Wishing For A Higher Ability Score

[Crothian]

would be fair too though.

Honestly, it's First Edition D&D. I don't thing fair is a consideration to rulings.

 

[airwalkrr]

Equitable then? It isn't as if AD&D is inherently given to capriciousness and whimsy. It may not be the internally consistent game that more modern RPGs aspire to, but it does have its own sense of fairness to it.

 

[Crothian]

It's a fine house rule. And in 1e while fairness is not something that necessarily come up a lot house rules do. It doesn't really matter why the DM has the rule just that he has it. It was a lot more of a DM empowerment game.

 

[airwalkrr]

I think that had a lot to do with the fact that most of the important rules were in the DMG back then. Look at the amount of information in the DMG in 1e compared with the amount of information in the PH in 4e. Modern RPGs seem to be going the way of player empowerment. Of course, that's why I still prefer Palladium to all other RPGs. Palladium games assume the GM is using house rules and tailors each campaign to fit his players, not the other way around.

Nevertheless, whether or not a rule is considered fair by the players is still important. If players don't believe a DM is being fair, they will bail, leaving a lonely DM. So its in everyone's best interest for the DM to pursue fairness, at least in the eyes of his own players.

 

[papastebu]

That's true, so far as it goes, but I have had players bail on me for being to generous. They complain of "Monty Haul Syndrome," or whatever, and they don't want to play because they think everything is unchallenging, I guess.
As to the original post, I personally hated the 18/xx rule, even when I was playing a fighter, and especially when I was playing a magic user. I always felt like there was nothing left for my 1st-level MU to do after he popped off his two magic missiles, and in addition, the fighter character got to keep on keepin' on when I was stuck trying to hide behind a tree without any Hide In Shadows percentile.
And if I wanted to use the Armor spell? Fageddaboudit!