Initiative in my world.

I see a lot of posts in various forums about initiative.  Weapon Speed and starting segments and all the typical stuff.

If anything,  I have tried to keep initiative simple in my game.  There is no use of Weapon speed nor is there a need to worry about segments.

I use group initiative and the winner gets the jump on the loser for the entire first round.  The only worry a Magic user has in regard to spells is if the spell takes longer than 1 round to cast or take effect.  Then there is a chance to be interrupted.  That's it.

Is this realistic?  Of course not.  Is my game a war simulator?  Of course it isn't.  You win initiative or you lose initiative.  Them's the breaks.

If you're into a more realistic combat scene, then I guess using things like weapon speed, etc.. would be important to the process.  I look at combat in my game like a highlight reel from a football game or boxing match.  All the details get looked over and the exciting stuff is what we focus on.

I'm not saying that using the individual initiative or weapon speed and such is bad or wrong.  It depends on who is running a particular game.  That's just not the kind of DM I am.   I don't think my method is bad or wrong either, only different.

I have to admit, it is interesting to see how elaborate and detailed some of the initiative threads can get about the subject.  Holy cow!    You'd think the fate of the world depended on it being done exactly one certain way.

An MHI Inspired Campaign

We've decided to re-create a Monster Hunters oriented campaign inspired by the book series "Monster Hunters International" by Larry Correia.

Now, MHI is based on modern day people using modern day weapons in the "real world".   Sort of.  While I am not one who sees AD&D 1E necessarily as a "medieval" world,  I do see it a an "alternate" world in which technology has taken a different route and"science" has been replaced by "magic".

Given that,  I think I can create a pretty cool Monster Hunters campaign in the spirit of the MHI books.

As a matter of fact,  I already have a "primary" NPC in a previous campaign that never really got off the ground which would be excellent as an AD&D 1E version of an "Earl Harbinger" (the leader of MHI in the books) complete with a compound/base of operations and everything a team of monster hunters might need or want to go off taking down the baddest of the bad.  Though my leader isn't a werewolf.

PC's will be able to collect a "bounty" on targeted monsters though they have to give a percentage to the team.  They have access to all kinds of awesome weapons and tools, for a price.  And like MHI, they have access to NPC's who are specialists who might go along with the team, again, for the right price.

These are bounty hunters who specialize in tracking down and killing monsters.  AD&D 1E is a perfect place for them.  However, the players have been warned that the game is going to be rougher on them. 

It's all "gloves off" since they are knowingly going toe to toe with any monster they get called  for.  Having said that, the rewards are going to be greater as well.  Lots of treasure and XP to go around.  Constant training and preparation for the next mission will keep them hungry.

I'm excited to give this campaign a go.  The Players seem eager to pit themselves against the monsters knowing that it won't be easy going on them.

God,  I love AD&D 1E.

Uruk-hai looking for a wife

I have added Uruk-hai as an NPC race to my game.  One of the aspects of them is that they are created by evil clerics of the god Uruk Khan who gives them life.

At creation, all Uruk-hai are males..  This is primarily for control over their numbers.  However, say the evil cleric who created the Uruk-hai should die before all the Uruk-hai were all dead.

Would the Uruk-hai be able to mate with females of other humanoids to perpetuate the species or not?  This is the question  Iam pondering.

If so, then I am inclined to think they might only be able to breed with orcs or half-orcs. Then again,  I am also inclined to think that they might be able to breed with any "magical" race such as elves as well.

Think of the story possibilities if a band of renegade Uruk-hai, bereft of creator cleric, should take to raiding orc and elf villages and towns to capture females with which to breed more Uruk-hai.

On the other hand, being magically created in such a way, it's highly plausible that they cannot breed at all and would simply die out as their raids and rampages eventually caused them to die off.

This could lead them on a path to hunt down other evil clerics in an effort to compel them to align with Uruk Khan and create more Uruk-hai.

Also, what possibilties exist that one of the created Uruk-hai could develop the ability to become an evil cleric themself and create more after aligning with Uruk Khan?

I'd like to thank Mogo from the DF chatroom for providing some very interesting feedback in a similar discussion.

What are your thoughts on this?