What flavor of 'Old School' do you like?

[Dyson Logos]

I have and would play the originals over the clones.

But since he can't create and publish material for the originals, why not actually come out and tell him which of the rule sets you prefer so he can use the clone of that rule set to work from?

Personally, I'm a fan of B/X D&D. Thus I voted Labyrinth Lord, which is the clone that is most true to the version of D&D I play and run most often.

 

[Treebore]

I like C&C because I found it to be the best vehicle for me to take what I like from each generation of D&D while leaving behind what I did NOT like.

One thin I will say about Swords and Sorcery, unlike the original little brown books, it actually is done well enough to get me to consider playing that generation of the game. The lbb's never gave me the slightest urge to do so.

So Mythmere did a tremendous job rewriting and laying out and organizing the material into something I found far more appealing.

I only recently got my copy of LL from Dan, so I have yet to sit down and completely read it, but the 20 or so minutes I did spend spot reading through it have me thinking it is a very well done reinterpretation of what he did, which appears to be more than one generation of D&D.

OSRIC. I love my 1E books simply because I fell in love with how Gary and company wrote them, but OSRIC is many steps better in presentation, organization, and clarity. That alone is a good enough reason in my book to have print copies.

So if you simply love D&D, all editions of them, warts and all, like I do, I think they are all worth owning print copies of, and then using what strikes your fancy the greatest.

Which, again, is why I use C&C. The SIEGE engine just makes it the easiest "base" for me to use with which to mix my perfect "soup" together with. A soup I spice with my favorite ideas from the lbb's all the way up to its current edition.

So thanks to everyone who has done their own versions, the fresh new reinterpretation and presentation of all these great editions has been a big help and a pleasure to read through and see all the various ideas.

 

[Sagawork_Studios]

Hey Andrew, if you get a minute would you drop me a line?

bsilvey at cfl dot rr dot com

Dropped! I've used my 'work' email address. Feel free to reply when you are able.

But since he can't create and publish material for the originals, why not actually come out and tell him which of the rule sets you prefer so he can use the clone of that rule set to work from?

I'll try and not derail my own thread, but I wholeheartedly believe that I can. I cite Dungeon Crawl Classics: Saga of the Witch Queen as a perfect example of how to do so without seeking a specific license (not one that is obvious to my eyes in any part of the OGL on pg 79, or elsewhere in the module that I can see). Because I don't want to derail, either pop me an email or please fork the thread if anyone wishes to discuss it further: I am more than happy to do so.

I am still reading though this thread, so I shall fire off some more replies soon.

 

[Aus_Snow]

None of the above (OD&D).

But I'd be more than willing to once more play, or for that matter, try out, any of those on your list (including either of the two you specifically excepted).

 

[Eternalknight]

I too prefer to play the originals over clones. That said, I tend to play my own written game now, which has an old-school feel.

 

[PeelSeel2]

I was playing Moldvay/Cook D&D and found my players did not like the organization of the rules, coupled with only having about 3 copies, I went with Labyrinth Lord. The little differences between the two do not amount to anything, really. Now I have 5 copies on the table, and am going to print three more. Three new players sat at our table last night and they had characters done in 20 minutes (6th level characters at that!) and we where rocking and rolling.

 

[AslanC]

My love for Labyrinth Lord grows and grows.

Simply an outstanding product

 

[Scurvy_Platypus]

I realize it might be considered a fruitless point but...

"Old school" does not mean "D&D".

Tunnels & Trolls, Arduin, Palladium Fantasy, and Talislanta are all examples of "old school" games as well. It kinda bothers me sometimes that the retroclone movement seems intent on trying to hijack an entire era of gaming.

Out of the D&D retroclones you've listed...

I guess I'd go with either Labyrinth Lord or Spellcraft & Swordplay.

 

[S'mon]

I realize it might be considered a fruitless point but...

"Old school" does not mean "D&D".

In the context of the retro-clone movement, it usually does mean "Old School D&D", but the cloners are not allowed to say "D&D" due to the terms of the OGL, hence just "old school". It's not their fault.

 

[jdrakeh]

Of those listed, Swords & Wizardry followed by Labyrinth Lord. I like the original three Arduin Grimoires better than either of those, though.