Search results

OD&D/1e: Here's the thing... Would it be any better than what's already out there for free? There are reasonably accurate re-presentations of the rules out there for free. There's a fairly regular fanzine put out for free. There's a few relatively well-populated and active discussion groups...

This is a presentation technique that's independent of the sandbox/not-a-sandbox issue. Wandering monsters are a staple of the sand-box and a device to make it seem like a living world. After all, those orcs get up and walk around every once in a while. I've more often seen "story tellers"...

Which, to me, is the hallmark of a traditional D&D campaign. The players act and the environment responds. Go back to your copy of B2 and read the section where Gygax writes about what should happen should the pcs clear out a section of the Caves. That's classic dungeon-delving, "hack and...

Which are what exactly? That's the problem I have with these kinds of threads. The story-telling proponents say that they aren't advocating railroading. Fine. But I don't understand what they ARE advocating. I ask for in-game examples and I tend to get the following... A. You can't...

The main thing 4e taught me is that I'm simply not interested in another 3-volume, $90, 600+ page fantasy rpg. I've already got a few of those. I don't want another. I don't have the time, energy, or interest for it. I'm not going to get the use out of it to justify the expense. If any...

Levels don't equal levels between editions. 2 levels of 4e is, what? 4 or 5 sessions. Three levels of Basic D&D was roughly 12 to 15 sessions (probably more with a typical rate of attrition).

D&D was designed by adult wargamers for other adult wargamers. Its development occurred within the context of a society of wargaming clubs. Of course, Gary Gygax did a lot of playtesting with his school-aged kids. So he obviously saw the potential. The 1977 Basic set was definitely an...

Yeah, that was my first thought... "Or you could just, y'know, play OD&D instead."

That's an interesting observation that I'm not entirely sure about. The range of differences between one edition of D&D to the next sometimes makes me feel that Hasbro could slap "D&D, 5e" on a Monopoly box and some people will still accept it as "D&D." Hyperbole, to be sure, but by how much...

The rule is, "After moving for 5 turns, the party must rest for 1 turn. One turn in six (one for each hour of the adventure) must be spent resting." So which is it? Rest after moving for 5 turns or rest one turn every hour. Not necessarily the same thing. I think the intent was that there'd...

It's beyond "very likely." It was written for Dungeons & Dragons as it existed in 1978. TSR didn't distinguish between what we now call "Basic" and "Original" D&D. They were the same game, published concurrently for three years. The former an introduction to the latter. The pastel version...

It's a problem for me simply because I have no interest whatsoever in the "deck building" aspect of the 3+ editions of D&D. By the time NWPs were cropping up in 1e back in 1986, it was already too much for me. I don't begrudge others their fun, but that's just not my bag.

B2 Keep on the Borderland B4 The Lost City WG4 Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun X2 Castle Amber Caverns of Thracia (Judges Guild)

Personally, as much as I think the RC is a great book, I find that the shoddy editing, especially of the combat section, makes the RC raise as many questions as it answers. I'd recommend anyone running BD&D have the RC as a resource, but I'd also recommend people use any of the Basic sets as...

I tend to make a morale roll for creatures of animal intelligence or less. I'll give bonuses and penalties as appropriate. A giant rat is far more likely to stop attacking the big guy with a pointy stick to check out the food thrown its way than would be a tiger or elephant, for example. I do...

We've had some debate in my groups as to whether a 10 AC is even possible under the Basic rules - i.e., whether 9 is the worst AC can be. None of the charts in the Basic or Expert rules have 10 AC as an option, and this was before later versions of D&D and AD&D turned the "to hit" tables into...

One of the things I've done to make for more treasure in Q without significantly altering the feel of the adventure is that I've made for some NPCs offering significant rewards for any information on the whereabouts of R & Z, with Z's notebook and notes and the elf's notes being enough...

I love B1. I've run it many times for many different groups. My favorite time was when I was running it for my dad. He found the pool of magic wine and then proclaimed that he'd won the game. B1 is all about the cool rooms. I'd mainly concern myself, when placing monsters, with making sure...

This is the double edged sword of literature based rpgs. Do you really want to make the pcs second bananas to npcs? Or do you want to radically change the setting such that the characters loved from the books aren't there? Or do you completely isolate the game from the books by going to a...

The only group that ever named their party was the "Merry Plunderers." "We're like pirates, only we don't have a boat," was how they described themselves. The paladin, of course, objected to the appellation although he usually agreed with the description. They journeyed around the Forgotten...