Back to the Future: OD&D or BFRPG?

[Hairfoot]

Right. I've had enough of ruminating over the pros and cons of 4E. I'm going to run an old-school adventure for the group before we decide what system we want for our game.

It's come down to a choice between Basic OD&D or Basic Fantasy RPG, but I can't decide.

Here's the breakdown as I see it:

OD&D
Pro: genuine old-school cachet; get to use dog-eared books I bought with pocket money in primary school; really, really simple rules.

Con: perhaps too simple - demihumans as classes, no set system for resolving skills etc; notoriously deadly and therefore a bit unfun.

BFRPG
Pro: easy-to-use D20-ised rules; free to download; race/class flexibility; generic action resolution rules; thief skills not hopeless.

Con: requires some tweaking for balance; potentially overrun with optional rules and variants; elf illustration looks like Hugo Weaving gone Mardi Gras.


BFRPG still looks like the winner to me, but I'd like to hear from the OD&Ders how they resolve some of the hassles the system presents.

 

[jdrakeh]

I play both games. OD&D clearly wins out for me when I need the tactical element that Chainmail + Supplement 1 combat provides. If tactical elements are of less concern, I prefer BFRPG both because it's more recognizeable as being what people consider "RPGs" to be today (thus making it more accessible to new-ish players) and because it relies less on DM fiat to interpret the rules (which players seem to be more comfortable with, IME).

 

[Hairfoot]

OD&D clearly wins out for me is when I need the tactical element that Chainmail + Supplement 1 combat provides.

Can you expand on that? I like tactical play and figurines, but I haven't seen anything in OD&D which supports it better than BFRPG. Is Chainmail significantly different?

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Can you expand on that? I like tactical play and figurines, but I haven't seen anything in OD&D which supports it better than BFRPG. Is Chainmail significantly different?

Chainmail's man-to-man combat system (using multiple d6s) is significantly different from the "alternate" system (using a d20) that became the familiar D&D combat system. It uses modifiers for individual weapons, as well. However, even using the "alternate" combat system with Chainmail as a guideline offers a lot of tactical options.

Here's an OD&D combat sequence derived from Chainmail (and Swords & Spells). Note that it allows for traditional D&D rules on ROF for missiles, spell interruption, et cetera. It's also strongly miniatures-oriented. If you want even more detail, you can add the Supplement I rules for space required, weapon vs. armor class, et cetera.

T. Foster distilled the above combat sequence down into a simpler form for those who don't want all the detail; it retains the essence of the system.

 

[jdrakeh]

Can you expand on that? I like tactical play and figurines, but I haven't seen anything in OD&D which supports it better than BFRPG. Is Chainmail significantly different?

PJ illuminated the issue better than I could have

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Regarding skills in OD&D:

There's a thread on the OD&D forums that offers some ideas.

Also, from the initial post, it sounds like "Basic OD&D" means either the Moldvay/Cook/Marsh boxed sets or the Mentzer boxed sets, rather than OD&D[1974]. In that case, RFisher's Classic D&D site should prove useful. My own site might offer some useful tidbits, too, but it is aimed squarely at OD&D[1974], rather than Classic D&D (and I'm not a big fan of skill systems in OD&D).

 

[Hairfoot]

Also, from the initial post, it sounds like "Basic OD&D" means either the Moldvay/Cook/Marsh boxed sets or the Mentzer boxed sets, rather than OD&D[1974].

Yep. I'm a member of the credit-cardless underclass, so I can't get my hands on a copy, though I'd like to. Thanks for the tips.

 

[jmucchiello]

Sorry for the tangent but I couldn't resist....

When I saw the title I thought this would be a time travel speculation thread about "what would happen if you tried to introduce >insert modern RPG here< to the world in 1973?"

Or, with a Hitchhicker's Guide twist, "If you could travel to 1972-3 and hand EGG a copy of his LJ game, what would happen to RPGs today?"

Ironically, I think neither intrusion on the time stream does much of anything since gamers of 1972 have no frame of reference for RPGs as we know them. OD&D is an extension of wargaming and RPGs have moved away from those roots for the most part.

 

[Delta]

Con: perhaps too simple - demihumans as classes...

Actually, not so in OD&D. That popped up as a simplification in BXMI.

 

[Hairfoot]

Actually, not so in OD&D. That popped up as a simplification in BXMI.

How does it work? I thought you can't play something like a hobbit thief or dwarf cleric in OD&D.

Also, can anyone direct to a webpage which describes the differences between 1E editions (B/X, BECMI, Holmes, Moldvay, Mentzer etc.)?