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Post by Jerry Mapes on Sept 7, 2005 14:43:42 GMT -5
Yet another thing on my "If i ever get around to it" list.
Re-edit the 3 core books plus relevant info from Chainmail plus errata into one handy binding.
Prior to my last HD crash i did have all the LBBs (in original format) set up in MS Publisher and printed out table copies. Did the same with Travellers first 3 or 4 as well. Still have those saved.
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Arduin?
Aug 29, 2005 11:57:14 GMT -5
Post by Jerry Mapes on Aug 29, 2005 11:57:14 GMT -5
After reading thru the first book, i see a lot of things one could pull into a game. But i see a lot of stuff that would make you want to pull out all your hair. It is very typical of pre-AD&D material that was floating between groups and other small independent publishers. I guess alot of it depends on the system you are running with. Sure, much could be brought into any system with modifications... but OD&D or even TM's B/E-D&D rules would bend the best to fit IMO. AD&D you would have to be more careful. But that is the way i feel about most "compatable" or "universal" material being ported into AD&D. I really want to track down the other two books from the boxset to give them a good once over. But at $45? I can wait. Edit- Changed FM (Mentzer) to TM (Moldvay) its barely afternoon and its been a long day. But i suppose either could apply.
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Post by Jerry Mapes on Aug 16, 2005 17:23:58 GMT -5
Thanks for posting this, and feel free to archive anything else here as needed. We also have the Holmes area down below.
This is an interesting breakdown. Going to have to give it a closer read when i have more time.
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Post by Jerry Mapes on Aug 11, 2005 4:26:48 GMT -5
Case in point. Heh.
Last year prior to a discussion group meeting at hastings books I decided to try to drum up some interest in OD&D/AD&D by doing a short demo game. During my 3 hours there prior to the meeting I got to talk to a number of 3.x'ers and preach the virtues of OD&D/AD&D. But what got me was 4 people that stopped at my table who had by admittance, never seen an RPG game before... But no sooner did i mention Dungeons & Dragons, thier eyes lit up and they all said to almost the word... "OH! You mean that game with the funny/weird dice!"
Heh. Not one clue about RPGs let alone D&D... except that you use funny or weird dice! One did ask why not just d6's though. After some explaining as to why the different dice instead of just d6, i told them you could jsut use d6's but it just makes the game easier to use the listed dice but even the early game even came occasionally with chits and in a pinch even odds & evens or rock-paper-scissors could be substituted. We even had one guy in college that refused to buy dice. His reasoning was that he had spen 300 bucks on a TI scientific calculator that had programmed in the random dice routines. What was the point of spending another $4 on dice when he had already spent that much on a perfectly good random number generator?
Heh.
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Post by Jerry Mapes on Aug 16, 2005 17:18:32 GMT -5
It has been just as long since i re-read this thread! How time flies and how soon we forget...
I think that would be the natural progression and that you and Foster has provided some great insight and a great approach to making the calls.
Did i mention how happy i am to see so much OD&D material being discussed here? Heh. Reading thru these threads is really pumping me up with my new OD&D game (hopefully) on the horizon.
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Post by Jerry Mapes on Aug 16, 2005 18:32:55 GMT -5
Sorry it took so long to get back to this.
What we had wasnt so much a seperate class, but simply a Fighting Man that emphasized his best scores in Dex and Chr. we gave him similar abilities as what came later in the suppliments and AD&D but fewer.
It basically was sneak, pilfer, find traps, and con. Sneak was a combo of what later became move silent and hide. His chance of being successful was based on his Dex vs. the person(s)/monsters INT with the difference of scores being the +/- mod. Pilfer (pick pockets, purse cutting, pocketing an item, etc.) was handled the same. Con (job) - was simply basic fast/sweet talking. I never really had a hard fast rule. It really was PC to NPC interaction. The Player had to convince me. IF i went with a dice roll or the player was really inexperinced and needed some "help" i would default to the CHR Reaction roll table in the M&M book with a rolled score of: 2=realizes its a con and attacks 3-5=realizes its a con and reacts "hostile" short of attacking (call constable, guards, verbal restraint, etc.) 6-8=uncertain 9-12=accepts offer If the person being con'd was someone elses retainer or henchman then I would apply thier loyality to the roll as well as the sweetness of the deal/offer/bribe.
Find traps was active/descriptive search then Wis vs Wis of trap setter with difference being modifier +/-, to disarm it was Int vs Int of trap setter with difference being modifier +/-.
it all made for some extra prep work but it worked ok. But the key to the success still remained up to the DM based on the description/thouroughness of the action. It was common sense. You needn't go into a 3 hr treatse on what you were doing but you couldnt just say "I check for traps" and leave it at that.
all in all it was pretty much what was to come, just less stnadardized. a simple attempt to keep it from being solely mechanical.
gotta run supper is on.
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Post by Jerry Mapes on Feb 15, 2005 21:38:14 GMT -5
I dont think we ever had anything that extreme.
I think the biggest "house rule" from misunderstanding or lack of understanding comes from Initiative Rules.
Most people it seems never really had a firm init rule untill 2e came out and even to this day few tables do it "correctly". The varying methods have became THE (house) Rule.
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Post by Jerry Mapes on Apr 11, 2005 6:37:40 GMT -5
BTW Casey....
Glad to see you made it over!
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Post by Jerry Mapes on Feb 15, 2005 21:32:52 GMT -5
I agree it definately has its limits!
One thing I do when i use Holmes as an intro or even vanilla OD&D is for magic users, i let them find or start them with a limited staff/wand of some sort like Magic missle or some such or even a limited ring of spell storing just so they can get a taste of whats to come.
Of course by the time they reach 3rd or 4th level the item is ready to burn out. All usually under some guise as a parting gift from thier teacher to get them started in the world yadda yadda yadda...
For total noobs playing the game i think the ones that i have lost the most over the years were the ones wanting to play magic users. At early levels they think they are Mordinkanen but in reality they are worse off than Presto.
Jerry
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Post by Jerry Mapes on Feb 4, 2005 18:42:42 GMT -5
... and 10,000 screaming D&D fans in perfect unison yells...
TEASE!!!!!
Heh.
Jerry
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Post by Jerry Mapes on Aug 28, 2005 23:02:59 GMT -5
Thanks. Will be looking for it.
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Post by Jerry Mapes on Aug 16, 2005 2:37:45 GMT -5
Thanks Radagast.
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Post by Jerry Mapes on Dec 21, 2004 4:06:53 GMT -5
I have had serious bad luck in finding a good copy(ies) of the Original D&D character sheets from 75/76 that EGG et. al. used at TSR. These were never distributed to the public and they are extremely bare bones sheets. So after getting tired of looking I grabbed the copy off the Acaeum to get a closer look to do some font comparisions. I couldnt find the exact font but got pretty close. Also didn't what to offend the copyright gods so i made a change. I added a Saving Throws area and combined the Experience and Gold area. All in all it doesnt look too bad, would be best if you print it on similar green or orange like the originals. I also scaled it back from a full sheet to, two per sheet. I wanted to be able to keep some handy in my box. So for you OD&D guys, if you are looking for something similar... you can download it from the main website download area. Click here -> Knights & Knaves There are: (5x7) two per page versions in jpg & pdf (8.5x11) one per page versions in jpg & pdf (8.5x11) One page Form Fillable PDF version There is also a RAR archive of all versions. I would like to thank Littlefoot of Dragonsfoot for making the PDF versions and the Form Fillable PDF version. Jerry
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Post by Jerry Mapes on Feb 15, 2005 21:56:28 GMT -5
we never attempted this.
But if it was me my choice would be go with Spell Fire going in the Arty Phase, using the rule that someone has to move within melee range to have an attempt to disrupt.
Its been a long time since i read thru chainmail but wouldnt there still be a chance to disrupt if in Arty Phase if the Opposing Arty or Archers got Init and fired first and chose to fire at the Wizard?
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Post by Jerry Mapes on Feb 15, 2005 21:50:13 GMT -5
I think the tweaking of a non-magical binding of wounds would be ok at lower levels. But what happens to the group at 4th, 5th or higher?
A few good hits from a 5 or 6 HD monster could knock a PC down to barely a handful of HPs. Either the PC's would be running away more, which isnt always a bad thing, or the binding wounds would have to be tweaked to the point of normal healing and curing spells. Otherwise after one or two fights the party would be fleeing for cover to hole-up and heal up. Using normal healing rates even adjusted for the tending to the wounds... the time spent would be long and tedious. Or you dump the character off at the local healer and continue on without them.
I guess at a low level I would be more open to goign Cleric-less. But as the group gets more levels... too many factors come into play. I suppose if the DM glossed over the down time (which is something i dont do) then it would not be a problem.
Just my $0.02
Jerry
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