Lacking Natural Simplicity (Posts about caverns of thracia)https://tkurtbond.github.io/categories/caverns-of-thracia.atom2024-01-23T18:49:34ZT. Kurt BondNikolaMy Gaming Careerhttps://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2008/08/02/gaming-career/2008-08-02T11:42:50-05:002008-08-02T11:42:50-05:00T. Kurt Bond<p>This post is unfinished, alas.</p>
<section id="part-i-origins">
<h2>Part I: Origins</h2>
<p>The first <cite>D&D</cite> game I owned was the Holmes blue-box edition of <cite>Basic
D&D</cite>; the first <cite>D&D</cite> game I played was <cite>AD&D</cite> 1E. I was in junior
high when I got the Holmes box set for Christmas from my parents. (If
I am remembering correctly.) That summer I started playing <cite>AD&D</cite>
with a group of my brother's friends from high school, and I played
with them until that group gradually dispersed, some when they left
the state for college, and some when they left the state after college
for jobs elsewhere. I had long been DMing by then.</p>
<p>I remember seeing <cite>OD&D</cite>'s <a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eldritch_Wizardry">Eldritch Wizardry</a> in the local
hobby store when I first started playing, but I never saw the original
<cite>OD&D</cite> boxed set.</p>
<p>I don't think I ever looked at the later Moldvay/Cook or Mentzer
<cite>Basic D&D</cite> lines, other than buying <cite>Isle of Dread</cite>, thinking like
many that if I was already playing <cite>Advanced D&D</cite> that <cite>Basic D&D</cite>
wouldn't have much to offer. <a class="footnote-reference brackets" href="https://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2008/08/02/gaming-career/#basic-dnd" id="footnote-reference-1" role="doc-noteref"><span class="fn-bracket">[</span>1<span class="fn-bracket">]</span></a></p>
<p>My younger brother joined the group at some point. He got <cite>Tunnels &
Trolls</cite> as a Christmas present one year, from my uncle Chuckie, if I
remember correctly. We played it several times, but it was a simpler
game than <cite>AD&D</cite> and at the time seemed to offer less, though in an
entertaining way. <a class="footnote-reference brackets" href="https://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2008/08/02/gaming-career/#tnt" id="footnote-reference-2" role="doc-noteref"><span class="fn-bracket">[</span>2<span class="fn-bracket">]</span></a></p>
<p><cite>Gamma World</cite>, 1st edition, was probably the first RPG I bought, other
than <cite>AD&D</cite>. (How did we buy the <cite>AD&D</cite> books?) We never played
<cite>Gamma World</cite>, for some reason. Probably because I wasn't able to
figure out the rules, or because it was too gonzo.</p>
<p>While still in junior high, or perhaps my first year in high school, I
ran across <cite>DragonQuest</cite>. Although it was written in a “numbered
rules” style that I was unfamiliar with (having never played wargames)
that required me to read it closely several times through before I
understood any of it, I was fascinated by it from the very first read.
<cite>DQ</cite>'s skills gave all characters interesting distinguishing
abilities, where as in <cite>AD&D</cite> only thieves had similar such abilities
(other classes depending on selection of spells to distinguish the
magic using classes and magic items to distinguish the others.) The
D100 based unified mechanic used by <cite>DQ</cite> was also very attractive, as
was the more detailed combat system. The professional skills seemed
less restrictive and therefore less of a mere game construct than the
equivalent <cite>AD&D</cite> classes. The fact that every character could learn
magic also seemed freeing.</p>
<p>The fact that the only <cite>DQ</cite> adventure that I was able to find at the
time was Paul Jaquays' <cite>The Enchanted Wood</cite> was also a plus, because I
found it to be head and shoulders above any other adventure I had seen
at the time.</p>
<p>I can seen now that most of these things I liked about <cite>DQ</cite> were the
things that added to greater detail in distinguishing characters, as
well as what I called realism them, but today might more accurately
call verisimilitude. I think a good part of it was that by this time
<cite>AD&D</cite> had become its own genre and I wanted something less tied to
those particular tropes. <cite>DQ</cite> seemed to simulate a wider variety of
fantasy than <cite>AD&D</cite>.</p>
<p>I think it is safe to say that I was suffering from an anti-D&D
backlash at this point.</p>
<p>At some point I bought a copy of Avalon Hill's <cite>Powers & Perils</cite>. (If
my memory of buying this from the hobby store in downtown Clarksburg
is correct, I must have bought this fairly early on in my gaming
career.) At some other point I bought Iron Crown's <cite>Rolemaster</cite>.
Both of these blew my mind with complexity. <cite>P&P</cite>'s setting, however,
was another glimpse at a non-<cite>AD&D</cite> fantasy universe.</p>
<p>A friend of mine bought <cite>Traveller</cite> early in our gaming careers. We
tried making characters a couple of times, but were never able to
figure out what we should do with them afterwards — I think we could
never bridge the gap between dungeon crawling and monsters killing
characters in <cite>AD&D</cite> and 40– and 50– year old ex military characters
in Traveller. I don't think we had any <cite>Traveller</cite> adventures to
help us along.</p>
<p>I ran a very successful <cite>DragonQuest</cite> campaign in my first year at
college with three of the original group and a couple of other
players, using Paul Jaquays' wonderful <cite>Enchanted Wood</cite> adventure
setting.</p>
<p>Later in college I started a long-running campaign set in SPI's
minimal <cite>Frontiers of Alusia</cite> setting using <cite>DragonQuest</cite> at the
beginning.</p>
<p>My leaning to greater detail and verisimilitude lead me in time to
<cite>GURPS</cite>, with a small detour along the way for 3rd edition
<cite>RuneQuest</cite>.</p>
<!-- Where did I buy RQ? -->
<p>I bought <cite>RuneQuest</cite>, 3rd edition (<cite>RQ3</cite>, the Deluxe Boxed Set) and
<cite>Griffin Island</cite> (also a boxed set) in stores, somewhere. (I think
this must have been near the time they were released.) Like
<cite>DragonQuest</cite>, I found them fascinating. Unlike <cite>DQ</cite> I never got my
group to successfully play <cite>RQ</cite>. The players found <cite>RQ3</cite> character
generation to be too complicated, alas. <cite>RQ3</cite> and <cite>Griffin Island</cite>
were a glimpse into a style of culture-based gaming that I had never
encountered in my <cite>AD&D</cite> experience, but were complicated enough that
my players hated character generation, and we never got much beyond
that. I never saw <em>any</em> of the Glorantha materials until much, much
later, post Internet. <cite>Griffin Island</cite>, though, even with the
occasional incoherence in its Glorantha-less state, resonated with
more depth than anything I had yet seen. (I never realized, until
years later, that the Paul Jaquays whose <cite>DQ</cite> adventure <cite>The Enchanted
Wood</cite> had so opened my eyes was also one of the authors of <cite>Griffin
Island</cite>! I guess at the time I didn't pay much attention to the
authors/designers of games.)</p>
<p><cite>GURPS</cite> for me was about even more finely grained definition of
characters. Learning from problems my players had with <cite>RuneQuest</cite>
character generation, I created <cite>GURPS</cite> versions of all their
<cite>DragonQuest</cite> characters. Since, in the process of simulating all
their <cite>DQ</cite> abilities with <cite>GURPS</cite>, I'd along the way upgraded their
characters somewhat in power, everybody had fun and it all worked out.
Already accustomed to a hex-based tactical combat system and
role-under skills from <cite>DQ</cite>, it was an easy adjustment to <cite>GURPS</cite>, and
the campaign continued successfully for many more sessions.</p>
<p>I think, however, that later I moved away from <cite>GURPS</cite> because
making/updating characters was such a pain, even with the assistance
of Bill Seuer's <cite>GURPS</cite> <a class="reference external" href="http://www.seurer.net/games/utilities/makechar.html">MAKECHAR</a> program. (Let us just say
that the main villain of the campaign, and evil wizard, ended up a
1000 point character, and all the PCs were 300 point characters.)</p>
<p>Chaosium: <cite>Call of Cthulhu</cite>, <cite>Elric!</cite>, <cite>Stormbringer</cite>, <cite>Prince
Valiant</cite>, <cite>Pendragon</cite>, Universal Supplements.</p>
<p>I ran a short <cite>Elric</cite> campaign after my <cite>Frontiers of Alusia</cite>
campaign. This worked better for my players than <cite>RQ3</cite>, as it used
simpler implementation of Chaosium's house system, <cite>BRP</cite>. Despite
the brevity of this campaign I have fond memories of <cite>Elric</cite>.</p>
</section>
<section id="part-ii-hiatus">
<h2>Part II: Hiatus</h2>
<p>After that there was a hiatus in my gaming. I continued to buy and
read RPG material, but didn't have a regular group.</p>
<aside class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>The rest of this is rambling and desperately needs rewritten.</p>
</aside>
<p>WFRP — First encounted in WD? Then bought main rulebook. At
first dismissive of the rules, but again fascinated by the picture
of the old world and the high quality of some of the adventures.
The one time I tried running WFRP things didn't work out with
my gaming group.</p>
<p>Most of my buying WFRP was during my hiatus?</p>
<p>I really only came to understand <cite>RuneQuest</cite> during my hiatus from
gaming, in the 90s, when I started seriously to track down the <cite>RQ3</cite>
material I'd never know about, including the post RQ3 fanzines. I
even found a copy of <cite>RQ2</cite> in a game store in Austin, Texas, while there
on travel for work.</p>
<p><cite>RQ</cite> found … earlier than <cite>GURPS</cite>, later? but only understood much later
in 90s during my serious <cite>RQ</cite> buying days after I ran a long <cite>GURPS</cite> campaign
(<cite>Call of Cthulhu</cite>/<cite>Elric</cite> helped understand/like RQ?) and bought <cite>RQ2</cite>.
Early GURPS gaming at college BAMF?
Compare to dates of Alusia becoming <cite>GURPS</cite>?</p>
<p>Tékumel. Call of Cthulhu. Jorune.</p>
</section>
<section id="part-iii-gaming-again">
<h2>Part III: Gaming Again!</h2>
<p>Hiatus ends. <cite>Fudge</cite> <cite>Bunnies & Burrows</cite>, <cite>BESM</cite>, <cite>Buggin</cite>, Toon,
<cite>Savage Worlds</cite> with kids.</p>
<p>Reading <a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Eric_Holmes">John Eric Holmes</a>'s <cite>Fantasy Role
Playing Games - Dungeons, Dragons and Adventures in Fantasy Gaming</cite>
(ISBN 0-88254-514-0) at work leads to other gamers, and some
<cite>D&D</cite> 3.5e and <cite>Star Wars D20</cite> gaming, and eventually to <cite>Savage
Worlds</cite>.</p>
<p>After my hiatus from gaming, I was looking for simpler games.
<cite>Fudge</cite>, <cite>BESM</cite>, and finally <cite>Savage Worlds</cite>.</p>
<p>Retro-gaming: interest in early classic <cite>AD&D</cite> modules we missed
(which lead to <cite>Wilderlands</cite> and <cite>Tegel Manor</cite> then <cite>Badabaskor</cite>,
<cite>Caverns of Thracia</cite>, etc. then 3e/3.5e reprints) which lead to
buying lots of PDF games including classic <cite>BD&D</cite> module B10 (superb!)
leading to RC purchases, then other <cite>BD&D</cite> modules and <cite>AD&D</cite> modules,
pondering running <cite>BD&D</cite> for B20, then buying <cite>Thunder Rift</cite>, Mystara
interest online maps, retro clones to original D&D interest, buy PDFs
from rpgnow, pondering running <cite>OD&D</cite>, <cite>Swords & Wizardry</cite>, download
retro modules for <cite>OD&D</cite>, philotomy, other current <cite>OD&D</cite> player/gm
sites/campaigns/blogs, more JG and understanding which JG were <cite>OD&D</cite>,
more pondering <cite>BD&D</cite> for B10 and other B/X modules, and finding the
<cite>OD&D</cite> <cite>Caverns of Thracia</cite>, by Paul Jaquays!</p>
<p>Road building costs in JG Ready-Ref sheets! (PDF just as confusing as
I remember printouts! Did Ray end up with them?) [2019-11-10: I ended
up buying a new copy of the Ready-Ref sheets over the internet several
years later!]</p>
<p>parallel thread: tactile pleasures: card, bennies, status chips,</p>
<p>custom poker chips for wounds, shaken</p>
<aside class="footnote-list brackets">
<aside class="footnote brackets" id="basic-dnd" role="doc-footnote">
<span class="label"><span class="fn-bracket">[</span><a role="doc-backlink" href="https://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2008/08/02/gaming-career/#footnote-reference-1">1</a><span class="fn-bracket">]</span></span>
<p>Boy, was I wrong! After the <a class="reference external" href="https://tkurtbond.github.io/pages/rpg-vocabulary/#retro-clone">retro-clones</a> started to
appear, especially <cite>Labyrinth Lord</cite>, I bought the Moldvay/Cook
<cite>Basic/Expert</cite> rules, and was pleasantly impressed.</p>
</aside>
<aside class="footnote brackets" id="tnt" role="doc-footnote">
<span class="label"><span class="fn-bracket">[</span><a role="doc-backlink" href="https://tkurtbond.github.io/posts/2008/08/02/gaming-career/#footnote-reference-2">2</a><span class="fn-bracket">]</span></span>
<p>We completely missing out on the flexibility of the T&T
saving roll system — not surprising, since we never saw any of the
T&T solos that used it so extensively — and how that gave T&T gamist
tactical play without complicated rules, unlike D&D 3e and 3.5e. I
think we'd have played T&T more if we'd understood that, but I
only really understood after reading some of comments Ron Edwards
made about T&T in 2003, first in the rpg.net thread <a class="reference external" href="http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46923">Sell me Tunnels & Trolls!</a>
(<a class="reference external" href="http://forum.rpg.net/showpost.php?p=858516&postcount=13">his post</a>), and
then in a series of followup threads at
<a class="reference external" href="http://www.indie-rpgs.com/">the Forge</a>: <a class="reference external" href="http://www.indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=6272">1</a>,
<a class="reference external" href="http://www.indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=6355">2</a>,
<a class="reference external" href="http://www.indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=7104">3</a>,
<a class="reference external" href="http://www.indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=7863">4</a>).</p>
</aside>
</aside>
<p><em>Last edited: 2021-08-09 11:47:21 EDT</em></p>
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