not playable.
The fact that the game really only "works" for low level play, and the fact that pallies and rangers don't get spells, and the fact that just about everything screams "1st edition!!!", all just point to a game that was written to be one particular group's vision of what D&D is supposed to be -- but not mine.
I was raised on Classic (BECM/RC) and 2e, so a retro game would have to feel like either of those versions to keep my interest. As it stands, I tend to play Classic, but I did pirate a few ideas from C&C, like saving throws based on the six abilities (it's far easier to adjudicate in various situations than OD&D's five categories of attack forms).
To make the numbers work out, I set the base target number at 15 (which is the average of all five saving throw numbers for a 0-level "normal human", and also, I think, no coincidence that it happens to sit right between C&C's base target numbers of 18 and 12), and adventuring PCs add a +1 bonus to this roll, which improves by one point at every three experience levels. This is key -- every three levels, rather than at every level. Essentially, while C&C characters are adding a +12 bonus to their saves at 12th level, I've designed my game so that Classic D&D characters don't have a +12 bonus until the 34th-36th level range (which is, of course, the maximum level in BECM/RC).
The fact that the game really only "works" for low level play, and the fact that pallies and rangers don't get spells, and the fact that just about everything screams "1st edition!!!", all just point to a game that was written to be one particular group's vision of what D&D is supposed to be -- but not mine.
I was raised on Classic (BECM/RC) and 2e, so a retro game would have to feel like either of those versions to keep my interest. As it stands, I tend to play Classic, but I did pirate a few ideas from C&C, like saving throws based on the six abilities (it's far easier to adjudicate in various situations than OD&D's five categories of attack forms).
To make the numbers work out, I set the base target number at 15 (which is the average of all five saving throw numbers for a 0-level "normal human", and also, I think, no coincidence that it happens to sit right between C&C's base target numbers of 18 and 12), and adventuring PCs add a +1 bonus to this roll, which improves by one point at every three experience levels. This is key -- every three levels, rather than at every level. Essentially, while C&C characters are adding a +12 bonus to their saves at 12th level, I've designed my game so that Classic D&D characters don't have a +12 bonus until the 34th-36th level range (which is, of course, the maximum level in BECM/RC).
We even kind of missed AoO!
