OSR What's more important for a retroclone?

[Sacrosanct]

What do you think is more important to a retroclone of TSR era D&D?

1. Rules
the mechanics and rules should stick without new changes. THAC0, races, classes, level limits, spells, etc. Think OSE or OSRIC but without the ascending AC options

2. The feel of the game
Shadowdark is a good example. It does a great job capturing the feel of the game--grit, danger, simple classes and progression, but offers wildly different rules (how spells work, XP, ability checks, etc.)

 

[overgeeked]

To me, a retroclone is defined by copying the rules of an older game as closely as possible. Like Old-School Essentials.

There are plenty of great games out there that copy the feel of the old-school games, but they're not retroclones. Like Shadowdark.

 

[Reynard]

To me, a retroclone is defined by copying the rules of an older game as closely as possible. Like Old-School Essentials.

There are plenty of great games out there that copy the feel of the old-school games, but they're not retroclones. Like Shadowdark.

^^^This.

That said, a good game that embraces the ethos and feel of an older game is pretty great, too.

 

[Nikosandros]

I agree. A clone, by definition is a copy, so it has to be as close as possible to the original while offering clarifications and better organization and accessibility. Games inspired by the spirit of older games can be wonderful, of course. They simply are not clones.

Ascending AC, on the other hand, is mathematically equivalent to descending. So, while I personally prefer descending when playing older editions of D&D, I don't really see ascending AC as a change in the rules.