Great Memories of 1st Edition D&D

[Warden]

We have a quick review of D&D 1st Edition for our second issue of Genesis, and would like to know if anyone cares to share any great moments from that particular game with us. While not everyone will be published in full details, we would like some great samples to cut-and-paste as a sidebar in the review and give it a boost. Any selected stories will grant the author a free copy of the issue (due for August 8th), listed as $4 US.

I was too young to read, let alone play, so I'm afaid I can't start this one off with anything.

 

[philreed]

You're talking about the 1974 version, right? Hell, I was only 2 in '74 -- way before my gaming time.

I never have understood the people that insist on sticking with that original version. From what I've seen it needed a lot of work. Sticking with 1e AD&D I can understand.

But it's probably all just related to nostalgia more than anything.

 

[Warden]

I know a guy that would love nothing more than to play basic D&D, mainly because he's not much for rules. I guess if you don't care how accurate a dice can represent a swinging sword, you'll go for whatever does the job.

 

[greywulf]

What do you mean, memories? We're still playing with the Rules Cyclopedia, thank you very much.

There's so much in original D&D that just doesn't map to an equivalent in d20 D&D; from establishing a stronghold to castle building to running a dominion to large-scale warfare and naval engagements and beyond. We've played the lot, and love every minute of it.

Players can agonize out of game over the economics of their dominion then bring their well schemed plans to the table. Around 9th-level and beyond, the game takes on a very politically aware turn; d20 D&D can't hold a candle to that shift of gears.

Also, the world setting for original D&D is probably the best created; fully realised fantasy takes on historical settings all with history, depth and just a little humour. No PC in the Realms will fear for their lives in a werewolf infested Traldar village or cross mountains in a gnomish skyship, fight in a Thyatian arena or play a deadly game of politics with a Glantrian noble mage - all in a single story arc!

If you've never played, please, buy the pdf of the Rules Cyclopedia and let your eyes be opened to a change of pace and style. you never know - you might just like it.

 

[VirgilCaine]

There's so much in original D&D that just doesn't map to an equivalent in d20 D&D; from establishing a stronghold to castle building to running a dominion to large-scale warfare and naval engagements and beyond. We've played the lot, and love every minute of it.

Players can agonize out of game over the economics of their dominion then bring their well schemed plans to the table. Around 9th-level and beyond, the game takes on a very politically aware turn; d20 D&D can't hold a candle to that shift of gears.

I can do that already in d20. I'm sure lots of people already have.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

C'mon guys. Let's take a trip down memory lane.


I played a true game of 1e maybe four or five times in my life. The first few times was when I was learning to play and even then I got so much stuff wrong that it could be considered a "house rule". For the record, when you bought quarrels (as in, the kind for crossbows) I thought that meant "arguement" and the monster was supposed to have an argument with the DM. So I made the monster roll a saving throw. If the monster lost, it dissapeared. To my eleven year-old brain, this made sense. Then again, it also made sense to throw rocks at girls when I wanted them to like me. I finally figured out what a quarrel was when I was 12. I stopped throwing rocks at girls I liked when I was about 26.

The one true time I played 1e was right before 3e was released. I made everyone roll 3d6 and wouldn't let them adjust the attributes or rearange the numbers out of order. I also made them roll hit points and wouldn't let them reroll. The fighter had 5 hit points. The cleric had 2. Then we played Keep on the Borderlands. As my one token of goodwill to my players, I let them use out-of-game-knowledge. So if they knew a secret door was in a given room, I'd let them look for it and find it. After the party defeated the kobolds (with only two PC deaths!) they moved on to the orc caves. They had found a potion of invisibility. My buddy John, in the most amazing display of metagaming I've ever seen in my life, drank the potion and navigated the entire orc complex completely by memory. He took all the unguarded treasure and snuck out. He had not played that module in over a dozen years. It was outstanding. We gave him a standing ovation. After the commotion died down, his wife turned to him and said "you can do all of that but you can't remember to take the garbage out on Tuesday!?!?!" Priceless.

In any case, 1e has many fond memories for me, but I'm still happy to be a 3e gamer.

 

[Crothian]

In grade school I played a lot of D&D with my friend Nathan and Matt. Nathan's brother had a great D&D collection but he kept it in a locked closet. We would loosen a wall board and then take a stick and knock down the books from a self to the floor, then place a cat in the closet to take the blame.

One weekend we did and down fell the module Sinister Secret of Salt Marsh. So, we took the module our PHB and DMG and grabed a tent for some all night gaming. WE made up characters specifically for the moduel each of us made 2 (the DM ran characters too since we hasd so few people). It was a blasst as it was the first module we saw that had a bit of a mystery and not a dungeon cralw like we were used to. What was grterat is tying the flaslight to the roof of the tent so that it would swing around but allow light for all of us. THose were the days......

 

[Silverleaf]

You're talking about the 1974 version, right? Hell, I was only 2 in '74 -- way before my gaming time.

I never have understood the people that insist on sticking with that original version. From what I've seen it needed a lot of work. Sticking with 1e AD&D I can understand.

But it's probably all just related to nostalgia more than anything.

It's actually a much easier game than AD&D (less rules, what little is there is fairly straightforward, unlike the AD&D combat chapter...) And it's much more open-ended too, which also offers some appeal. AD&D was more or less OD&D + Gygax' house rules with Greyhawk-specific bits added in, and that's all well and good but it's not the same as OD&D.
That said, few play the 1974 game anymore, though there are some. But a lot more play some form of Basic D&D, which is the true heir of OD&D, as it retains its open-ended nature and great simplicity.
And yes, there is merit to those games beyond nostalgia. They're quite a different experience than AD&D or d20. If you doubt that, you must play an OD&D or B/X D&D campaign sometime and see. I promise you won't be thinking or playing the same way you do d20 or AD&D.