OD&D Advice wanted going back to a OD&D game for nostalgia

[Remathilis]

You end up being The Brave Little Tailor instead of Boromir, which I think fits the beginning of an OD&D game better.

I disagree.

A lot of people are confusing "sandbox/high-lethality" with Basic. This isn't the case. Yes, Basic PCs need to be a lot more careful, but really no more careful than in any other* edition of D&D. I recall in 3e, an orc could do 1d12+6 points of damage, which was more than sufficient to kill a first level PC. Basic can handle dungeon crawls, story-based play, and epic heroism just as good as d20, if the DM wants it to.

Really, Lethality and tactics is something a DM can control really well. Using low-power monsters, breaking encounters with frequent rests, and magic items (esp consumables) all can keep the action going. On the other hand, few rests, powerful monsters, and limited magic will keep the game playing in a different way. This is as true for Basic as it is for AD&D, 2e, 3e, and Pathfinder. Really, the only difference between them is number inflation and additional options.

It sounds like you had fun. Good. Just remember that the goal is for everyone to have fun. If the group wants to storm a castle and kill the vampire lord; let them. Give them a proper challenge, but don't punish them for wanting to be bold. Don't turn it into War Games: The only winning move is not to play.

* 4e deliberately breaks the mold here.

 

[ExploderWizard]

I have some advice, for both you and the players.

If the creature is intelligent, then have it pretend like it is armed with only a pocket knife, or rather, it should have that attitude.

For the players this tends to shove combat down on the 'list of possible things I could do this turn.' "Are you kidding me? I'm not attacking the pig-men! All I've got is this pocket knife!" This should get people talking to monsters more, sneaking more, coming up with devious plans more, and so on. Parley with the orcs, offer them a poisoned pig, smoke them out, etc.

Same when you are running the monsters. Unless they are VERY confident then I make them more apprehensive of combat. Set traps, circle around and ambush, etc.

You end up being The Brave Little Tailor instead of Boromir, which I think fits the beginning of an OD&D game better.

Good advice here. It also helps that the players are aware that playing RAW OD&D means keeping a few things in mind during play:

At first level, most things they fight can be taken out in one hit. The PCs can also be taken out in one hit. This means that an average fight with an equal sized force is leaving the life or death of the party essentially up to what amounts to a coin flip.

Straight combat without a plan to gain an edge is thus a 50/50 proposition.

Winning treasure and gaining XP are not wholly dependent on starting and winning coin flip contests.

 

[Mr. Greengoat]

I disagree.

A lot of people are confusing "sandbox/high-lethality" with Basic. This isn't the case. Yes, Basic PCs need to be a lot more careful, but really no more careful than in any other* edition of D&D. I recall in 3e, an orc could do 1d12+6 points of damage, which was more than sufficient to kill a first level PC. Basic can handle dungeon crawls, story-based play, and epic heroism just as good as d20, if the DM wants it to. .

I disagree and agree with your disagreement.
Basic can totally do heroism and story based play, and dungeoneering so I agree with you there.

But, in my experince in Basic with rules as written, the beginning characters are far less capable than in later editions in D&D. Not that a game group can play with any rules and attitude it wants to, but I am talking about a straight read from the books without relying on DM handing out potions willy-nilly. Just compare a Basic thief with any later edition thief, or the XP and treasure awards for beginning monsters. This gets into "beginning play" and not just characters. The initial level progression to get to a survivable 2nd level is sometimes brutal. Have you seen the widerness encounter tables? A 1 in 12 chance of a dragon swooping in on you per day. (Actually a far less chance when factoring in suprise, encounter distance, evasion, and reaction roll. But still, a freaking dragon table is 1 in 12.)

Never the less, I am glad the OP seemed to have a blast. Fast combat and charcter creation are the main draws of old D&D. More time playing, less time crunching.