Silvaki Larenthian's page

This thread is really rocking!

I think some 2e modules started to showcase magic shops.

And then, when the classic dnd computer games came out start with the DOS based games like Curse of the Azure Bonds and eventually Baldirs Gate 1&2....well, magic shops became easy access. I think those games set an expectation of shops. You couldn't buy everything you needed, but you could buy maintenance supplies like heal potions, scrolls, +2 arrows etc. too easy.

So We never allowed shops in our games and always added a house rule of no shops. There was nothing wrong with asking around for a senior wizard to get stuff. But his price was an adventure...dangerous of course. You had to do some work for him. And good luck lying to him saying you accomplished the mission but found nothing else. Of course, maybe the wizard didn't like the party, and the party if they survived decided to bump him off.

About combat. I prefer fast combat. I'm still coming up to speed on 3.5e and pathfinder combat. The new stuff for the fighters are great, but it adds more time. We always played that HP was more than health. It was also the ability and skill to outlast your opponents. So as you fought more difficult opponents, it took longer to wear them down. It made possible for run n gun ...um ....run n slash fights up and down hallways and tunnels.

All my player groups when I played 2e often would play a primary PC and a hireling as backup and just to round out the group if short on players.

The Paizo modules are like yummy balanced classic dungeon crawls. My new group hopes to start playing in a few weeks. It's probably going to be a mash up of 2e and things we like from pathfinder/3.5. To me. Pathfinder/3.5 is like 2e with megatons of options. Our goal is to keep things moving quickly - which was already a problem with 2e as peeps started rule arguing more and more.

Luna - thank u so much for starting this thread!!!!

Hmm, I've been looking at GAZ13 and I must say that the precursor to drow is awesome. When did the subterranean elves become demon spider worshiping feminists? I think they, like the goblins of Pathfinder, need a reflavoring.

EDIT: Wow...403 posts.I'm glad my thread has inspired such discussion.

Alrighty guys, I've noticed what you all have written and what I remember from watching as a child that there weren't any "Ye Olde Magick Shoppes" around in 1e or 2e. I wonder when that changed and why. It also made me look at the Master Craftsman feat, which I think is pretty cool now that I look at it..

Give him something unapologetically evil and quit with the nonsense.

My favorite Paladin series is The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon. It is excellent. Imagine tolkienesque meets Joan of Arc = Paksenarrion.

About the dead wife. Did he or the son see the body? Maybe a big baddie has kidnapped her while ill and swapped out the body using a very clever illusion. Then u can make it up and open up a new role playing possibility.

Maybe let another PC find the first couple of clues about his wife's real fate so u can pull in the whole party. Allow for early rescue of the wife, and move on with a more interesting plot to give a good butt kicking to evil.

It's ok for paladins to lose a fight or fail to rescue someone.

That is so true. And when a player says I read in this source book I an get such and such super item from this shop in this town....well...u can let them try, but I used to dismiss that as unfounded rumors or let them find and abandoned shop. And then if they ask where did they go, use everyone's imagination to figure it out and make it more fun.

Speaking for myself, I would rather play hard to make some new item , whether minor or major item. I had a really good DM who let me learn to make some interesting potions and scrolls. I was loving it. Until a local wizard NPC 'found out' and made things difficult. Apparently I was infringing on his turf and I violated some local law...

But it was fun and we all laughed.

Hmm....about the high death rate. If we were really sloppy, death came easy. If we were careful, we tried to be a good storyteller and keep them on the edge of disaster, but not wiped out. We also did really hard modules on purpose but only after mutual agreement and we were very honest what was working or not working or fair or nor fair.

As long as it was fun.....

And yes, I saw that the special 1e books are out for the GG memorial. Awesomeness.

. The key to having fun is the imagination and spontaneity. These are two wonders of early gaming that are lost in the shuffle of a downloaded society. Tear apart any canon you don't wish to use, and use the stuff you like in any fashion you like. That's what it meant to be an early gaming "DM". And once you do so, stay internally consistent with all the workings of your world, even though it is set in Daroken.

That said, I'll skim some stuff and try to drop you some ideas this month. Good gaming!

Pax

I was out of tabletop RPG gaming for a long time until recently. I started on 2e and relied on 1e books as supplemental material. I like the 2e revision from the late 90s. The 3e and 3.5. Its some really good stuff. Tons and tons of new options. 4e...well. It came too soon and generated too much confusion.

I've always felt the key to the retro feel was 1) speed - don't let number crunching in combat slow down the game. Too much math play really ruins the role play aspect. The early days of 2e and most of 1e had limited sourcebooks but we had 2) lots of well written modules that were simple to use. Those 1e modules rocked and still rock. 3) the modules were tougher and had the rules were alittle less lfexible making the game harder 4) have good ground rules for the players to follow ofwhichthere is #1 - stay committed to having fun. 5) ad lib ad lib adlib make it up as you go along if necessary to preserve the fun

Now I've walked past pathfinder before but didn't. Know what it was. Recently I discovered pathfinder and saw an entire campaign sourcebook - rise of the rune lords . Frankly, I haven't seen anything of that quality for dnd since 1e. I'm that biased - I admit. But the 1e modules rocked. pathfinder is the tops. It makes 3.5 easy and fun. Try to get them excited about the pathfinder products. And be willing to compromise on rules in order to have fun - and be willing to admit mistakes as a gm and laugh at yourself.

About pathfinder - I haven't seen dnd flavor RPG books this good (and based on dnd rules ) in a long time. Pathfinder is saving the dnd I know and love. Yes. That was more biased opinion .

Keep us posted on how it goes. I'm looking at a group from 20-43 yrs old players. I can't wait to hear how it goes. ;-)

Good luck and have fun.

I'm directing this particularly at the seasoned veterans of our community who were around for 1e and 2e. First, I'd like to say that the game has come a long way, and I am envious of you guys who were there to witness the birth of the "game". I'd give my ioun stones just to sit at a table in nostalgialand and play a game of AD&D with GG himself. Digressing, I am, in a few hours, about to get a Pathfinder CRB and Bestiary in the mail and am about to put out here a bit of a fantasy of mine. Currently, I have no access to any AD&D material, but I would like some advice on how to give my game the old school feel. I'd like to have the same race/class limitations as well. I am a 22 year old hoping to run this game for some older gentlemen who played AD&D when it first came out. I know the experience will be a little different, given the different ruleset, but what can I do to make my game as retro as possible? I hope I have clarified my mission and question throughly. If I haven't, please help me to do so.

EDIT: Perhaps. I could take the bard back to its druidic roots and make it a PrC, and do the same for the Ranger and Paladin for starters.