Was AD&D1 designed for game balance?

[Garthanos]

It would be hard to get more of that brand of "awesome" than the player of a tabletop war game, a video game, etc., who has no thought at all of confusing self and game-pawn.

Not treating the game character as a character is an independent thing... you are confusing the two in order to belittle.

Since when is playing me in a mask a challenge or a skill?

 

[Ariosto]

Since when is playing me in a mask a challenge or a skill?

Since the first Game Master said, "Here's the situation you face --what will you do?"

 

[Garthanos]

Since the first Game Master said, "Here's the situation you face --what will you do?"

My children must have awesome levels at it then....

 

[Garthanos]

Deciding what I would do.. well that is fairly easy isnt it its making a normal choice... deciding what well defined character Herssian the fell slayer, will do is where the challenge comes in.

 

[Ariosto]

Gygax played D&D with his children. There is a keenness of observation and flexibility of intellect that lets us learn and adapt with remarkable rapidity when young. The imagination in particular seems to act freely.

 

[Ariosto]

I can only wonder what sort of D&D game you must play if all your decisions are "easy, just a normal choice"! Are you normally in the habit of being a hobbit, or of daring dungeons in which may lurk dragons? Are you a knight in shining armor, a spell-casting sorcerer, a banisher of the undead and unholy, a Jack of Shadows?

"No, but I play one on TV!" That is fine; a touch of the amateur dramatist is certainly not amiss, and many players find that an easier way to start than vicarious participation. Ideally, I think, one should eventually encompass both abilities and be able to apply either as appropriate -- and "number-crunch gaming" and "story telling" to boot. A Dungeon Master in particular can make good use of every kind of skill in the game.

The thing is, the purely thespian touch is something one can add to any game -- and so too tight a focus on it is to lose focus on what is special about a role-playing game. Going further, one can lose sight of the game element altogether, and then one really might as well be on stage before an audience.

 

[Garthanos]

Not playing oneself ... means actually paying attention to the
differences between a hobbit and me...many people seem to
fail at this or fail to communicate it.

 

[FireLance]

One might note that the Gygaxian D&D books never attempted to lay down any quantified, "one size fits all" standards -- not by the remotest measure relative to the pronouncements in WotC-D&D! The Dungeon Masters Guide began and ended with those same broad, general principles. In between, there was a whole lot of advice based on experience, and a whole lot of rumination on the thinking behind the game structure described.

Aside: One wonders why the bolded portion in the quoted post was necessary. I do not think your point would have been diminished if you had left it out.

Now, to address the actual point raised: Arguably, treasure types and treasure tables are exactly that: "one size fits all" (albeit random) standards. Individual DMs may choose to populate their campaign with monsters that have more or less treasure, but I doubt there was advice given in either the Monster Manual or the DMG to tailor the rate of rewards to the preferences of the players (as I recall, most of the advice seemed to be exactly the opposite: never give the players everything they want). It is entirely possible that I missed it or misinterpreted it when I read the 1E DMG though (back when I was playing 1E). Are there any passages that advise the DM to bear his players' preferences in mind in a positive way?

 

[Garthanos]

Thespianship is the communcation element of what I just mentioned I suppose..
it isnt necessarily different under the hood (method acting is a popular term)
by storytelling I take it you mean examining the character from a third person
perspective or something like that? after the fact -- or preplanning the characters evolution?

 

[Garthanos]

I can only wonder what sort of D&D game you must play if all your decisions are "easy, just a normal choice"! Are you normally in the habit of being a hobbit,

But that is the point isnt it I said differentiating me from the character I am different I have to make different choices and most people dont not "really" their characters think like modern people with modern moralities and make thoroughly modern non-hobbit like choices based around the game rewards usually.