The Advanced Edition Companion
I think I found my dream version of Dungeons & Dragons. Sadly, I dont think Ill ever find a group with which to run or play it at this point in my life but thems the breaks. Im just happy to have found it,[...]Read on >>
Expanding James Maliszewski’s “To Roll 20″ D&D Combat System
Over at his absolutely must read "in praise of Old School RPG gaming" site Grognardia today, James Maliszewski takes on one of the typical myths regarding the complexity of the original AD&D and D&D games. Many [...]Read on >>
Return to Moria: House Rules
My Return to Moria game is hewing pretty closely to 1st Edition AD&D rules, but we're adding a number of house rules to add our own flavor to the game. Here they are: Attribute Checks Certain situations call for [...]Read on >>
Currency
Campaigns need money. Some sort of standard coin that can be traded goods. You have the old standard copper, silver and gold. If you have played AD&D you will have experienced the dreaded electrum pieces. Then th[...]Read on >>
Token Magic
In my Failures of 2009 post a few days back I made mention of Token Magic, a system I implemented in a heavily house-ruled AD&D 2nd edition game I ran a while back. One of my readers commented that it sounded interes[...]Read on >>
The Weird Stuff I Find
I was cleaning up my RPG folder on my computer this week, a never ending process, and stumbled across this text file dating from 1997. It appears to be some sort of classless advancement system for AD&D 2nd edition, [...]Read on >>
Old-School Multiclasses in 4E – Are They Viable
AD&D had a rather different multiclassing system than 3.x and 4E. You picked two (or three) classes and leveled up in a gestalt of those two, splitting XP between both. 4E works a lot differently, but having just mul[...]Read on >>
On Mearls and Balance, Game Expectations and Evolution.
Inspired by a conversation here and here and by Rob Kuntz' comments to my recent blogpost on the 4e promo movie...some thoughts...I recently ran a AD&D game of a converted 3e module, Red Hand of Doom. Interestingly,[...]Read on >>
RIFTS: The Banwok Hunters
This is the one that pretty much got my freelancing career started. When I first starting running games, my games of choice were some of the earlier editions of D&D and AD&D, and the first incarnation of the War[...]Read on >>
Give XP Only for Treasure?
In the original edition of D&D, characters received experience points both for defeating monsters and for the treasure they gained doing so. For some reason this was not well-liked -- especially the experience for tr[...]Read on >>
More Random Encounters
A while back I posted a set of three random encounters generated from the random dungeon tables in the AD&D 1st edition Dungeon Masters Guide. Since I'm using 1st edition rules for my Moria game, this book has become[...]Read on >>
The 2010 Gaming/Writing Resolutions
1. Play more games. 2. Write an original D&D 4E adventure, and run it for some friends. 3. Write an original Pathfinder adventure, and run it for some friends. 4. Run "The Lost City" again. Maybe even for some of the[...]Read on >>
Rookie Gamers Have Old School Intuition
I'm still half a country away at the in-laws' abode, and we played our second game of AD&D 1e today. Having played through a bit of the first module of Against the Giants (The Steading of the Hill Giant Chief), we p[...]Read on >>
Player Skill vs. Character Skill and the Case of Social Encounters
All around the rpg blogosphere, I see the debate focusing on player skill vs. character skill. Games focused on player skill are often associated with old school games - players are encouraged to make the decisions that[...]Read on >>
Fiend Folio Friday
Back in 1981, my mother bought me a set of 5 AD&D books: the Players' Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual, Deities and Demigods and the Fiend Folio. Despite being very uneven in content, the Fiend Folio[...]Read on >>
Hack Mania
I am so late to the party that the building that the party was in has been tore down, but I am indulging in it none the less. I'm talking about HackMaster or AD&D on steroids. My FNGS has a wall of 50% off gaming b[...]Read on >>
Mutant Future on the Starship Warden
As I've mentioned in previous posts, my current AD&D 1st ed. group has being going strong for over a year, and I feel it is time to do as I always do with a group I put together for my D&D world - introduce a bac[...]Read on >>
A Maudlin Post for the Holidays
The combination of the holidays and perusing my original AD&D books sends me back to Christmas, 1981. The previous summer, I had become enamored of playing AD&D with friends, and was playing every week. I was dee[...]Read on >>
My First Con, and my first of a lot of things….
I went to Anonycon today, in Connecticut. It was definitely fun. Though I'd never run Red Hand of Doom under 3.x rules, I did enjoy reading it. I converted ti to AD&D rules. We ended up playing the final chapter i[...]Read on >>
“The Hellpits of Nightfang” – it changed my world.
A recent posting about Paul Jaquays got me thinking about my fondness for his work (especially when I was a kid) for D&D and Runequest. I suddenly remembered Jaquays’ Hellpits adventure, and it reminded of how much[...]Read on >>
Campaign Cultures
In most fantasy RPGs skills, advantages and disadvantages are decided by race. Where this is helps define a race it doesn't take into account the various cultures within a race. AD&D made an attempt at it with the [...]Read on >>
Abstract Combat rounds in AD&D
“OK, you have a full minute to attack the guy. But, uh, only one chance to hit.”In my earliest experiences with AD&D, one of the concepts that chapped my ass the most when it came to combat was the abstract natur[...]Read on >>
Desert Island Games
Over at Ratty Ramblings they've proposed an interesting thought exercise. Choose the eight games from your current collection you'd want if you were stranded on a desert island. You get to bring along all the material yo[...]Read on >>
Otter Guard
Occasionally I feel the urge to get off my duff and crank out a character sketch. Strangely, this urge usually strikes strongest when it comes to drawing other people's characters in campaigns I'm running. I guess when I[...]Read on >>
NaClaMoMo: Looking At “X8: Drums on Fire Mountain”
Put simply, Drums on Fire Mountain is probably one of the better adventure modules that youve never read, and probably one you might not even know. It's an oft-neglected little gem that deserves some attention. My [...]Read on >>
So Many Paths
There have been some concerns or guesses (speculation?) that our new line of products equates to me no longer crafting adventures. This is not so. The OC levels are still planned, and one named the Annex is in the work[...]Read on >>
NaClaMoMo: Looking At “T1: The Village of Hommlet”
Keep on the Borderlands and The Village of Hommlet are probably the two best-known introductory modules for the early editions of Dungeons & Dragons. Both are good, but for very different reasons. Keep on t[...]Read on >>
Putting Swashbuckling into the Game
When I was but a wee lad (okay, I don't think I was ever what one would call wee, but indulge me here) I played AD&D and grew frustrated at its lack of elements of what I would call swashbuckling options. I read Burr[...]Read on >>
Good Ugly
Some may argue that Unearth Arcana was the bane of AD&D. I liked having something new introduced into the game, especially the weapon specialization. The classes were nice, but we'd always played with the new class[...]Read on >>
Another lap around the sun
So another lap around our star is complete and I've reached 37 years upon this planet. As usual I am in a reflective mood, looking back on the past year and the lessons it has brought. I feel that I've learned a great de[...]Read on >>
Celebrating Adventure in NaClaMoMo
For no other reason apart from I Thought It Was A Good Idea, I am declaring November to be NaClaMoMo National Classic Module Month. Time to take a good look at all those classic adventure modules that we remember fond[...]Read on >>
October Cancer Fund Drive: Final Chance At the Giveaways
Tomorrow, November 2nd, is the last day to make a Retroroleplaying Cancer Fund donation and have a chance at one of our October giveaway items (e.g. rare Traveller fanzines (Working Passage & Imperium Staple) and t[...]Read on >>
The Microlite74 Report: October 2009
I am occasionally asked what is going on with Microlite74? The answer is nothing. People are still downloading the game (close to 3000 downloads of Version 2 so far) and, more importantly, playing the game. Version 2 see[...]Read on >>
Which Edition of D&D Should I Play?
Believe it or not, "Which edition of D&D should I play?" is probably the most common question I'm asked. In some cases it is because the person asking the question wants to argue with my choice, but most of the time the [...]Read on >>
Amagi Games Site is Back
The Amagi Games site is back. In spite of a couple of abortive attempts to return, Levi Kornelsen's Amagi Games site has basically been down since a nasty crash months ago. The site is a collection of interesting rules s[...]Read on >>
Exalted Renaissance
I played in my first game of Exalted last night. And, Ill admit, much to my surprise it was a blast. My friend John has been trying to get me to run Exalted for years. He really liked the game, and wanted to play it[...]Read on >>
Old School D&D vs New School D&D: The Combat Divide
From talking to players in my old school campaign and players at the local game shop, I've decided that, locally at least, the main divide between liking old school D&D and new school D&D seems to be the player's opinion[...]Read on >>
Engines & Empires: Labyrinth Lord (D&D) in Victorian World
Swords and sorcery meets technology in in a Victorian world in the new Labyrinth Lord variant Engines & Empires. It's over 200 pages of D&D goodness in a free PDF -- or you can buy a printed copy from Lulu for the very r[...]Read on >>
Armor for All Classes in OD&D
One thing that really seems to sit wrong with some players in older versions of D&D are the armor and weapons limitations on classes. Some players really want their magic-users to wield swords and wear armor. While I[...]Read on >>
RPGA Modules R1 and R2 from 1982 Added to October 2009 Cancer Donotion Drive
I received an email from a former gamer who wishes to remain anonymous offering a copy of the first two RPGA modules (R1 and R2 for AD&D) for donors to my current October 2009 Cancer Donation Drive. As these modules were[...]Read on >>
here, have some raw data
I had this in the Files section of the Encounter Critical yahoo group for years, but I'm not sure anybody looks at it over there.Jeff's Incomplete 70's Gaming Timeline1971Chainmail19724000 AD (sci-fi wargame)1973Alien Sp[...]Read on >>
Supplement III: Eldritch Wizardry part 14
Today I'm going to finish up with Supplement III's monsters, taking a look at a number of psionic nasties.SU-MONSTERS: They resemble a "wasp-waisted, great-chested hound" with a monkey's head, and if it wasn't for later [...]Read on >>
Free resources to help you find players
You know you're a gamer, it says so on the label on your underpants. But how do you go about finding other gamers? Unless you live in a very friendly culture, you can't go around yanking on y-fronts and inspecting labels[...]Read on >>
Supplement III: Eldritch Wizardry part 13
Supplement III continues, with more weird and wondrous monsters.COUATL: These are winged snakes covered in feathers, rarely found outside of warm jungles. They are also said to be found "flying through the ether", which[...]Read on >>
After Hiatus
Today was my first gaming session in almost two months. It was good.Angela and I joined a game that an old friend of mine has been running once a month or so. The system is First Edition AD&D, more or less. Definitel[...]Read on >>
There is More to OD&D than the Three Little Beige Books
September 22, 2009 from RetroRoleplaying
Filed under: Old School, RPG Hub, Retro Clone, Swords and Wizardry
Some of the comments to my post on The Gray Book yesterday that The Gray Book was too much like AD&D to be considered OD&D confused me. The only reason I can think is that the 1e retroclones have given people a very limi[...] Filed under: Old School, RPG Hub, Retro Clone, Swords and Wizardry
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Comments on The Gray Book
I mentioned a nice compilation of the OD&D rules here a few days ago (see The Gray Book: OD&D Compiled). I printed out a copy and the players at my Sunday Microlite74 game looked it over while we played. The genera[...]Read on >>
The Grey Book: OD&D Compiled
I've just discovered another collected compiled version of early D&D available for free on the web. Steven J. Ege's The Gray Book is a collected, re-organized and slightly edited version of the OD&D rules and supplements[...]Read on >>
A Random Encounter or Three
My 1st Edition AD&D DMG was sitting on my shelf, calling my name. Courtesy of the random encounter tables that fill the back of this excellent tome, I give you three random dungeon encounters. I'll roll a d12 to dete[...]Read on >>
Man, I Loved Second Edition
When Second Edition hit the shelves in 1989, I was so into it it's hard to describe. I loved everything about it. It seemed to streamline everything that needed streamlining-- THAC0 was a huge hit in my games-- and the c[...]Read on >>
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