Tenkar's Tavern: Throwing Stones

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Throwing Stones - Sorta

I'm nearing the halfway point of my vacation, and so far I've had:
     - an explosive case of food poisoning
     - passed a kidney stone (apparently - I wasn't going to retrieve it to be sure)
     - received Gold - A Web Series - Season One DVD to review
     - got myself a reviewer's PDF copy of DC Heroes
     - got to spend lots of bathroom time with LotFP's Weird Fantasy
     - other assorted crap too minor to mention

One hell of a mixed bag. Then again, I seem to always get sick on vacation, which is why I haven't had to take a sick day in almost 3 years... sigh.

Tomorrow I set up my new Mac Mini, with switches to share my monitor and other peripherals with my PC. Hopefully more quality time with Weird Fantasy and DC Heroes too.

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Why "Swords & Wizardry?"

Believe me when I say I have them all in dead tree format. I have OSRIC in full size, trade paperback and the Player's Guide. I have LL and the AEC (and somewhere OEC, but I can't find it at the moment). Obviously I have Basic Fantasy RPG. Actually, I have the whole available line in print. Way too much Castles & Crusades. We all know my love for the DCC RPG. I even have Dark Dungeons in print, the Delving Deeper boxed set, Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. BOTH editions of LotFP's Weird Fantasy and some dead tree copies of the Greyhawk Grognards Adventures Dark & Deep

I am so deep in the OSR when I come up for breath it's for the OSR's cousin, Tunnels & Trolls

So, out of all that, why Swords & Wizardry? Why, when I have been running a AD&D 1e / OSRIC campaign in Rappan Athuk am I using Swords & Wizardry and it's variant, Crypts & Things, for the second campaign? (Actually, now running a S&W Complete campaign, soon to be with multiple groups)

Because the shit works.

It's easy for lapsed gamers to pick up and feel like they haven't lost a step. I can house rule it and it doesn't break. It plays so close to the AD&D of my youth and college years (S&W Complete especially) that it continually surprises me. Just much less rules hopping than I remember. (my God but I can run it nearly without the book)

I grab and pick and steal from just about all OSR and Original resources. They seem to fit into S&W with little fuss. It may be the same with LL and the rest, but for me the ease of use fit's my expectations with S&W.

Even the single saving throw. That took me longer to adjust to, but even that seems like a natural to me now. Don't ask me why, it just does. Maybe it's the simplicity of it. At 45 52, simplicity and flexibility while remaining true to the feel of the original is an OSR hat trick for me ;)

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Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Throwing Stones - Sorta

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