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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 5767340" data-attributes="member: 42582">Fair enough. I don't see many of them saying "And therefore, AD&D is dead to me!" or suggesting that, because of Gygax, whole generations of potential GMs and players have been killed off.From the AD&D PHB, pp 107-9:[W]hat follows are some basic guidelines as to how good players approach the game, and as continued success tends towards even more achievement, those who play well might actually become great. . . <s>et an objective</s><s> for the adventure. . .</s> <s></s> <s>Once the objective has been established, consier how well the party plaing will suit the needs which it has engendered. . . Is it well-balanced . . . ? Will it be necesssary to find mercenary non-player characters or hire men-at arms . . . ?</s> <s></s> <s>Assign formations for the group - 10' corridor, 20' corridor, door opening . . . The leader should keep a sketch or trailing map as the adventure gets underway, and another member of the expedition should keep a carefully drawn map as well. . .</s> <s></s> <s>Aovid unnecessary encounters. . . Do not be sidetracked . . . [A]lways stay with what was planned if at all possible . . .</s> <s></s> <s>Superior play makes the game more enjoyable for all participants . . . It allows more actual playing time. It makes play more interesting. . . If you believe that Advanced Dungeons & Dragons is a game worth playing, you will certainly find it doubly so if you play well.</s><s></s><s></s><s>From the AD&D DMG, p 92:</s><s></s><s>Thoughtless placement of powerful magic items has ben the ruination of many a campaign . . . This is in part the fault of this writer . . . Had the [random treasure tables] been prefaced with an admonition to use care and logic in placement or random discovery of magic items, had the intent, meaning and spirit of the game been more fully explained, much of the give-away aspct of such campaigns would have willingly been squelched by the DMs. The said fact is, however, that this was not done, so many campaigns are little more than a joke . . . because of the foolishness of player characters with astronomically high levels of experience and no real playing skill. These god-like characters boast and strut about with retinues of ultra-powerful wservants and scores of mighty magic items, artifacts, relics adorning them as if they were Christmas trees decked out with tinsel and ornaments.</s><s>How is Gygax not engaging, in these passage, in "one true way-ism"? - advocacy of operationally-oriented, exploration heavy gamism with very overt metagame in the preparation phase, with no recognition of other playstyles like full-fledged immersion (at the time, Chivalry and Sorcery and Runequest both aimed at this), more light-hearted gamism of the Tunnels and Trolls variety, etc.</s><s></s><s>I also don't feel any particular lack of condescension.</s><s></s><s>Gygax's advice is, of course, not terrible advice if you want to run a Gygaxian game of AD&D. Wyatt's advice, similarly, is not terrible advice if you want to run a situation-focused game of 4e. Neither strikes me as particularly offensive, although Gygax is ruder than Wyatt.</s></blockquote>

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