Lacking Natural Simplicity (Posts about b/x d&d)https://tkurtbond.github.io/categories/bx-dd.atom2024-01-23T18:49:38ZT. Kurt BondNikolaOld-School Essentials Classic Fantasy Rules Tomehttps://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2021/09/06/old-school-essentials-classic-fantasy-rules-tome/2021-09-06T16:04:34-04:002021-09-06T16:04:34-04:00T. Kurt Bond<p>[I actually finished reading this back on July 9, 2021, but forgot to
finish this post, so it is appearing now.]</p>
<p>I finished reading the <cite>Old-School Essentials Classic Fantasy Rules
Tome</cite> from cover to cover and I am very impressed.</p>
<p>As I say in my terse Goodreads review:</p>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49203328-old-school-essentials-classic-fantasy" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Old-School Essentials Classic Fantasy: Rules Tome" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1576056628l/49203328._SX98_.jpg"></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49203328-old-school-essentials-classic-fantasy">Old-School Essentials Classic Fantasy: Rules Tome</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16187767.Gavin_Norman">Gavin Norman</a><br>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4087725161">5 of 5 stars</a><br><br>
Excellent restatement of the class Basic/Expert D&D (B/X D&D) rules from 1981. Exceptionally clear presentation in wording, typography, and layout. Excellent physical production quality. I liked the use of full page or 2 page spread color artwork, and the black and white art included on the other pages. Excellent range of artwork.
<br><br>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/13454227-t-kurt">View all my reviews on Goodreads</a>
<br><br><p>To expand on this:</p>
<p>I've said <a class="reference external" href="https://tkurtbond.github.io/pages/roleplaying-games/#how-i-got-started">elsewhere</a> that I started playing with first edition AD&D.
As far as I can remember, we often simplified things: I don't remember
using segments, spell components, weapon speed factors, or armor class
adjustments, and I'm not sure we used anything like the actual
official combat sequence.<a class="footnote-reference brackets" href="https://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2021/09/06/old-school-essentials-classic-fantasy-rules-tome/#addict" id="footnote-reference-1" role="doc-noteref"><span class="fn-bracket">[</span>1<span class="fn-bracket">]</span></a> I never picked up the
Moldvay/Cook/Marsh Basic/Expert Sets, unfortunately, since I foolishly
thought “Advanced” meant better than “Basic”.</p>
<p>I think <cite>Old-School Essentials Classic Fantasy</cite> is an wonderful way
for someone to learn the rules of classic D&D, and for running classic
D&D campaigns. I wish it had been around when I started playing D&D.
I'd recommend it today for anyone learning to play, or anyone who
prefers the classic rules.</p>
<!-- See DMG p. 61, “Encounters, Combat, and Initiative”. -->
<aside class="footnote-list brackets">
<aside class="footnote brackets" id="addict" role="doc-footnote">
<span class="label"><span class="fn-bracket">[</span><a role="doc-backlink" href="https://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2021/09/06/old-school-essentials-classic-fantasy-rules-tome/#footnote-reference-1">1</a><span class="fn-bracket">]</span></span>
<p>The rules on Initiative on p. 62–63 of the Dungeon Master's Guide
(DMG) sound simple, but there are further elaborations elsewhere in
the DMG (“Simultaneous Initiative” on p. 66, for instance) and
other AD&D 1E rule books.</p>
<p>It takes a 20 page document, <cite>Advanced Dungeons & Dragons®
Initiative and Combat Table</cite>, compiled by David M. Prata, (<a class="reference external" href="https://idiscepolidellamanticora.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/addict.pdf">I1</a> or
<a class="reference external" href="http://knights-n-knaves.com/dmprata/ADDICT.pdf">I2</a>) to come anywhere near compiling and explaining the actual
first edition AD&D initiative and combat sequence.</p>
<p>I'm not entirely convinced that there <strong>is</strong> a completely
consistent interpretation of the rules, but people have spent a lot
of time and effort trying to figure one out.</p>
<p>Oh, here's a brief but clear discussion of the <a class="reference external" href="https://www.knights-n-knaves.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=15891">AD&D Initiative
Controversy</a>, (<a class="reference external" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210706181418/http://knights-n-knaves.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=15891">mirror</a> on archive.org) describing both The
A.D.D.I.C.T. Method and the OSRIC method.</p>
</aside>
</aside>
<p><em>Last edited: 2021-09-13 17:13:50 EDT</em></p>
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End: -->Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy Referee's Tomehttps://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2021/09/06/old-school-essentials-advanced-fantasy-referees-tome/2021-09-06T15:47:57-04:002021-09-06T15:47:57-04:00T. Kurt Bond<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58329434-old-school-essentials-advanced-fantasy-referee-s-tome" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy Referee's Tome" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1623628954l/58329434._SX98_.jpg"></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58329434-old-school-essentials-advanced-fantasy-referee-s-tome">Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy Referee's Tome</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16187767.Gavin_Norman">Gavin Norman</a><br>
<br><br>
This adapts the Dungeon Master rules (creating and running adventures; monsters; encounters, treasures, and magic items) of first edition AD&D to the scale and mechanics of the Moldvay/Cook/Marsh edition of Basic/Expert D&D, contrasting with Labyrinth Lord: Revised, Advanced Edition Companion, and Advanced Labyrinth Lord, which does it the other way around and adapts the B/X rules to the scale of first edition AD&D.<br><br>As is common with the other Old-School Essentials titles, this is very well organized and presented. It is interesting what was integrated from first edition AD&D and what was left out. (For instance, there is a Wand of Summoning, but no Summon Monster spells.)<br><br>I think that this is an excellent choice for someone new to D&D to learn the classic Dungeon Master rules. I wish something this clear had been available when I started playing D&D.
<br><br>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/13454227-t-kurt">View all my reviews on Goodreads</a>
<br><br><p><cite>Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy</cite> would probably be my first
choice for any new D&D campaign I start, all other things being equal.</p>
<p><em>Last edited: 2021-09-11 12:41:55 EDT</em></p>
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End: -->Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy Player’s Tomehttps://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2021/08/15/old-school-essentials-advanced-fantasy-players-tome/2021-08-15T23:25:47-04:002021-08-15T23:25:47-04:00T. Kurt Bond<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58217885-old-school-essentials-advanced-fantasy-player-s-tome" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy Player’s Tome" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1622495734l/58217885._SX98_.jpg"></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58217885-old-school-essentials-advanced-fantasy-player-s-tome">Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy Player’s Tome</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16187767.Gavin_Norman">Gavin Norman</a><br>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4056920456">5 of 5 stars</a><br><br>
This adapts the classes, races, spells, and other player facing rules of first edition AD&D to the scale and mechanics of the Moldvay/Cook/Marsh edition of Basic/Expert D&D, contrasting with Labyrinth Lord: Revised, Advanced Edition Companion, and Advanced Labyrinth Lord, which does it the other way around and adapts the B/X rules to the scale of first edition AD&D.<br><br>I must admit I miss the monk, and the two Hit Dice at first level of the Ranger from AD&D 1E, but I suppose the former is out because of the common perception that it doesn't thematically fit the pseudo-medieval setting of most D&D games, and the latter is part of adapting to the scale of B/X.<br><br>The OSE Advanced Fantasy Player's Tome is another excellent presentation of the classic rules in a well designed and sturdy hard back book. I'm impressed with the organization and clarity of the presentation. I think that this is an excellent choice for someone new to D&D to learn the classic player rules.
<br><br>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/13454227-t-kurt">View all my reviews on Goodreads</a>BX Options: Class Builderhttps://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2021/07/25/bx-options-class-builder/2021-07-25T15:17:09-04:002021-07-25T15:17:09-04:00T. Kurt Bond<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58611940-bx-options" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="BX Options: Class Builder" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1627016897l/58611940._SX98_.jpg"></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58611940-bx-options">BX Options: Class Builder</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21678093.Erin_D_Smale">Erin D. Smale</a><br>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4130207047">5 of 5 stars</a><br><br>
If you are looking for a way to customize existing classes or create new classes for B/X D&D style games, especially Old-School Essentials, this book is a wonderful resource. It breaks the original classes down into their fundamental parts and provides a simple system for building those parts into new or customized classes. It presents the breakdown for each of the original classes, then provides a list of class variants, customized versions of the original class, as well as sub-classes, heavily redesigned classes. For instance, for the Cleric, the class variants are: Cleric (Dead God), Cleric (God of Death), Cleric (God of Knowledge), Cleric (God of Life), Cleric (God of Nature), and Cleric (God of War); and the sub-classes are Crusader and Shaman. Class variants and sub-classes are presented for Cleric, Dwarf, Elf, Fighter, Halfling, Magic-User, and Thief. It also provides a version of Thief skills using the d6, other d6 skills that can be used in creating classes, some additional armour, weapons, and ammunition, an optional table for spell failure in appropriate circumstances (for example, when non-casters read a spell scroll), a table of special abilities gained by classes that have animal companions, differing depending on the animal in question, and options for characters to gain at high levels, beyond the limits of their level progression tables.<br><br>I'll definitely be using this in my next B/X-style game!
<br><br>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/13454227-t-kurt">View all my reviews at Goodreads</a>I wish the B/X and OD&D retro-clones had added a "Saving Throw" entry for spellshttps://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2021/07/23/i-wish-the-bx-and-odd-retro-clones-had-added-a-saving-throw-entry-for-spells/2021-07-23T04:08:53-04:002021-07-23T04:08:53-04:00T. Kurt Bond<p>One simple improvement on B/X D&D and OD&D that wouldn't have been a
change in the rules, just a change in presentation, that I've wished
that the B/X and OD&D retro-clones had made was adding a “Saving
Throw” entry to their spell descriptions, like that of AD&D. As it
is, you have to read the spell description to figure out if a saving
throw is allowed and what it means.</p>
<p><cite>Basic Fantasy</cite>; <cite>Labyrinth Lord</cite> and <cite>Advanced Edition Companion</cite>;
<cite>Old-School Essentials</cite> <cite>Classic Fantasy</cite> and <cite>Advanced Fantasy</cite>;
<cite>Sword & Wizardry Complete</cite>, <cite>Core</cite>, and <cite>Whitebox</cite>; and <cite>Delving
Deeper</cite>, all fail to do this.</p>
<p>I'm <strong>really</strong> surprised that <cite>Old-School Essentials</cite> didn't do this,
with all its other improvements to the presentation of B/X style
games.</p>
<p>Oh well. Maybe OSE will add it in a later edition.</p>
<p><em>Last edited: 2021-07-25 13:23:05 EDT</em></p>
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End: -->Slings in RPGs: Often Nerfedhttps://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2020/02/07/slings-in-rpgs-often-nerfed/2020-02-07T14:40:23-05:002020-02-07T14:40:23-05:00T. Kurt Bond<p>In response to reading <a class="reference external" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4541318/Roman-sling-bullets-deadly-44-Magnum.html?fbclid=IwAR2IZhVYW4-4_BcuQDOq2yGXwwurzBd3HNSo1BzN7XUwZLKHF4XZ54yy0VU">this</a> article, headlined “Roman sling bullets
used against Scottish tribes 2,000 years ago were as deadly as a .44
Magnum”, I was thinking about slings in RPGs.</p>
<p>I've often thought that sling bullets are woefully nerfed in many
RPGs, especially D&D. In D&D 5E, for instance, they're only 1d4,
while a short bow is 1d6 and a long bow is 1d8. For comparison,
daggers are 1d4 and longswords are 1d8. In OD&D using Greyhawk's
“Damage Done by Weapon Type” table sling <em>stones</em> are 1d4, and the
same in B/X D&D's optional “Variable Weapon Damage” table. However,
in 3-book OD&D and B/X D&D without the “Variable Weapon Damage” table
all weapons did 1d6 damage, so slings weren't nerfed there. AD&D 1E
has sling <em>bullets</em> as 1d4+1 vs. Size Small or Medium and 1d6+1
vs. Size Large. Sling <em>stones</em> are 1d4 vs. Size Small, Medium or
Large. Compare that to arrows at 1d6 vs. Size Small, Medium, or
Large. But all bows fire twice per round, so they can be doing up to
2d6 per round. Interestingly, heavy quarrels are 1d4+1 vs. Size Small
or Medium, and 1d6+1 vs. Size Large with the heavy crossbow firing
once in two rounds, while light quarrels are 1d4 vs. all three sizes
and fire every round. So, nerfed once you take into rates of fire.
D&D 3.5E has sling bullets as 1d4, while longbows are 1d8 and heavy
repeating crossbows are 1d10 and light repeating crossbows are 1d8.
Definitely nerfed. In D&D 4E slings are 1d6, while longbows are 1d10,
shortbows are 1d8, and a crossbow is 1d8. There is even more
variability among editions of D&D than I remembered.</p>
<p>In <a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savage_Worlds">Savage Worlds</a> slings are Str+d4, while a bow is 2d6. For
comparison, a dagger is Str+d4 and a long sword is Str+d8. Nerfed.</p>
<p>In <a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RuneQuest">RuneQuest</a> 2E they are 1d8, similar to a Composite bow at 1d8+1
and broadsword at 1d8. In Elric! (a member of the <a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormbringer_(role-playing_game)">Stormbringer</a> line
of games, appearing between 4th Edition and 5th Edition, but the rules
were substantially equivalent to Stormbringer 5E; It is relative of
RuneQuest mechanically, part of the <a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Role-Playing">Basic Roleplaying (BRP)</a> family
of games) a sling is 1d8+1, similar to a Desert Recurve Bow at 1d8+2,
and a broadsword at 1d8+1. So in the BRP games they are not nerfed.
In DragonQuest their Damage Modifier is +1, while a dagger is +0, a
long bow is +4 and a broadsword is +4. Nerfed.</p>
<p>In <a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talislanta">Talislanta</a> 4E a sling's Damage Rating is 4, as is a dagger, while a
long bow and broadsword are 8. Nerfed.</p>
<p>In <a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_System">Hero</a> 5E, sling damage is 1d6+1, same as a medium bow or a light
long bow, while a medium long bow is 1½ d6 (that's 1 and ½ d6)
and a heavy long bow is 2d6. A dagger is 1d6-1 and a broadsword is
1d6+1. Note that strong enough characters add damage to this based on
how strong they are. Not nerfed.</p>
<p>In <a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GURPS#Prior_RPG_history">GURPS</a> 4E, damage is based on your strength, and the only dice used is
d6. We'll use an average Strength 10 character as an example. Their
Thrust damage is 1d-2 and their Swing damage is 1d. An opponent's
Damage Resistance (DR) is subtracted from the rolled damage and any
damage left is multiplied by a modifier for each type of damage.
Piercing damage has a ×1 modifier, cutting has a ×1.5 modifier, and
impaling has a ×2 modifier.</p>
<p>So, sling damage is swing piercing, and the damage for that for our
average character is 1d. A longbow is thrust+2 impaling. and the
damage for that is 1d, and whatever makes it past DR is doubled. A
regular bow is thrust+1 impaling, and the damage for that is 1d+1
(minus DR) ×2. A dagger is thrust-1 impaling, so that is 1d-3 (minus
DR) ×2. A thrusting broadsword is swing+1 cutting (1d+1 (minus DR)
×1.5) or thrust+2 impaling (1d+2 (minus DR) ×2). I <em>think</em> that's
nerfed a little.</p>
<p>(I'd like to note that when actually playing GURPS I think this is
simpler to do at the table than it sounds like. The damage values for
each attack is figured out at character creation :-)</p>
<p>In <a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fantasy_Trip">The Fantasy Trip</a>, which like GURPS only uses d6, slings do
1d-2, small bows do 1d-1, longbows do 1d+2, daggers do 1d-1, and
broadswords do 2d. A little bit nerfed.</p>
<p>In <a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Eyes,_Small_Mouth">Big Eyes Small Mouth (BESM)</a> 2nd Edition Revised, slings are not
listed, but a long bow does 5 damage, a longsword does 10 damage, and
a dagger does 5 damage. In BESM 3rd Edition, an average person has an
Attack Combat Value (ACV) of 4 and a Damage Multiplier of 5. Each weapon has
a Level, which is multiplied by the Damage Multiplier and added to the
ACV for the final damage. Slings are Level 1 (1 × 5 + 4 = 9), as are
daggers. Longbows are Level 3 (3 × 5 + 1 = 16), as are longswords.
Definitely nerfed. (It is the same in <cite>BESM 4E</cite>.)</p>
<p>In <a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A2rnMaster">HarnMaster</a>, weapon impact (damage) for Melee weapons has three
Aspects, Blunt (B), Edge (E), and Point (P). A dagger's impact is B
1, E 2, P 5, while a broadsword is B 3, E 5, and P 3. A Missile
weapon's impact depends on the type of missile weapon and the range:
short, medium, long, and extreme. Slings are Short 4, Medium 3, Long
2, and Extreme 2. Shortbows are Short 6, Medium 5, Long 4, Extreme 3.
Longbows are Short 8, Medium 8, Long 6, Extreme 5. Nerfed. I'll note
that these weapon or missile impacts are added to a Strike Impact is
decided by a table indexed by how well the attacker did on opposed
rolls of attack skill against the defender's skill in Block,
Counterstrike, Dodge, or if the defender ignored the attack. For Melee
attacks this can result in the defender having blocked the attack,
either the attacker or the defender fumbling or stumbling, the
defender gaining a Tactical Advantage (a free action), or either or
both having made a Strike, which generates from 1 to 4 d6s. For
Missle attacks this can result in a Miss (with a chance to hit an
adjacent combatant, a Wild (a fumble roll), a Block, or a Strike,
which generates from 1 to 3 d6s. The Armor Protection value is
subtracked and the result is the total Effective Impact, which is then
referenced on the Injury Table to determine where the on the body the
injury is and how serious it is. There are no Hit Points like D&D or
Wounds like Savage Worlds. Instead the character accumulates injuries
like “1 Minor Slash Left Upper Arm, 1 injury level”. The total injury
level determines the difficulty of the character staying conscious and
penalty to any skill roll. Some of the injuries may immediately kill
the injured character.</p>
<p>There is a good thread by Robert S. Conley (<a class="reference external" href="http://batintheattic.blogspot.com/">1</a>, <a class="reference external" href="http://www.batintheattic.com/index.php">2</a>, <a class="reference external" href="https://rpggeek.com/rpgdesigner/22847/robert-conley">3</a>) on <a class="reference external" href="https://www.rpgpub.com/threads/the-one-where-i-sing-the-praises-of-harnmaster.2363/">RPG PUB</a>
that talks some more about HarnMaster combat.</p>
<p>In West End Games' <a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D6_Fantasy">D6 Fantasy</a>, attributes are measured in d6s and 2D
is an average human. Bow and sling damage and melee damage as d6s
added to a number of d6s determined by your Strength Damage, which is
determined by your Physique attribute or Lifting skill (both measured
in d6s), drop any adds, divided by 2. So our average human's Strength
Damage is 2D. Then longbows add +2D+2, shortbows add +1D+2, and
slings add +1D. For comparison, daggers add +1D and broad/long swords
ad +2D+2. So, nerfed, although it is hard to make precise
distinctions at this level of resolution.</p>
<p><a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnels_%26_Trolls">Tunnels & Trolls</a> only uses d6s and weapons are measured in “Dice +
Adds”, that is the number of d6s to roll and the number of points to
add to the dice total. The common sling is 2d. A very light self bow
is 2d, a light self bow is 3d, a medium self bow is 4d, a heavy self
bow is 5d, and a extra-heavy self bow is 6d. These all have
increasing Strength Required to use the weapon. For comparison, a
Dirk is 2D+1 and a broadsword is 3d+4. Nerfed.</p>
<p>In <a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Warriors">Dragon Warriors</a> weapon damage has two parts: an armor
penetration die (measured in dice: d4, d6, d8, etc.) and damage
points. The armor penetration die is rolled against the Armour Factor
of the defender's armour: a Gambeson has an Armour Factor of 2 while
Plate has an Armor Factor of 5, and the attacker has to roll <em>higher</em>
than the Armour Factor to inflict damage.</p>
<p>A sling has Damage (d6, 3 points) while a Bow has Damage (d6, 4
points). For comparison, a dagger has Damage (d4, 3 points) and a
sword has Damage (d8, 4 points). Slightly nerfed.</p>
<p>When I GM games that I think nerf slings, like D&D, I often use a
house rule that sling bullets are higher damage than sling stones, and
more similar to the damage of a short bow, 1d6, for example. I may
have been underestimating them and should consider them closer to a
long bow, 1d8, as Chaosium's <a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Role-Playing">Basic Roleplaying (BRP)</a> variants
(RuneQuest, Elric, Stormbringer) do.</p>
<section id="addendum-classic-traveller-cepheus-engine">
<h2>2020-03-14 Addendum — Classic Traveller & Cepheus Engine</h2>
<p><a class="reference external" href="https://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Classic_Traveller">Classic Traveller</a>'s <cite>Supplement 04 Citizens of the
Imperium</cite> (1979) has a section on bow weapons, on p. 16! A sling does
2D wounds and a long bow does 2D wounds also. For comparison, from
<cite>Book 01 Characters & Combat</cite> (1981) on p. 47 on the “Range Table” (?)
dagger, blade, cutlass, and sword all do 2D wounds. Not nerfed.</p>
<p><cite>Cepheus Engine</cite> (<a class="reference external" href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/237247/Cepheus-Engine-RPG">C1</a>, <a class="reference external" href="https://www.paulelliottbooks.com/what-is-cepheus-engine.html">C2</a>) doesn't have slings, but a bow is 2D6.
<a class="reference external" href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/304840/The-Sword-of-Cepheus">Sword of Cepheus</a>, the fantasy variant, has sling as 2D, short bow
as 2D, long bow as 3D, dagger as 2D, and sword as 3D. Maybe a little
nerfed.</p>
</section>
<section id="addendum-advanced-fighting-fantasy-1e-2e">
<span id="aff"></span><h2>2021-07-19 Addendum — Advanced Fighting Fantasy 1E & 2E</h2>
<p>AFF 1E (<a class="reference external" href="https://fightingfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Dungeoneer_(book)">Dungeoneer</a>, <a class="reference external" href="https://fightingfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Blacksand_(AFF)">Blacksand</a>, <a class="reference external" href="https://fightingfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Allansia_(book)">Allansia</a>) does not, as far as I can tell,
mention slings at all. Boo, hiss!</p>
<p><a class="reference external" href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/667/Arion-Games/subcategory/1684_25223/Advanced-Fighting-Fantasy">AFF 2E</a> <em>does</em> have slings. Yay! In AFF you roll a d6 (the Damage
roll) and look up the result on a table for your weapon. You can have
bonuses to the d6 Damage roll that can give a result of 7 or above.
Here is the entry for sling, along with longbow, shortbow and sword
for comparison.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr><th class="head"><p><strong>Weapon</strong></p></th>
<th class="head"><p><strong>1</strong></p></th>
<th class="head"><p><strong>2</strong></p></th>
<th class="head"><p><strong>3</strong></p></th>
<th class="head"><p><strong>4</strong></p></th>
<th class="head"><p><strong>5</strong></p></th>
<th class="head"><p><strong>6</strong></p></th>
<th class="head"><p><strong>7+</strong></p></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr><td><p>Sling</p></td>
<td><p>1</p></td>
<td><p>1</p></td>
<td><p>2</p></td>
<td><p>2</p></td>
<td><p>2</p></td>
<td><p>3</p></td>
<td><p>4</p></td>
</tr>
<tr><td><p>Arrow - Longbow</p></td>
<td><p>2</p></td>
<td><p>3</p></td>
<td><p>3</p></td>
<td><p>3</p></td>
<td><p>3</p></td>
<td><p>4</p></td>
<td><p>5</p></td>
</tr>
<tr><td><p>Arrow - Shortbow</p></td>
<td><p>1</p></td>
<td><p>2</p></td>
<td><p>2</p></td>
<td><p>3</p></td>
<td><p>3</p></td>
<td><p>3</p></td>
<td><p>4</p></td>
</tr>
<tr><td><p>Sword</p></td>
<td><p>2</p></td>
<td><p>3</p></td>
<td><p>3</p></td>
<td><p>3</p></td>
<td><p>3</p></td>
<td><p>4</p></td>
<td><p>5</p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>So, slings are a little nerfed. I think I'll use a house rule that
says the sling damage in the book is for sling stones, and sling
bullets do the same damage as an arrow fired from a shortbow.</p>
<p>What do you think?</p>
<p><em>Last edited: 2021-08-09 12:15:25 EDT</em></p>
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</section>I wish I hadn't missed out on Basic/Expert and BECMIhttps://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2012/05/22/i-wish-i-hadnt-missed-out-on-basicexpert-and-becmi/2012-05-22T14:54:55-05:002012-05-22T14:54:55-05:00T. Kurt Bond<p>I wish I hadn't missed out on Basic/Expert and BECMI D&D, back when I
first started playing AD&D. I think they provided a simpler, more
coherent version of D&D. I wouldn't have wanted to give up Gygax's
entertaining prose style, though, so I wish I'd not rejected B/X
and BECMI, not replaced AD&D.</p>4E D&D admits what game it's always been?https://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2008/10/06/4e-dnd-admits-what-game-its-always-been/2008-10-06T18:30:11-05:002008-10-06T18:30:11-05:00T. Kurt Bond<p>I've been hearing a lot of people saying, in effect, that 4E D&D
admits what kind of game D&D has always been and tunes everything for
that: butt-kicking tactical battle-mat kick-in-the-door, kill
everything, and take it's stuff gamist play. <a class="footnote-reference brackets" href="https://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2008/10/06/4e-dnd-admits-what-game-its-always-been/#whatpodcast" id="footnote-reference-1" role="doc-noteref"><span class="fn-bracket">[</span>1<span class="fn-bracket">]</span></a> Right now
I'm ignoring the later bit about what 4E does and how well it does it,
and looking at the earlier bit's claims about “the kind of game D&D
has always been”. I'm not convinced.</p>
<p>This post, right now, is sort of a placeholder. I intend to fill in
my history with D&D and look at the various editions of D&D that I've
got and see if they support the “the kind of game D&D has always been”
remark.</p>
<p>As I've said <a class="reference external" href="https://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2008/10/01/triad-odnd-tekumel-tnt/">elsewhere</a> the release of 4E and the choruses of “It's
not real D&D” actually got me interested me in looking back at what
D&D really was, so I bought PDFs of Original D&D (from <a class="reference external" href="http://www.rpgnow.com/">RPGNow</a>
<a class="footnote-reference brackets" href="https://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2008/10/06/4e-dnd-admits-what-game-its-always-been/#wotc-kerfluffle" id="footnote-reference-2" role="doc-noteref"><span class="fn-bracket">[</span>2<span class="fn-bracket">]</span></a>) and its supplements and Chainmail and printed
them all out and bound them in 8.5”x5” pamphlets, in more or less the
original form factor. I've read <cite>Chainmail</cite> and the three pamphlets
that made up the original D&D release (X, Y, Z) completely, and have
scanned the others. (Oddly enough, I've still not got beyond scanning
4E.)</p>
<section id="od-d">
<h2>OD&D</h2>
<p>The original version of D&D, along with some of its supplements, was
still available in some hobby shops when I started playing RPGs, but
the group I played with had was strictly AD&D, so I completely missed
out playing the original, as well as its follow-ons, the various
versions of Basic D&D.</p>
<p>Some of the retrogaming community has commented that the play
experience for this for this version of D&D is very different from all
versions that came after it. From my initial reading, I agree.</p>
</section>
<section id="blue-box-holmes-d-d">
<h2>Blue Box/Holmes D&D</h2>
<p>I got this boxed set for Christmas one year as a young teenager, and
was fascinated. My box came with B2 — The Keep on the Borderlands.
The group I ended up with, however, played AD&D. I think I ran this a
couple of times for my younger brother. My original copy of the
rulebook walked off many years ago, but I picked up the reproduction
cheap a year or so after the anniversary.</p>
</section>
<section id="moldvay-cook-basic-expert-d-d">
<h2>Moldvay/Cook Basic/Expert D&D</h2>
<p>I saw this in stores as a teenager, but never picked it up.</p>
<p>I bought a copy of the rulebooks (from <a class="reference external" href="http://www.nobleknight.com/">Noble Knight</a>) at some point,
and can see why so many speak so fondly of it. It is a clear, well
written presentation of the ideas from OD&D with the unevenness sanded
down.</p>
</section>
<section id="advanced-d-d-1e">
<h2>Advanced D&D, 1E</h2>
<p>This was my real introduction to roleplaying games, and continued as
the main game in the groups where I played until college, with
occasional bouts of Tunnels and Trolls. We played mostly homegrown
campaigns; for some reason the AD&D modules didn't work as well for
us.</p>
</section>
<section id="red-box-mentzer-d-d">
<h2>Red Box/Mentzer D&D</h2>
<p>I never got a chance to play Red Box, but I got the PDFs from <a class="reference external" href="http://www.rpgnow.com/">RPGNow</a>.</p>
</section>
<section id="rules-cyclopedia-d-d">
<h2>Rules Cyclopedia D&D</h2>
<p>I heard a lot of folks extolling the virtues of the one-book RC D&D,
so I searched around a found a reasonably priced copy. Well worth the
money. This is without a doubt the most complete-in-one-book version
of D&D, at least until the <a class="reference external" href="https://tkurtbond.github.io/pages/rpg-vocabulary/#retro-clone">retro-clones</a>.</p>
</section>
<section id="advanced-d-d-2e">
<h2>Advanced D&D, 2E</h2>
<p>When 2E came out I'd long since moved on from D&D, and had been
playing <em>DragonQuest</em> and <em>GURPS</em> for long while. I played 2E very
briefly, just before 3E came out, with a guy who'd been on a 3E
playtest and hated it.</p>
</section>
<section id="e-d-d">
<h2>3E D&D</h2>
<p>Completely missed playing this at the time, but have played a few
sessions during the 3.5E era with folks who played 3E.</p>
</section>
<section id="e-d-d-1">
<h2>3.5E D&D</h2>
<p>I've played this a fair bit.</p>
<aside class="footnote-list brackets">
<aside class="footnote brackets" id="whatpodcast" role="doc-footnote">
<span class="label"><span class="fn-bracket">[</span><a role="doc-backlink" href="https://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2008/10/06/4e-dnd-admits-what-game-its-always-been/#footnote-reference-1">1</a><span class="fn-bracket">]</span></span>
<p>What podcast did I hear this on? Voice of the
Revolution, said by Paul Tevis?</p>
</aside>
<aside class="footnote brackets" id="wotc-kerfluffle" role="doc-footnote">
<span class="label"><span class="fn-bracket">[</span><a role="doc-backlink" href="https://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2008/10/06/4e-dnd-admits-what-game-its-always-been/#footnote-reference-2">2</a><span class="fn-bracket">]</span></span>
<p>Back when they were still available legally,
before the WotC PDF kerfluffle.</p>
</aside>
</aside>
</section>