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Who still plays Basic D&D?
- Thread starter Thorvald Kviksverd
- Start date
WSmith
First Post
Henry said:
My 2e game was pretty cool when we were just using the CFH. (It was a low-to-no magic setting, with most conflict resolved at the tip of a sword) So that book made so much sense and fit in very nicely. But, then other players wanted to use their own splatbooks, and quickly the rules and the gaming group fell apart.
As a DM, things I consistantly forget are things like adding the 1.5 STR bonus, or off the top of my head, I can't remember the several layers of TWF modifiers. When I play rangers, pre-record the different possible combinations on my character sheet. When I dm, I don't have that luxury. I would love to come across a DM like you who is adept with the rules. That way, I can just play a character and be happy.
WSmith
First Post
Re: Re: Who still plays Basic D&D?
I too, everyday now, keep checking the red book and my PDF copy of the Rules Cyc'. There are a lot of things that I would house rule, and which would look a lot more like 3rd edition than BD&D. I prefer the thieving skills, and all skills for that matter, as a modifer to a DC and not a free standing percentage or a roll on a 1d6. I prefer cylic initiative and subdual damage. I prefer the 6 sec round and its accompaning movement scale, (which I have been using for years anyway). I LOVE AC that goes up and not having to consult a chart to attack. I love opposed rolls and the way surprise works.
However, the Basic rules KISS. Only X amount of pages depending on the product.
mmadsen said:
I too, everyday now, keep checking the red book and my PDF copy of the Rules Cyc'. There are a lot of things that I would house rule, and which would look a lot more like 3rd edition than BD&D. I prefer the thieving skills, and all skills for that matter, as a modifer to a DC and not a free standing percentage or a roll on a 1d6. I prefer cylic initiative and subdual damage. I prefer the 6 sec round and its accompaning movement scale, (which I have been using for years anyway). I LOVE AC that goes up and not having to consult a chart to attack. I love opposed rolls and the way surprise works.
However, the Basic rules KISS. Only X amount of pages depending on the product.
Andrew D. Gable
First Post
Thorvald Kviksverd said:
If you don't mind, I'd like to take a look at this creation system more in-depth. My email is empirion33@yahoo.com.
Exactly. You can go a long, long way with Opposed Skill Checks and +2 or -2 "eyeballed" modifiers.
It definitely depends on your players though. If they're all casual players, and you're the only guy with the books, you can get away with anything. Or if you've earned their faith.
I know plenty of groups where off-the-cuff DMing would turn the evening into a series of arguments.
WSmith
First Post
Bob Aberton's DMing style sounds a great deal like mine in my 1e/BD&D days. That was exactly my style. But like mmadsen points out, you have to have the right players to do it. I find them to be the rule rahter than the exception.
Take for example the "Should NPCs follow the rules" thread. Almost everyone over there is highly against fudging NPCs, even mundane ones and say "if the PCs should follow the rules so should the NPCs". That sumarizes the lot of potential gamers I have run into. A flexable, trustworthy, casual group should consider D&D a fun game, and not an excercise in rules mastery and lawyering. I currently don't have a group. Maybe someday I will, and they will be like the one I seek, and THEN I can feel comfortable DMing 3e like Bob Aberton does.
Take for example the "Should NPCs follow the rules" thread. Almost everyone over there is highly against fudging NPCs, even mundane ones and say "if the PCs should follow the rules so should the NPCs". That sumarizes the lot of potential gamers I have run into. A flexable, trustworthy, casual group should consider D&D a fun game, and not an excercise in rules mastery and lawyering. I currently don't have a group. Maybe someday I will, and they will be like the one I seek, and THEN I can feel comfortable DMing 3e like Bob Aberton does.
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SHARK
First Post
Greetings!
You know, WSMITH, if my players began whining and jabbering at me about some off-the-cuff npc that I'm winging--well, they don't, because if they did that, and "forced" me to make him up with full stats,--well, instead of the 6th level fighter that I was winging, now the character is a 8th level Fighter/4th level Ranger, with +3 Mithril Armor of Shadow, instead of masterwork chain, and a +3 vampire axe instead of a +2 Gladius. I could go on, and the more time that I had to put into it because of their ruleslawyering and pettiness the more stacked I would make the character, and the more pain, suffering, and humiliation the player's characters would suffer because of it. Their characters might even lose some fate points for good measure in such a nasty fight that the character would be sure to put up.
Next time, I'm sure when I winged it, and a player started to whine, the other players would threaten him to shut his damn mouth while they were ahead, you know? I'd smile, and say "what was that?" and they'd hurredly say, "It was nothing! Forrest over here was just talking to himself. Don't pay him no mind!--Now, about this character you were describing to us?..." That's how it would go I imagine. Everyone would just have a good time. It's sad that some people have to be ruleslawyers about it. That's the way I would deal with it though!
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
You know, WSMITH, if my players began whining and jabbering at me about some off-the-cuff npc that I'm winging--well, they don't, because if they did that, and "forced" me to make him up with full stats,--well, instead of the 6th level fighter that I was winging, now the character is a 8th level Fighter/4th level Ranger, with +3 Mithril Armor of Shadow, instead of masterwork chain, and a +3 vampire axe instead of a +2 Gladius. I could go on, and the more time that I had to put into it because of their ruleslawyering and pettiness the more stacked I would make the character, and the more pain, suffering, and humiliation the player's characters would suffer because of it. Their characters might even lose some fate points for good measure in such a nasty fight that the character would be sure to put up.
Next time, I'm sure when I winged it, and a player started to whine, the other players would threaten him to shut his damn mouth while they were ahead, you know?
I'd smile, and say "what was that?" and they'd hurredly say, "It was nothing! Forrest over here was just talking to himself. Don't pay him no mind!--Now, about this character you were describing to us?..." That's how it would go I imagine. Everyone would just have a good time. It's sad that some people have to be ruleslawyers about it. That's the way I would deal with it though!Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
WSmith
First Post
Thanks, SHARK!
Clark, my mentor, in the other thread about 3e being too complicated to DM, brought up a few things I agree with like "Play dictates the rules, not the rules dictate play." Amen. That is how I look at the hobby, a fun game.
The other thing is that 3e is only harder to DM cause it is new. He might be completely right on this. However, because of the players I have run into as of late, I feel that it is better to not play (even as a player and not a DM) with them than to do so and end up in argruments cause their number crunching prowess and "obvious" superiority of rules knowledge makes mine pale in comparrison. I think too, I am just burned out on DMing and can't grasp the new info. Maybe I just need a break, to play a character for a while.
I am all for winging it. I love you style of play SHARK, and the kind of players you have describe the kind of player I am. Darn that HWY 99 and CA gas prices!
I play a ranger cause I think Faramir is the best character in the trilogy. I play barbarians cause there is nothing better than throwing caution to the wind, smashing through the wooden door, charging in and going toe-to-toe with the hobgoblin horde despite being outnumbered. Those concepts are fun. Not because I can raise my STR X points and "do more damage cause my modifer is higher, and while we are at it Mr. DM don't forget I am adding my 1.5X my new STR Bouns for using the one handed weapon with two hands." It is because I can whip myself into a bloodthirsty frenzy, caring not for my own well being, but only for the defeat of my enemy. I wield my sword with two hands, because shields are for cowards!
Back to the topic, though, I have been reviewing the OD&D material I have. And although it is great about inspiring, I will tend to stay closer to an abridged version of 3e, as it uses most of the house rules I have been using for years. My problem is codifing the stuff I want to trim to make it a basic game.
Clark, my mentor, in the other thread about 3e being too complicated to DM, brought up a few things I agree with like "Play dictates the rules, not the rules dictate play." Amen. That is how I look at the hobby, a fun game.
The other thing is that 3e is only harder to DM cause it is new. He might be completely right on this. However, because of the players I have run into as of late, I feel that it is better to not play (even as a player and not a DM) with them than to do so and end up in argruments cause their number crunching prowess and "obvious" superiority of rules knowledge makes mine pale in comparrison. I think too, I am just burned out on DMing and can't grasp the new info. Maybe I just need a break, to play a character for a while.
I am all for winging it. I love you style of play SHARK, and the kind of players you have describe the kind of player I am. Darn that HWY 99 and CA gas prices!
I play a ranger cause I think Faramir is the best character in the trilogy. I play barbarians cause there is nothing better than throwing caution to the wind, smashing through the wooden door, charging in and going toe-to-toe with the hobgoblin horde despite being outnumbered. Those concepts are fun. Not because I can raise my STR X points and "do more damage cause my modifer is higher, and while we are at it Mr. DM don't forget I am adding my 1.5X my new STR Bouns for using the one handed weapon with two hands." It is because I can whip myself into a bloodthirsty frenzy, caring not for my own well being, but only for the defeat of my enemy. I wield my sword with two hands, because shields are for cowards!
Back to the topic, though, I have been reviewing the OD&D material I have. And although it is great about inspiring, I will tend to stay closer to an abridged version of 3e, as it uses most of the house rules I have been using for years. My problem is codifing the stuff I want to trim to make it a basic game.
