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Thursday, August 21, 2014

Tales from the Tavern's Cellar... Feats in AD&D 1E?


Well. Well. Looks like it’s time to focus on things that only a cellar dweller hears, things that the inn keeper himself seems to ignore.

Ya see, living under the tavern, you hear all kinds of things, some good and some bad.

Honestly you hear and see more bad than good. Boy I tell ya, there is a list of BAD a mile long down here going back many years.

Today’s little gem that floated its way down into the cellar in 2006, its a product called “First Edition Feats”.

It can be found on RPGNOW.com, by Mob United Media… MUM? Hey Mum, can you give me a load of crap to shovel into my game.

First edition is by no means a PERFECT game, but it’s set in its ways, and plays well. There is no need to add giant horse turd into the game, such as FEATS, for $2.99!

Not only does this guy think anyone in the community would want to have feats, he thinks he can make a quick buck off of this shit.

Well, let me crawl back down the stairs to find another gem to share with you from my list of crap.


Want to leave feedback or have The Crusty Grog talk about something, feel free to email him thecrustygrog@gmail.com

13 comments:

  1. Was this another guest blogger?

    I can understand if the product itself sucked, but the idea of putting feats into AD&D isn't terrible. In fact, it's practically 5th edition! Perhaps the execution was bad? I don't know because the reviewer spent too much time yapping about other stuff. And if it's from 2006, why is this relevant in 2014?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought it was meant to be humorous, and this was a way to draw attention to an overlooked product. Not sure on the quality or popularity of First Edition Feats, though, so I could be wrong. Feats can be a pretty mixed bag, so this may well be a terrible addition

      Delete
    2. I suppose "Crusty Grog" is a clue, but I'm still not sure how much is shtick and how much is actual unmedicated ranting.

      Delete
    3. "I can understand if the product itself sucked, but the idea of putting feats into AD&D isn't terrible. In fact, it's practically 5th edition!"

      And this isn't terrible because...?

      Delete
    4. Yeah, I don't get the whole post. If someone wants to put feats into his 1e game, bashing him seems petty. If the product sucked, why pay it heed 8 years later?

      Delete
  2. I would hardly say that 1st Edition AD&D "plays well", since basically no one plays it by the book. Almost everyone strips out some of the more cumbersome rules and tacks on a bunch of their own house rules.

    ReplyDelete
  3. adnd had nwp system and OA proves it could do feat type things already which is how i run my game fine - i added more and stolen some feat type things no problems - i never got later skill and class skills and feats aproach or complex adding mods aproach

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  4. There was a wonderful issue of Dragon that had proto feats for 1st ed fighters they could purchase with their weapon proficiency slots. It sorta, kinda ruled.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I bought a copy of this years ago. From the text:

    "First Edition Feats is a rules expansion for OSRIC™ and other 1E fantasy games. This
    product moves beyond raw nostalgia and incorporates recent fantasy gaming designs into the solid, reliable and fun 1E engine. This supplement introduces 21 Combat Proficiencies: alternate uses for 1E weapon proficiency slots.

    "Let’s make one thing clear, though: The Combat Proficiencies in this supplement aren’t just retreads of OGL feats! Instead, they’ve been designed to work according to the design logic of 1E games. This means more modest bonus, interesting special cases and rules that consider the abstract, lengthened nature of a 1E combat round. Combat Proficiencies are designed to feel like 1e rules."

    Let me provide an example of one of the "feats" from the text:

    Spear/Polearm
    Class: Druid, Fighter, Ranger
    Prerequisite: Proficient in spear or any polearm.
    Single Proficiency Benefit: Your character’s first attack with a spear or polearm always
    wins initiative over opponents he is aware of, as long as they wield a shorter weapon. In most cases, this includes all weapons except for other spears, polearms, lances and two-handed swords.
    Double Proficiency Benefit: Whenever your character wins initiative because of the benefit
    above, he gains that attack as an extra attack. He may subsequently use his standard number of attacks later in the round.

    I think the supplement is pretty good on the whole if you're looking to give modest, hard mechanical advantages to characters.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This looks pretty reasonable. Where's the turd part again?

      Delete
  6. I haven't looked at OSRIC in a long time. Does it include weapon specialization? And if so, do these feats replace or stack with it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OSRIC does include optional weapon specialization.

      Delete
  7. There is no need to add giant horse turd into the game, such as FEATS, for $2.99!"

    Am I the only person who thinks this is 100% correct?

    ReplyDelete

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