I run a game for two of my kids right now who are 11 and 13 years old. They do well with AD&D 1E and love the game.
I have a newly minted 8 year old though who is dying to roleplay with her brother and sister but 1E is beyond her by just a bit yet. Give her a couple more years and I think she will be fine.
Having said that, I was interested in taking on an adventure of my own and creating a version of an rpg that is influenced by AD&D1E but much simpler, more straight forward. Think Monopoly Jr and some of the other Jr versions of traditional games that have been out for a few years now.
I have a 5 page PDF that is the beginning of my effort at AD&D Jr. I would like to get some input on it.
Download it here and let me know what you think.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Sunday, June 3, 2012
The Gem Quests of Grvl The Gnome: Seeking An Emerald
Seeking An Emerald
A gnome merchant named Grvl is hiring adventurers to seek out gems of great value and power.
Two adventurers, Xavier (thief) and Crush (fighter) took on a seemingly simple task to explore a cave in the hills about 5 miles to the west of the town of Rashan. If they found any gems and especially the gem specified, they would be paid 1000 gold pieces each. Grvl only wants the gems so they can keep anything else they happen to find.
Both Crush and Xavier plod their way to the hills without much of interest happening and they realize that there are several cave openings to choose from. Upon exploring several of them, they notice that one of the cave openings has a curious marking above it resembling a star, roughly cut into the rock just above the opening.
They decide that if any gems of great value were to be found, this would indicate someone had marked this cave for some purpose and was likely the spot to look.
After each lights a torch, they enter the spacious cave opening side by side and walk about 60 feet until the left wall of the cave falls back to create an chamber that appears to be at least about 100 feet in diameter. The path along the right wall continues forward for an indeterminable length.
They agree to split up and Xavier the thief will explore the chamber while Crush the fighter continues exploring down the tunnel.
As Xavier begins to explore the chamber, he hears a clickity-clacking sound and spies a pile of rubbish near the far wall. He creeps forward toward the pile and is suddenly surprised by a giant scorpion that emerges from behind the pile, rushing out at him.
Paralyzed with fear, Xavier is ruthlessly attacked by the scorpion, taking great damage from the huge pincers and is at last stung by it's fearsome tail with stinger. He dies instantly from the poison.
Hearing the noise of combat from behind him, Crush turns around and rushes back into the chamber to see the largest scorpion he has ever seen standing over the un-moving body of his partner Xavier.
Pulling his large war hammer from his belt, he rushes at the scorpion, determined to do serious damage and hobble the creature before it can cause him much harm.
The behemoth scorpion moves slightly at the last second and the mighty swing of the war hammer glances off the harder exo-skeleton with barely a scratch.
Nearly simultaneously, the giant stabs it's tail with sharp stinger at Crush and impales it into him, injecting it's venomous fluid into him, killing him instantly.
In the faint glow of fallen torches, we see the massive scorpion grab the thief's limp body and slowly drag it behind the pile it emerged from. The next day, it claims the body of the fighter Crush and devours him as well.
Next episode, "The Rescue party".
A gnome merchant named Grvl is hiring adventurers to seek out gems of great value and power.
Two adventurers, Xavier (thief) and Crush (fighter) took on a seemingly simple task to explore a cave in the hills about 5 miles to the west of the town of Rashan. If they found any gems and especially the gem specified, they would be paid 1000 gold pieces each. Grvl only wants the gems so they can keep anything else they happen to find.
Both Crush and Xavier plod their way to the hills without much of interest happening and they realize that there are several cave openings to choose from. Upon exploring several of them, they notice that one of the cave openings has a curious marking above it resembling a star, roughly cut into the rock just above the opening.
They decide that if any gems of great value were to be found, this would indicate someone had marked this cave for some purpose and was likely the spot to look.
After each lights a torch, they enter the spacious cave opening side by side and walk about 60 feet until the left wall of the cave falls back to create an chamber that appears to be at least about 100 feet in diameter. The path along the right wall continues forward for an indeterminable length.
They agree to split up and Xavier the thief will explore the chamber while Crush the fighter continues exploring down the tunnel.
As Xavier begins to explore the chamber, he hears a clickity-clacking sound and spies a pile of rubbish near the far wall. He creeps forward toward the pile and is suddenly surprised by a giant scorpion that emerges from behind the pile, rushing out at him.
Paralyzed with fear, Xavier is ruthlessly attacked by the scorpion, taking great damage from the huge pincers and is at last stung by it's fearsome tail with stinger. He dies instantly from the poison.
Hearing the noise of combat from behind him, Crush turns around and rushes back into the chamber to see the largest scorpion he has ever seen standing over the un-moving body of his partner Xavier.
Pulling his large war hammer from his belt, he rushes at the scorpion, determined to do serious damage and hobble the creature before it can cause him much harm.
The behemoth scorpion moves slightly at the last second and the mighty swing of the war hammer glances off the harder exo-skeleton with barely a scratch.
Nearly simultaneously, the giant stabs it's tail with sharp stinger at Crush and impales it into him, injecting it's venomous fluid into him, killing him instantly.
In the faint glow of fallen torches, we see the massive scorpion grab the thief's limp body and slowly drag it behind the pile it emerged from. The next day, it claims the body of the fighter Crush and devours him as well.
Next episode, "The Rescue party".
Thursday, May 10, 2012
We Now Return You To Your Regularly Scheduled Game
I have been reading around the various D&D forums, as usual, and one thread I saw was trying to compare 1E to 2E and how 2E was more story/campaign oriented where 1E was more module or short adventure oriented.
I have to disagree. Not on the idea that 2E is what they claim it to be. I have never even read a 2E book, let alone played it to make such a comparison.
I have played and written enough for 1E however to say beyond a shadow of a doubt that 1E is as open to long story/long term campaign adventures as any other system out there.
Ultimately, I think it's more up to each DM as to how the game sessions go. I know that 1E is flexible enough to run a series of short adventures or many related adventures over a long term campaign.
Personally, I tend to run more short games when the players are new and need to acclimate themselves to the game, role-playing and the general mechanics. Once they are comfortable and confident, I can open things up to fuller stories and adventures that stretch out over multiple game sessions.
If a given DM typically has a lot of new players or even a pretty even mix of new and experienced players, it would not surprise me that most of their game time is spent on short games and modules. That's not the games fault or even its design. It's the DM tailoring the experience to the players abilities.
What I have read of 2E and later versions from many people is that the game itself has evolved to become more of a "let me do that for you" experience to reduce the amount of time spent on details and allow more time to be spent on general action and activity.
I personally don't like that direction. I'm very much a details DM. When I write an adventure for one of my campaigns, it's the details, the nuances, that help make the story become as complete as possible. I like to make my players think on their feet. pay attention. Even when action is slow, they need to pay attention or something they may need will be missed and if they miss it, too bad for them.
I started with AD&D 1E about 20 some years ago and I came back to AD&D 1E because it's what I know and I have never felt like it was limited to one type of game play or another. It's always been exactly what I want. My world.
I have to disagree. Not on the idea that 2E is what they claim it to be. I have never even read a 2E book, let alone played it to make such a comparison.
I have played and written enough for 1E however to say beyond a shadow of a doubt that 1E is as open to long story/long term campaign adventures as any other system out there.
Ultimately, I think it's more up to each DM as to how the game sessions go. I know that 1E is flexible enough to run a series of short adventures or many related adventures over a long term campaign.
Personally, I tend to run more short games when the players are new and need to acclimate themselves to the game, role-playing and the general mechanics. Once they are comfortable and confident, I can open things up to fuller stories and adventures that stretch out over multiple game sessions.
If a given DM typically has a lot of new players or even a pretty even mix of new and experienced players, it would not surprise me that most of their game time is spent on short games and modules. That's not the games fault or even its design. It's the DM tailoring the experience to the players abilities.
What I have read of 2E and later versions from many people is that the game itself has evolved to become more of a "let me do that for you" experience to reduce the amount of time spent on details and allow more time to be spent on general action and activity.
I personally don't like that direction. I'm very much a details DM. When I write an adventure for one of my campaigns, it's the details, the nuances, that help make the story become as complete as possible. I like to make my players think on their feet. pay attention. Even when action is slow, they need to pay attention or something they may need will be missed and if they miss it, too bad for them.
I started with AD&D 1E about 20 some years ago and I came back to AD&D 1E because it's what I know and I have never felt like it was limited to one type of game play or another. It's always been exactly what I want. My world.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Let's Play A Frisbee Game, "Four Corners"
I'd like to talk about another game my kids and I like to play. This is one that we made up on our own that uses a frisbee.
It's sort of like a mini-tournament. The game starts with 4 players standing in a square, or representing the "four corners".
Finesse and control are the keys to the game. The idea isn't to make the other players miss the disc entirely.
We play a six strike version. That means, each player gets six strikes, then they are out.
You get a strike when you attempt to catch the frisbee that another player tossed to you, but instead of catching it, you touch it but drop it or otherwise don't catch it. That's a strike.
If the toss is uncatchable, meaning that it is out of reach from the point the player who is receiving is standing in their "corner", it's considered a "foul" and the player tossing the frisbee gets 3 fouls. On the third foul, it becomes a strike.
Remember, the idea isn't to get a clean miss, it's to toss the frisbee in such a way to make the receiver make the attempt/effort to catch it and fail to do so. This means the tossing player needs to keep it in a catchable range or "in play".
If a player gets six (6) total strikes, they are eliminated from the game.
A player is not charged with a strike if they do not make an obvious attempt to catch a frisbee tossed to them. If they try to catch it, make contact with it then do not catch it, it's a strike.
If they do not make an obvious effort to catch the frisbee but it hits them, making contact, it is considered "null". At that point, the receiving player picks it up and tosses it to the next player with no foul or strike earned for anyone.
As I mentioned before, this game is all about control of the disc. How well can player A control the speed, velocity and direction of the frisbee to make the recipient try to grab a frisbee that is intentionally thrown to be missed by player B.
Also, each player is allowed to call for a "switch" in game play direction once during the game. For example, if player A tosses the frisbee to player B then player B tosses to Player C and player C calls "Switch!" and now tosses the frisbee back to player B thus causing the direction of play to change.
It's actually a very fun game that promotes learning control of the frisbee, builds eye-hand coordination and improves dexterity.
A variation of the game is to play one handed, meaning all tosses and catches must be made with only one hand.
As the pace of the game speeds up and players are more confident in their control of the frisbee, games become very fast and require more agility and quick reflexes.
It's sort of like a mini-tournament. The game starts with 4 players standing in a square, or representing the "four corners".
Finesse and control are the keys to the game. The idea isn't to make the other players miss the disc entirely.
We play a six strike version. That means, each player gets six strikes, then they are out.
You get a strike when you attempt to catch the frisbee that another player tossed to you, but instead of catching it, you touch it but drop it or otherwise don't catch it. That's a strike.
If the toss is uncatchable, meaning that it is out of reach from the point the player who is receiving is standing in their "corner", it's considered a "foul" and the player tossing the frisbee gets 3 fouls. On the third foul, it becomes a strike.
Remember, the idea isn't to get a clean miss, it's to toss the frisbee in such a way to make the receiver make the attempt/effort to catch it and fail to do so. This means the tossing player needs to keep it in a catchable range or "in play".
If a player gets six (6) total strikes, they are eliminated from the game.
A player is not charged with a strike if they do not make an obvious attempt to catch a frisbee tossed to them. If they try to catch it, make contact with it then do not catch it, it's a strike.
If they do not make an obvious effort to catch the frisbee but it hits them, making contact, it is considered "null". At that point, the receiving player picks it up and tosses it to the next player with no foul or strike earned for anyone.
As I mentioned before, this game is all about control of the disc. How well can player A control the speed, velocity and direction of the frisbee to make the recipient try to grab a frisbee that is intentionally thrown to be missed by player B.
Also, each player is allowed to call for a "switch" in game play direction once during the game. For example, if player A tosses the frisbee to player B then player B tosses to Player C and player C calls "Switch!" and now tosses the frisbee back to player B thus causing the direction of play to change.
It's actually a very fun game that promotes learning control of the frisbee, builds eye-hand coordination and improves dexterity.
A variation of the game is to play one handed, meaning all tosses and catches must be made with only one hand.
As the pace of the game speeds up and players are more confident in their control of the frisbee, games become very fast and require more agility and quick reflexes.
Eragon-izing AD&D 1E
My kids are what brought me back to AD&D after about 20 years of being away. They love AD&D 1E now that they have gotten to play it.
They also like modern fantasy themes which include the idea of a dragon rider as they saw in Eragon. Yes, between you and me there ave been numerous "dragon riders" in fantasy fiction before Eragon showed up, but they didn't have movies made about them and get such public interest, at least for my kids.
I have been pondering how to continue with AD&D 1E and adding a dragon rider somehow. I've talked with others in online forums and read many articles related to the concept. I've been under the notion that it would be too difficult to make happen.
Then it hit me, AD&D 1E already has a basis for a dragon rider. A fighter/magic user who is able to employ both abilities at the same time (so to speak). In AD&D though, it's called a Ranger.
The difference between a Ranger and a Rider is that Riders use Dragon magic which requires no material components.
Of the dragons listed in the Monster Manuals, they won't be able to be ridden as their character has already been established as non ride-able. I expect to create a type of dragon that is intelligent and interested in sharing a bond with a Rider. That way, existing dragons within AD&D aren't compromised.
I'll post more on the Dragon Rider development as I go along. Please feel free to comment with suggestions on how to make the character and related additions fit into the AD&D world as fluidly as possible.
They also like modern fantasy themes which include the idea of a dragon rider as they saw in Eragon. Yes, between you and me there ave been numerous "dragon riders" in fantasy fiction before Eragon showed up, but they didn't have movies made about them and get such public interest, at least for my kids.
I have been pondering how to continue with AD&D 1E and adding a dragon rider somehow. I've talked with others in online forums and read many articles related to the concept. I've been under the notion that it would be too difficult to make happen.
Then it hit me, AD&D 1E already has a basis for a dragon rider. A fighter/magic user who is able to employ both abilities at the same time (so to speak). In AD&D though, it's called a Ranger.
The difference between a Ranger and a Rider is that Riders use Dragon magic which requires no material components.
Of the dragons listed in the Monster Manuals, they won't be able to be ridden as their character has already been established as non ride-able. I expect to create a type of dragon that is intelligent and interested in sharing a bond with a Rider. That way, existing dragons within AD&D aren't compromised.
I'll post more on the Dragon Rider development as I go along. Please feel free to comment with suggestions on how to make the character and related additions fit into the AD&D world as fluidly as possible.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
The Influence of Conan on AD&D
I've been reading a lot of the Conan stories again lately. However now, I find I am reading them differently.
It's funny, I've had this collection of the whole Conan saga for years and have read through them multiple times. Never though until my re-emergence into AD&D have I read them with AD&D in mind.
It's funny how it strikes me as I read. I'll be just "plain" reading a story and suddenly as I am reading a sentence or paragraph detailing a fight scene or a description of a character or character interaction does it hit me out of nowhere. "Hey, this is a classic example of weapon proficiency." or something like that.
Casual observations and "natural" comparisons between the game and the stories seem to jump out at me me now. I seem to identify classic character types such as fighters and clerics and magic users. The more I read these stories, the more I think that this is what AD&D is supposed to be.
Of course, the AD&D books list a number of authors, stories and characters as influences and I can see almost all of those. It's hard, for example, not to see LotR in the character classes and magic rules.
Having said that though, I think the "baseline" really must be the Conan stories. The ever ongoing, never ending quest for adventure and treasure. The near total loss of said treasure after getting back to town, thus requiring or portending of the next adventure.
Small bands of heroes, questing for a special objective, needing that one special person to fill a key role in the group. Not always the person they feel is best suited for the task or particularly trustworthy or like-able, but that's who they got and the show must go on.
I can sit with the AD&D 1E Players Handbook and any book of Conan stories open next to each other, side by side and make obvious comparisons at just about every section or area. I don't think the comparisons are as easy or obvious for any other book, series or author as Conan.
In a way, it makes reading the stories "fresh" all over again as I see the AD&D comparisons just jump out at me in every story as I go through the books.
I think that's pretty cool.
It's funny, I've had this collection of the whole Conan saga for years and have read through them multiple times. Never though until my re-emergence into AD&D have I read them with AD&D in mind.
It's funny how it strikes me as I read. I'll be just "plain" reading a story and suddenly as I am reading a sentence or paragraph detailing a fight scene or a description of a character or character interaction does it hit me out of nowhere. "Hey, this is a classic example of weapon proficiency." or something like that.
Casual observations and "natural" comparisons between the game and the stories seem to jump out at me me now. I seem to identify classic character types such as fighters and clerics and magic users. The more I read these stories, the more I think that this is what AD&D is supposed to be.
Of course, the AD&D books list a number of authors, stories and characters as influences and I can see almost all of those. It's hard, for example, not to see LotR in the character classes and magic rules.
Having said that though, I think the "baseline" really must be the Conan stories. The ever ongoing, never ending quest for adventure and treasure. The near total loss of said treasure after getting back to town, thus requiring or portending of the next adventure.
Small bands of heroes, questing for a special objective, needing that one special person to fill a key role in the group. Not always the person they feel is best suited for the task or particularly trustworthy or like-able, but that's who they got and the show must go on.
I can sit with the AD&D 1E Players Handbook and any book of Conan stories open next to each other, side by side and make obvious comparisons at just about every section or area. I don't think the comparisons are as easy or obvious for any other book, series or author as Conan.
In a way, it makes reading the stories "fresh" all over again as I see the AD&D comparisons just jump out at me in every story as I go through the books.
I think that's pretty cool.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Meet Xico, the Aztec cleric
I have a cleric that I will play as an NPC in some of the games my kids run through to help fill out a group since there are only my two kids and that's not enough PC's to make a decent game of it.
Xico (pronounced Chico) is short for "Xichotencotl", but most people just can't get it right. He is a different kind of cleric. He will only offer to heal other characters who he believes have gotten their wounds "honorably".
He is a pro with a mace or maul. There are no problems he has with collecting souls for his deity, Quetzalcoatl, in "honorable" combat.
If he finds someone or something to be entirely devoid of honor, he will seriously consider offering that person or creature up as a sacrificial victim, "old style", to his deity.
Xico is a lot of fun to play because he is very set in the way he sees many things. He is very much a "black and white" kind of cleric in terms of what he interprets his deity demands and intentions as.
Here's a bit of his recent past...
In his homeland, he and his brothers are the law of the land and none will dare contest their dominance. On the road while on a quest or in pursuit of someone or something that must be returned, the great warrior-priests are only slightly less obvious in their actions and how they deal with others.
Many a Marshall or lawman of another land has tried to subdue or imprison these powerful priests but few ever succeed or manage to hold them for long as their god Quetzalcoatl is known to shower his most faithful and ambitious priests with favors. Very few are more faithful or as ambitious in carrying out the ways of the god as Xico.
Xico (pronounced Chico) is short for "Xichotencotl", but most people just can't get it right. He is a different kind of cleric. He will only offer to heal other characters who he believes have gotten their wounds "honorably".
He is a pro with a mace or maul. There are no problems he has with collecting souls for his deity, Quetzalcoatl, in "honorable" combat.
If he finds someone or something to be entirely devoid of honor, he will seriously consider offering that person or creature up as a sacrificial victim, "old style", to his deity.
Xico is a lot of fun to play because he is very set in the way he sees many things. He is very much a "black and white" kind of cleric in terms of what he interprets his deity demands and intentions as.
Here's a bit of his recent past...
The young warrior priest watched the thief from a distance. the thin, lanky man was deft in his movements and the old vendor, being distracted by a quarrelsome customer didn't even register the thief had snagged several hundred of gold coins worth of jewelry... but Xico did.
This was a man of no honor at all. He stole from others with no thought or concern of how that would leave his victims. Whether they might have plenty besides or if that was all they had to trade in and would starve or be homeless without them.
Xico walked directly in the direction of the thief, making no effort to hide the fact that a highly decorated and well known warrior-priest of the great god Queztalcoatl was drawing the crowds attention as he strode with great purpose toward the skinny thief who was also aware of the priest's approach but had nowhere to go with the crowd closing in around them.
Xico began to silently chant as he came near the thief and within moments, the thin man realized he simply could not move anymore, no matter how much he wanted to run quick as he could from the fast approaching priest.
Xico said in a loud voice for everyone nearby to hear clearly, "You are a dishonor to this world and you will not shame those who you live among and prey upon any longer." With those words, his right hand rose up with a mean looking mace and bashed the thief in the side of his head.
The man fell to the ground, still immobile, and as Xico knelt beside him he brought out the long ceremonial dagger from his belt and before the pitiful thief could die, had stabbed in to his chest and quickly cut out and pulled forth his heart.
As the thief lay dead in the street, Xico chanted loudly in a strong voice a series of words that culminated in the fiery disappearance of the heart that had been thrust high into the air in his hand.
The crowd gasped silently but none would dare challenge a true warrior-priest of Quetzalcoatl and the crowd dispersed as quickly and quietly as they had formed, leaving only the body of a dead thief and Xico walking away from the body, pausing only long enough to return the jewelry to the vendor and go on his way again in search of battle and honor for his god.
In his homeland, he and his brothers are the law of the land and none will dare contest their dominance. On the road while on a quest or in pursuit of someone or something that must be returned, the great warrior-priests are only slightly less obvious in their actions and how they deal with others.
Many a Marshall or lawman of another land has tried to subdue or imprison these powerful priests but few ever succeed or manage to hold them for long as their god Quetzalcoatl is known to shower his most faithful and ambitious priests with favors. Very few are more faithful or as ambitious in carrying out the ways of the god as Xico.
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