D&D General What You're Missing with Torches in B/X D&D

[Shiroiken]

Correct me if I’m wrong but weren’t lanterns expensive? Or at least not basic starting gear, so while practically lanterns are a superior choice in most circumstances (well, swinging your lantern at a foe is more likely to break it than harm them) most everybody had to go through the torches stage first at one time or another.

Maybe. I haven't played B/X, only AD&D and BECMI. I don't recall with BECMI, but from what I remember most 1E characters could easily afford a lantern and a couple flasks of oil (lasting 1 hour each). It wasn't necessarily as cost efficient as torches, but weighed less, which was crucial in getting the most loot (and thus xp) out of a dungeon. Unlike torches, a character could choose to set the lantern down for combat (beforehand, if you knew one was likely to occur), freeing up a hand for a shield or spell component (S and M each took their own hand back then). IME, torches were still often carried, but to be used for lighting things on fire, rather than for illumination.

 

[Lanefan]

Never got the obsession with torches. Lanterns were always a better choice IMO...

Lanterns are both a better choice and a worse one. They give better light (particularly the directional bullseye lanterns) but are heavier, bulkier, and require oil (thus adding more weight to carry) to keep going.

 

[Shiroiken]

Lanterns are both a better choice and a worse one. They give better light (particularly the directional bullseye lanterns) but are heavier, bulkier, and require oil (thus adding more weight to carry) to keep going.

A lantern is 60gp weight, with 20gp per oil flask, while torches are 25gp weight each. For 1 hour of illumination, you'd need a lantern and 1 flasks of oil (80 gp weight) vs. 6 torches (150 gp weight). The longer you go, the more and more weight efficient lanterns are.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

This is not relevant in B/X. Neither encumbrance option involves tracking the weight of individual pieces of adventuring gear.

The only things tracked are carrying treasure vs not carrying treasure, and armor type (Basic Encumbrance) or Armor, Weapon, and treasure weights (Detailed encumbrance). In detailed encumbrance, all adventuring gear combined is treated as 80 coins of weight regardless of quantity and type.

Once a PC has completed their first expedition and has some extra coin, they should outfit themselves with a generous amount of both torches and oil flasks.

A lantern is 60gp weight, with 20gp per oil flask, while torches are 25gp weight each. For 1 hour of illumination, you'd need a lantern and 1 flasks of oil (80 gp weight) vs. 6 torches (150 gp weight). The longer you go, the more and more weight efficient lanterns are.

Shiroiken has said what I was aiming for.