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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Snarf Zagyg" data-source="post: 9379244" data-attributes="member: 7023840">On this (and not to threadjack the excellent thread that [USER=6701124]@Cadence[/USER] started). Going through the history, you have to remember that OD&D was, well, I often refer to it as more of a toolkit to make your game than a complete game system (especially with just the LBBs). Tables all had to decide how to play it, what sources to use, and so on.AD&D was ... interesting. From a purely realistic standpoint, Gygax wanted to get paid. He wanted to present AD&D as THE ONLY D&D system, the one you had to run, the official one, don't accept any substitute. He definitely didn't want you using things like the Arduin Grimoire (which he took a shot at with the Vacuous Grimoire*). That's why he has so many comments about how you must play AD&D by the rules, etc.On the other hand, he was still a hobbyist. He knew that people would do their own thing. And, most importantly, he did his own thing. He certainly didn't use all of the complicated systems and subsystems in 1e (no, he didn't use weapon v. ac). That's why I often think of AD&D as "pick your own rules" kind of experience. There are the rules that everyone uses (Fighters get d10 hit points). There are the rules that some people use. And then there are the rules that almost no one uses. Despite what Gygax claimed, there was a high amount of table variability.Which is also what made the prevalence of competition and tournament play so interesting!*The description in the DMG-A book of this sort is totally impossible to tell from a normal one, although if a detect magic spell is cost, there will be amagical aura noted. Any character who opens the work and reads so much as a single glyph therein must make 2 saving throws versus magic. The first is to determine if 1 point of intelligence is lost or not, the second is to find if 2 points of wisdom are lost. Once opened and read, the vacuous grimoire remains, and it must be burned to be rid of it after first casting a remove curse spell. If the tome is placed with other books, its appearance will instantly alter to conform to one of the other works it is amongst.</blockquote>

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