tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post4332458254196485036..comments2024-02-16T22:05:32.773+02:00Comments on LotFP: RPG: Giving a Presentation About Old SchoolJimLotFPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02992397707040836366noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-68460846834111130352010-03-04T00:47:39.368+02:002010-03-04T00:47:39.368+02:00The honest answer to that is, "It depends if ...The honest answer to that is, "It depends if I lose this weight I seem to have gained lately." Never Mr. Universe to begin with, I'm looking rather rough lately even by my standards.<br /><br />No way I want to look at 45 minutes of my fat ass in front of a room. :PJimLotFPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02992397707040836366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-71976411891046325772010-03-04T00:23:19.024+02:002010-03-04T00:23:19.024+02:00I'd love to see this speech. Can you try to ge...I'd love to see this speech. Can you try to get someone to video tape it and post it online?<br /><br />--ErikAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-34942442411738288932010-03-03T22:15:15.386+02:002010-03-03T22:15:15.386+02:00mikemonaco:
I think hostile is way too strong a w...mikemonaco:<br /><br />I think hostile is way too strong a word to describe the attitude a lot of old school players and game masters have regarding character background. Rather it is a case of the character background being something belonging solely to the player, whereas the game world (e.g. everything else) is 100% the GM's responsibility. <br /><br />Were the GM to involve PC backgrounds into the game world, he'd have to either relinquish control of that particular area of game world to the players (who'd essentially be writing world building material, albeit with a rather limited focus; their character), OR he'd take charge of the PC's backgrounds in a way that would infringe on an area traditionally considered the players' property (e.g. their characters).<br /><br />I'm sure there are OSR game master who involve their players character backgrounds into the game world, but I'd imagine the above described "property rights" have something to do with why this trend to exclude PC backgrounds is so prevalent in the first place.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-64017571893574893432010-03-03T19:15:55.849+02:002010-03-03T19:15:55.849+02:00I always have copious amounts of wandering monster...I always have copious amounts of wandering monsters in my games. I also tend to include a lot of places requiring serious trial and error, which leads to intense use of random charts and tables.Yesmarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12574297955275829831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-74378491749515200682010-03-03T18:59:10.574+02:002010-03-03T18:59:10.574+02:00I'm shocked, shocked I say, at the hostility t...I'm shocked, shocked I say, at the hostility to character backgrounds I've seen around the OSR. Also, I don't think "simplicity" or "rules-lite" is essential to old school. AD&D. Rolemaster. DragonQuest. Hardly simple or rules-lite. Your own guide to Adventure writing and Matt Finch's occasionally overheated guide pretty much cover it, IMO. old school to me is starting weak, possibly gaining power/prestige over time, with a focus on exploration, survival, and treasure in a world unique to the DM/players. New school to me is plot-centric, starting as heroes, and usually playing a store-bought campaign world/adventure path. But YMMV.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-36439028856552392352010-03-03T18:41:03.781+02:002010-03-03T18:41:03.781+02:00Some thoughts on comments:
I don't think supr...Some thoughts on comments:<br /><br />I don't think supremacy of the dice is a new or old school concept. I'm sure there were plenty of fudgers in 1975, and I can't imagine a game of Sorcerer or Dogs in the Vineyard working correctly if people are fudging rolls...<br /><br />As for simplicity, something like Risus or Over the Edge isn't exactly complicated.<br /><br />Location-based adventures... hmmm... do we consider Warhammer's Enemy Within campaign, with Death on the Reik and Power Behind the Throne, as "old school"? What about the latter half of the Slaver series? How does D1-2-3 measure up to "location-based adventure?"<br /><br />DIY vs Official Content, I'm sure there are people going from Keep on the Borderlands to Death Frost Doom (;)) to Isle of Dread to whatever else. I don't know that this is an important distinction either.<br /><br />hmm...JimLotFPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02992397707040836366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-40916158312924512502010-03-03T17:53:08.071+02:002010-03-03T17:53:08.071+02:00It's interesting to see different people's...It's interesting to see different people's idea of what "old school" is. :)<br /><br />I would have said something about DIY vs Official Content.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13457050225967190052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-55400217832307526702010-03-03T06:48:29.444+02:002010-03-03T06:48:29.444+02:00You may want to mention some of the points you rai...You may want to mention some of the points you raised in your earlier Guide to Adventure Writing (your post of November 14, 2008). I actually found many of the points you raised there to be very true to old school gaming. Good luck in your presentation.spielmeisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09247265293145424283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-87996057642426193632010-03-03T05:30:09.728+02:002010-03-03T05:30:09.728+02:00You'll be talking to the converted (it is a ga...You'll be talking to the converted (it is a gaming con) so I think section 2 can be run thru fairly quickly... how long a presentation will you be making and will you be allowing questions from the peanut gallery? ;)Tenkarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05159289652051155824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-39834665085700398572010-03-03T01:41:09.679+02:002010-03-03T01:41:09.679+02:00I like character backstory if it helps flesh out t...I like character backstory if it helps flesh out the setting. In other words, I'll give up some control over the milieu, if the player is making a meaningful contribution. It's the sort of thing that best, arises during play.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192212467523179768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-20741047186710702882010-03-03T00:19:00.993+02:002010-03-03T00:19:00.993+02:00I would argue the 'character backstory optiona...I would argue the 'character backstory optional' thing—unless you were referring to a concept at initial character creation. Beginning characters are fragile. So making an elaborate backstory right away may very well be stupid if your character is gonna die in the first session. <br /><br />But as a character matures (and gets a bit more survivable), I don't see why you couldn't explore a 'backstory' for them. This seems to be the case with some of the PCs in the original Greyhawk campaign, for instance. Another good example would be James M's Dwimmermount game (from Grognardia for the 1 or 2 people in the community who don't know the blog). Seems his players are coming up with backgrounds for their surviving characters. Yes, a lot of the 'backstory' comes from actually playing a character, but I've always found it more fun to at least give a rudimentary background and maybe embellish it as the character grows.rologutweinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02186173153359166269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-20595283309805544462010-03-02T23:01:31.739+02:002010-03-02T23:01:31.739+02:00I like the GM as God. I suspect many of us rememb...I like the GM as God. I suspect many of us remember getting into screaming fights with/as the GM because something completely unfair just happened. It was like we were working out our intoxicating anger with our parents--who were REAL God(s) as kids. <br /><br />Also: Dice as Ultimate Destiny. In other words, Roll Playing vs. Role Playingjamie_donohoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17392008137088505334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-75672101227818804932010-03-02T22:00:31.731+02:002010-03-02T22:00:31.731+02:00Location-based adventuresLocation-based adventuresZak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-73764861205758260052010-03-02T21:27:41.421+02:002010-03-02T21:27:41.421+02:00How about: Story emerges from play, rather than be...How about: Story emerges from play, rather than being imposed on it.Telecanterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07238356788092725244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-72004491178883379702010-03-02T20:42:42.705+02:002010-03-02T20:42:42.705+02:00At first I thought it odd to break out the DL and ...At first I thought it odd to break out the DL and UA, but after giving it some further thought it makes sense. This could have been seen as a version 1.5 for AD&D. I think the outline looks fine.CinderellaManJJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01922766356502615925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670029344758253148.post-9056258304412606602010-03-02T20:14:42.506+02:002010-03-02T20:14:42.506+02:00How about an entry/statement about simplicity?
I...How about an entry/statement about simplicity? <br /><br />I realize that AD&D isn't as simple as Yahtzee or somesuch, but I was always put off by what seemed to be very intricate rules and clauses in 3rd edition D&D. <br /><br />If you look at all of the things a player and DM have to calculate for a combat done according to OD&D or AD&D (v.1.0,2.0) versus 3rd edition D&D and beyond, it seems that the earlier rules were much simpler.<br /><br />You can, and I have, played a game of D&D with nothing but some dice and 3x5 cards. Could you do the same with the more recent iterations?Stephen Simpsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12872161469696334548noreply@blogger.com