Certain Referees are able to just run games off the fly. In fact, most participants (players and referees) are able to come up with plenty of fun interactions on the spot. Most old school games work this way. There is less preparation for the character, and what they are normally able to do, and just improvisation. What will try in this scenario, given the circumstances?
Furthermore, I've never really used prepared gaming material as it was intended. I rarely use the monsters stat block, especially because I'm using so many different systems for material (D&D, Runequest, Rolemaster, Pathfinder, Palladium/Rifts, TV Shows, etc.). Thinking about all of this, I've realized I only need ideas. I don't eve need full ideas, or descriptions, usually a name is plenty enough to spark inspiration.
I could go on at length about players not needing much either. Often they just want to play a concept, and that really just amounts to calling their characters that concept. Old school players, or completely new players, are either indifferent to mechanical differences, or just don't know about them. In fact I'm sure I've blogged before about how the real fun of RPG's are just the descriptions.
In old school play, in particular, the description can be the mechanic. In OD&D there is no rules difference between an axe, sword, or spear: they all do 1-6 damage. There is a big difference between those weapons however: some can only be used for slashing, others can thrust, and still some can shatter or break. When you're trying to fend off a monster on the other side of a gate, which weapon can you attack with? The spear can easily slide through the bars, so can the sword; your axe however is almost useless. On the other hand, if you're trying to escape a room, and break down a door, the axe is the ideal tool.
This extends to everything in the game. Do we really need rules to tell us that a fire breathing dragon is immune to a fireball attack? This is where I'm at in my gaming, and it's been great. We've played quite a bit like this, and it always goes really well. Granted, it requires a cooperative play group, usually good friends. All we do is use logic, and discussion to determine what can work, what doesn't, and really what just makes sense.
With all of that said, my latest project, and all I'm doing now is just collecting lists of ideas from any source. Most are just consisting of names, though some creatures like an aboleth do require some description. A Hawk-Man, or Giant Ant is pretty self explanatory. I'm doing this for race and class as well. If you are an Elf Wizard, or a Human Cyber-Knight, you are just that. I'm only using the Fighting-Man and Magic-User from OD&D for rules, the the rest is just description for the player's sake.
Much like Arneson's games, the idea is that you are supposed to play like your character. What would a Beastman do? How would a Dwarf Druid act?
As for rules, I've come up with a simple mash up of OD&D, Microlite20, and some modern RPGs. The rules are not hard and fast, but provide a meaningful outline for gameplay progression, and task resolution - where it is necessary. I'll post the rules in my next post.
