OD&D vs D&D

What I've noticed in doing research, playing, reading, discussing D&D, etc., is that OD&D doesn't fit in. I should specify more really: pre-Greyhawk OD&D doesn't fit in. There's a quaint charm some of us find in LBB D&D, and the non-TSR supplements from around that time. Even if you add the supplements, but view them like (as in not considering Greyhawk essential), you have a vastly different game than anyone else in the D&D community recognizes.

Allow me to explain better. Pretty much every other version of D&D has decent to generous benefits provided by ability scores. In fact there is a much larger emphasis on ability scores in other versions of D&D. In Basic D&D (both B/X and BECMI as far as I know) you have a +3/-3 modifier to certain rolls and stats from your ability scores. In AD&D you have separate tables for each ability, with some bonuses going up to +4, or even +6 for exceptional Strength. In 3E you have bonuses going up to +5 (interestingly enough, if you cap the scores at 18, you get +4/-4 which is actually in line with AD&D, they just spread it out more evenly).

However in OD&D you have practically no benefit for ability scores. As soon as you toss in Greyhawk though you start to see more emphasis on ability scores. What's interesting is that most of the tables presented in Greyhawk are special to the fighter. Instead of having universal attribute benefits, it's a class-based table, which sort of makes the fighter an "attribute specialist".

Another major area of difference, is race and class. In fact all three of these points of discussion have to do with character creation/development. In OD&D the characters are pretty much nothing. It's ALL about how you choose to role play your character. Race and class descriptions are a paragraph or two in length. There is some mechanical benefit and rules for race and class, but they're usually found in the Referee's section of the book.

When you get into AD&D, and even in the Basic Set I have, class and race descriptions go up to a page or more. Definite rules for multi-classing demi-humans, thieves with dozens of skills and abilities, etc.

Interestingly enough, the Monster Manual, and pretty much everything that came after that (as far as monsters) seems to be compatible with OD&D. Does that suggest that OD&D is just D&D on hard mode? Maybe. I'm starting to think so.

My point in all of this, is that I'm recognizing a "universal D&D", at least in spirit and theme; it just doesn't jive with the original. How does this concern me? Well as far as house rules go (whether or not I publish anything I make), I want a sort of cohesiveness. I love playing OD&D, but I also love playing "D&D".

The way I'm starting to see it, is that "D&D" needs to be defined, and OD&D really doesn't. If OD&D does need to be defined (as in my house rules), I think I can do it in under 64 pages, and have that be that. Then anything else I make, even if it is on "easy mode" and based on later D&D material, can still be used with it; it will just be on hard mode.

In fact I might be refereeing for my band this weekend. They all played AD&D back in the day, but I don't know how much they remember. I'm thinking of running Swords & Wizardry, but letting them use material from AD&D as long as I convert it for them (which should be pretty easy). It's been pointed out a few times, that AD&D is more or less a compilation of OD&D supplemental material.

What I'm trying to do now, regardless of intent to share or publish, is organize and work on my rules in a way that a company would. After all it makes sense to emulate what role playing game publishers and designers have done. I think in the end I might just make my "Universal D&D" and then make a fascimile of OD&D for my own use. We'll just have to see.