Tenkar's Tavern: Thinking of Comparing the Delving Deeper and Dungeons & Dragons OCE Boxed Sets, Side by side

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Thinking of Comparing the Delving Deeper and Dungeons & Dragons OCE Boxed Sets, Side by side

The thought has occurred to me to compare to Delving Deeper Boxed Set with the Original D&D Boxed set (with Greyhawk included for the purpose of the Thief Class).

The Thief classes do not match up, but that was discussed earlier, and I received a nice history lesson at the same time. It still irks me though ;)

What I really should do is break out my Swords & Wizardry White Box, but I believe that's in storage. I do have the paperback version floating around though.

I will say this much - the originals lie flatter, allowing me to fit more stuff in the box ;)

I'll be making some observations throughout the week I expect. On of the benefits of being on vacation...

1 comment:

AnonymousFebruary 10, 2013 at 5:58 PM
I like the DD thief class better. Never cared for the percentile system for thief skills.

As far as laying flatter, the DD booklets need to be better creased in a press. Once I did that, I recovered more than 1/4" in box.
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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, February 10, 2013

Thinking of Comparing the Delving Deeper and Dungeons & Dragons OCE Boxed Sets, Side by side

1 comment:

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