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I think calls for a "unified OSR" (which have been sounding in various quarters for four or five years) convey a misunderstanding of exactly what the OSR is about. Yes, it's about "old school" D&D. But it is also a DIY/indie movement. It is essentially a group of fans tired of waiting for...

I think the main point of Mr. Mearls' blog is the last sentence. But how can we be joined together when we're all playing different games? Perhaps he means something other than playing games together when he says "joined together," but I'm not sure what. The cynic in me thinks that he means...

I was surprised at the rpg.net thread. At this point, why would anyone expect a TLG product to be well-edited or laid out? Buyers of TLG products should know what they are going to get on that front.

I'm assuming... 1. We're in a traditional mega-dungeon in which clearing the entire first level may not be either possible or advisable and 2. I have no other information or any specific goal other than to acquire wealth and experience. In that case, down we go. No guts no glory. We're full...

I decided the blue dragon had polymorphed into a human and was posing as a priest of Zargon in an effort to replace him as the local god/ruler.

I made my own. I put a rival group of evil clerics in the first level with various undead baddies on the second, and warring factions of wererats and thouls on the third. I also have a seven level dungeon under the Keep itself, which connects to the the Caves of the Unknown. The first level...

What does the lack of licenses have to do with a gamer using the material In DF (or anywhere else) for any game?

This is confusing stuff and emblematic of how poorly TSR marketed the D&D line in the early and mid-'90s, so please bear with me... The Thunder Rift line is NOT the Challenger Series. The "Challenger Series" was the name given to the continuing line of Rules Cyclopedia support. The Thunder...

I find that in games where there is an actual, real, significant chance that the characters will die in a combat, the players are more likely to look to alternate means to solve a problem. Also... PC: "Who knows the location of the Great McGuffin of Magic-Dude the Wizard?" NPC: "Garblec...

Any of the first three Basic sets would be great. I prefer the second (Moldvay 1981). Star Frontiers is a really nice intro to rp'ing. Tunnels & Trolls, too. I think the Dragon Age box would work nicely.

The culminating scene of the campaign will be, what? A. I have no idea. There probably won't even be a "culminating scene." <Not a railroad.> B. It could be a number of different options, some of which I'm sure I haven't thought of yet. <Probably not a railroad.> C. The heroes will...

C&C was not written by Gary Gygax. It was written by Davis Chenault and Mac Golden. Gary co-wrote some supplements for C&C. Supplements, which are out of print and now quite expensive for anyone who doesn't already have them.

I've read, but not played the game. It looks like a fun game. Quite obviously a D&D descendant, and anyone with any experience with any version of D&D isn't going to find anything particularly alien. Attributes are generated on a roll of 3-18. But instead of having the result of the role...

I used imprecise language. Moldvay breaks down things like weapons, treasure and armor into individual weights, but assumes other equipment (backpack, torches, food, etc.) as 80 coins. So, you don't count every torch like you do with the RC encumbrance rules. It requires the DM to watch to...

Nope. The rule is pretty well explained and unambiguous: "If any character does something which could trigger a trap... the trap will be triggered on a roll of 1-2 (on a d6). The DM must check for each character passing the spot until the trap is either sprung or safely passed by all." The...

To out-pedant my own pedantry: I looked up that trap rule I mentioned earlier in the thread in the Mentzer Basic books and the RC and found that it's actually not there. Or if it is, it's really well hidden in both cases. So, that's one "house" rule I'd add if you're running the Mentzer/RC...

I never answered the OP: The AC values in BECM really don't mean anything. They're simply column labels on a chart. Change 'em to whatever you want. If you like AC to equal target number, change 9 through 2 to 10 through 17 and you're golden. "To hit" bonuses with new levels are pretty...

I don't see the lack of rules with regard to avoiding a pit trap to be a problem with the saving throw rules. Like I said, if a DM wants to add something - whether using the saving throw chart, an ability check, or whatever - it's totally in his discretion to do so. Pedantic aside: By the...

I've never understood issues with BECMI's saving throw rules. There are a limited number of special attacks that give characters a saving throw to avoid or lessen the effects of the attack: Death Rays, Poison, Paralysis, Petrification, Dragon Breath, Wands, Staves, Rods, and Spells. Those...

For copious reasons that I simply won't go into at this time, I much prefer 1e to 2e. That said, I've thought about the problems I had with 2e back in the day, and what it'd take for me to run a 2e campaign. First, I would make sure I have the hardback Monstrous Manual instead of the loose...