tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post9086050885033849894..comments2023-06-08T08:26:07.304-05:00Comments on Advanced Gaming & Theory: Retrospective on 2e style & BloggerRipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-1942126994622955872016-02-03T09:49:07.820-06:002016-02-03T09:49:07.820-06:00Howdy Dale Wardens! Welcome back, and thanks for r...Howdy Dale Wardens! Welcome back, and thanks for responding; I can't agree with you more! As far as I'm concerned, 2e is the holy grail of Role-playing systems. With a little effort, you can do anything that you want with the game. If you want to make a modern setting, all you need to do is make the proper modifications, and off you go! I've played Old West, Sci-Fy, 1920's, and have thought about a private detective type of game set in the late 40's, early 50's, but I'll probably never do it.<br /><br />As far as fantasy, the system is perfect as is. You can always port your NWP in, develop unique weapons and fighting styles, your encouraged to write up your own spells, but it also gives you enough to work with so that you don't have to do that if you don't want to.<br /><br />In regards to Random Encounters, I have actually been doing a lot of thinking about these things, and in the near future I'll be posting some of my thoughts on them. RipperXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-80021686173674357592016-02-02T18:03:52.498-06:002016-02-02T18:03:52.498-06:00Hello Ripper X!
I have a neutral to positive view...Hello Ripper X!<br /><br />I have a neutral to positive view on random encounters. If they have a logic to them, they can be quite interesting. Some of the can be too prolific with monster frequency, and it makes me wonder why all the villagers or travelers have not been killed.<br /><br />The thing about random encounters, that can either be fun or drag on the game, is that they take some of the control from the Dm and the players. When the roll for the encounter occurs, no one knows what is going to happen next! Something unplanned... :) In that way they can make games a bit more unique.<br /><br />I don't always use them, but I must say some very interesting things have happened because of random encounters.<br /><br />-dsThe Dale Wardenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12864432866927396245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-88610136290668449042016-02-02T17:13:46.386-06:002016-02-02T17:13:46.386-06:00I have to say I love-love-love your blog. All the...I have to say I love-love-love your blog. All the 2nd edition goodness that it brings. I must admit I have not checked it out in a while! You took a long break. This is the first post I have read where I really feel I need to respond.<br /><br />I have some contention with some of the assertions in this post.<br /><br />/start-rant<br /><br />I play 2nd edition AD&D and I have to say: I have had a completely different experience than you. I do not see where the game itself is of a scripted type lending itself to one type of play. 2nd edition for me was and is a very free flowing and open game. I have DMed 2 campaigns (1 current), I have played in a number of short campaigns (1 year or less), 3-4 long running games (1989 - 1998) and am currently playing in one that has been going on since 1997. <br /><br />This playstyle/lack of flexibility/script you talk about is not inherent to 2nd edition. It's not. Perhaps it's the modules you ran? Did you only run modules? Or is it the play style your group adopted? Those have nothing to do with 2nd edition as a game... If a DM doesn't want to complicate a module by killing a certain NPC (or a player), or the let players off the railroad track, has DmPCs, then that's the DM's choice. This same argument can be said about 3e, Pathfinder, 4e. OD&D etc etc. Any game. If you have a script, and you are not deviating from it for fear of breaking it, it does not matter what system you are using.<br /><br />If you are playing a Pathfinder Adventure path, and you want to buy the tavern of the murdered innkeeper, and the DM doesn't let you because it's not completely in line with the grand story of the adventure, it's not the Pathfinder rpg's fault. It's not even the module's fault. Either the players have free agency, or they are on a railroad. And the point of modules is to send you down a path. It's up to the DM what he does with that and the player interactions. <br /><br />Why would the players want to play second fiddle to NPCs? If they do that's the DM's call not the system's. Ed Greenwood's PC aka Elminster does not interest me. My PCs should be the key to whatever power level the story should be about. <br /><br />Did you ever play TSR's Birthright Campaign? That background has to have some of the most expansive player agency in any rpg as, in addition to all the normal things PCs can do, you are running a kingdom with provinces, that has an economy, can fight wars and trade with other lands, spread your religion or magical power, etc etc. It's a 2nd edition product. It's a sandbox.<br /><br />AD&D has a lot of good stuff in it. It cleaned up a lot of stuff from earlier versions and Dragon articles. It has some nice optional rules that a group can use to develop its own playstyle. What a group and DM does with that framework is really -up to them.<br /><br />/endrant<br /><br />It's really good to see you have found a style that suits you. You seem like you are very pleased with the path that you are on, and I am looking forward to more enthusiastic posts!<br /><br />David S.<br />Minnesota, USA<br /><br />PS: The best DM advice I have ever heard when starting a new campaign is to "Kill Elminster." Have Greyhawk City sink. Throw all the cards in the air (aka pre-conceptions) and let the players wonder what's going to happen next.The Dale Wardenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12864432866927396245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-59070330179487663492016-02-01T13:47:23.601-06:002016-02-01T13:47:23.601-06:00Greetings Hauke Stammer!
Videogame logic and D&am...Greetings Hauke Stammer!<br /><br />Videogame logic and D&D doesn't mesh well together. I suppose that some people will try to make it work because that is there inspiration, but I think that a lot of people have come back to the table to escape that logic, and the limitations which are always present when dealing with a computer. While a computer can manage combat, that is all it can do.<br /><br />In regards to players not wanting to play the game, I think that if you suddenly took it away so that they could win every encounter, they would hate it. You can't go back. I could go all montey haul on my players and most of them would correct this problem themselves by selling stuff and donating the gold to a church.<br /><br />I do kind of cheat in regards to Random Encounters, my lists are more than just creature names, I also have little stories or at least provide motivations to the creatures or people on them. Truly deadly encounters are tough as I prefer the 1d6 or 1d8 method of encounter generation, I've toyed with the idea of having an additional table for deadly ones. True danger should exist in the world, that is what makes the game exciting, I just want to do it in a logical and fair way. RipperXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-29828432116518228502016-02-01T07:01:56.919-06:002016-02-01T07:01:56.919-06:00I'm still a great fan of 2e because next to ra...I'm still a great fan of 2e because next to railroaded adventures it has a great bunch of campaign settings that really differed, an easy to modify rules set und a hell of a lot supplyments.<br /><br />I agree with your post even though as a FR player the few adventures beside the Times of Troubles series where not really railroading ones but more or less just lame. Plain and simple.<br /><br />Now I'm more or less the sandbox DM but not all of my players are happy with this. Because in a sandbox there allways waits an encounter your charakters may not be able to handle with swords and spells... and some players don't like this idea at all. Having to flee or wait for another day just don't seem to be some idea that fits into a world, where modern computer games scale the challange level of dungeons to the level of involved player charakters.Cyrichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01928728937224603450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-55213093971680069082016-01-31T18:05:52.541-06:002016-01-31T18:05:52.541-06:00Yup, each edition had its own flavor. When I start...Yup, each edition had its own flavor. When I started playing D&D again as an adult, and in my college years, I read every role playing game from Traveler to Espionage! and everything in between. I decided on D&D, then I gave each version a try - White Box D&D, Basic Expert D&D, and AD&D. I decided on AD&D First Edition, because it offered the richest playing experience. BTW, I too was isolated, on the constant watch for players and time to play.Brooser Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08487438364129415650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-23945864905733515632016-01-31T17:50:06.382-06:002016-01-31T17:50:06.382-06:00I think that all versions of the game had their ow...I think that all versions of the game had their own flavor, didn't they? <br /><br />Dragonlance really set the tone for 2e. Typically you could play the characters in the novels. Novels played a big part in the era, escaping the Gygaxian era of weird high fantasy to creations of fantastic, highly detailed worlds. Older DM's kept the Gygaxian flavor of their games, but those of us who learned 2e exclusively fancied ourselves and what we did as mini novels. I didn't even know who Gary Gygax was until the blogger era. <br /><br />Today it is much easier to learn the history of the game, but back then all of that stuff was still hidden. Especially when you were as isolated as we were.RipperXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-70746973956282253142016-01-31T15:22:08.691-06:002016-01-31T15:22:08.691-06:00This is an awesome post! Sounds like you had an aw...This is an awesome post! Sounds like you had an awesome experience. I never even knew that AD&D 2nd Edition was played differently. I.e. railroading and more embedding in the story. Brooser Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08487438364129415650noreply@blogger.com