Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Iosue" data-source="post: 6139926" data-attributes="member: 6680772">Hello, folks.&nbsp; What I'd like to do with this thread is basically a Let's Read of the advice explicitly aimed at new DMs back in the late 70s and early 80s.&nbsp; A lot of advice covered such topics as designing and stocking dungeons, the use of time, and retainers.&nbsp; I'm going to skip that, though, and focus on what this advice said about running the game, and the role of the DM.&nbsp; I'm going to look at the &quot;Dungeon Mastering As A Fine Art&quot; section of the Holmes Basic rules, the &quot;How To Be An Effective Dungeon Master&quot; sections of Mike Carr's B1 and Gary Gygax's B2, the &quot;Dungeon Mastering As A Fine Art&quot; sections of the Moldvay Basic rules and the Cook/Marsh Expert rules, and finally the Introduction of Mentzer's Basic Set Dungeon Masters Rulebook.&nbsp; Most of the time will be spent on B1, B2, Moldvay, and Cook/Marsh, as these are the places where the role of the DM is really explored in a concentrated manner.The negative stereotype of the game during this era (possibly even a positive stereotype for some folks) is that the DM is adversarial and all-powerful, dungeons are highly lethal, and balance is not a consideration.&nbsp; I think there are certainly passages in the AD&amp;D DMG that would lead people to this stereotype, and lead novice DMs to play this way.&nbsp; But I think it less true when it comes to D&amp;D, sometimes to a profound degree.&nbsp; Speaking personally, such a stereotype doesn't match how I remember being &quot;taught&quot; to DM by materials such as these.&nbsp; The style of play encouraged by the D&amp;D of this era is ostensibly meant to be emulated by D&amp;D Next.&nbsp; I think these passages may prove good advice to folks intending to try playing this way.To start with, much of Holmes' advice lies in the basic procedures of building a dungeon, with an example of play and a sample dungeon.&nbsp; Here are the parts most relevant to our subject:This advice is pretty succinct, but does touch on some elements that will come up time and again as we look at the other sources.&nbsp; First is an emphasis on game speed.&nbsp; While not specifically mentioned here, one purpose of the Caller is to streamline party decision making, so that the game keeps moving.&nbsp; Next is an emphasis on balance.&nbsp; Traps should not be auto-kill.&nbsp; The dangers of the dungeon should appropriate to the level of the characters.&nbsp; Finally is an emphasis on DM autonomy from the rules.&nbsp; Part of this goes back to the emphasis on game speed: something comes up you're not sure about, just improvise.&nbsp; Make up a percentage chance and roll!&nbsp; Part of it also goes to matching the game to the desires and expectations of the table.B1 and Moldvay especially elaborate on these ideas, and some advice that seems adversarial and/or autocratic, like &quot;The DM is the Boss!&quot;, has to be read in this context.Next Time: Mike Carr on Basic DMing...</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Iosue, post: 6139926, member: 6680772"] Hello, folks. What I'd like to do with this thread is basically a Let's Read of the advice explicitly aimed at new DMs back in the late 70s and early 80s. A lot of advice covered such topics as designing and stocking dungeons, the use of time, and retainers. I'm going to skip that, though, and focus on what this advice said about running the game, and the role of the DM. I'm going to look at the "Dungeon Mastering As A Fine Art" section of the Holmes Basic rules, the "How To Be An Effective Dungeon Master" sections of Mike Carr's B1 and Gary Gygax's B2, the "Dungeon Mastering As A Fine Art" sections of the Moldvay Basic rules and the Cook/Marsh Expert rules, and finally the Introduction of Mentzer's Basic Set Dungeon Masters Rulebook. Most of the time will be spent on B1, B2, Moldvay, and Cook/Marsh, as these are the places where the role of the DM is really explored in a concentrated manner. The negative stereotype of the game during this era (possibly even a positive stereotype for some folks) is that the DM is adversarial and all-powerful, dungeons are highly lethal, and balance is not a consideration. I think there are certainly passages in the AD&D DMG that would lead people to this stereotype, and lead novice DMs to play this way. But I think it less true when it comes to D&D, sometimes to a profound degree. Speaking personally, such a stereotype doesn't match how I remember being "taught" to DM by materials such as these. The style of play encouraged by the D&D of this era is ostensibly meant to be emulated by D&D Next. I think these passages may prove good advice to folks intending to try playing this way. To start with, much of Holmes' advice lies in the basic procedures of building a dungeon, with an example of play and a sample dungeon. Here are the parts most relevant to our subject: This advice is pretty succinct, but does touch on some elements that will come up time and again as we look at the other sources. First is an emphasis on game speed. While not specifically mentioned here, one purpose of the Caller is to streamline party decision making, so that the game keeps moving. Next is an emphasis on balance. Traps should not be auto-kill. The dangers of the dungeon should appropriate to the level of the characters. Finally is an emphasis on DM autonomy from the rules. Part of this goes back to the emphasis on game speed: something comes up you're not sure about, just improvise. Make up a percentage chance and roll! Part of it also goes to matching the game to the desires and expectations of the table. B1 and Moldvay especially elaborate on these ideas, and some advice that seems adversarial and/or autocratic, like "The DM is the Boss!", has to be read in this context. Next Time: Mike Carr on Basic DMing... [/QUOTE]

Verification