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D&D Older Editions
[COMPLETE] Looking back at the leatherette series: PHBR, DMGR, HR and more!
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<blockquote data-quote="Alzrius" data-source="post: 8222792" data-attributes="member: 8461"><p>There's some axiom about how wise people learn from their mistakes, but <em>truly</em> wise people learn from other people's mistakes. While I have no way of knowing for sure, I suspect that thought was in the minds of the authors of <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/16887/DMGR1-Campaign-Sourcebook-and-Catacomb-Guide-2e?affiliate_id=820" target="_blank"><em>DMGR1 Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide</em></a>.</p><p></p><p>I have a vague memory of scratching my head at the title for this one. While they're not <em>entirely</em> unrelated in scope, the two topics - a sourcebook on how to run a campaign and a guide to underground adventuring environments - seemed different enough that I questioned why they were together in a single volume. At least <em>The Complete Book of Gnomes & Halflings</em> had thematic cohesiveness in putting the two short races together; this came across like an odd blending of the AD&D 2E <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/17552/Dungeon-Master-Guide-Revised-2e?affiliate_id=820" target="_blank"><em>Dungeon Master's Guide</em></a> and the old <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/17006/Dungeoneers-Survival-Guide-1e?affiliate_id=820" target="_blank"><em>Dungeoneer's Survival Guide</em></a> squished into one.</p><p></p><p>Which, if you read the book's sales page, is exactly what it is. Sort of. Apparently the bulk of this book is advice for running a campaign and being a good DM that was ultimately cut (for space reasons) from the AD&D DMG, and was subsequently padded out with some dungeon overviews that aren't <em>technically</em> updated material from the DSG, but might as well be (isometric maps and all).</p><p></p><p>The problem, at least for me, was that I simply had no interest in a general primer on DMing (despite the fact that, in hindsight, I could have used it). My interest was focused squarely on two things: lore and crunch, both of which are completely lacking in this particular work. Maybe it was because I didn't have a regular group at the time I picked this up, maybe it was my rebellious teenage self thinking that advice was condescension, or maybe it was just that I'm not wise enough to learn from other people's mistakes, but every time I flipped through this my eyes began to glaze over. As it was, I think I picked it up purely for completeness; it certainly wasn't because I wanted to sit down and read it.</p><p></p><p>Going back through it now, that's a shame, because when I <em>did</em> get a regular group, I made several of the mistakes outlined here. Having said that, I'm still struck by the fact that this is ultimately a how-to book, which means that it's made to be outgrown. Other than brushing up on the fundamentals, this isn't a tome that experienced DMs are going to need to crack open. Even the sections on dungeon adventuring are overviews about various considerations to take into account, lacking any sort of in-game material or rules mechanics; the most you can take away from these are the sample dungeons, which are keyed but still need to be populated with monsters and treasure.</p><p></p><p>I do, however, have to take a minute to talk about the interior art here. Specifically, the black and white interior art. While there are several full-page color pieces that are quite talented, the black and white artwork has a tendency to be hilarious in a way that the color pieces aren't. It's not quite the blatant humor of the old AD&D 1E illustrations, which often felt almost like doodles, but it's no less amusing for it. Look at this illustration that accompanied the book's section on "hack 'n' slash"-style gaming:</p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/rPPWYNL.jpeg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p>This piece deftly captures the sense of absurdity that a lot of people see as being emblematic of that style of play. Just look at how the fight's right hand is curled into a fist at his hip, the way he's knocking a goblin away just by breathing on him, or the utterly stupefied face on that one goblin who's been decapitated. It's a laugh riot! And it's not the only one:</p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/fzQ1RFt.jpeg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p>There's just so much here to snicker at, I hardly know where to begin. Look at how the idol is wearing Madonna-style bra-cones over her two rows of breasts. The way the "Int is my dump stat!" fighter is grinning like an idiot while he scratches his head. The Rube Goldberg-style mechanical setup that requires several party members to put together in their attempt to get at the idol without triggering any traps. It's funny because it's all so true!</p><p></p><p>All laughter aside, this book is one that's timeless for how everything in it is not only edition-neutral, but for the most part is system-neutral as well. The vast majority of what's here can be used for almost any tabletop RPG, which is certainly laudable, but at the same time its didactic focus means that if it works as intended, you'll have less and less use for it. Overall, it's a DM's self-help book more than reference material; take from that what you will.</p><p></p><p><em>Please note my use of affiliate links in this post.</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Alzrius, post: 8222792, member: 8461"] There's some axiom about how wise people learn from their mistakes, but [I]truly[/I] wise people learn from other people's mistakes. While I have no way of knowing for sure, I suspect that thought was in the minds of the authors of [URL='https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/16887/DMGR1-Campaign-Sourcebook-and-Catacomb-Guide-2e?affiliate_id=820'][I]DMGR1 Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide[/I][/URL]. I have a vague memory of scratching my head at the title for this one. While they're not [I]entirely[/I] unrelated in scope, the two topics - a sourcebook on how to run a campaign and a guide to underground adventuring environments - seemed different enough that I questioned why they were together in a single volume. At least [I]The Complete Book of Gnomes & Halflings[/I] had thematic cohesiveness in putting the two short races together; this came across like an odd blending of the AD&D 2E [URL='https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/17552/Dungeon-Master-Guide-Revised-2e?affiliate_id=820'][I]Dungeon Master's Guide[/I][/URL] and the old [URL='https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/17006/Dungeoneers-Survival-Guide-1e?affiliate_id=820'][I]Dungeoneer's Survival Guide[/I][/URL] squished into one. Which, if you read the book's sales page, is exactly what it is. Sort of. Apparently the bulk of this book is advice for running a campaign and being a good DM that was ultimately cut (for space reasons) from the AD&D DMG, and was subsequently padded out with some dungeon overviews that aren't [I]technically[/I] updated material from the DSG, but might as well be (isometric maps and all). The problem, at least for me, was that I simply had no interest in a general primer on DMing (despite the fact that, in hindsight, I could have used it). My interest was focused squarely on two things: lore and crunch, both of which are completely lacking in this particular work. Maybe it was because I didn't have a regular group at the time I picked this up, maybe it was my rebellious teenage self thinking that advice was condescension, or maybe it was just that I'm not wise enough to learn from other people's mistakes, but every time I flipped through this my eyes began to glaze over. As it was, I think I picked it up purely for completeness; it certainly wasn't because I wanted to sit down and read it. Going back through it now, that's a shame, because when I [I]did[/I] get a regular group, I made several of the mistakes outlined here. Having said that, I'm still struck by the fact that this is ultimately a how-to book, which means that it's made to be outgrown. Other than brushing up on the fundamentals, this isn't a tome that experienced DMs are going to need to crack open. Even the sections on dungeon adventuring are overviews about various considerations to take into account, lacking any sort of in-game material or rules mechanics; the most you can take away from these are the sample dungeons, which are keyed but still need to be populated with monsters and treasure. I do, however, have to take a minute to talk about the interior art here. Specifically, the black and white interior art. While there are several full-page color pieces that are quite talented, the black and white artwork has a tendency to be hilarious in a way that the color pieces aren't. It's not quite the blatant humor of the old AD&D 1E illustrations, which often felt almost like doodles, but it's no less amusing for it. Look at this illustration that accompanied the book's section on "hack 'n' slash"-style gaming: [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/rPPWYNL.jpeg[/IMG] This piece deftly captures the sense of absurdity that a lot of people see as being emblematic of that style of play. Just look at how the fight's right hand is curled into a fist at his hip, the way he's knocking a goblin away just by breathing on him, or the utterly stupefied face on that one goblin who's been decapitated. It's a laugh riot! And it's not the only one: [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/fzQ1RFt.jpeg[/IMG] There's just so much here to snicker at, I hardly know where to begin. Look at how the idol is wearing Madonna-style bra-cones over her two rows of breasts. The way the "Int is my dump stat!" fighter is grinning like an idiot while he scratches his head. The Rube Goldberg-style mechanical setup that requires several party members to put together in their attempt to get at the idol without triggering any traps. It's funny because it's all so true! All laughter aside, this book is one that's timeless for how everything in it is not only edition-neutral, but for the most part is system-neutral as well. The vast majority of what's here can be used for almost any tabletop RPG, which is certainly laudable, but at the same time its didactic focus means that if it works as intended, you'll have less and less use for it. Overall, it's a DM's self-help book more than reference material; take from that what you will. [I]Please note my use of affiliate links in this post.[/I] [/QUOTE]
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[COMPLETE] Looking back at the leatherette series: PHBR, DMGR, HR and more!
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