Tenkar's Tavern: Putting a Little Magic Back in the Tavern

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Putting a Little Magic Back in the Tavern

Way back in the beginning of this blog I was attempting to post a new magic item once a week or so - Tenkar's Magical Tidbits or some such nonsense. It didn't last. I was trying to find a voice for the blog and I was going in just about every direction at once to do so.

I think the blog has it's own voice now. It's constantly evolving, even without me putting conscious thought into the matter. Tonight I am putting some conscious thought into the matter.

Once a week, sometime over the weekend (starting next weekend, as the 30th is my bday and also the start of a week of vacation) I plan on offering up a bit of magic to my blog readers. A new magic item once a week for your campaign. It may be for DCC RPG one week, ACKS another week, RQ6 on the third - whatever strikes my creative fancy. Hell, I might get real creative and whip something up for MERP ;)

Just like this blog makes me work my writing muscles multiple times a day, i want it to work my creative gaming muscles 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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Sunday, July 22, 2012

Putting a Little Magic Back in the Tavern

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