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General Tabletop Discussion
D&D Older Editions
Sing to me, O Muse, of BECMI!
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<blockquote data-quote="Yora" data-source="post: 8890211" data-attributes="member: 6670763"><p>I think the Basic and Expert rules are actually the best RPG ever written. And that's from someone who didn't really know what they are until 6 years ago.</p><p>There's plenty of weird quirks that could have been a lot better, but it was still in the first decade of RPGs being a thing and it had to follow the footsteps of OD&D, so that's understandable.</p><p></p><p>But what the system does really well, which I think I've not really seen anywhere else, is that it's laid out and structured as a game. A game with clear procedures, a goal, and an objective measure of success and progress. Search for a dungeon, explore the dungeon, collect as much treasure as you can without getting yourself killed, return with the treasure to a town. And then count the points you made. That's a simple procedure that players can follow when they know nothing about the world and have no ideas what kinds of plans would be possible or interesting for their characters to pursue. And most importantly, it's something that the players can do on their own, without the GM telling them where they should go and what they are supposed to do when they get there.</p><p></p><p>Roleplaying is something that just starts to develop naturally during the course of playing the treasure collecting game, and in the process the interactions of the players with the game world introduce them to things that are going on and to other people who play important roles in that world. And that opens the door to PCs pursuing other goals alongside the treasure collecting.</p><p></p><p>The Basic rules give the players something to do without any need for guidance from the GM whenever they don't know what else their characters should or could do at that specific moment. Just ask around for any leads about unexplored ruins in the area. Adventure will follow from that. And even with me repeating myself because it's that important, without the GM telling the players where the adventure is and what will happen in it.</p><p></p><p>I think the Dragonlance innovation of having the players experience a prepared story was the biggest mistake in the evolution of RPGs. The Basic, Expert, and Companion rules are a lot smaller in scope of what they offer to the players, but the thing they do offer is a prime setup to have something that develops into something much greater than what most other RPGs can provide.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Yora, post: 8890211, member: 6670763"] I think the Basic and Expert rules are actually the best RPG ever written. And that's from someone who didn't really know what they are until 6 years ago. There's plenty of weird quirks that could have been a lot better, but it was still in the first decade of RPGs being a thing and it had to follow the footsteps of OD&D, so that's understandable. But what the system does really well, which I think I've not really seen anywhere else, is that it's laid out and structured as a game. A game with clear procedures, a goal, and an objective measure of success and progress. Search for a dungeon, explore the dungeon, collect as much treasure as you can without getting yourself killed, return with the treasure to a town. And then count the points you made. That's a simple procedure that players can follow when they know nothing about the world and have no ideas what kinds of plans would be possible or interesting for their characters to pursue. And most importantly, it's something that the players can do on their own, without the GM telling them where they should go and what they are supposed to do when they get there. Roleplaying is something that just starts to develop naturally during the course of playing the treasure collecting game, and in the process the interactions of the players with the game world introduce them to things that are going on and to other people who play important roles in that world. And that opens the door to PCs pursuing other goals alongside the treasure collecting. The Basic rules give the players something to do without any need for guidance from the GM whenever they don't know what else their characters should or could do at that specific moment. Just ask around for any leads about unexplored ruins in the area. Adventure will follow from that. And even with me repeating myself because it's that important, without the GM telling the players where the adventure is and what will happen in it. I think the Dragonlance innovation of having the players experience a prepared story was the biggest mistake in the evolution of RPGs. The Basic, Expert, and Companion rules are a lot smaller in scope of what they offer to the players, but the thing they do offer is a prime setup to have something that develops into something much greater than what most other RPGs can provide. [/QUOTE]
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