D&D General Lethality, AD&D, and 5e: Looking Back at the Deadliest Edition

[Mannahnin]

From Isaac Asimovs Book of facts....

"Our Earth is degenerate in these later days; there are signs that the world is speedily coming to an end; bribery and corruption are common; children no longer obey their parents; every man wants to write a book and the end of the world is evidently approaching." From an Assyrian clay tablet, circa 2800 BC.

Related:

Quote Origin: Ancient Tablet: The World is Speedily Coming to an End. Everyone Wants to Write a Book – Quote Investigator®

quoteinvestigator.com

 

[MGibster]

there are a lot more poor places in the US than the Amish enclaves guy.

I didn't bring up the Amish because they're poor, in fact, many of them live on land that is quite valuable. I brought them up because they live a certain lifestyle that eschews much of the consumerism most Americans enagage in. The only time I've ever churned butter was when I went to visit a historical farm, but the Amish tend to churn their own butter as a matter of routine. I don't know if they make their own soap as well, but it wouldn't surprise me.

note the average yearly income in Little river cdp, California is 3,194. Most of the other places on the list of the lowest income places are around 10k a year. Imagine living on 10k a year or less and 12% or 42 million people in America do it

I live in Arkansas, one of the poorest states in the union, and even in the Mississippi Delta, an area associated primarily with grinding poverty, I suspect people typically buy their soap rather than making it.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I think we all know bow hunting is a real thing. But it was more of a hobby sport even in rural areas. Most people hunted with guns even "way" back in the 70s. Especially if they cared more about the meat than the sport.

As someone who was around some bowhunters in my youth, its virtue was once you had your buy-in, it was cheap. But unless it ran in the family you were going to have to invest in that buy in, and learn to bow-hunt effectively, which was significantly more difficult.

I'd say for every bow-hunter I met in that period I met 20 who used guns. And that probably was a disproportionate group of the former.

And sure, most people I know in rural Minnesota hunted, fished, and had gardens. They still went grocery shopping. Maybe is was only once a week because it was a long drive and not a quick trip to a corner mart. Also, we had Schwan's delivery groceries in the country long before home-grocery delivery was a thing in most cities and the Sear's catalog before Amazon. I mean, sure, there were (and are) some areas of the country that are so remote that you have to rely on growing and hunting your own food and making your own stuff. But that was certainly not true for most of the US in 1970s and probably not since the late 1800s.

Very much this. I'm starting to conclude that if Bloodtide actually had the experiences he indicated, he has no idea how atypical that was, not only then but probably forty years before then.

 

[MGibster]

In my current Minneapolis exburb I can legally kill rabbits in my back yard, any time of the year, without a license. Laws vary state to state but I doubt a game warden or any authority is going to get involved in most locations if you kill a rabbit on your own property.

When you look that rabbit right in its beady murderous eyes you know it's you or him. You do whatever it takes to survive. And hossenfeffer is pretty tasty.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I grew up in the 70s and 80s in Alaska and rural eastern Oregon (Wallowa). We absolutely hunted and grew most of our own food. Grocery trips were rare. Largely because we were poor. Packaged items were a luxury. I was talking with my partner about this just the other day, about how we create so much trash per household now, and as a kid, we hardly created any trash. Everything was re-used. 95% of our food was frozen (meat or reusable freezer bags or containers) or in canning jars.

To this day, I still make my own soap and yes, I've churned my own butter and ice cream fairly often. But I also love cooking, so....

Re: bowhunting, I think something's being missed here. I knew a lot of bow hunters. Sure, some did it for the extra challenge, but I think people are forgetting that there is a different season for bowhunting. When you hunt with a bow here in Oregon, you basically get a full month head start on rifle hunters. So most everyone I knew hunted with both. Including teenagers when possible.

 

[Oofta]

When you look that rabbit right in its beady murderous eyes you know it's you or him. You do whatever it takes to survive. And hossenfeffer is pretty tasty.

You have to watch for the nose twitch. It's a sure sign they're about to leap for the jugular. If you don't have the right weapon to defeat them, your only have one option left. Run away!!!

 

[Sacrosanct]

You have to watch for the nose twitch. It's a sure sign they're about to leap for the jugular. If you don't have the right weapon to defeat them, your only have one option left. Run away!!!

You joke, but I have a scar on my index finger where a rabbit bit me to the bone. I was 7, I think. We raised rabbits, and one time when one escaped, I went to get it. It didn't run away. It lept at me and bit me.

 

[MNblockhead]

I grew up in the 70s and 80s in Alaska and rural eastern Oregon (Wallowa). We absolutely hunted and grew most of our own food. Grocery trips were rare. Largely because we were poor. Packaged items were a luxury. I was talking with my partner about this just the other day, about how we create so much trash per household now, and as a kid, we hardly created any trash. Everything was re-used. 95% of our food was frozen (meat or reusable freezer bags or containers) or in canning jars.

My grandpa used to wash and fold up used aluminum foil to reuse. Old coffee tins would be washed out and used to store nails or what not. Very little was thrown away. My grandparents were not poor, they made a comfortable living, but grew up in the great depression. A while ago, I was cutting and tying up Amazon delivery boxes and separating them into piles because I needed to divide into two piles to be picked up in consecutive weekly trash pickups, because I had too much to fit in the recycling bin and didn't want to go through the hassle or ordering a special pickup. Couldn't help but think that my father must have been rolling in his grave.

To this day, I still make my own soap and yes, I've churned my own butter and ice cream fairly often. But I also love cooking, so....

My dad's family were dairy farmers and I've never seen them churn their own butter. Kinda too bad, because it would be a fun skill to have learned and I'm sure they knew how from when they were young. Also, they bought milk...from the same company they sold it to (Land O' Lakes). Seems kinda weird considering how frugal my grandfather was. It must have been more economical to sell the milk than to use it and then buy it from the grocers.

Re: bowhunting, I think something's being missed here. I knew a lot of bow hunters. Sure, some did it for the extra challenge, but I think people are forgetting that there is a different season for bowhunting. When you hunt with a bow here in Oregon, you basically get a full month head start on rifle hunters. So most everyone I knew hunted with both. Including teenagers when possible.

Ah, good point.

 

[MNblockhead]

You joke, but I have a scar on my index finger where a rabbit bit me to the bone. I was 7, I think. We raised rabbits, and one time when one escaped, I went to get it. It didn't run away. It lept at me and bit me.

Wow, I would be tempted to let him go out of respect.

 

[MGibster]

You joke, but I have a scar on my index finger where a rabbit bit me to the bone. I was 7, I think. We raised rabbits, and one time when one escaped, I went to get it. It didn't run away. It lept at me and bit me.

There's a Watership Down joke in here somewhere...