11 July 2010
Today’s Tabbloid
PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
ROGUE FEED
Blue Book, Cover to Cover (Part
II)
JUL 10, 2010 11:01P.M.
The Blue Book also include a brief introduction in which Dr. Holmes
notes that D&D is “a fantastic, exciting and imaginative game of role
playing for adults 12 years and up.” I don’t recall reading this as a kid,
being more drawn to the box cover, which didn’t specify “12 years and
up.” With this qualification, the rulebook is aimed at exactly the same
audience as the Moldvay set released in 1981.
The introduction notes that players “create their own map as they
explore,” which is important, in my opinion, as it emphasizes the
exploratory nature of dungeon delving. Miniature figures are mentioned
several times, both in the introduction and in the “How to use This Book”
sections. The text says
The game is more exciting and spectacular using the lead
miniature figures mentioned above, which can be painted to
each player’s individual taste, but paper markers or chessmen
can be used effectively.
There’s lots of evidence, as we’ll see, that Holmes didn’t think miniatures
were necessary for play, but their presence, if only in a very abstract
form, seems to have nevertheless been assumed as the default for most
groups.
Holmes offers only 3D6 in order as a means of a character’s abilities.
Choice of class should be influenced by the results of the 3D6 rolls but is
not bound by them. Strength has no mechanical purpose in Holmes
other than as a fighting man’s prime requisite. Intelligence grants
knowledge of additional languages, as well as being the magic-user’s
prime requisite. Wisdom serves only as the cleric’s prime requisite, just
like Strength. So far, the abilities function exactly as in the LBBs.
Constitution grants bonuses to hit dice rolls, as per Supplement I.
Dexterity serves as the prime requisite for thieves and grants as bonus to
hit with missiles, as in the LBBs. Although mention is made in the
description of Charisma of followers and their loyalty, there are no actual
rules to handle this in Holmes. It’s worth noting that Holmes follows the
order of abilities given in OD&D, with CON coming before DEX, rather
than the reverse as in AD&D.
Prime requisite scores can adjusted upwards by sacrificing points from
other abilities. The exact formulas by which points from one ability get
converted into points from another varies by ability and by class, but it’s
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generally at a ration of 2-for-1 or 3-for-1. These formulas are generally
the same as those in OD&D but there are some exceptions, such as
clerics no longer being able to lower Strength to gain Wisdom, for
example. DEX cannot be lowered but it can be raised by thieves. CON
and CHA cannot be altered at all. Unlike in OD&D, where it’s implied in
at least one case that these alterations to ability scores apply only to
earned XP, there’s no such implication in Holmes.
Character classes available are fighting men, magic-users, clerics, and
thieves. All four are described as being primarily human classes, though
it is noted that dwarves, elves, and halflings may be thieves, though no
rules for this are presented. Instead, the reader is referred to AD&D, so
it’s a bit of an option question as to whether Holmes support demihuman
thief characters. Demihumans throughout the text are generally treated
as fighting men, although elves are noted as being “a combination of
fighting man and magic-user.” Thieves must be either neutral or evil in
alignment, but the other three classes may be of any alignment.
Dwarves have infravision, while elves merely “see ... in the dark.” Elves
are also immune to ghoul paralysis, something not mentioned in OD&D.
Elves in Holmes seem to function somewhat like a proto-AD&D
multiclass character, but the text is unclear.
Elves progress in level as both fighting men and magic-uses,
but since each game nets them experience in both categories
equally, they progress more slowly than other characters.
I would assume this means that XP is divided equally between the two
classes but I can imagine someone arguing that that’s not the case. I
wouldn’t allow such an interpretation in my campaign, however.
Complicating matters further is that elves use D6 for hit dice, though it’s
never specified when an elf gets new hit dice, since they have two classes.
Halflings, despite being fighting men, get only D6 for hit dice, owing to
their small size, thus opening up the notion that hit points represent, at
least in part, body mass. Holmes uses Greyhawk-style hit dice and allows
for 1-3 hit points regained per day of rest as opposed to OD&D’s mere 1.
The list of equipment and weapons in Holmes is identical to that in
OD&D, right down to the prices and the inclusion of wooden and silver
crosses rather than more generic “holy symbols.”
Under “Additional Character Classes,” Holmes explains that AD&D
introduces more character classes and races. These include half-elves
(but not gnomes or half-orcs), paladins, rangers, illusionists, monks,
druids, assassins, and witches. Mention of the latter class is original to
Holmes, as Gygax denied in various places that there were ever plans for
a witch class in AD&D. I can only presume, given Holmes’s mention
shortly afterward of “a Japanese samurai fighting man” that he was
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
assuming that some of the classes in the pages of The Dragon at the time,
of which the witch was one, might make it into AD&D. There’s also
mention of psionics and the possibility of unusual character types at the
DM’s discretion.
ROGUE FEED
Kamandi vs. Devil Dinosaur
JUL 10, 2010 04:46P.M.
I’ve mentioned before that my history with comics is pretty spotty. I read
only a handful of titles when I was a kid, most of them collected by
friends or friends of friends. At the same time, my knowledge of the basic
outlines of most comic lines is decent enough that I can converse
reasonably intelligently about the major characters and storylines of the
DC and Marvel universes. So long as you don’t expect to know anything
about The Stylist or Omega the Unknown, I can generally hold my own,
or at least by able to follow the thread of a conversation.
Despite this, I’m still regularly caught off guard when I discover that a
character or series I’d previously either known little about or had even
dismissed out of hand turns out to in fact be cool. A recent case in point
is Jack Kirby’s Kamandi, The Last Boy on Earth. Now, in my defense,
before Jeff Rients comes down hard on me for not adoring this comic, I
have long been aware of it and its use as idea fodder for a Gamma World
campaign.
But, for some reason — I can only assume because Kirby drew and
scripted them both — in my younger days I confused Kamandi with Devil
Dinosaur, a comic I did read and found simultaneously ridiculous and
frightening.
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11 July 2010
Anyway, I’m attempting to rectify this gross injustice to Kamandi by
acquiring reprints of the old comics. Unfortunately, it looks as if they’re
darned expensive to buy, so if anyone has any suggestions on how I
might be able to fill the gap in my education without breaking the bank,
I’d appreciate it.
ROGUE FEED
Richard Iorio
JUL 10, 2010 03:18P.M.
It is funny how your memories flood you when you least expect it.
I am sitting at the computer doing my June Accounting (running a game
company is not all about playing games), and fire up iTunes. I always
have it on shuffle and whatever plays, plays. This, I like, but sometimes
you get surprises like Christmas music.
Anyway, the first song the plays is a Prince* song (Paisley Park for those
who are wondering), and then the next song hits. Queen’s* The
Prophet’s Song (from their A Night At The Opera album***).
*BAM*
It fucking hits me. The memories. My mind is filled with my childhood
growing up in Boise, Idaho. It is the summer of ’82, Clayton, Troy, Tahn,
Danny and Brandy are sitting around Clayton’s dinning room table
playing D&D. It is a mish-mash of AD&D and D&D, but we are knee-
deep in the Keep of the Borderlands, the dead piling up around us, and
I’m on my third 1st-level magic-user, named, incidentally Greycloak III
(there were at last count twenty-five Greycloaks in this magical family.
Every time I play one they are named Greycloak). The memories flood
me. I can remember the sound of the dice, the groans of realization
Brandy’s cleric bought it, David yelling at me to make a fighter instead of
another magic-user, and Clayton laughing at us for falling for his
diabolical traps. I remember Clayton’s mom bringing us chips and soda,
and telling us to keep it down.
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
I miss those days. I miss the innocence of a time, when you had nothing
more to do that ride your bike, sit around a dinning room table and play
D&D. I miss the simplicity of it, the lack of cares. I am a 39-year old man,
who still, despite it all, loves games and playing them. It is strange on
how one song can trigger so many feelings.
Fondness.
Longing.
Melancholy.
Happiness.
Determination.
I wish I could tell that young boy in 1982 to cherish this time, and enjoy
the companionship of friends. I would also tell him that no matter what
troubles he faces, to keep at it. Despite what he thinks, it will get better.
You will be happy, and that you will be your own person. More
importantly I would remind him to never forget this time.
_____
* Prince, as far as I am concerned is a musical genius, and remains my
favorite musician ever. Sinatra is my favorite performer, but Prince still
excites me.
** Queen, for me, is te perfect band. They may be over the top, and at
times, to theatrical, but they remain one of the best bands IMO.
*** My favorite Queen album, and personally I feel it is their best album
ever.
Filed under: Life, thoughts Tagged: childhood, D&D, Games, Gaming,
thoughts
3
11 July 2010
ROGUE FEED
Strength is for Fighting Men
JUL 10, 2010 02:42P.M.
Reading the Original D&D Discussion forums this afternoon, I was
reminded of a funny little bit from Greyhawk:
Strength also aids the fighting man in his ability to both score
a hit upon an adversary and damage it. This strength must be
raw, i.e. not altered by intelligence scores. On the other hand
low strength will effect [sic] any character’s fighting ability.
What this means is that the bonuses to hit and damage accrued for
having a score of 13 or more apply only to fighting men, not other
classes. (The same is true, incidentally, of the “dodge/parry” bonus from
high Dexterity). However, the penalties to hit and damage for having a
Strength score of 6 or less do apply to members of classes other than
fighting men. The note about a score “not altered by intelligence” is a
reference to the ability of fighting men to lower their Intelligence so as to
raise their Strength on a two for one basis.
ROGUE FEED
Richard Iorio
JUL 10, 2010 10:17A.M.
Last night I read Superman #700. I know I am a bit late, but I get my
comics monthly.
After suffering through the two years of the meandering New Krypton
story arc, and not having Superman appearing in his own book. I was
happy, despite my worry with J. Michael Straczynski taking over the
writing, I went it. My verdict?
I want Superman.
I think what bothers me the most about JMS’ Grounded Prologue is that
I’ve read it before, and it was O’Neil’s and Adams Green Arrow/Green
Lantern run. It makes no sense for Superman to do a Forrest Gump and
walk across the earth so he can be in touch with the common man.
Reading it, I was left with a simple question:
Where in the Hell did Superman go?
I am tired of the common take of Superman, as some over sensitive,
chump. The only time Superman has been Superman is with All-Star
Superman. In 12 Issues Morrison got to the core of who this character is,
and how this character should be. I wish JMS luck in the story, but I am
done. I am not interested in reading this rehash again.
Filed under: comic books, Life, thoughts Tagged: comic books, review —
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
comics, thoughts
ROGUE FEED
Chainmail Combat in OD&D;
JUL 10, 2010 09:32A.M.
I’ve always used the “alternative combat system” when playing OD&D, as
it’s the one my players and I are most familiar with, but I’ve often
thought about giving the original Chainmail combat system a whirl in
order to get a sense of what things might have been like in the earliest
days of the hobby. Unfortunately, though I own a copy of the game —
sadly only an electronic one — and have read it several times, I’ll admit
that I don’t quite get it in places and never felt entirely comfortable
making a go of it. (Yes, I realize this reveals an awful truth.)
Thankfully, D.H. Boggs, author of the speculative clone, Dragons at
Dawn, has put together a nice little booklet to help mental deficients
such as myself. Entitled Using Chainmail to Resolve OD&D Combats, it’s
available as a free PDF here. And while you’re there, consider picking up
a copy of Dragons at Dawn. I haven’t gotten round to it myself, I confess,
but I plan on doing so soon, if only to show my thanks for this excellent
OD&D resource.
ROGUE FEED
2E “Remake” in the Works
JUL 10, 2010 07:58A.M.
New Haven Games is planning to release a “remake” of Advanced
Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition called Realms of Eternal Epic,
whose 128-page starter manual will be available on July 15th.
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11 July 2010
What is meant by a “remake?” Here’s what they say on their website:
Realms of Eternal Epic is not a clone – it is a retro remake.
The clone movement serves a very distinct purpose: To
provide an OGL version of older school rules to facilitate
authors and companies wishing to further support them. We
love the clone movement, its developers and supporters, and
the intent behind the surge. The 1989 Edition was heavily
supported, almost to a fault, so we needn’t go there. The two
purposes for the Realms of 2E is: 1) to resurrect what you
have in your vast library or character folio for inspiration and
aid; and 2) to fix some of the bad or complicated rules in the
system so that new and young players can enjoy its mystique.
The good rules remain. The tone and epic nature remains.
The bad is delicately remade with modern game theory so
that only the game play improves. In essence, Realms of
Eternal Epic grants everyone a chance to relive the late 80s
and 90s of roleplaying with an even better experience than
before. It is a true remake…
I’ll admit to finding this very intriguing. Even though my overall opinion
of 2e is decidedly mixed, I still consider it an old school RPG, at least as
written in its core rulebooks. Furthermore, I’d hazard a guess that there
are probably more active 2e-descended D&D campaigns out there than
1e or OD&D-descended ones, so there’s definitely a niche that hasn’t
been filled by any of the existing clones. That New Haven Games is in
fact using a different methodology than cloning is also of interest.
Despite the explanation quoted above, I’m still not quite clear on what a
“remake” is or how compatible it’ll be with the original 2e rules.
Still, I’ll be keeping an eye on this.
ROGUE FEED
Blue Book, Cover to Cover (Part
I)
JUL 10, 2010 07:53A.M.
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
Let’s begin at the beginning: the cover. I’ve always had a great fondness
for the cover of the Holmes rulebook. It’s probably one of Sutherland’s
best pieces and perhaps his best color piece. As a kid, this cover
illustration really summed up what Dungeons & Dragons was all about.
And while I’d now argue that Tramp’s PHB cover is unsurpassed in
encapsulating D&D in a single image, Sutherland’s Holmes cover gives it
a run for its money. Whereas the PHB cover emphasizes the logistics of
dungeon delving — making maps, hefting loot, cleaning weapons,
dealing with hirelings, etc. — Sutherland’s painting emphasizes its
adventurous aspect.
A knight and wizard facing a red dragon captured then, and still does
now, that difficult to define yet easy to grasp sense that there was
something more to exploring a dungeon than mere venality — or at least
there could be. Certainly, there is loot to be had on Holmes’s cover —
quite a lot of it, in fact — but it’s long seemed to me to be a mere
ornament rather than the focus of the piece. A dragon means a pile of
treasure and the bigger the pile of treasure, the badder the dragon, and
thus the braver the guys who resolve to go toe to toe with it.
I realize I’ve said this many times before, but it bears repeating: I love
the “groundedness” of Sutherland’s pieces. They’re fantastical but they’re
not pure fantasy. The knight’s arms and armor, even the emblem on his
shield, evoke real world history rather than pure flights of fancy. The
same goes for the wizard, with his stars and planets robe and conical cap,
albeit to a different degree. I don’t know that anyone ever dressed in
such a fashion, let alone anyone claiming to wield magical powers, but
that’s how Western tradition has long portrayed a wizard, so seeing him
there beside the knight felt right. All these elements combined to create a
cover that really spoke to me as a kid and drew me right in.
Of course, so did the blurb “the original adult fantasy role-playing game
for 3 or more players.” I’ve discussed this before and I don’t want to
dwell on it too much, but I regret the way that, as the years have gone on,
roleplaying has, in general, assumed that its target audience consisted
primarily of children. That’s an assumption that’s not present in OD&D
— a fact Gygax confirmed — nor is it present in Holmes.
Holmes maintains consistency with OD&D in lots of other subtle ways,
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11 July 2010
too. Its interior cover, for example, recalls the subtitle of the LBBs,
calling D&D “Rules for Fantastic Medieval Role Playing Adventure Game
Campaigns.” Gone is the references to wargames, despite the fact that
both this rulebook and the LBBs note that they are “Playable with Paper
and Pencil and Miniature Figures.” That’s probably part of the reason
why, even when I wasn’t using them regularly, I’ve always associated
miniatures with D&D. That’s not to say I consider minis necessary for
play, but I’ve never considered them antithetical to it nor do I think the
presence of minis on a game table is somehow evidence of a less
sophisticated style of play.
Also of interest on the interior cover is the copyright notice. The
rulebook, or at least the printing I have, is listed as being copyrighted
1974, 1977, and 1978. The 1977 date is a reference (I believe) to the
earliest printing of the Holmes rulebook, while the 1978 date is a
reference to the revised printing. And of course 1974 is a reference to the
publication of the LBBs, once again suggesting that Holmes presents
itself as a revision of the 1974 rules rather than anything else. AD&D, by
contrast, includes no reference to 1974 in its various copyright notices.
Dr. Holmes’s short preface immediately states that “This book is based
upon the original work published in 1974 and three supplementary
booklets published in the two year period after the initial release of
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.” He adds that, as an introductory work, it
“limits itself to basics.” Then, more intriguingly, he says:
The rules contained herein allow only for the first three levels
of player progression, and instructions for the game referee,
the “Dungeon Master,” are kept to the minimum necessary to
allow him to conduct basic games. This is absolutely
necessary because the game is completely open-ended, is
subject to modification, expansion, and interpretation
according to the desires of the group participating, and is in
general not bounded by the conventional limitations of other
types of games.
Holmes seems to be implying that, as an “open-ended” game, it’s
important that there be few instructions for the referee beyond the bare
minimum needed to understand the basic rules. I found that intriguing
as a kid and I find it even moreso now. It’s a line of thought that’s in
keeping with one school of thought regarding OD&D’s very spare
approach to rules explication and it’s definitely at odds with the direction
the game would take later. The preface also includes the obligatory
reference to AD&D “for players who desire to go beyond the basic game,”
although, at the time of its first publication, AD&D consisted solely of a
single hardback volume, the Monster Manual.
Following Holmes’s preface is a nearly word-for-word reproduction of
Gary Gygax’s foreword (properly spelled this time) to the original edition
of D&D. There are a few minor changes to the foreword, mostly intended
to direct readers to sections of the Holmes rulebook rather than sections
of the LBBs that are non-existent in the new edition. Again, the inclusion
of this foreword suggests strongly that Holmes ought to be viewed as an
introduction to and development from OD&D rather than as anything
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net 11 July 2010

else, including a “basic AD&D,” as many see it.

ROGUE FEED

Once More From The Top

JUL 10, 2010 07:35A.M.

Earlier this morning I posted about putting downloads for the new
games. With the help of Greg Videll (the author of Thousand Suns:
Starships) three cheat sheets have been created. Each sheet gives you
quick reference to all the important information you need for the new
options introduced in the game. You can get them from our Scribd site,
or from here.

ROGUE FEED

Slowly Coming Online

JUL 10, 2010 05:01A.M.

With Shadow, Sword & Spell: Basic due out next month at GenCon 2010
(and in stores late August/early September) I am slowly getting the
downloads ready for the game. This morning I’ve uploaded the character
sheet (you can get it here) and will get the maps that appear in the book
uploaded as well.

The Primer was put up on our Scribd site, as well as blogged about
earlier this week.