Best OD&D system?

[Darrin Drader]

That's awfully nice of you guys to say

I'll keep doing the best I can!

What I like about the layout of those books is that they harken back to the earlier works the rules systems are emulating. If I were to print one of these out and have it professionally bound, then show it to someone alongside the original TSR books, I think that because of the style of artwork and the layout, they'd have a hard time telling which one is the original and which one is the clone. You could have always gone with more advanced graphic design, like adding a bunch of graphics, drop shadows, and font variation, but in the end, I don't think that would have added to these books because of the nature of what they are. Sometimes less is more.

 

[Goblinoid Games]

You could have always gone with more advanced graphic design, like adding a bunch of graphics, drop shadows, and font variation, but in the end, I don't think that would have added to these books because of the nature of what they are. Sometimes less is more.

I hate reading RPG books like that. My choice of layout was not just retro for the sake of retro. I know it is stylish today in RPG books to have funky grayscale stuff in the page background and like you say, shadows and font variation, but I prefer a clean layout that is easy to read. I hate flipping through books that have some kind of grayscale border, only to look at my fingers and see that the gray has smudged off onto my hand. Gross. One of my degrees is in technical writing (I probably shouldn't admit I have an English degree with the number of grammar and spelling mistakes I always make), so I guess I can't say I've had no training in desktop publishing, because I have to a minimal degree (though you certainly wouldn't be able to tell in some of my earlier stuff), but one thing IMHO that makes a book look sloppy is too many different font styles. I try to limit it to, at the absolute most, one type of font for the book title, one type for headings, and another for the body text. Ideally I would use fewer.

 

[Grimstaff]

Moldvay/Cook (or "B/X") is definitely the way to go if you want a perfect balance of old-school charm and lite, balanced rules. All you need for years of gaming in two thin books. Labyrinth Lord is not a bad representation of this edition, and since .pdfs are not available of B/X, you may be stuck with it if you don't want to go the ebay route. The Mentzer BECMI set is solid, but a bit more "safe", a tad sterile and loses alot of the character, imho.

If you want old-school with a bit more breadth, go with classic 1E AD&D.

 

[Goblinoid Games]

If you want old-school with a bit more breadth, go with classic 1E AD&D.

I agree completely. Depending on my mood I prefer either AD&D 1e or Moldvay/Cook D&D.

 

[Jack Daniel]

I agree completely. Depending on my mood I prefer either AD&D 1e or Moldvay/Cook D&D.

Funny, my mood typically tends to waffle between AD&D 2e and Cyclopedia D&D. Must be a generational thing.

If the OP finds that BECMI/Cyclopedia is too detailed and restrictive, then let me add another voice recommending B/X or Labyrinth Lord. (Personally, I don't see any qualitative difference between B/X and the first two volumes of BECMI, but then, my first basic set was the '91 Black Box rather than something in a more traditional red. )

 

[Alzrius]

(Personally, I don't see any qualitative difference between B/X and the first two volumes of BECMI, but then, my first basic set was the '91 Black Box rather than something in a more traditional red. )

You mean the one with the red dragon on the cover, lunging towards the tiny figure with the sword? I love that old thing!

Escape from the salt mine of Zanzer Tem!

 

[Jack Daniel]

You mean the one with the red dragon on the cover, lunging towards the tiny figure with the sword? I love that old thing!

Escape from the salt mine of Zanzer Tem!

LOL, bingo! I can't even begin to count the number of times I've introduced local newbies to OD&D using Zanzer Tem's dungeon...

Zanzer is, like, the "Bargle" of late-generation Basic Set players.

 

[Alzrius]

LOL, bingo! I can't even begin to count the number of times I've introduced local newbies to OD&D using Zanzer Tem's dungeon...

Zanzer is, like, the "Bargle" of late-generation Basic Set players.

So true. I'd go to Stonefast and beyond to get Zanzer Tem. Man I wish WotC had done an updated version of him!

 

[S'mon]

I hate reading RPG books like that.

I really really hate it! Necromancer/Swords & Sorcery were big 3e offenders ('Grim Tales' also appalling AIR), but my hate goes right back to the black-on-brown of the 1e Forgotten Realms set. Why do publishers get off on making my eyes hurt?

 

[Goblinoid Games]

but my hate goes right back to the black-on-brown of the 1e Forgotten Realms set.

WHOA! Now right there I'm gonna have to call blasphemy!