2nd edition AD&D help

[Taloth]

welp, i just cracked open my player's handbook again and found the answer to all my questions in 'The Real Basics', lol. guess i just forgot after reading so many pages so quickly.

also, rest assured, i wasn't HOPING for some sort of grid. i really really really like it this way. honestly, playing it all out on a grid seemed too much like a board game to me. having everything in your imagination sounds like a total blast

 

[Verdande]

It all goes in your head. Nothing says that you have to use miniatures for anything unless you absolutely, one hundred per cent all want to. Nothing at all. I personally depise the use of miniatures at the table- it never works for me, and makes the battles seem more static than they should.

If you're looking for easy, seat-of-the-pants play, you can also try one of several retro-clones, such as Swords and Wizardry and Labyrinth Lord. They're, basically, cleaned up and re-organized versions of old-school games released for free. I'd recommend LL or S&W above AD&D, since they cut away a lot of the chaff that AD&D has had creep into its system over time.

Or perhaps OSRIC, found at this location. It's worth a look, if for no other reason than the rules are often more clearly written than the original. Nothing beats the actual books, of course, but these are some resources you can look into if you like.

Props for rocking it old-school, by the way. If you need any help, feel free to message me- helping new people get into the hobby is what it's all about.

 

[Chainsaw]

I've found Swords and Wizardry (for OD&D) and OSRIC (for AD&D) both complement the original books very well. I play in a S&W OD&D game now. Please feel free to PM me as well if you want to chat.

 

[MadLordOfMilk]

I highly recommend Dragonsfoot.org as a place to find AD&D gaming resources, and a great place to ask about older D&D editions.

Normally I wouldn't link to a different forum site, but ENWorld (generally) has a greater focus on modern/somewhat recent stuff whereas Dragonsfoot is all about TSR-era D&D. You'll find a greater concentration of AD&D players there, which'll help for more specific/complex questions.

If you're looking for easy, seat-of-the-pants play, you can also try one of several retro-clones...

I'm second this suggestion. If nothing else, the retro-clones tend to make things easier to understand by putting it into modern gaming terms (and AD&D can get pretty confusing at times!). Plus, the books are in-print and easy to get copies of!

 

[Falstaff]

1) In 1E/2E, you can move up to 1/2 your movement rate and still make an attack, so that will cut down on some moving around. Don't forget that armor and encumbrance can quickly reduce your speed. Most armored characters will be moving 90 ft., for example.

2) Whether you imagine the dungeon "in your mind" or if the DM whips out battlemats and such is really up to how the DM and players want to do things. It can really go either way - I've certainly done both in my time as DM of older editions (though I always enjoyed the chance to actually lay out the dungeon). Same goes for encounter distance: the 2E books have tables for checking distance and frequency, but it's mostly up to the DM to decide how far apart each side will be and where along the journey (start, middle, end) when the encounter will occur.

3) Most 1E/2E dungeons would fit on a single piece of graph paper - per dungeon level, that is.

In AD&D 1E, if you move more than 10', you cannot also make a melee or ranged attack (nor can your opponent attack you).

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

In AD&D 1E, if you move more than 10', you cannot also make a melee or ranged attack (nor can your opponent attack you).

Unless you charge.

In 1e, if you're within 10', you're in melee engagement range and can make a melee attack. If you're farther than 10' away, you either have to close to engage (in which case you cautiously enter melee and start sparring, but no melee attack rolls are made by either side -- attack rolls start next round in order determined by initiative rolls) or you charge (in which case you go full-tilt-boogie and attack rolls are made that round, with the longest weapon striking first).

(I think the half-move + attack is a 2e thing.)