diaglo's OD&D Campaign

[JoeGKushner]

Hey diaglo, I was wondering if you could share your experiences in how OD&D is running in your campaign vs the 3rd ed game you're playing in.

Not trying to start a flame war or anything.

I'm just curious how you do certain things. I haven't played OD&D. I've played basic, AD&D 1st and 2nd, but never the original.

How did it handle things like skills? 1st ed AD&D had a table with occupations and no real definitions of what those things did.

How did it handle magic item construction?

Or, as I suspect, do you run a type of campaign that would be difficult to run under the 3rd ed banner? i.e. focusing on the simplicity of the game to get the game moving and letting the players do their thing as opposed to having a rule for everything to let the players do their thing?

 

[francisca]

Great idea Joe!

(crosses finger and hopes an edition was doesn't flare up)

 

[diaglo]

you'll have to ask some of the players about their perspective of things.

visit According to Hoyle in the Story Hour forum by JoeBlank

also: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/ToneTG/


but i bring the players and their PCs along as they progress in the campaign.

as levels are added and as the PCs explore they learn more.

it really is up to the players. it is open. but deadly. there is no CR for encounters. some are very deadly. some are cakewalks.

 

[diaglo]

here is the story hour link: http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=92669

 

[JoeGKushner]

Yeah, but as a GM, I'm more interested in things like how you're able to seize up a monster for an appropriate party level. How quickly does NPC generation go? How quick does combat go?

How do you handle skills? Do you add a lot of material, like spells, magic items, and monsters, or just use the 'official' goods?

 

[diaglo]

Yeah, but as a GM, I'm more interested in things like how you're able to seize up a monster for an appropriate party level. How quickly does NPC generation go? How quick does combat go?

How do you handle skills? Do you add a lot of material, like spells, magic items, and monsters, or just use the 'official' goods?

i place encounters all over the world. i give rumors or clues to the players about what they may face.

there is no party level as far as the monsters are concerned. they are around to survive. if the party proves too tough for them. they leave.

or they leave when they want.

when the party faced off against a Hill Giant. it left when it found ready meat in a trap. not b/c of anything the PCs did. although, if you believe them... they chased it away.


skills are part of background. or traine/learned over time.

NPCs are generated in 30 seconds. i look them up in a folder i have from the last 25+ years. change name and a couple items maybe. but this is done way ahead of time. i'm a wargamer. don't think i don't plan 4 moves ahead.

 

[diaglo]

Yeah, but as a GM, I'm more interested in things like how you're able to seize up a monster for an appropriate party level. How quickly does NPC generation go? How quick does combat go?

How do you handle skills? Do you add a lot of material, like spells, magic items, and monsters, or just use the 'official' goods?

combat is fast and furious.

from Chainmail.

most fights are over in 6 or so rounds. which takes about 30 minutes with 7 PCs and 2 or 3 henchmen vs. say.. 13 orcs.


spells are all researched.

magic items are rare. but not unheard of... now.

story is the key. i've got 29 published adventures already hinted at for the PCs.

they are in the middle of B1, B2, G1, G2, G3, D1, D2, D3, Q1, T1, T1-4, UK2, UK3, and Sunless Citadel right now.

 

[JoeBlank]

That story hour is badly in need of an update, which is in the works. My ongoing apologies to my fellow players, who are willing to help move it along but need me to post an installment before they can do so.

From what I can tell, diaglo does not size up a monster for the appropriate party level. We have fought, and run from, opponents far beyond our abilities. See the giant encounter pretty early on in the story hour.

Character creation is fast. He has been more forgiving in this area than I expected. Our fist option is 3d6, in order. That is what I used, and intend to continue using. He also has some pre-generated stats we can pick from, but I like rolling the dice. At least on player was allowed to dump a terrible character rolled up online, a decision I whole-heartedly agree with as I hate online dice rollers.

Keep in mind that many of the rules are not even known to the players. They could be partially freeform, a decision made by diaglo on the spot, or it could just be that we don't need to know them ahead of time. For instance, each character is allowed some areas in which he or she is skilled, based upon background. My character, Dalin Hoyle, is a gambler, so he knows a good bit about games of chance and also about various forms of money. This has never been expressed to me as "you get a +X on your odds when gambling" or "you have a 3 in 6 chance to recognize foreign coins". It is played out when it comes up in game. I know that when games of chance are played Dalin is given improved odds, but that is about it.

My first instinct, as with any game, was to acquire and understand the rules. Bought myself a set of the 3 booklets off ebay, and some pdfs of the other supplements involved. I read thru them, but did not study them they way I do 3.5. I just play, and let the referee worry about the rules.

 

[Quasqueton]

Dungeons & Dragons (current edition) is the only true D&D. All previous editions are just poor attempts to acheive this level of excellence.

Quasqueton

 

[fredramsey]

Canna get an A-MEN!

Dungeons & Dragons (current edition) is the only true D&D. All previous editions are just poor attempts to acheive this level of excellence.

Quasqueton