AD&D Initiative and Combat Table

[buzz]

http://members.cox.net/dmprata/ADDICT.pdf

20 pages long!

I keep toying with running a by-the-book AD&D1e game, if only because we never really used the RAW when I was a kid. This document, however, gives me pause.

 

[GreatLemur]

Oh, man, that is horrible. I seriously don't remember it being that bad. Those surprise rules, especially, are pure agony.

 

[Henry]

It's not that bad, actually. That's the In-depth treatment; truth is, you can do with very closely (though not identically) with a 2-pager I created for a gameday a few years back.

Keep in mind the original was explained in only four pages - the expanded one is full of examples.

 

[buzz]

It's not that bad, actually.

Only two posts to get to, "Well, if you change X..."

1e: The game that launched a thousand house rules.

 

[TerraDave]

Never...

I keep toying with running a by-th...d create the game). your link shows why. [/I]

 

[buzz]

psst: nobody ever actually did this (especially not e.g.g. or other people who helped create the game). your link shows why.

I've encountered some people who claim to have done so. Regardless, I feel the need to attempt it at some point. I played 1e for over ten years! I want to learn what the heck it was I was ignoring the whole time.

 

[Henry]

I did run it for the 1E demo games I've done (two, last year). In play, they didn't turn out too bad, but I did streamline some of the "wilderness" stuff. (Buzz, does this count as the "if you change X" post? )

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Only two posts to get to, "Well, if you change X..."

1e: The game that launched a thousand house rules.

Isn't that part of the fun?

 

[MerricB]

That document shows what a complete and utter train-wreck the AD&D Initiative rules were.

Consider the following:

Raven casts a web (casting time 2 segments) while Thork attempts to hit him with a longsword... Raven lost the initiative.

If Raven lost on a roll of 1, the web is cast first.
If Raven lost on a roll of 2, the web and sword strike simultaneously
If Raven lost on a roll of 3-5, the sword strikes first and disrupts the spell.

However, if there was also a bow firing into melee (and was lucky enough to randomly select Raven as the target)...
If Raven lost on a roll of 1, the arrow strikes first.
If Raven lost on a roll of 2, the arrow and spell strike simultaneously
If Raven lost on a roll of 3-5, the spell works first.

Complete and utter madness!

 

[Glyfair]

Keep in mind the original was explained in only four pages - the expanded one is full of examples.

An added factor is that some of the rules are scattered throughout various books (the various special condition suprise factors), often without examples of how to reconcile apparently different rules (such as the different dice used for certain classes suprise rolls).

This doesn't mean that AD&D was unplayable (far from it). However, no one I knew ever used it as written. Certain rules were almost automatically thrown out by all groups (the unarmed combat rules being top of the list) or ignored (portions of the suprise/initiative rules).