OSR Why B/X?

[Reynard]

What, you don't like finding 236 copper pieces in the pocket of a displacer beast?

I didn't realize they were marsupial.

 

[Malmuria]

That is a good explanation. I especially appreciate the idea of procedures to cover things, rather than just skill systems.

you might like this video

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

What, you don't like finding 236 copper pieces in the pocket of a displacer beast?

Even just generating a treasure in 5E requires way too much page flipping. And WotC seems to have wanted selecting and using magic items to be as user-unfriendly as possible, despite filling dozens of pages with them.

It would be hard to make a worse mechanism for treasure generation than the 5E ones if WotC had tried. And the fact that they could look back on stuff like the 1E Monster Manual treasure table and not say "surely we can make it more logical and easy to use than that" makes it even worse.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I've never been clear why B/X is preferred over BECMI. My current working theory is that the "CMI" part, with its focus on domain-level play, the quest for Immortality, and then playing an Immortal, clashes with the low-fantasy aesthetic that the OSR prefers.

I don't know if that's true. My favorite OSR game is based on B/X, and it is all about the domain game and mass combat!

 

[Zardnaar]

I don't know if that's true. My favorite OSR game is based on B/X, and it is all about the domain game and mass combat!

ACKs?



Guess what I've been reading again

 

[Micah Sweet]

ACKs?

View attachment 292270

Guess what I've been reading again

Yeah. Looking forward to the 2e Kickstarter!

 

[Zardnaar]

Yeah. Looking forward to the 2e Kickstarter!

I noticed it had 1E on it lol.

Looking at running something older based on some people who are interested. Probably ACKs, 2E, or C&C (if I had OSE would use that).

 

[Micah Sweet]

I noticed it had 1E on it lol.

Looking at running something older based on some people who are interested. Probably ACKs, 2E, or C&C (if I had OSE would use that).

I've been thinking of picking up OSE for a while now, just to see what's like.

 

[Zardnaar]

I've been thinking of picking up OSE for a while now, just to see what's like.

Main reason I haven't there's already 4 or 5 clones on my shelf and 8-10 editions. May as well use what I've got right?

 

[cavalier973]

And YMMV, but for me, the art was and has remained a giant roadblock to enjoying the RC.

There are some suboptimal pieces in the RC, but there are some very nice pieces, as well.

The table of contents page has a line of warriors waiting to sign up to join an adventuring company (presumably). The guys doing the interviews look tired and a little worried.

Several characters show up multiple times, in different situations. Even the orcs, who seem to be chasing after a couple of PCs (who have hidden in a pond, breathing through reeds), are shown being surprised in a cave by a monster later in the book. There are stories there—just snippets of stories—presented in the artwork.

There is a girl who is staring wide-eyed at some jewelry in a case, and ignoring the smoldering, skeletal remains of her party members who were blasted by the trap on the case (at least, that’s how I interpret the scene).

A sheik is administering a healing potion to a hurt comrade. An Aztec warrior steps into a room filled with treasure, but does not see the imp-like creature hiding behind him.

A knight riding a winged horse is flying toward a dragon, lance at the ready.

And a magic user is using a spell to thwart a beholder’s attack.

That’s just off the top of my head.