OSR OSR ... Feel the Love! Why People Like The Old School

Zardnaar · Jul 13, 2019

ccs said:
That should so be a faction/place in a less-than-serious game.

Hey I'm tempted to start naming NPCs after forum members. I have this Gnome Paladin named L.. erm nevermind.

Tony Vargas · Jul 13, 2019

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Zardnaar · Jul 13, 2019

Better balanced as well due to lower power curve.

Cleon · Jul 13, 2019

Yardiff said:
I think your forgetting weapon proficiency. WP was very limited in 1e not sure how it worked in B/X. In 1e a fighter only had 4 weapon proficienies at first level, then gain another every 4 levels so 7th, 10th etc.

In AD&D the issue wasn't Weapon Proficiency per se but, as Sacrosanct mentioned, Weapon Specialization, which was introduced in the Unearthed Arcana.

This allowed a Fighter to spend two of their weapon proficiency slots on the same weapon to become "specialized" in it, granting them increase rate of attack, a +1 to hit and a +2 damage, plus additional perks for some types of weapons.

A 1st level fighter using weapon specialization was roughly twice as deadly as one using the same weapon without specialization. It was rather unbalanced.

Plus, once a fighter got to higher level they could invest three slots in a weapon to become "double specialized" which was even better!

The Basic-Expert-Companion-Master-Immortal rules had something similar in the Weapon Mastery rules which, if I recall correctly, were introduced in 1984's Companion Set. Those had five levels of skill - Basic/Skilled/Expert/Master/Grandmaster depending on how many "proficiency slots" the fighter invested. The higher levels had really substantial bonuses - i.e. +6 attack bonus and 2d8+4/2d6+4 damage for a Normal Sword at master level, plus additional defensive perks that increased AC and allowed attempts to deflect weapon attacks. The rules also appear in the Cyclopedia.

At least with the BECMI version a fighter couldn't start out specialized in a weapon at 1st level, but had to have "basic" skill in their four weapon choices.

Garthanos · Jul 13, 2019

Yardiff said:
Personally I hate fighters, especially low level fighters, knowing all weapons. It should take lots of time to learn the use of 40+ weapons, even when some weapons for very similar. This is why I liked 1e's weapon proficiencies and really disliked the 'newer' martial, simple, etc weapon groups. .

Of course this is just my opinion.

I think the groups should be different entirely myself End Balanced weapons like axes and hammers are used very similar 1handed are pretty similar 1handed endbalanced has 2 similarities. Not certain exactly what ones to have but you could have thrusting vs slashing (a lot of weapons have a primary and secondary though many could and would use all three so it was even more how you used a weapon ie what maneuver - grabbing a greatswords blade and striking with the pommel was in the knights martial arts arena for instance and it was very effective, as were trips, throws and grabs mixed in with weapon strikes)

Garthanos · Jul 13, 2019

I thought I would say I like this much better than the other one which was just dissing although there were informative bits brought out by people on it too.

5ekyu · Jul 13, 2019

[MENTION=6799753]lowkey13[/MENTION]
"So, what do y'all think?"

I think that's a list of preferences you have and that are thus fine, even tho I disagree with all 10 which might be a record for consistency.

Garthanos · Jul 13, 2019

Xaelvaen said:
Just devil's advocate here - Nostalgia's definition does involve personal experience, but there's a great deal of work in the psychology field on this very topic, and there's no definitive answer - too many contradictory inputs. Wistfulness and Yearning are often related - and there's a Portuguese word (Saudade) which is basically pseudo-nostalgia, and C.S. Lewis used sehnsucht of course. So, many people feel 'nostalgia' for things that aren't their personal memories, and in English, for lack of a better word, it just has to fit.

I do think might have beens are in there... its potentials lost and never experienced not just putting rosey eyed glasses on some experience you did have.

Beyond nostalgia elements however my experience has been that games have been improved in some fundamental ways but things were also lost in the trade. I like the feel of simultaneity of action in 1e yes it was all dm adjudicated with all the negative implications but it could be very action immersive to use modern language

Garthanos · Jul 13, 2019

5ekyu said:
@lowkey13
"So, what do y'all think?"

I think that's a list of preferences you have and that are thus fine, even tho I disagree with all 10 which might be a record for consistency.

Yeh its a hilarious me too I also like Paladins with old school flavor which I think are prominently on lowkeys negative list