D&D General The Best DM Advice Was Writren in 1981.

[CleverNickName]

From Cook & Moldvay, in adventure module "X1: The Isle of Dread," written for the Expert Rules boxed set (the 'E' in my beloved BECM edition):

And also:

The wandering monster tables have been set up for this module so that appropriate monsters will appear in certain areas or terrains. If you feel that the monster rolled still does not logically belong in the terrain the characters are in, roll again or choose a different wandering monster.

If the monster rolled is either much too strong or much too weak for the characters, you may change the number of monsters appearing, or you may reduce the monster’s hit points to provide a more balanced encounter.

History became legend, legend became myth, and some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. I appreciated the reminder this morning...I need to keep this in mind more often.

 

[Hussar]

But... But... But... I thought old school D&D was all about letting the dice fall where they may and never, EVER about "balanced encounters".

 

[CleverNickName]

But... But... But... I thought old school D&D was all about letting the dice fall where they may and never, EVER about "balanced encounters".

Yep, Galadriel was spot-on. I'm guilty of repainting the past with harsher colors.

 

[CleverNickName]

Also from 1981, also from "The Isle of Dread":

 

[Krachek]

Another interesting quote from the 1ed DM guide:

In many situations it is correct and fun to have the players dice such things as melee hits or saving throws. However, it is your right to control the dice at any time and to roll dice for the players. You might wish ta do this to keep them from knowing some specific fact. You also might wish to give them an edge in finding a particular clue, e.g. a secret door that leads to a complex of monsters and treasures that will be especially entertaining. You do have every right to overrule the dice at any time if there is a particular course of events that you would like to have occur. In making such a decision you should never seriously harm the party or a non-player characterwith your actions. "ALWAYS GIVE A MONSTER AN EVEN BREAK!"

 

[CleverNickName]

Here's some more excellent DM advice, also from 1981 (from page 25 of the Expert Rulebook):

 

[darjr]

Basic was old school. Expert came after Basic, ie not old school.

 

[Yora]

From the Expert Rules, which Isle of Dread was bundled with, also by David Cook:

Most important, the characters in the wilderness campaign do not exist in a vacuum. The DM should have events going on elsewhere that may affect (or be affected by) the actions of the players. There may be any number of "plots" going on at once, and the DM should try to involve each player in some chain of events. These should develop logically from the actions of those involved. It is important not to force the action to a pre-determined conclusion. The plot lines can always be adjusted for the actions of the players.

 

[CleverNickName]

Basic was old school. Expert came after Basic, ie not old school.

Um... this isn't accurate on a couple of levels. Before I launch into my usual history lesson about the "Moldvay Basic" rules and the differences between B/X and BECM, I wanted too make sure you weren't just pulling my leg.

 

[Sacrosanct]

That rule appeared before 1981, in the DMG in 1979 on page 110. The DMG also stated things like ignoring wandering monsters if it took away from the expected game expectations of the players.

The original DMG is riddled with advice about how you don't have to follow dice results if it ruins fun, or how you can ignore rules if it takes away from the fun experience, give the players the benefit of the doubt if they are trying their best (even preventing PC death!) and how trying to capture realism in D&D is a fool's errand. It repeats a common theme: use the rules when possible, but never forget the game is supposed to be about having fun.

And yet, so many self proclaimed grognards seem to keep forgetting those parts.