The glory of OD&D

[Sheyd]

First time poster here *waves* Hiya, LONG time RPger. I've played every edition, yup every one from the first thin booklet that came not with dice but with laminated sheets of numbers you had to cut up and put in cups and shake all the way to the latest. This thread pleases me for two reasons. One) to see all the editions getting attention and care is very rewarding to see. I still play the older editions with various individuals and groups so the idea that even today others find the fun of those old rulesets and make use of them... The second reason is that the hunt for the older editions mentioned here warm the cockles of my old heart... Being a packrat I've kept all of my stuff, hell I still have my original copy of Keep on the Borderlands (true held together with tape) that had the person with the highest dexterity going first. It vindication I tell you, I can point to this thread and say "See? Aren't you glad I didn't get rid of that stuff when you told me all those times?" Vindication I say!!

 

[Clangador]

Someone has been getting into the crack again.

 

[Vigilance]

OD&D is a great game no question. I ran a long campaign using the D&D Rules Cyclopedia and there is no rapture greater than having every thing you need to run a campaign from levels 1-40 in a single hardcover book.

Chuck

 

[Melan]

I have found it interesting that it is much easier to "sell" an OD&D game to roleplayers who don't usually play other editions of D&D. At first, they laugh, but when they realise how easy and painless the rules are, they start to appreciate it. I have run one-shots with great success for people who would never be caught anywhere near third edition. Despite the horrid organization and dated production values, there is a very good casual game in there. The most significant issue is price and availability. I got my 5th printing for $50 plus shipping, but that was a rare find - eBay can be much worse.

 

[Ghendar]

I too moved away from 3.x to a simpler system - I prefer C&C, but the truth is there is a stong movement out there that is discovering that the mass of 3.x and d20 products has just become... well, cumbersome is a nice word.

Hmm, cumbersome system eh? Looks like we're primed for 4th ED then.

 

[Ghendar]

See? Then people counter with their own brand of snobbery. He, and I, said if you have fun playing it then play it! We are such horribly snobbish Grognards!

I just find it hilarious Crothian has gotten so much closer to playing C&C.

Well said. ehren37 is well known on Maxminis as someone who can't appreciate older editions. Not a criticism, just a fact. I have no problem with what you choose to play but don't denegrate older systems because you don't like them. Without those older systems, 3.5 wouldn't exist now.

Have a nice day

 

[Stonegiant]

Hello Everyone! Longtime lurker, first time poster!

I am a dyed in the wool Moldvay/Cook B/X D&D player since it came out. I have however as of the past two or three months been putting together my own OD&D (Original Brown Books) game with the megadungeon to boot. I find this return to an older and even more simplistic ruleset to be quite exhilerating and liberating. On the other hand I would never put down someone for using whatever set of rules that they choose to use as long as they show me the same respect . After all fun should be at the core of everygame (regardless of edition) otherwise D&D is just a demented blend of Drama class with Algerbra class

 

[Solomoriah]

Drat...I thought you go hang out with all the other Grognards at Dragonsfoot. As they cant eveen stand to hear the words 3.x. Which is why they call it TETSNBN. Oh well, it looks like I will have to go back to the drawing board.

Actually, though I don't know for certain, I think TETSNBN was coined by a 3E fan who chafed under the Dragonsfoot posting rules (gave him a way to say 3E without saying 3E); but it's been picked up by a lot of posters on DF since then and the pouty connotation has been lost.

 

[der_kluge]

I think I would find running an old set of rules to be prohibitively complicated to have to convert everything.

I put exactly -zero- prep work into my game, and tend to rely on my adlib abilities (which are formidable). For me, pacing is everything, and if I had to stop to convert a creature from a module to a different ruleset, it would ruin the pace of the game.


I though 1st edition was ok. But there's a lot of goofy stuff in there. Bards as an uber class, static to-hit charts which constantly need to be referenced, level limits, etc.

2nd edition is ok. I played it for years and years. Thac0 was an improvement, but racial level limits, the goofy 18/00 strength rule, and some other goofy things. At the time, this didn't really bother me. I could never go back to 2nd edition nowadays.

3rd edition has more support and supplements than any other game. Unless you're poor, and can't afford 3.5, I can't really see any reason to play the previous editions. 3rd edition has more support, more flexibility, and more internal consistency. Plus, it's a heck of a lot easier to find players who know those rules. It's not a perfect system, but I can gloss over a lot of the complex bits enough to satisfy me, and run the kind of game I want to run.

Castles and Crusades is ok, but even it has its failings. It's a deadlier game at low levels, since the saves much more difficult for those who aren't prime in their category. There aren't any consistent multi-classing rules, and it has balance problems (IMHO).

I don't think there is any perfect system. If there was, we'd all be playing it.

For Crothian to use OD&D simply means he has WAY more free time than I have to convert all his stuff over.

I'll happily stick to 3rd edition, thank you.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

This is illustration of how modern D&D would benefit from a truly introductory version of the game that is also playable in and of itself for entire campaigns. Those who want more complexity will get a taste of what the game is all about, and move on, while those who like less complexity will stick with the basic game.