OD&D House Rules

Just going to make a quick post on the house rules I'm currently working. The goal this time is not make so many changes, but to try and play the game a little more straight. What I'm doing that's most drastic is just drawing from multiple sources. I'm trying to avoid re-inventing the wheel. I'm just trying to compile a solid foundation for my future games. The most important goal for me, as it's always been, is to establish the best framework for using material from anywhere I want. I'll try to explain below. Of course the outline below follows the framework of Microlite20, though this isn't actually a rules post, just thoughts on the matter.

Attributes

Attributes of 15 or higher grant a +1 to relevant rolls and statistics. Strength for damage and to-hit, Constitution for hit points per hit die, Dexterity for armor class, etc. Stats are determined by 3d6, and arranged to taste.

An interesting rule I found is using Charisma to determine party leader/caller. I found it under Dave Arneson's house rules. I think it's a great way to make Charisma a useful ability. I've also found that having a party leader is extremely important for group cohesion honestly. It's very interesting to note as well that Arneson's "party leader" was purely an in character leader, and does not have to be someone the group likes in real life, but literally a sort of company manager, which makes sense in a group of explorers.

Races

This is one of the tougher ones for me. On one hand I love OD&D's idea of having almost no apparent difference between the races (except a few saving throw bonuses, and class restrictions), and then having a bunch of adventuring "skills" in the Referee's section of the book, affected by race. On the other hand I think just having a simple attribute score modifier system for them is totally adequate, and I like the simplicity of it.

Classes

Magic-Users and Clerics as is. I'm debating using Wizard and Priest as the names, just because it reminds of the old Roguelike games (basing my rules, on a game, based on D&D, funny too me). I'm toying with the idea of restricting Priests to chain mail, just because it splits up the armor types nicely, and gives the Fighter one more specialty.

Fighters are a tough one. Going by the book is an okay option, just letting them kill stuff plain and simple. I'm thinking at least giving them an extra attack at 10th level would be nice. Maybe giving them a couple +1's to damage and to-hit as they progress. Also thinking of renaming the class "Knight". This doesn't make much sense actually, as the idea behind OD&D is that the Fighter can be any type of fighter (Barbarian, Samurai, Soldier, etc.). I just like the way Knight sounds honestly, nothing important really.

Thief/Rogue is definitely not being included. I used to understand most people's thoughts on cutting the Thief out, but I always enjoyed them, and thought they were a classic RPG staple. Now a days though, I just can't stand the way modern players insist on playing the Thief. They think it's an excuse to try and steal everything, and back stab other players. Furthermore, they absolutely insist on using the Thief's skills as frequently as possible. One player would try and climb a tree every time they got into a combat, or every time they were travelling, just because it was one of their skills on their character sheet.

I really don't want to include skills, or at least not skills on the character sheets, for the above mentioned reasons, so definitely not Thief. However, I really like having four classes, and I like the idea of a lighter fighter type. I think the Ranger is a great fit, and it's always been one of my favorite classes, especially the 1E Ranger. With that said, his main ability of 50% chance for surprise is kind of a skill, so I don't know if I want to include that. On the other hand I've always liked how that was such a simple implementation of a "skill" that wasn't complicated, and already present in the game. Though to counterpoint that, I don't players having separate chances for surprise, given that they are supposed to be a team. Rangers could be allowed a separate roll for surprise though, giving them an independent opportunity for a first attack, or ability to hide.

Just those four classes should suffice. There is the temptation to go kitchen-sink like usual, but typically it just complicates the game, and makes players more focused on mechanical character development. Arduin has some cool classes though, with a nice weird-fantasy feel, so I'm still considering this aspect.

Hit dice will be the Greyhawk variant, most likely, with the Ranger getting a d6, instead of the Thief's d4.

Skills

I'm going to just keep a list of common adventuring tasks, with percent chances, and maybe a chance out of d6/d8 roll as an option (keep players on their toes, I love when they have no clue what whether they should roll high or low). I'll be using examples from OD&D to start my list, and I'll probably check AD&D 1E, AD&D 2E, Palladium Fantasy RPG, and Runequest for some ideas.

Magic

Nothing special here. I am going to use the 2E AD&D spells instead of straight OD&D. The only real reason for this decision is that there a ton of spells available, and they are neatly divided into Priest and Wizard.

Combat

OD&D combat, but I'll be combing AD&D 1E & 2E for some common combat modifiers, like high ground, and flanking.

I have a new system for grappling and wresting: both characters involved in the grapple roll a d20 adding their level/hit die total. Players can add their Strength or Dexterity bonus, depending on the description of their actions. Whoever rolls higher wins. You could have a character declare ahead of time, that they are going to grapple a character attempting to attack them. They would just do the above, and the attacker would make the usual attack roll. I'm going to use the basic monsters add their level/hit die total for attack rolls (ascending armor class), so it would work out the same. If the defender loses, the attack functions as normal. I think the player would probably have to not have already attacked/moved that turn. I'll probably make a post detailing this more later.

Monsters

The point of this is that you should be able to use monsters from anywhere, with little to no conversion. The only real concern is Armor Class. If you just left most non OD&D monsters as is, they have rather high Armor Classes, and they can get out of hand, even in AD&D, with AC -10[30]. This isn't so much a problem if I use the AD&D attack matrices (which I plan to do). However I find it kind of silly, because there doesn't seem to be much logic to how the AC's for most monsters were determined. Also, if you check out the XP rewards chart from AD&D 2E, for example, you only get a higher XP reward for huge differences in armor class. Why does an AC 0[20] increase a monsters XP worth, and not an AC 1[19], or an AC -10[30]?

I'm starting to think the easiest way to deal with this, is what I recall from "Isle of the Unknown". Simply consider whether the monster's defenses are similar to plain flesh, leather, chain mail/scale, or plate mail. You can give a +1 (ascending AC) for a highly agile or fast creature, maybe a +2 for an inhumanly fast creature. Another +1 for any creature that has some defense resembling a shield, or a natural ability to block or parry well. I think it's a +4 for a creature that is flying, though this one may be unnecessary. After all if a creature flies by close enough to attack you, then you can attack it. Perhaps only a +1 for flying creatures, due to agility, and then a -4 to ranged attack rolls when a creature is flying around. Finally, a +1 to +5 for magical defenses (such as being on fire), though personally I don't like using these.

The above should keep Armor Class more inline with white box OD&D armor classes, and be very easy to then convert any creature. It doesn't perfectly remedy the reward problem, but it should limit the ridiculous disparity in AC of later systems. Besides, old school D&D isn't supposed to be perfectly balanced (though the usual imbalance caused by the above is too much for me).

Rewards, Level Advancements, and Statistics

I do believe I'll using 2E AD&D's XP requirements for level, and XP rewards from monsters. It's got he best table and calculation chart that I remember coming across, therefore making conversion of monsters the easiest. It also makes XP and treasure numbers quite high, which is a nice feel. If everything else is kept low (+1's, hit points, etc.), I think it's okay to give out piles of treasure. From my research, and play experience, it's the best middle ground for using material from any edition as well. Players can easily buy equipment from any editions material, gold values of magic items for including them in hoards work well with this model as well.

For treasure, I really like Swords & Wizardry's treasure rules. Simply roll 1d6, and consult a chart giving you a number 2 - 4, multiply that number times the XP of the encounter, and your done. It's elegant, and it's simple. Most importantly, it's worked in all my games so far, and meshes with the advice, I believe found in B/X, stating that around 75% of experience should come from treasure. This rule has also worked well with the 2E AD&D XP charts I mention above. Having used that chart for most of my games, I've noticed it provides a good pace of advancement in games.

Sources & Inspiration

I'm using a variety of sources for this, and I intend to comb through them more thoroughly for ideas, advice, and any other useful material such as rules, tables, charts, monsters, treasure, etc. Below are some of the places I'm digging in for this project. The long term goal though, is to use material from literally anywhere and everywhere, the following is just what I'm starting with.

(Sources are in no particular order)

• Original Dungeons & Dragons, as well as it's supplements, Strategic Review, and early Dragon Magazine
• 1st Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons "Dungeon Master's Guide"
• 2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons "Dungeon Master's Guide"
• Palladium Fantasy Role Playing Game, 2nd Edition
• Runequest Classic Edition
• Arduin Grimoire, Vol I - IV
• Microlite74 and Microlite81
• Swords & Wizardry
• Dave Arneson's House Rules
• Gary Gygax's House Rules
• Basic Dungeons & Dragons, both B/X and Holmes
• Philotomy's Musings (absolute gold)

Monster Consistency & More Unusual Sources.

One of the things I used to worry about a lot was having consistent monsters. In a game like OD&D where your players are supposed to logic and reasoning for game play, I felt it was very important to make sure that monsters were stated with due respect to each other. In other words, if you come across a 10 foot giant silver ram, you probably expect it to be weaker than a 40 foot ancient dragon, right?

I already wrote about an easy way to handle this: make a reference chart with monsters of each level/AC/HD/Attack, etc. to let you to stat monsters accordingly. This is excellent, but I want to point out that it's not THAT important. Yeah, you should avoid drastic nonsense, like having a full grown bear be weaker than a small wolf, but don't sweat it too much. Why not have a level 2 kobold? He's a little tougher, and he's a nice surprise. Maybe have him wearing a nice gold necklace, or wielding a polished sword, as a bit of fair warning.

Basically I used to worry a lot about "properly converting" material from other games. Now, I don't think I care so much. Maybe I'll use the 1E Gnoll this session, and toss a 3E Gnoll in next session. That 3E was just a sergeant.  I want to start using more monsters from a variety of sources without thinking about it too much. Of course, using the suggested monster creation reference chart, would make it way easier to just take monster concepts, and create them for my games. Either way works I think. Using something like 1E or 2E as a base system, would also kind of stick the game mathematically in the middle of OD&D/Basic and 3E/4E/Pathfinder in terms of character strength relative to monster strength.

In any case, as always I suggest checking out every source you can for material, and not just monsters, but anything. The usual suggestions everyone goes to is Fantasy literature, comics, and movies. Check out video games too, if that's not apparent to you. I like to use music as inspiration too, heavy metal being the best source I've found (especially for campaign ideas). Obviously more adventurous DM's will plunder non D&D game sources like Palladium, Runequest, etc. Don't forget board games, like my buddy picked up a game called Mystic Vale that has some cool stuff in it, like a Moon Wolf (IIRC). Yugioh, and Pokemon honestly have some cool stuff, and I'm personally gonna check out "Boss Monsters", even if it comes off as silly.

I'm going to try and start making more posts with cool material sources, and hopefully some in depth looks, with actual suggestions. Here's some stuff I'm currently looking at that I hope to investigate and write about more:

• Roguelikes: Ultima, Wizardry, and Nethack (video games)
• Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight (video game)
• Mystic Vale, and Boss Monster (both tabletop card games)
• The Golden Key, by George MacDonald (short story)
• Dark Souls, and Witcher (more video games)

Stay Zen guys.

I Was Wrong

I don't if it's because I thought it was cool, if it's because I'm an insufferable nerd, or if I just didn't get it before, but I was wrong. It's not so fun to talk about game mechanics. I don't need to make my own game. I was wrong and I can admit that. Let my old posts serve as a reminder of what I don't want to be again.

In other words, SHUT UP AND PLAY THE GAME. I can't remember who else said this, but man I'm kind of tired about hearing about the tedious differences between old school games. I don't care if there is a -1 AC difference between a monster in different editions, or if the name for a saving throw changed by one word.

I'm only going to try and post cool stuff from now, like stuff that makes me go "wow, that's cool!". Anyway, this is my last apology, so I'm not going to keep repeating myself with "I know, I know, I changed my mind...".

Keep up the Zen, right?

Retrolite20, Monsters, and Spells

I meant to write a longer post tonight, but got side tracked as usual. Anyway...

(By the by I'm probably not going to hyperlink stuff anymore. OSR links die too often, I don't want to link without permission, and I'm too lazy to make links for readers who aren't there (Hello Absent Reader!), etc.)

I've espoused my love of Microlite20 before. I don't recall if I've discussed Retroroleplaying.com before, but I love that site, and I think they have the absolute best Microlite20 material. Microlite74 and Microlite81 are both "near retroclone" variants of Microlite20, allowing you to use the d20 SRD and relevant material in an old school fashion. Rock on, totally excellent.

I'd totally just have switched to playing these games ages ago, except they do two things I find really important, in a very non old school way: Treasure and Experience Points. The biggest thing 3E changed that I can never get past is the way it handles Treasure and Experience. The math should work out basically the same, and I don't care so much about not giving XP for Gold, but it just doesn't feel right to me. Old school experience systems are just so simple and straight forward. Coupled with Swords & Wizardry's brilliant treasure system (1d6 roll determining X 2-4 value of the encounter's XP), and I just feel compelled to stick with old school games.

Serious side note here, this is genuinely the largest reason I stick with old school RPGs (D&D, Runequest, Palladium, etc.). I just don't grok with newer games when it comes to reward systems. Most are too vague, or just too "feel good" for me (gain a level, whenever it feels right? I want to earn my levels!). Whenever I consider switching to 3E or Pathfinder, I just can't stand the idea of giving out treasure in any way they suggest in the books.

With all this in mind, and I'm sure I've said I'm going to do this before, I feel inspired to make a true Retroclone Microlite. I'm not saying I'm going to release it, I might if it ends up cool. What I want to do, is just kind of make a reference booklet of the AD&D or OD&D rules in a Microlite20 format. Basically, just a retro Microlite20 for old school material, instead of d20 SRD material.

Just for kicks, here's a list of some stuff I want to include:

• Classic AD&D and Fantasy Classes: Fighter, Rogue/Thief, Wizard, Cleric, Paladin, Ranger, Barbarian, Cavalier, Bard, Druid, Assassin (maybe...), and possibly some obscure ones like Jester, Samurai (hat tip to Wizardry), and Acrobat. I'll be using the 1E versions as much as possible, adding things from other games/sources as necessary/desired.
• Castles  & Crusades attribute modified saving throw system, with Swords & Wizardry saving throw target numbers (or there abouts). I just think this is one of the niftiest rules in any retroclone. Of course I might decide to go with something more Arduin, just to give this a Hackmaster feel (so many rules!).
• A Bard based on a mix of 1E & 2E, using the 1E Illusionists spells.
• Simplistic encounter system for Solo play, or easing the Referee's work in actual play. Something reminiscent of dungeon crawl board games, with "check door, go into room, kill, check for loot, etc." system. Not anything rigid  you'd have to follow for actual play, but useful as an outline regardless. Also borrowing Wizardry's marching order system, because it simplifies range attacks and who is in combat.

Nothing over ambitious, probably nothing useful, but that's currently what I'm working on.

This also allows me to do another one of the activities I've been desiring: a board game dungeon crawl. Simply using the 1E DMG's solo play charts will suffice for me. It gives me a game like Dungeon! with all of the good actual D&D material. Since it's old school, it's extremely easy to convert any material to Old School D&D and Microlite20, so there's no end to content I can add to this personal project.

This leads me to my next projects. Another conclusion I've come to in regards to not publishing my own games is my inability to write. I'm sure I could practice and get better, but that's not really in my priorities. I've realized what I really want, isn't to publish my own stuff, but to collect stuff for D&D. The main collection being monsters. Rather than publish my own retroclone with tons of monsters, I just want to compile all of the monsters I can come across.

What I'd like to do for this is create my own sort of Monstrous Compendium library. Find any monster I find interesting, type up a page of information from it (probably just copy it from whatever source, since I won't be releasing it), and stick it in a series of binders. Just a massive library of monster reference for my games. The next step will be to do this spells. Though that's a bit more of a crazy beast, even if there are less spells per say.

Starting Over

I can't believe it's been 2 years since I've posted on here. Time flies, eh? There was the divorce, then the move, and now a new job. The usual.

I wanted to scrap all of this, and start from scratch. However, one of my few readers, a long time ago, told me to keep the stuff on here for posterity. A remembrance of what I used to think. I think he was right. I can be reminded of how nuts I am. Besides, I'm thinking of going back and doing "Revisit" articles on some of my old stuff. In any case, I have a few final decisions:

I'm just going to play OD&D with some house rules, maybe AD&D on occasion. There is no need to make my own game. There's already so many out there. I've also realized that it has nothing to do with the rules.

The beauty of old school D&D, especially OD&D, is that you can use any material with it, because there are so few rules to get in the way. I know, enough people have written about that, so I'll save the speech. Long story short, when I get on into the OSR it was a time when everyone was making their own game, and I just thought it would be really cool to contribute my own little piece to the gaming world. Instead, I realize I have lot better stuff to share.

For example, I'm working on a Martial Arts system that can be slipped into anyone's campaign. Hopefully I'll be writing about it soon, but it's basically just a Feat system you can purchase with gold, instead of XP. It solves a lot of the problems I (and others) have with most Feat and character customization systems out there. It's also a nice aesthetic for it, and inline with my original "Techniques" system I made for Arcane Adventures. Finally, it gives me a martial arts system for an RPG that isn't too complex.

What else have I been up to? I have a couple cool settings I'm working on. One is Viking-Samurai, which I'm really surprised no one else has done yet. The other is an Enchanted Isle, with an Enchanted Forest. Definitely going to be going to Majestic Wilderlands, Isle of Unknown, Dreamlands, and of course King Arthur and other classic Fairy Tale settings for inspiration.

I had a lot I wanted to write about when I was at work today, but it seems I forgot most of it. It's okay, my handy dandy notebook is usually on me to jot down ideas.

In any case, I just plan on sharing cool ideas, and maybe a few commentaries from now, like most of the other OSR guys. Hopefully I remember to keep writing.

Happy Gaming guys.

Fantasy Crawl!

Fantasy Crawl!

Nothing there yet. It's a blog I started originally to track my ideas for my Dungeon Crawl project. I'm thinking since this whole Wizards & Warriors idea fits that theme and idea better than it does Arcane Adventures, I think I might start posting there.

The biggest divergence of this project from that of Arcane Adventures is the end game. Where as Arcane Adventures was meant to really have that old school feel, and support the old school philosophy and principles, this new game really doesn't. Instead it definitely seems like it's gonna make a great standalone "game". I truly mean game. No pretense of Role Playing Game, or D&D clone, or anything like that.

As of right now it's looking like the whole point of Wizards & Warriors is going to be: kill the monsters, grab the loot, and buy magic items and gear to kill more. Very hack and slash. Very fun oriented, and very much more like a game. More along the lines of an expanded Dungeon! than a D&D lite kind of game.

Plus a fresh start is always nice.

New Beginnings

I'm Back! (I Think)

Wow it's been a while. Long story, haha. This is also going to be a long post. To sum it up really quickly; Life Happened. A lot of bad stuff happened, then a lot of good stuff, and now I'm just kind of waiting to see where life goes.

In the interim of all of this, I've played a lot of D&D and RPGs in general. I've read a lot, and ton plenty of research. Checked out alternative places for ideas, like I always do (video games, music, literature, etc). I have a great idea of want I want in my rules now, and have a plan I'm sticking too.

If you haven't seen Searchers of the Unknown, check it out. At first I was against the idea of removing classes from D&D, until I realized it solved almost all of the problems I had with it, and allowed me to use material from literally anywhere. There are some drawbacks, but in the end I actually think they're benefits.

So what is Arcane Adventures going to look like? First off I'm not sure I'll still call it that. I'm think I should, because the default "class" if you can call it that, will be the Adventurer. Furthermore the game will be all about Adventuring. However that's just the way I'll play it. The actual rules part is pretty much just going to be a hack slash game. I'm toying with "Wizards & Warriors", which I believe I've mentioned before. This is because any character type you'll play as far as combat, is going to fall somewhere in between a Wizard and a Warrior. Bards? Wizard and Warrior who focuses on healing and bonus spells. Cleric? A Wizard that focuses on healing spells. Druid? A nature Wizard. You get the point.

Lets get on to some specifics, shall we?

Class Abilities (No More)

One of the things I loved about old school D&D were all of the weird and unique class abilities. However this eventually became my scorn of the system. No one ever wanted to play the weird classes, they just wanted to play the optimum classes. Eventually I'd just play OD&D and let players make their classes as we played, giving them abilities as we agreed appropriate. This eventually led me to question why I even had classes at all. So voila, no more classes.

Actions like picking locks, finding traps, or surprise, are handled via spot rules, common sense, or role playing. You can see this in OD&D, and my last Arcane Adventures update. Wearing leather armor? Well you get a 3/6 chance of surprise. Have a lock pick? Cool you get a 2/6 chance to pick locks, and you don't make any noise.

I know this method removes a lot of combat flavor, but I don't really care. Certain features, like expanded critical ranges can be handled via equipment. In fact most combat abilities can be handled via equipment selection. I don't care to into specifics yet, I'll just start posting material soon.

What are Characters Then?

Just like Searchers, characters are just Armor Class, Hit Points, Attack Bonus, and Saving Throw. That's all you need. Players can decide their complexity by how much gear they collect and what it does. An example of this, the prime example, is spell scrolls (runes, potions, charms, wands, etc.). Let's be honest, D&D has almost always been a game about collecting magic items; so let's just cut to the chase.

Simplified Magic

All magic is simply handled through purchases. This can be "role played" or explained however you want. Heck, if you want to go really old school you can make your characters actually go collect and quest for material components. This has two really awesome benefits in my opinion.

Number one it "balances" (I know, shun the thought haha) magic with non-magic users. I know this means everyone can cast magic, but I don't think that's an awful thing. It's fantasy after all. What this does is means there is a cost to all magic. No more 6 Fireballs a day, just because. Now magic-users will have to spend some of that hard earned treasure to cast more spells. This forces players to actually think before they cast spells, because they aren't free anymore. It also gives a nice incentive to actually go adventure more.

Second this opens up all magic. No more Class Spell Lists. Just magic. Use the lowest level (or highest if you prefer) version of the spell. IE if Clerics and Magic-User both get a spell, you use whichever version is available first. Furthermore I'm strongly considering the idea of set spell stats. IE no more 1d6 per level. Simply 5d6 if it's a spell you would normally get at 5th level. This opens up spells from everywhere by the way. Rituals from 4th? Sure. Magic from the d20 Call of Cthulhu supplement? Of course. Force powers from Star Wars? You might need to figure out a cost, but toss them in there.

Backgrounds, Professions, and Races

An idea I'm toying with, but strongly avoiding, is the idea of some sort of background. I realize this was almost necessary for Races (though not really, once again just role play it). I'm consider something along the lines of; Lizard Man +1 AC; Warrior +1 Attack. Though something I'm leaning towards more is the idea of "Kits". Classes would just be backgrounds that determine your starting equipment. Wizard? Starts with Robes and a Wand. Knight? Chainmail and long sword. You get the point.

Play First, Role Play After

One of my biggest complaints was inconsistency. Why would a Giant Ram be stronger than a Dragon (just an example out of thin air)? Here's a better question, why should I care? Monsters are now just a pile of hit points, armor class, and damage. Maybe the Ram is magical. Maybe it's twice the size of the Dragon. Figure it out later, if you even care. Same with characters, same with magic, same with weapons, treasure, etc.

What Does it All Mean?

Most important to me, it means rules where you need them, not where you don't. In other words, combat is one of the few things you can't juts negotiate. There are few other situations like that in an Adventure, so why do we need so many rules? We don't, and that's one of the main tenets of the OSR. I'm just taking it to the extreme, nothing special really. What is special is the particular combination of rules I'm keeping means I get to use material from everywhere, EVERYWHERE.

Something else, that I desire, is a game where you don't have to role play. Of course you can role play all you want, and removing rules that restrict that role playing is great, and very old school. But what about those times you don't want to role play? Maybe your playing in public and your shy. Maybe it's not your thing. Maybe you got some buddies that just want to play a game. You can do that here. You can just kill stuff and get the treasure. While most people see that as shallow and boring, I see that as an opportunity for some fun.

Another interesting side effect is this establishes a certain feel, that I think is unique amongst tabletop RPGs. In fact I think this will end up feeling like a computer game more. It will feel more like games akin to Zelda, Moonstone, Sword & Sworcery, etc. Games that focus on the hero, on adventure, and exploration. Most importantly this is a game that can be played one on one (or even solitary, if so desired).

Since I've mentioned computer games, I'm thinking of even using computer graphics. Old school pixel graphics of course. This has a few benefits to me. I'm not a very gifted artist, but raster graphics I can do. It also gives my game a unique feel, and communicates the style of game I'm inadvertently emulating. It's also totally old school.

Well that's enough for now. Stay tuned for material, because right now I'm probably just going to blog everything.