OD&D Is the OD&D Rules Cyclopedia worth it?

[Schmoe]

My oldest son is 6 years old, and I'm considering trying to start up a game with him. Most of the systems I own are fairly complex, and I want him to be able to focus on the story and having fun rather than becoming overwhelmed by complicated rules and options.

I started with Basic, and I remember it to be a pretty simple, open-ended game that might be just what I'm looking for. Of course, I purged my ancient, beat-up copies of the Basic/Expert rules in my last move, so I need to get some more rule books. Is the D&D Rules Cyclopedia a worthwhile investment for my purposes? I've looked through used bookstores and the FLGS for a hardcopy, with no luck. E-Bay only rarely has a copy, and it's usually priced at $50+, which is at the very top of my price range, so if it's not a great fit for what I'm looking for, I'll probably look at another option.

When I ran a simple teaser game with my son in one of the Goodman Games modules, he seemed to be pretty intimidated by the combat and kept saying "Let's go over to the other valley and explore something different". I'm an old "let the dice fall where they may and challenge the players" kind of DM, so I think I'll need to seriously adjust my play-style if I want him to stick around for more games

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

From a personal gaming perspective, the Rules Cyclopedia is one of the best D&D books ever published. It is a complete game in one book (something otherwise unheard of for D&D).

However, it is a 'cyclopedia in that it is a collection of all the BECMI D&D rules and is thus not terribly beginner friendly. Used as a tool by an experienced DM introducing the game to a beginning player, that shouldn't be a problem.

Now, from an entirely different perspective as a gamer parent, I think 6 is a little young. My kids weren't terribly interested in D&D at that age but were able to grasp and enjoy the game at age 10.

 

[Schmoe]

From a personal gaming perspective, the Rules Cyclopedia is one of the best D&D books ever published. It is a complete game in one book (something otherwise unheard of for D&D).

However, it is a 'cyclopedia in that it is a collection of all the BECMI D&D rules and is thus not terribly beginner friendly. Used as a tool by an experienced DM introducing the game to a beginning player, that shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks for the feedback. I guess I'll keep hunting for a good deal on this. There was definitely something "wild and free" about the Basic/Expert rules for me. I'm looking forward to revisiting those times

Now, from an entirely different perspective as a gamer parent, I think 6 is a little young. My kids weren't terribly interested in D&D at that age but were able to grasp and enjoy the game at age 10.

Well, he loves story-telling, and he's always playing around with my D&D minis, and even keeps bugging me to play that with him again, so I think he's got the interest. I think there was something about putting him in a role-playing spot and making the game more "real" that was just too intense for him when coupled with the combat-heavy module I was running. When I said "seriously adjust my play-style", I was thinking "completely abandon traditional adversarial adventuring and go with a free-form, gentle, fantasy exploration."

We'll see, though. I definitely don't want to push something he's not enjoying, and if it turns out he wants to do something else, we'll do that instead.

 

[Herobizkit]

The Rules Cyclopedia is a fantastic DM resource for DM's who have players with ambitions beyond "kill things and take their stuff".

For a 6-year old, rolling dice and explaining what his character does should be fun enough. No sense in making things too complicated.

Of course, with all the silly charts etc, I'd consider running a "rules-simple" version of d20, perhaps something like True20.

One rule I enjoyed in particular relates to character stats. Instead of having the usual spread of 3-18, just describe the ability scores by way of their bonus. Starting "points" would be anywhere you feel comfortable, though the suggested amount is 6. So, for example, a fighter type might have a +3 Str and +3 Con while a caster might have +4 Int and +2 Wis.

You might also consider the basic core classes from the Unearthed Arcana: Warrioe, Expert, and Adept. Keeps it real simple from the kid's standpoint.

Heck, I'd even tell you to go and buy the Blue Rose gaming supplement. It's the precursor to True20 and is designed specifically for "romantic fantasy", ie story-focused, rules-light, day to day struggles of people is more important than the struggle of Good vs Evil.

 

[noffham]

I'd suggest getting Labyrinth Lord from the intwerwebs or RPGNow. (In other words the free version or the slightly less-free version that supports the author). It is a retro-clone that does a fine job of recreating the Basic/Expert rules and is significantly cheaper than you'll be able to find the cyclopedia pretty much anywhere.

Oh, and the cyclopedia is excellent in its own right but I have to agree that it isn't as newbie friendly as the pure Basic sets.

 

[Crothian]

Start him out on the Basic set and ease him into the Rules Cyclopedia. It is the best single book with all the rules in it for any edition of D&D. It's even praised by D&D haters.

 

[Schmoe]

Thanks everyone. I'm not so concerned with how "newbie-friendly" the actual book is, so much as the system itself. I'm used to reading lots of rules

I may actually check out Blue Rose or something similar. D&D is near and dear to my heart, though, so I'm not sure that's the direction I want to go. I'm familiar enough with the general rules that just naturally work stories around them. Plus, my familiarity with the rules will help me to teach them to my son and guide him through the game. It's much more difficult for me to teach something when I'm always second-guessing myself.



I also just want to say: Holy Postmonster, Crothian! Last time I was active around here I think you had like 20k posts. Do you have an RSS feed to a neural implant or something?

 

[Betote]

Any price you pay for a Rules Cyclopedia will be money well spent: the RC is the single best D&D book ever published.

In the meantime, I'd get a copy of Labyrinth Lord, which lacks some of the RC more complex rules (weapon specialization, skills, domains and mass combat), but is written in a more newbie-friendly style.

 

[Ashtagon]

The RC is well worth it.

That said, if you want a free alternative that covers the same rules as closely as possible, search for Dark Dungeons (no, not the Chick tract).

 

[Verdande]

I love Labyrinth Lord to death. I hate to be a shill, but it's seriously awesome. It's so close to being the BECMI version that I grew up on, even I have a hard time telling them apart.