OD&D OD&D Design Choices... Why?

[Is_907]

Hey all,
I've not ever had a chance to play anything older than 3rd edition D&D. I have a broad exposure to all sorts of RPGs ranging from homebrewed to d20 games to Warhammer 40k and have read everything in between (dying to try Savage Worlds next.)

Anyway, I'm very intrigued by OD&D and can't figure out a few things, namely the WHY in some design choices. I'm hoping to find a group that can play OD&D or a "retro clone" of it at least one or two sessions, but until then, maybe some here can answer these questions?

- Why do non-Human races advance slower through levels and/or have level caps?

Actually, that about sums it up... why are non-human PCs seemingly gimped from the start?

I LOVE the freedom and lack of "there's a rule for every little thing" in OD&D, but this question is nagging me.

 

[Mark CMG]

You're fairly close to where they hold the annual North Texas Role Playing Game Convention. It's been held in Irving and is loaded with old school gaming.

North Texas Role Playing Game Convention FAQ

You should drop by their forums and see if a local game can accomodate your curiosity for playing a few sesions of (O)D&D. I'm sure they'd be happy to have you.


As to your question, I am sure it stems from the idea that nonhuman races have other advantages but also largely because it is a humanocentric-inherent default setting where humans are supposed to be dominant. Other folks here or there might say something similar but that's been my take since taking up the game in 1974 when it was first released.

 

[MerricB]

- Why do non-Human races advance slower through levels and/or have level caps?

In original D&D - and I'm assuming you're talking about the original release here, not the Basic D&D line - all non-human races advance at the same rate as humans.

However, they also have a number of special abilities that humans don't have, so they are limited in level as a drawback.

It should be noted that this level limit was raised during every further iteration of the game that Gary Gygax worked on - in AD&D, then in Unearthed Arcana. (And it was raised further in 2e!)

The idea behind it was that the balance was over the period of a campaign, which - for D&D - primarily was from 1st to 8th level. Or thereabouts. So, Dwarves being unable to progress past 6th level (as a fighter) wasn't too much of a problem - especially once you factored in their bonuses on saves, find dungeon features (traps), and suchlike.

(Hobbits/Halflings weren't quite in the game as a serious choice, admittedly. Once Supplement I was introduced and the thief class made its debut, they became a lot better).

The Elf was rather unusual: they could act as either a Fighter or Magic-User for each session, using all the abilities of one or the other profession, and keeping separate XP totals and levels for both classes. Well, that's how it read, anyway. OD&D is rather unclear on the matter.

By the time AD&D came along, the Elf could now (properly) multiclass and have the XP shared equally between the two and use both functions at once.

In the Basic line of products, the Dwarf changed to have a top limit of 8th level, but a slightly slower advancement (to make up for their advantages). The Elf gained the ability to use both fighter and magic-user abilities at the same time, but had a punishing XP table (and a maximum level of 10). Eventually, the Companion set of rules gave the demihuman "faux" advancement abilities...

Cheers!

 

[MerricB]

It should also be noted that a lot of the decisions came from either the literary point of view of the races - which explained why halfling (hobbit) fighting men were so restricted in level - or from desires to make the game more human-based.

As I recall, later Gary Gygax admitted that single-class dwarves probably should have been unlimited in level.

Cheers!

 

[Is_907]

Interesting. It seems to me, coming at it from a 3e-centric background, that a lack of level advancement balancing out racial traits/abilities is like... apples and oranges.

BUT... I see how it works and can support it


@Mark CMG Thanks for the link! I've lived here two years and have barely found any good gaming communities... am part of a group trying to get some regular gaming going on at the library in Lewisville, hoping to get the novices into the hobby world.

I'll DEFINITELY check out the NTX RPG Con site and see if I can find some folks willing to donate time to run a game for a youngster! (=

 

[Is_907]

One of the biggest reasons I've started delving in to OD&D and the game's history is to see how tied to the time period and to the literature of the time the game was.
It's pretty obvious that most RPGs have evolved to be a more "all things to all men" deal, allowing everyone to have their cake, eat it, and not be "gimped" (as many would call it) by imbalanced mechanics.

To be sure, I feel most rulesets have their own inherent flavour, and it definitely seems that the older D&D games are more in line with what a lot of us grew up reading--the Tolkien-esque worlds.

Incidentally, I read a book a few months back called "The Elfish Gene--Growing Up Geek" by Mark Barrowcliffe. Good book, though I think he was part of a subculture of gamers that I have always avoided (rules lawyers and immature brats), so has always thought of D&D as an immature game.
BUT... the book gives some great insights into how the game was received back then.

 

[MerricB]

To be sure, I feel most rulesets have their own inherent flavour, and it definitely seems that the older D&D games are more in line with what a lot of us grew up reading--the Tolkien-esque worlds.

Gary Gygax downplayed Tolkien's influence a lot later, but it's quite obvious from the races & classes available that Tolkien was a major influence.

However, the style of adventure and the mechanics of early D&D weren't all that influenced by Tolkien. Instead you have Jack Vance, Fritz Leiber, Edgar Rice Burroughs, R.E Howard and other authors who really influenced the early game.

See here: Appendix N - Gary's D&D Book Inspiration List

Cheers!

 

[Is_907]

Gary Gygax downplayed Tolkien's influence a lot later, but it's quite obvious from the races & classes available that Tolkien was a major influence.

However, the style of adventure and the mechanics of early D&D weren't all that influenced by Tolkien. Instead you have Jack Vance, Fritz Leiber, Edgar Rice Burroughs, R.E Howard and other authors who really influenced the early game.

See here: Appendix N - Gary's D&D Book Inspiration List

Cheers!

Yes, absolutely. I was referring only to the flavour of race/class choices there. (Didn't specify though--I shouldn't post when I'm up at 1:30am trying to work and browse forums haha.)

Vancian magic definitely flies in the face of Tolkien's world
Thanks for the link--good reading.


Thanks for all the comments guys. I really appreciate it. Now, if I can just find an OD&D game to play in... *hunts*

 

[ExploderWizard]

In the Basic line of products, the Dwarf changed to have a top limit of 8th level, but a slightly slower advancement (to make up for their advantages). The Elf gained the ability to use both fighter and magic-user abilities at the same time, but had a punishing XP table (and a maximum level of 10). Eventually, the Companion set of rules gave the demihuman "faux" advancement abilities...

Cheers!

IIRC the basic D&D dwarf could advance to 12th level, the elf 10th, and the halfling 8th.

 

[MerricB]

IIRC the basic D&D dwarf could advance to 12th level, the elf 10th, and the halfling 8th.

You're quite right.