D&D 1E Favorite Obscure Rules from TSR-era D&D

[Lanefan]

Not an unreasonable simplification?

So the game should have no left-handed characters?

 

[pawsplay]

My all-time favorite:

 

[TwoSix]

So the game should have no left-handed characters?

No left-handed characters? Quite a sinister conspiracy.

 

[overgeeked]

And them make stuff up the moment a new situation crops since that seems to be the way Gygax and co did it

That's the best way to fly.

 

[CapnZapp]

My point is, though he insists on the ability score for characters in his games, I don't believe he actually uses the mechanical benefits as stated in Unearthed Arcana.

Ah. Got it.

I wouldn't either. (But I would be clear about what rules I'm using, which appears to not have been the case here)

Most rules that govern NPC reactions are far far too crude and far far to exploitable to be of any use, I find. Mostly, I find that some (not many) players use them to get around actually having to talk to that NPC.

That doesn't mean I can't let a player utilize a great Charisma or whatever. It just means the player has to have his or her character actually engage. What do you actually do and say? (Bribe, persuade, seduce, intimidate etc) You need to take specific and defined actions, and possibly live with them afterwards. You can't just point at your character sheet and ask to drain the NPC of useful info.

Not primarily because it's not role-playing or not fun or something like that, but because it is abstract - it's not explaining how it happened. If a player can't even be arsed to come up with a game plan for interacting with said NPC, perhaps it's best handled by someone else in the party.

 

[overgeeked]

Method IV you basically generate six dudes and pick which one you'll use!

Generate six, run them through a meat grinder, and pick the one who lives.

That sounds familiar. Hmm...

 

[CapnZapp]

So the game should have no left-handed characters?

That's a needlessly combative response. Please stop.

 

[CapnZapp]

Generate six, run them through a meat grinder, and pick the one who lives.

That sounds familiar. Hmm...

For those that doesn't know, Over refers to the "funnel" concept.

At least that's what DCC (Dungeon Crawl Classics) calls the idea.

(I'm sure lots of gamers think GG came up with the idea but I don't think Goodman Games have ever claimed their funnel concept to be an original idea. I'm sure they are aware)

And by the way, it really is a great idea (given a set of players that actually are onboard), because every chargen rule that gives player characters great scores on average helps feed the "player superiority syndrome": "why should I bother listening to these NPCs when I'm so clearly superior to them and always have been". (Players can be such Homelander c**ts at times...)

With a funnel, any given character can have lousy stats. On average, your characters will be... entirely average. But the chances of one or two of your characters being above average are actually great! This character can have adventurer-level stats, and it will have them without ever having "cheated": no 4d6 drop lowest for me!

And this person will be formed by his or her early life experiences, where they saw their friends getting massacred without them being able to do anything about it.

This is a powerful point with the funnel concept: it tries to keep player characters grounded, and less likely to disassociate themselves from the world and its regular people around them. If only for a few more levels than otherwise.

I highly recommend running a funnel and thanks for reminding me it was there all along

 

[John R Davis]

Funnels

Bleh

Never got on with DCC, SD etc al.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Anyone ever use the aging rules…during character generation? I did.

Back in the late 1980s, I was creating a Gray Elf F/MU/T with a strong court jester vibe. A bard without being a bard, IOW. Core to the idea was someone who could talk their way into and out of trouble. So charismatic and smart, but not necessarily wise. Her physical stats described someone who was dexterous, but not particularly strong or tough.

By making her older than the average starting adventurer, Harlequin’s Int got boosted to a point where she was actually smarter than the solo-classed wizard, which had all kinds of implications for her spellcasting and wise-assing.

The negative effects on her physical stats were basically immaterial to playing her.