Tenkar's Tavern: Building a Better Bard - Final Tuning

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Building a Better Bard - Final Tuning - Part VI (Swords & Wizardry)

I'm trying to put the finishing touches on my S&W Bard - dropping some ideas for now (like using the Cleric Turning Table for charming) but I may add options later. Simpler is better, and I need to get this done this weekend and get it sent off to Matt.

Wish me luck ;)

2 comments:

Koren n'RhysMay 15, 2011 at 3:53 PM
I'm curious to see what you came up with Tenkar. I have a WB version I'm using in my campaign and want to tinker with some more.

I had the thought today to work up a longer article with maybe a WB and Complete version and some magic instruments for submission to Matt - having no idea when the next issue was due.

Imagine my surprise when I found you were already stealing my thunder!

Good luck with the final product. Can't wait to see how it compares to what I'm doing here at home.
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TenkarMay 15, 2011 at 7:13 PM
@Koren - I'm sure your's is more fleshed out. I drew everything either from S&W Complete and NOD #1 with minor adjustments. If I wrote everything I wanted to put into it, I would have tripled the length,easy.

As it is, I still have lots of optional rules I'd like to flesh out later.

If Matt doesn't need it, you'll be seeing the final product here ;)
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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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Saturday, May 14, 2011

Building a Better Bard - Final Tuning - Part VI (Swords & Wizardry)

2 comments:

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