Diaglo: What's so great about OD&D?

[Templeton580]

Now we can all relive the good times:

My hate of d02 know no limit

The funniest thing about the original post was that the poster (A Silent Wail) went back and edited "hat" to "hate," but didn't catch "d02" or "know."

 

[JRRNeiklot]

Try Total Baseball. My copies have details of the rules from 1876 onwards. The Genesee County Rules that were linked to are not the authoritative version of 19th century baseball rules, nor are they comprehensive (or even complete in the linked version), since the rules changed several times in that century.

I will also point out that some of the things you think I got wrong are repeated in the linked document. For example:

[/i]

For an online list of all the various iterations of the baseball rules, try here: http://baseball-almanac.com/rulechng.shtml.

Check, for example, the 1867 entry, making the pitcher's box a 6 foot square, and giving the batter the right to call for a high or low pitch. In 1879, a base on balls took 9 balls, which was reduced to 8 in 1880, reduced to 6 in 1884, 5 in 1887, and finally four in 1889. In 1887 it took four strikes for a batter to be out. From 1863 to 1867, a pitcher was not permitted to move his feet when pitching. It wasn't until 1883 that a pitcher was allowed to deliver a pitch with a throw from above his waist.

I stand corrected; however, my original statement still stands. Baseball 140 years ago is remarkably similar to the game played today - well, the rules are anyway. D&D today is almost NOTHING like it was 30 years ago, or even 6 years ago.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

"most people"? you really think that OD&D has more of a following or more support than 3rd edition or AD&D? How many OD&D games are run at Gen Con every year? Why is it that on the largest gaming message boards on the internet (a place that already amplifies minorities by making even small things appear large) OD&D fans are a strong minority. Realize that OD&D supporters are a very tiny, and very outspoken minority of the D&D playing population. If you're happy playing that game, go ahead, we don't care, but don't try and tell us that our game isn't D&D because it's too complicated and new but yours is because it came first and was so simple.

The following is a lot bigger than you think. As for this message board, it's a D20 message board, what do you expect? Should I go to say, a baseball message board and expect to find golf fans there? And don't try and tell us that our game isn't D&D because it's too old but yours is because it's the newest thing on the block.

 

[Storm Raven]

I stand corrected; however, my original statement still stands. Baseball 140 years ago is remarkably similar to the game played today - well, the rules are anyway. D&D today is almost NOTHING like it was 30 years ago, or even 6 years ago.

Well, I suppose you are right, if by "remarkably similar" you mean "very different". The best description of watching people play 19th century baseball is "like watching someone play slow pitch softball, but who seem to have forgotten most of the rules".

It still had four bases, a pitcher, a batter, and fielders, but most everything else was pretty different. Not even the number of players was the same (in the old 1840s era knickerbocker rules, a side was a number of players between 8 and 14, all of whom were to take the field at one time).

 

[Turjan]

Now we can all relive the good times:

My hate of d02 know no limit

The funniest thing about the original post was that the poster (A Silent Wail) went back and edited "hat" to "hate," but didn't catch "d02" or "know."

And here is the original d02 game that was a response to that thread .

 

[Spell]

So what does the "Very old school" gang Think of the Rules Cyclopedia?

i think they are much more old school than me (i, considering the red box edition as OD&D, am clearly an heretic...), BUT i think that i can't find a book in my whole RPG collection that rocks more than the rules cyclopaedia. seriously.

 

[Spell]

Can't we all just go out, buy copies of Castle and Crusades, and be done with it?

only after they ahve done some re editing...
i am really looking forward for it.

 

[Nomad4life]

I so need a “My hat of D02 know no limit” tattoo.

 

[Numion]

D&D today is almost NOTHING like it was 30 years ago, or even 6 years ago.

When did it change from being about a group of adventurers fighting for loot and leveling up? Thats how the 1986 edition was played, and thats how we play the current edition. The rules have changed for the better IMO, but the average adventurers day is still pretty much the same.

 

[Spell]

Claiming that the current edition of D&D isn't even really D&D at all flies in the face of the definitions most people have of D&D. Your descriptions of a super-rules-light OD&D clash with an entire generation who grew up on AD&D and segued into D&D3e, the millions of people who buy 3e and expect and want D&D to be a game with rules and options for almost any situation, instead of a few tiny pamphlets where the DM is expected to pretty much make it all up as he goes along.

[thinking]
mmmh... i smell thread closure...
[/thinking]

alright, people, let's start the bet. i give this thread one more page of life. who's offering more???

wingsandword, what the majority of the players yesterday, today, or tomorrow thinks about D&D has absolutely nothing to do with this thread.
now, if you want to make a comparison betwenn games (even though the moderators seem uneasy with it, and justifiably so), then go on. but saying that game X is just an old shoes because today's gamer don't know about it and have a different idea of what game X should be (or is), adds nothing to the discussion, but vitriol.

besides, a little meaningless man like gary gygax (does that name ring a bell) has said more than once that the 3rd edition of the game IS a different game. and so has monte cook. and so other people, both designers and players.
is it a better game? a worse game? it all depends on who runs it and who plays it, and what kind of ruleset they are looking for.
everybody has his own ideas on this regard. if you can't live with it then why even taking part to a discussion like this?
peace