An OD&D-style 4E game?

[Vartan]

If they're interested, I might consider using the Known World as the setting for the next campaign.

From where I stand this has more to do with running an OD&D game than the rules mechanics do. I'm not nostalgic for the old rules so much as I am for the settings and feel of the campaigns that came out of that era of gaming. You can replicate that without changing the rules in a serious way.

Have fun with the RC game! Now I'm wanting to play King's Festival (B11) and Isle of Dread (X1) again lol

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

I think I'm just going to straight-up run an OD&D game as a break…

Sounds like you're planning on the RC/BECMI rules. You might check out Robert Fisher's site that focuses on Classic D&D for some useful insights on the game. Similarly, my site (in my sig) might have something to offer; it's aimed more at original D&D than the Classic variants, but the differences are mostly minor.

 

[vagabundo]

I've been thinking of putting together a simplified version of 4e, similar to BECM. Possibly capped at the heroic tier and cutting a lot of stuff out (even renaming the defenses to the old saves, like Death Magic for Fortitute, but keeping the 4e mechanics).

I'd keep the skill system. Not sure about the feats, modify the power system to simplify it. I've had the ideas floating around in my head for a while. But using the core 4e combat system - as it is a nice streamlined system.

The reason for this is to possibly run a group of total newbies through a D&D game.

 

[ExploderWizard]

If you want to capture the classic D&D feel, then run a few sessions of classic D&D or a clone such as S&W or LL. It's quite a bit of work to alter a complex system like 4E to the simplicity of a classic ruleset. Play the full on version of the game that you are trying to capture the feel for. If you and your players don't like it, you can drop it and return to games that you enjoy.

This question reminds me of watching the commentary version of Conan the Barbarian. John Milius and Arnold Shwartzenegger were talking about the casting of the Subotai character. Milius mentions that he was looking for someone with the Gerry Lopez look and someone told him, why not just get Gerry Lopez?

So, for someone who wants to run something with a classic D&D feel, why not run classic D&D?

 

[Mallus]

Like other people have said, if you you want the feel of old-school mechanics, use OD&D, Rules Cyclopedia, or a retro-clone.

If you want 4e's mechanics with the feel of old-school play, change healing up completely after an extended rest and load the adventure up with obstacles/puzzles/problem situations that need to be solved by player, rather than character skill, ie, turn part of the of 4e system off.

 

[Tav_Behemoth]

Since the original edition of D&D was a game of adventure, exploration, and narrative-building that borrowed the rules of an existing game of miniatures combat when it wanted to resolve a fight, I've been attracted to the idea of using the framework of an early-edition D&D ruleset for everything but fighting (character options and advancement, morale and NPC reaction rolls, random encounters, XP for gold, etc.) but replacing Chainmail with the core 4E engine as the "alternate combat system." Some notes about how to do free-form powers are here.

I have to disagree with the idea that you can use any rules you want to create any feel you desire. I played in a great Swords & Wizardry game at Gen Con that made just a few changes to the way I play OD&D at home (drawing a weapon took a full turn, magic-user spells known were determined randomly, hit points were determined before play rather than at the point of first injury) that had a noticeable impact on how the game felt. The differences between TSR and WotC D&D are much larger, and I at least have always been frustrated in my attempts to play one but make it yield the essential experience of the other.

 

[LostSoul]

One thing I would like to try in 4E is to dump the mechanics for the powers and use only the descriptions and the DM to resolve them. Each power is a combat maneuver or a spell that the PC knows.

 

[diaglo]

Thoughts? Suggestions?

play OD&D

edit: why settle for a poor imitation of the real thing. when you can actually play the real thing.