cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/261395

This kind of post seems like a good way for new folks to get acquainted and more settled in to Lemmy.

I'm old. 60 this year. My first game was in 1977. In high school, I was the DM for the D&D club - and ran all-night games for friends. Some are still very close. One of those is "F". His wife is "J". They have a 15yo daughter "S", and a 12yo son, "G". I have a 13 yo son, "M". My sister (50yo and a professional writer), is "E". That's 6 players.

Our last campaign had them defeat the King of Werewolves by freeing the Tarrasque from a city inspired by "Salt-in-Wounds". There was some direct divine intervention to increase the Epicality level. There were effectively no real rules, as no one was willing to learn any. Collaborative storytelling more than "a game". The real audience was the three kids, the adults are in for the storytelling and wacky fun.

We are just starting a new campaign based on the largest ruleset I could get them to agree to actually read and understand: 1976 OD&D (A bit of Chainmail, 3 books, plus Greyhawk). They are all starting at level 1.

• F: Human Fighter
• J: Halfling Thief
• E: Halfling Magic-User
• G: Human Magic-User
• M: Human Cleric
• S: Halfling Thief

And my son has recently persuaded the girl-next-door "C" (14) to join. She has never played before. Also a Halfling Thief. That's seven now, 4 are young teens.

They start in a mid-sized town of Halflings and Humans, surrounded by tame countryside. Backstories include family heritage, links to each other, and description of their motivations. "C" went in DEEP with a story about being exiled to this backwater land. They are looking to establish themselves as the local famous adventurers. They do not suspect that thier quiet breadbasket-of-the-empire shire has a hidden reserve of Dark Evil growing in hidden places.

I'm going with "The Hobbit" usage of thief: "Burglar wants a good job, plenty of Excitement and reasonable Reward". Clever adventurers with no great fighting skill and no magic. Robin Hood -style thievery. Sessions will be reverse Scooby-Do; A simple mundane problem slowly turns into a Dark Magic Mystery that is resolved to leave only more questions. Puzzles, traps, jump scares, mysterious and misleading NPCs, and mild combat for pacing.

House rules:

• RULE ZERO: Have fun. If you're not enjoying the game, speak up.
• Rule of Cool: This is a fantasy game - make it fantastic!
• Rule of Respect: Respect the game and the players. Don't be disruptive. Know the important rules. Pay attention. Read the table.
• All character alignments are GOOD. "Chaotic" is only relative: I do not want antisocial behavior. Disrespect for unjust and unneeded laws is one thing, stabbing your buddy in the back is RIGHT OUT!
• Your hit points are MAX for the first die. For many of the monsters, too.
• Know your to-hit roll, or you MISS. Know your damage roll, or it's ZERO. Know your spell requirements, or it FAILS. Know your hide-in-shadows roll, or it FAILS. Track your remaining HP. Keep count of your inventory. Get it?
• We will not use experience points. Characters will level up for major milestones. In particular, when the entire party works together in a cooperative way to overcome a serious challenge. (In effect, we will play at level 1 until it's not as much fun, then "graduate".)
• Zero HP = Down and Unconscious and Dying. The injured will lose 1 HP per round until -9, then DIE. Immediate application of first aid will hold the victim at death's door until a more permanent solution is applied.
• Combat order & Initiative = Dexterity order. (Highest DEX characters act first.)

Magic

• Level 1 Clerics have spells like Level 2 Clerics in the rules book. Other shifts to smooth out the table. M has the details.
• Level 1 Magic-Users have spells like Level 2 Magic-Users in the rules book. All levels are similarly shifted. In other words, delete the top row and shift the table up.
• First level characters ("Mediums") have TWO first level spells per day. 2nd level M-Us (called "Seers") have three first-level spells and one 2nd level spell per day.
• A "spell slot" is a spell memorized at the beginning of the day. Be sure to mark your memorized spell on your sheet. A memorized spell can be cast without the spell book and without delay. Non-memorized spells need to be read from the book. It takes one round to open the book to the correct spell, and another to read it. One spell slot for first level.
• All spells for the level are available. Number able to cast per day rises with level. Yes, you need a spell book. Yes, material components, too.
• Scrolls are single-use. And most will have a title on the top. (Sometimes it is a lie.)
• A drop of potion will determine its function. However, poison takes effect with just that drop. You get a saving throw.

What do you all think?

Color me unsurprised.

cross-posted from: https://local106.com/post/4645

Traveller definitely is the OD&D of sci-fi

I never thought a scifi game would inform my OD&D game, but damned if it hasn't.

This really conjures the charm of old school D&D. Deadly, interesting. Varied. A little weird. This is what D&D is made of. Sure, it could be a lot more polished. But, also, that content is GOLD.

To my understanding the theory is essentially: Realism in games promotes player agency.

The 2nd Edition is real now!

cue psychedelic rock music

Get it here https://spacegamer.com/sgpage.aspx?id=37

I have ran this three times to laughter and good times.

Used Hex Exploration with 3 hexes a day on foot or 4 a day on horseback / going down river on a boat. 2 hexes a day by boat going upstream - against the current.

Just need dice and a map

Saw this posted elsewhere and thought folks here might get some inspiration from it.

This was posted to my forums earlier. It’s a pretty slick template for creating regional wilderness encounter sheets.

Get Crown of Ancient Glory

toss in this letter they find early in the campaign http://pandius.com/alacwtch.html

but first have them do this adventure in the land and setting - as they progress, they learn of all the rumors for the big adventure and eventually the Monk offers it to them.

one of the players should have connections to the country of Vestland - be a descendent of a hero of Roona or distant relative to Monk Annack of Vestland

The Wandering Trees - Dragon Magazine #57 https://www.annarchive.com/files/Drmg057.pdf

• change the country to fit the Crown of Ancient Glory Setting and Dridians becom a order of Monk Annack and the Forest is a test to see if they are worthy to go after the Crown of Vestland. In the treasure of the forest there is a book of lineage for the Kings of Vestland and History of the Crown.

However Duke Rhoona of Vestland is not sure they are ready and sends them on https://thiefofwhispers.wordpress.com/2022/08/26/spears-of-the-northmen-an-adventure-for-worlds-without-number/ *** The party needs to bring the rebellious troops to order first

The characters need to be at least Level 8-10 for Crown of Ancient Glory so we will need at least one more adventure

Baltron's Beacon i7 TSR is a good one to toss in here and can easily fit in. Perhaps the components are needed

You may want to steal the Lavender Hack ship rules. There are Viking Ships and a floating island fortress in this adventure. Lavender Hack is a free OSR game.

Have FUN!

I'll be going live in a couple of minutes to survey, read, and discuss various offerings from the OSR, NSR, and adjacent communities. Come join the chat!

My PC managed to survive my first session in an OD&D/Chainmail game I joined. A fair bit of the session was spent bringing me somewhat up to speed (there’s a lot going on), some travel, one encounter we avoided (basilisks) and one we had to overcome (wyverns) before we arrived to take counsel with a friendly (I think?) necromancer.

Teratic Tome

Ford's Faeries

Rifts World Book 1 - Vampire Kingdom - Original Printing as it has the stuff for Circus and Traveling Shows

The Original Ultimate Toolbox for GM by Ibach, Ibach, and Pinto

Cites by Midkemia Press

Tome of Adventure Design Revised

The Arduin Trilogy

Hex Flower Cookbook

Kellri's City Block https://kellri.blogspot.com/

Kellri's CDD1-4 https://kellri.blogspot.com/

Justin's House Rules https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/7842/roleplaying-games/justins-house-rules-for-odd

Gary Gygax's House Rules https://cyclopeatron.blogspot.com/2010/03/gary-gygaxs-whitebox-od-house-rules.html

Malevolent and Benign by Expedious Retreat Press

Petty Gods Revised

Jason Vey's Conan for OD&D 0 Free Game https://www.grey-elf.com/

Fantastic Medieval Campaigns by Marcia B

Varlets and Vermin

Zenopus's One Hit Monsters List https://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/02/one-hit-point-monsters_23.html

The Alternate Wandering Monsters List https://beyondtheblackgate.blogspot.com/2012/08/alternate-bx-s-wandering-monster-tables.html

The Majestic Wilderlands by Robert S Conley

Supplement X Philotomy's Musings

The Black Sword Hack Ultimate Edition by The Merry Mushmen

Worlds Without Number - Sine Nomine Publishing

Lavender Hack by Ziapelta Games

For Gold & Glory by God Emperor Games

OSRIC by Stuart Marshall

Swords & Wizardry by Finch - see new revised edition

Supplement v Carcosa by Geoffrey Mckinney

The Perrin Convention - get the pdf of All the World's Monsters II it is inside

of course Chainmail 3rd Edition and it's first 5 supplements - Men & Magic, Monsters & Treasure, The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures, Greyhawk, and Blackmoor

Please Post Up Your List

Guess the Orcs got hungry?

Post up your IRL Dungeons

Player Characters as Polar Bears hmmmmmm?

Not the usual Goblins and Gnomes

The Great Wizard Grimnir is Woden aka Odin. The North is his. All of it.

The Grimnismol https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe06.htm

There is nothing you sneaky, scumy, & mischevious adventurers can do about it.

Adventurers are worse than Filthy Casuals.

Sometimes there is not a cleric around. Do we just let you die? Another Video Secrets of Bayou Healers https://youtu.be/YykyzUJ9ghE

Systems you might use Lotfp Modern Hack Ghost Hack Vampyre Hack Magus Hack Agents of O.D.D. Esoteric Enterprises Tall Tales Blood and Bullets Owl Hoot Trail - such a hoot :) Under Western Skies GURPS Lite

https://www.starmajic.com/products/1210192 I sometimes use this to help flesh out NPC's

hey it comes with 3 giant size d8's

I really like this set up - very compact https://halflingshoard.com/2023/05/07/bastards-bag/

I might have to copy that

My Olde Setup Blue Hack Narcosa Caverns of Thracia Chtuloid Bestiary Teratic Tome Ford’s Faeries Varlet’s and Vermin JG Ready Ref Sheets Bag of Dice with 6 mechanical pencils

Let us all take a moment and thank our local Kaiju who protects us from the World's Monsters here in America.

So I have been inspired by this blog on bringing Lord Dunsany's Dreamlands into a game https://icastlight.blogspot.com/2023/04/od-opium-dunsany-dreamlands-part-ii.html

I think this would work well with Mork Borg + Narcosa as some players may be trying to escape a dying world apocalypse and others just out for drug exploration.

Might have to mix in Yoon-Suin.