D&D 5E I played a game of Classic D&D.

[Zardnaar]

The Jingling Mordo Circus!!! First issue of Dungeon I ever bought. Know that off the top of my head. It's really cool, indeed.

All the XP for reminding me of that.

That is the one.

I almost want to run it for 5E.

 

[pogre]

When I play OD&D, Basic, or 1e I have a rule never to paint my PC's miniature until it hits 2nd level.

It is a different kind of game, but I enjoy it. I still have parts of my original mega-dungeon from the 1970s. Back when the dungeon was the campaign for most of us!

 

[Lanefan]

So although players might have played more cautious in 1E (or not because rolling up a new PC was easy), DMs in 5E can still mimic that swinginess by making some encounters a lot harder, or by creating dangerous situations with no foreshadowing (it's harder to still take on that lair of Trolls when a random encounter of Hill Giants used up 2/3rds of the party's spells on the trip to the lair). This is a DM (and player) decision in 5E and is no longer solely the results of cold or hot dice like it was in 1E.

I suspect - and other can correct me if I'm wrong - that where in 1e individual characters died but the party survived, in 5e they all sink or swim together because of all the available healing. In other words, in 5e the tendency is much more toward if you kill one you're probably most of the way to killing them all.

This is not true 5th is rocket tag at 1st and 2nd level. Maybe not 1hp at 1st og dnd bad but still, its easy to wipe a party at 1st. Even later on fair tactics and a good mix of melee, range, and spellcasting baddies can wipe the floor with an overconfidant party. And within xp budget no less. I just think most of the complainers have dms who just throw monsters at players with no strategy.

This just backs up my point. In 1e individual characters died all the time but the party itself had some serious resiliency, where in 5e they all go down (or not) together.

Lan-"rogue-like for the win"-efan

 

[Lanefan]

Or -3, or -10 depending on how the DM read the DMG and the dice fell.
Max hps at first was a common variant, and there were plenty of others... Some Of us even used -Con instead of -10, so yeah, 1e was lethal, but it was recognized as an issue, even then...

The only one of these we've ever done was set the death point to -10 (an option in 1e, I believe), and then come up with some (if I dare say, rather elegant) houserules around unconsciousness and curability if you go below 0.

You see, your character was your character. And it was totally normal to go from one DM to another DM and bring your character along for whatever adventure they were having. You kept your XP, your level, and most importantly your stuff. So if DM Dave was handing out Holy Avengers and letting you roll 9d6 for all of your stats, DM Gary would have to deal with it the next time you brought Grobdar the Terrible over for a game.

Where in our case, except for unusual circumstances where the game worlds had specific links and used the same rule-set, you could do what you like in DM Dave's game but if you want to join DM Gary's you'll roll up something new using DM Gary's system. And if you never go back to DM Dave's game then your old character is now an NPC there.

We tended to tie the characters to their game worlds much more than it seems you were used to, and this is still true today.

Lan-"the few times we did allow a character in from outside were invariably disastrous"-efan

 

[jasper]

I've found that my enjoyment in playing is not the edition of the game. It's hanging out with friends and having a good time.

HMM Friends ..... Having a good time....... what strange words are you using.

 

[jasper]

Some things from various Monty Haul games I played in. Remember I was the odd man out. If I didn't play a cleric I got hand me downs from other pcs. And some times had to fight for things a cleric could use best.
4.5 pages of swords in my families treasury.
2 pages rods, staffs, and wands.
2 staffs of ARCH magi. Include 3 column to staff of the magi.
magic missile machine gun. Looks like a uzi. Insert magic missile wand. 1-100 magic missiles baby!
Dorcs or Dworcs. Crossbreed of half orc and dwarf use only the +s the races gives you ignore any bad stuff. +s stack.
Storm Dagger. Dagger of control weather but think of Storm from the x-men in actual use.
anything could be made a pet.
Multiple monks of certain level and boy was Morrus ticked off if I bought my monk of the pretty flowers the same night he brought his.

 

[Cyrinishad]

I suspect - and other can correct me if I'm wrong - that where in 1e individual characters died but the party survived, in 5e they all sink or swim together because of all the available healing. In other words, in 5e the tendency is much more toward if you kill one you're probably most of the way to killing them all.

Interesting. I haven't encountered this kind of "all sink or swim" circumstance in the 5e games I've been running... Perhaps my table is an exception to the general rule?

 

[Sadras]

Maybe I'm a old schooler at heart! or maybe it's just a thing that will blow over when i never reach 2nd level.

This line is hilarious!

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Tony Vargas]

The only one of these we've ever done was set the death point to -10 (an option in 1e, I believe),

Yep, DMG p82. It's not explicitly labeled an option, just one of the many DMG rules that differed from the PH, part of that 'DM must know the rules better than his players" trope, perhaps...

then come up with some (if I dare say, rather elegant) houserules around unconsciousness and curability if you go below 0.

I recall some DMs treating 0 differently from negatives, having death after -10, changing it to -CON, or whatever.
Low level monsters tended to do a not less damage, too, and there was no critical hit rule - though plenty of variants had em, and fumbles, too.