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Monday, October 24, 2016
Original D&D play report
So I got to play some old-school Dungeons & Dragons over the weekend--I'm talking the original three booklets version (with house rules, of course, as that's the Old School Way). One of the folks on the OD&D Discussion forums mentioned an ongoing game here in the Austin area, and when I inquired, he was kind enough to invite me. Turns out their sessions were so popular, they started a second game with another DM. It was his first time behind the DM's screen, and my first time as a player in a campaign since I left the Hill Cantons.
There was a good crowd for this session: Seven characters, including the son of the DM and the son of one the players, and the DM. Character generation was quick and simple: 3d6 in order. I was thrilled to roll three 15s in a row for my guy's Strength, Intelligence, and Wisdom, but then was brought back down to earth with scores of 7 and 8 in Constitution and Dexterity, respectively. I named this character Clumsy Carp and made him a cleric. We started off in the village of Meadsville, learning of a threat to caravans and a separate threat in the nearby woods, which we investigated.
Long story short: Having a cleric came in handy, since we ran into a lot of undead, as well as a minion of the witch who one of the magic-users charmed. We came out of the dungeon with enough of a haul to get nearly everyone up a level. It was a good time, and I look forward to playing some more.
Fantastic! I'm so happy to hear about a game like that. And that old school D&D is so popular in your area. You're lucky.
ReplyDeleteA year ago or so, some friends of mine and I did an AD&D campaign -- weapon speed and level-up training and the whole bit. It was so much fun. There is some magic to the old rules sets. Even beyond nostalgia, there is some fun in puzzling out the difficult rules or obscure rules... a very different experience than today's games, where everything is over-digested and user friendly.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing more about C. Carp.
Thanks, Matthew. I haven't played in an actual AD&D campaign in years, although I have all the books. What level did your characters reach?
ReplyDeleteExtra points for the B.C. reference.
ReplyDeleteVery cool that you got to play.
ReplyDeleteI played a lot of D&D from High School through college, and again in medical school (my last 2 years when I actually had some time again). For those later games, the GM was Dave Sweet, and the State Insurance Commissioner was one of the other players, a good contact for a future physician. Another player was Joe Angiolillo, a fairly well know game designer in his own right. I habitually ran Clerics. I'd happily play again!
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