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Why would anyone want to play 1e?
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<blockquote data-quote="fuindordm" data-source="post: 9674863" data-attributes="member: 5435"><p>Hmm... </p><p>Pure 1e (without Unearthed Arcana or later books) is still a petty tight system for short adventures and long-term campaigns. Without adding anything from 2e, it holds together well--but you need to take it for what it is, and not try to make it what it isn't. For example:</p><p></p><p><strong>What about skills?</strong> In 1e, if they are important for adventuring you have them through your class. All other skills are either diceless (You were a sailor? OK, you can steer the boat) or handled by DM fiat (which may be a d20 ability check). If you need an obscure and difficult skill you're supposed to hire a specialist. In 2e, on the other hand, there are just too many NWPs, they are too closely tied to ability score and class, and they create the assumption that the NWP is required to perform the action. I'm not a fan of the system.</p><p></p><p><strong>What about thieves?</strong> In 1e thieves are arguably underpowered but still fun since they can do so many things that other PCs can't. Personally, I rule that thief skills only have a bad consequence for a failed roll if the skill specifies one (pick pockets, climb walls, and assasin's disguise). If you fail a find/remove trap roll, you have the same chance to dodge the trap as everyone else. If you fail a move silently roll, you have the same chance to surprise as everyone else. In this framework the low % scores are not crippling, they just show your chance of getting a bonus. You don't suck at everything, you are actually good at everything. Remember, even a fighter clanking around in plate mail can achieve surprise.</p><p></p><p><strong>What about psionics?</strong> Unlikely to happen but frankly the system is not that bad for an appendix. In a world without a psionicist class, it works well enough to model the occasional wild talent and "weird science" of genre crossovers. In a world with a psionicist class, I prefer the 2e complete handbook and still think it is the best psionics system of all the editions.</p><p></p><p><strong>What about useless tables? </strong>Well, I don't use some of them either. I don't use weapon vs AC for example. I use THAC0 in my notes but it's not too difficult to remember the repeating 20s rule and implement it on the fly.</p><p></p><p>My personal AD&D campaign is about 80% by the book, pre-UA 1e, 10% 2e-inspired house rules (mainly specialist wizards & priests, and my own option for specialist thieves), and 10% own house rules (e.g. some mods of class abilities and skills possible when you create your character). The nice thing about using 1e as a base is that these house rules plug onto the system without any fuss, and there is not much that I have to take away. On the other hand, if I were playing 2e I would take away bards (personal distaste for that implementation), weapon speed factors, NWPs, priest/druid spheres, and probably a few other things... so it might not feel much like 2e.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="fuindordm, post: 9674863, member: 5435"] Hmm... Pure 1e (without Unearthed Arcana or later books) is still a petty tight system for short adventures and long-term campaigns. Without adding anything from 2e, it holds together well--but you need to take it for what it is, and not try to make it what it isn't. For example: [B]What about skills?[/B] In 1e, if they are important for adventuring you have them through your class. All other skills are either diceless (You were a sailor? OK, you can steer the boat) or handled by DM fiat (which may be a d20 ability check). If you need an obscure and difficult skill you're supposed to hire a specialist. In 2e, on the other hand, there are just too many NWPs, they are too closely tied to ability score and class, and they create the assumption that the NWP is required to perform the action. I'm not a fan of the system. [B]What about thieves?[/B] In 1e thieves are arguably underpowered but still fun since they can do so many things that other PCs can't. Personally, I rule that thief skills only have a bad consequence for a failed roll if the skill specifies one (pick pockets, climb walls, and assasin's disguise). If you fail a find/remove trap roll, you have the same chance to dodge the trap as everyone else. If you fail a move silently roll, you have the same chance to surprise as everyone else. In this framework the low % scores are not crippling, they just show your chance of getting a bonus. You don't suck at everything, you are actually good at everything. Remember, even a fighter clanking around in plate mail can achieve surprise. [B]What about psionics?[/B] Unlikely to happen but frankly the system is not that bad for an appendix. In a world without a psionicist class, it works well enough to model the occasional wild talent and "weird science" of genre crossovers. In a world with a psionicist class, I prefer the 2e complete handbook and still think it is the best psionics system of all the editions. [B]What about useless tables? [/B]Well, I don't use some of them either. I don't use weapon vs AC for example. I use THAC0 in my notes but it's not too difficult to remember the repeating 20s rule and implement it on the fly. My personal AD&D campaign is about 80% by the book, pre-UA 1e, 10% 2e-inspired house rules (mainly specialist wizards & priests, and my own option for specialist thieves), and 10% own house rules (e.g. some mods of class abilities and skills possible when you create your character). The nice thing about using 1e as a base is that these house rules plug onto the system without any fuss, and there is not much that I have to take away. On the other hand, if I were playing 2e I would take away bards (personal distaste for that implementation), weapon speed factors, NWPs, priest/druid spheres, and probably a few other things... so it might not feel much like 2e. [/QUOTE]
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