How I almost chose the LBB’s…
About three years ago, close to when I first started this blog, I decided to restart my Greyhawk campaign.I was, at the time, faced with a decision as to which version of the rules to use. I had played the game with the [...]Read on >>
A Surfeit of Demihumans
I make no bones about being a fan of the Unearthed Arcana book, and one of the ideas behind Adventures Dark and Deep™ is that the additional rules, spells, classes, etc. will be "folded in" to the original rules from t[...]Read on >>
1 Lord vs. 100 Orcs
So, as you probably know, I've been tinkering with mass combat as of late, and thinking about how it might best be approached for my own campaign (and ADD). I'm particularly drawn to the basic idea of the old Swords and [...]Read on >>
DexCon After Action Report
So, thus ends another DexCon. I consider this to be a great success, no small measure due to the enormous response that the Invasion of the Grognards received. Not only were all four of my AD&D 1E sessions filled up [...]Read on >>
Taking Inventory
I recently did something of a reshuffle of some of my gaming materials, finally getting all my 1E rulebooks in one place. That led me to count just how many of each I've got...Monster Manual (2 old cover)Players Handbook[...]Read on >>
System Shock Survival
One of the rules I regularly ignore in AD&D is the notion of "system shock survival". This is a rule that states, essentially, when one's physical system undergoes a drastic shock (such as when the character is polym[...]Read on >>
The Lost Art of the Charge
One thing that seems to be referenced quite a bit in the AD&D rules is the charge. It is also something that I have never, in 33 years of playing (A)D&D, done myself as a player, nor have I ever seen a player act[...]Read on >>
The Temptation of the White Box
It's at times such as these-- when I'm coming off a hiatus in my own campaign and am looking to start it up again in a couple or three weeks-- that I begin to get sorely tempted by the idea of changing from 1E AD&D, [...]Read on >>
My RPG DNA: Part 1: the Early Years, AD&D 1e
Say what you want of AD&D 1e, I think that we loved it so much because we had to unlock the game in our own way, adopting bits of rules, ignoring most of it, making up the rest, so we could get to the full fantasy R[...]Read on >>
End-Game Implications
The end-game for (A)D&D is something that many in the OSR are rediscovering, and it's something that I'll be placing some emphasis on in my own Emprise!™ game. However, in thinking about it, there are some interest[...]Read on >>
When 4E Met 1E
[...]Read on >>
The Fiend Folio. Ugh.
Ugh. Just ugh.I've had cause, as part of the design of Emprise!™, to go through the 1981 Fiend Folio in some detail. Sure, it's been a constant companion on my desk for months now, as I use it liberally in stocking the[...]Read on >>
D&D Trivia: Why do Trolls have 6+3 HD ?
Ever wondered why certain monsters had X number of hit dice? And in the case of the troll why 6+3 ? Where did this come from?Well the best place to start looking is in the roots of D&D - Chainmail. There is a combina[...]Read on >>
Brief Dreamation Update
Last night I had the chance to DM the Castle of the Mad Archmage at Dreamation, and there's a second session scheduled for tonight. I'll give a full report on both in a day or two, but just wanted to drop a quick note th[...]Read on >>
The Way
"Novices to the Way, I see," the little gnome squeaked. "Well, your worships have certainly come to the right place!" he added with enthusiasm. "Unlike some of our competitors, the Pavilion serves the main parallels -- a[...]Read on >>
Labyrinth Lord Advanced Edition Companion Now Available!
February 4, 2010 from Greyhawk Grognard
Filed under: 1E, Labyrinth Lord, Legacy D&D, Old School, RPG, RPG Hub
And if you order TONIGHT (Feb 3), you can get the softcover at Lulu for under US$20 (plus tax and shipping) if you put in the coupon code "shadow". Hurry-- that code only lasts for another few hours (it's a Groundhog Day[...] Filed under: 1E, Labyrinth Lord, Legacy D&D, Old School, RPG, RPG Hub
Read on >>
Dungeons of the Slave Lords 4e
December 20, 2009 from Theo Dudek, Ultimate Game Master
Filed under: 1E, 4e, RPG Hub, dungeons & dragons
The other night some of my players couldn’t make it to the “Keep on the Shadowfell” campaign, so I did something new and ran a one-shot for the players who *could* make it. ^^ Specifically, I ran an ol[...] Filed under: 1E, 4e, RPG Hub, dungeons & dragons
Read on >>
Love in the time of clerics
The possibility of death by disease was very real in history. I've often wondered how the presence of D&D-type healing magic might impact the course of an outbreak of some plague or other. Having a little bit of time[...]Read on >>
Unearthed: In The Dungeons of the Slave Lords
October 31, 2009 from Theo Dudek, Ultimate Game Master
Filed under: 1E, RPG Hub, Review, dungeons & dragons
This old adventure is the fourth in a series of “Slave Lords” adventures, originally intended for tournament play. I haven’t read the others, but this one is really interesting (and potentially annoying[...] Filed under: 1E, RPG Hub, Review, dungeons & dragons
Read on >>
Neo-Pegana: Beyond the Crystal Cave
October 16, 2009 from Theo Dudek, Ultimate Game Master
Filed under: 1E, 4e, RPG Hub, dungeons & dragons
It’s been ages since I posted; I have been incredibly busy with school and I was out of town last weekend. Please forgive me! On the other hand, I got to run some good adventures which I will be posting about soon.[...] Filed under: 1E, 4e, RPG Hub, dungeons & dragons
Read on >>
Parrying Rules for (A)D&D
Okay...I think I've come up with an elegant solution to the whole "how the heck do I actively defend against an enemy?" question. And it works so well with (A)D&D, I thought I would share. How about this:Anyone engag[...]Read on >>
Fixing AD&D
Nobody actually played AD&D the way it was written, including Gygax himself. We all had (or have) house-rules, sections we ignore, other sections we embellish, etc. All my musings on this blog thusfar have been geare[...]Read on >>
A Role-Playing Game Resurgence is on the Horizon
The popularity of the "retro-clone" RPG games (those that attempt to emulate the orginal D&D game or the Basic/Expert/Master/etc. D&D boxed sets or even 1st edition AD&D) makes me think that the RPG hobby isn[...]Read on >>
Remember Wormy?
This weekend I was looking at a couple of very old issues of Dragon magazine that I found last summer in my basement and I got to re-read a couple of the Wormy comic strips by David Trampier. Having nothing better to[...]Read on >>
Edge of Empire wrap-up
The final session of Edge of Empire was excellent, and I had some take-away conclusions about AD&D once we'd finished.[...]Read on >>
From Chainmail to ODD – Counterspells!
Remember 1984's Conan the Destroyer? Aside from the cute blonde (hey, I was 18, give me a break...) and Grace Jones, the one thing that really stood out in my head was Akiro the mage getting into a spell battle with the [...]Read on >>
Addendum to “How to DM the Identification of Magic”
I have really enjoyed the ongoing discussion of magic identification and some of the associated blogs and readings from around the web. A couple of key resources that will help me: - Norman Harman wrote a blog entry choc[...]Read on >>
The 1e Monk
A while back I posted some ideas for my 1e house rules. Of all the classes in the game, the monk needs by far the most work. The other classes range from fine as-is to "needing" a few tweaks just because that's what I fe[...]Read on >>
Bookkeeping-free provisions and torches in AD&D
In Savage Bookkeeping Joshua extends the minimalist bookkeeping Savage Worlds uses for allies' ammo reserves to group provisions and torches. Here's my adaptation of that system to 1e AD&D.[...]Read on >>
Advanced Dungeons & Savages review
Advanced Dungeons & Savages is a good add-on for playing the implied setting of classic AD&D, but it would be better off putting more trust in Savage Worlds' mechanics.[...]Read on >>
My Old Flame, 1st Edition
I have to admit, I still love 1st edition ADamp;D. Sure, the rules are whacky and labyrinthine, but there's an undeniable core of fun that beats at the heart of the game. Sure, I love 4e (duh!), but there's something nif[...]Read on >>
James Wyatt is Hardcore
I've acquired the habit of carrying a 1e span style="font-style: italic;"Dungeon Master's Guide /spanto meetings at work. James calls it the Gygaxian Bible, and I think there's something to that.br /br /Anyway, while wai[...]Read on >>
