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While it might seem highly
unlikely to those who have not been involved
in fantasy adventure gaming
for an extended period of time, after the
flush of excitement wears
off - perhaps a few months or a year,
depending on the intensity
of play - some participants will become bored
and move to other gaming
forms, returning to your campaign only
occasionally. Shortly thereafter
even your most dedicated players will occasionally
find that dungeon levels
and wilderness castles grow stale, regardless
of subtle differences and
unusual challenges. It is possible,
however, for you to devise
a campaign which will have a very minimal
amopunt of participant attrition
and enthusiast ennui, and i t is not parparticualrly
difficult to do so.
As has been mentioned already,
the game must be neither too difficult to
iurvive nor so easy as to
offer little excitement or challenge There must
alwyas be something desirable
to gain, something important to lose, and
he chance of having either
happen. Furthermore, there must be some purose to it all.
There must be some backdrop
against which adventures are
carried out, and no matter
how tenuous the strands, some web which
connects the evil and good,
the opposing powers, the rival states and
various peoples. This need
not be evident at first, but as play continues,
lints should be given to
players, and their characters should become
nvolved in the interaction
and struggle between these vaster entities.
rhus, characters begin as
less than pawns, but as they progress in experise,
each eventually realizes
that he or she is o meaningful, if lowly, piece
in the cosmic game being
conducted. When this occurs, players then have
a dual purpose to their
play, for not only will their player characters and
henchment gain levels of
experience, but their actions have meaning
above and beyond that of
personal aggrandizement.
But if serious purpose is
integral to a successfully ongoing campaign, there
must be moments of relief
as well. Such counterplots can be lesser and different
themes within the whole,
whether some side dungeon or quest, a
minor altercation between
petty nobles, or whatever. Occasional ”pure
fun” scenarios can be conducted
also. That is, moments of silliness and
humor help to contrast with
the grinding seriousness of a titanic struggle
and relieve participants
at the same time.
After all,
AD&D
is first and foremost a game, a pastime for fun and enjoyment.
At times the fun aspect
must be stressed.
Thus, in my ”Greyhawk
Campaign” I included an “Alice In Wonderland”
level,
and while it is a
deadly place, those who
have adventured through it have uniformly proclaimed
it as great fun because
it is the antithesis of the campaign as a
whole. Similarly, there
are places where adventurers can journey to a land
of pure Greek mythology,
into the future where the island of King Kong
awaits their pleasure, or
through the multiverse to different planets,
including Jack Vance’s “Planet
of Adventure”, where they hunt sequins in
the Carabas while Dirdir
and Dirdirmen hunt them.
<link: UA.Greece>
<link to wiki pages for
sequins, etc.?>
Of course, such areas represent
a consideroble investment in time and
effort. Many of you will
not have hours to spend creating these diversions,
so i t might seem that your
campaign is doomed to eventual stagnation.
Not so. The various prepared
modules available commercially are ideal
for use as sidelights to
the whole of your game. In addition, there are
many games which can be
“plugged into” your AD&D campaign to serve
as relief. After all i s
said and done, role playing is role playing and the setting
is not of paramount importance.
The trick is to adapt one system to the
other so as to enable continuity
of the characters from
AD&D into the other
setting. This allows not
only a refreshing change, but i t poses new
problems to participants
and adds new factors to your campaign - new
abilities, new weapons,
etc. TSR has many games and rules systems which
can be used with this game
to expand and invigorate your campaign.
Space does not permit detailed
explanations of how to do this with each
and every possible system,
but two readily lend themselves to both the
spirit of AD&D
and its systems: BOOT HILL and GAMMA
WORLD.
Question: Will you answer questions about BOOT HILL, DIVINE RIGHT, GAMMA WORLD, etc.?
Answer: No, not on
my own time. I don’t play those games much. I
have, but I prefer D&D/AD&D.
To have any questions in those areas <OD&D>
answered, you will have
to write to TSR and then they will see that the
correct person answers your
letter.
Q: Why wasn't the
STAR FRONTIERS
game included in the game-to-game
conversion section of the
Dungeon
Masters Guide?
A: The STAR FRONTIERS
game was published
after the DMG. Conversions
between the two systems
are difficult,
since they are so dissimilar.
Your best bet
is to assign AD&D game
statistics to STAR
FRONTIERS characters and
weapons (or
vice versa) on a case-by-case
basis. Your
own judgment must suffice;
just be as
consistent as possible.
(126.81)
Rob,
Spot in in regards to having
PCs adventure in different environments.
I believe that keeps them,
and the GM alike from growing complacent, or bored.
Ernie's PC read a curse scroll
and got sent to Barsoon--ERB's Mars, of course.
He managed the non-magical
world very well, became the first character in the campaign to posses dual
class status as a M-U and Fighter when the character discovered the means
of returning ot Oerth.
In all of my campaigns, and
in the modules I write, I try to give a variety of environments and situatiuons
is that fits with the general setting and plot.
the upcoming Hall of Many
Panes is loaded with that sort of adventure material 
Speaking of which, I need
to get back to my final editing pass on the ms.
Only about 200 pages of
the 500+ therein left to read through...
Cheers,
Gary
Whether or not you opt to
have a time/space warp throw
BOOT HILL
gunfighters into your AD&D world,
or the adventurers from
your fantasy milieu enter a Wild West setting,
the conversions are the
same.
Converting and discovering
character stats is handled as follows:
<note: if you are using the original art, then incl. the art from the article in the Dragon.>
CHARACTER ABILITIES
| BOOT
HILL CHARACTER CONVERSION
TO>> AD&D |
AD&D
CHARACTER ABILITIES
TO>> BOOT HILL STATISTICS |
| Strength as shown; 19 = 18/50, 20 = 18/75 | Speed
DEX score = % score |
| Intelligence
use 3d6 to determine |
Gun
Accuracy
all have 01 initially, each 6 rounds fired add + 1 until a maximum of 25 |
| Wisdom
use 3d4 to determine |
Throwing Accuracy
use normal attack tables for AD&D |
| Dexterity
6 base + 1 per 10% of BOOT HILL speed rating to a maximum of 16 |
Strength
as shown, 18/up to 51 = 19, 18/51 and greater = 20 |
| Constitution
use 3d6 to determine |
Bravery
100 modified as follows: cleric = -2 X WIS fighter* = -1 X WIS magic-user = -3 X WIS thief = -4 X WIS * or monk |
| Charisma
use d8 + 4 to determine |
Experience
initially NO experience, subject to later results |
<note: very minor changes in table headings, to enhance readability. readability = playability! game school!>
Hit Dice: Each BOOT
HILL character is equal to a 2nd level fighter (2d10 +
constitution bonus, if any).
In addition, for each category of gunfighting
experience a BOOT HILL
character has, add one additional level of fighter
ability, i.e. add 1d10 +
applicable bonus.
Armor Class: As in
AD&D,
so most BOOT HILL characters will have AC 10
(no armor) at least initially.
Saving Throws: BOOT
HILL characters save at their fighter level as noted
above under hit dice.
Fighting Ability:
BOOT
HILL characters have fighter level as noted above
under hit dice.
Movement: Base unarmored
movement for BOOT HILL characters is 12".
Horses are all light.
Turn Sequence: Use
the normal AD&D turn sequence unless
both sides are
using firearms, in which
case use the BOOT HILL turn sequence and first
shot determination. When
the AD&D turn sequence is used, then
for
initiative give + 1 to BOOT
HILL characters who are unarmored and using
firearms.
Weapon Range: BOOT HILL inches convert to AD&D inches (").
Rate Of Firearms:
Use the rate of fire shown in
BOOT HILL as the number
of shots allowed per round,
with NO penalty for firing more than 1 shot.
As the round is a full minute,
you may optionally allow
DOUBLE rate of fire,
with a -10% penalty for
all shots fired above the standard rate of fire,
the penalty being cumulative,
i.e. 3 extra shots = 30% penalty on each extra shot.
Reloading rate equals segments
per round, so that any firearm can be completely reloaded in 1 round.
First Shot Determination
Base Number Adjustments I:
| Weapon
Speed Factor |
= | AD&D Missile Weapon
Rate Of Fire |
= | Weapon
Class |
| 8-13 | = | 1/2 | = | VS |
| 6-7 | = | 1 | = | S |
| 5 | = | 2 | = | BA |
| 4 | = | 3 | = | A |
| 2-3 | = | - | = | F |
| 1 | = | - | = | VF |
<8 pt. for the half>
<First Shot Determination
Base Number Adjustments II:> Adjustment For Actual Armor:
| Armor Class Due
To Armor Worn |
First Shot Determination
Modifier (Penalty) |
| 10 | 0 |
| 9 | -1 |
| 8 | -2 |
| 7 | -3 |
| 6 | -4 |
| 5 | -5 |
| 4 | -6 |
| 3 | -7 |
| 2 | -8 |
* All magic armor is classed
as AC 7 for purposes of this determination.
Note that magic rings, bracers,
and similar protections which are not armor
equate to AC 10 for this
purpose.
Hit Determination Modifier:
| Armor Class | Modifier |
| 10 | 0 |
| 9 | -1 |
| 8 | -1 |
| 7 | -2 |
| 6 | -2 |
| 5 | -3 |
| 4 | -3 |
| 3 | -4 |
| 2 | -4 |
| 1 | -5 |
| 0 | -5 |
| -1 | -6 |
| -2 | -6 |
| etc. | etc. |
Special Note: Do not
include dexterity bonus to AC for purposes of
modifying hit determination.
Wounds:
Each hit causes damage as follows, several hits from the same
weapon being computed separately:
<add tomahawk to notes field for hand axe in PH>
* No saving throw allowed.
You may optionally allow a save, treating the
explosion as if it were
a fireball, but damage base must then
be
increased to 6-36 hit points.
themattjon wrote:
Ahh, the pleasures of youth.
The innocence of... wait, DYNAMITE? 
Sure enough.
O was in my mid-20s, and
a friend and I picked up a case of 50% amonium nitrate dynamite, blasting
caps, and fuse.
We thought about using it
to ditch out the spring area, but my uncle did not like the idea, so we
did...other stuff with it
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by Silver
Moon
Hello Col_Pladoh,
A "Boot Hill" question for
you. In the first Dungeon Masters Guide there are guidelines for
Boot Hill/AD&D crossover games.
My question is, Did you
or Buckshot Blume ever play or DM one?
I ask because my group is
currently playing our third module in a D&D/Boot Hill hybrid campaign
and we are having a great time with it.
Well, Pilgrim...
The short answer is no.
While we did some testing
to see that the suggestions actually worked all right, we never did get
to a real campaign.
That was due to Brian being
involved in other things and not having time to devise the basis for a
mixed D&D-BH setting.
I really like the idea of
mixing magic and Wild West play, and it is great to learn you and your
group have done it and are enjoying the result I don't know if this is
the proper form for a recounting of your campaign, but I'd sure like to
hear more!
Maybe an email to me at
ggygax@genevaonline.com if you have time and inclination.
Cheers,
Gary
Any circumstances not covered
here can be extrapolated from this work
and/or BOOT HILL.
Referees might well find thot some AD&D
monsters
and characters will prove
interesting inhabitants for old mines or hidden
valleys. . .
Transferral
Of Fire Arms To The AD&D Campaign:
Unless you desire to
have gunpowder muddying
the waters in your fantasy world, it is strongly
urged that BOOT HILL
firearms be confined to specific areas, and when
gunpowder is brought into
the fantasy world it becomes inert junk - ergo,
no clever alchemist can
duplicate it. Likewise, dynamite and similar
explosives become inert.
Readers of THE
DRAGON might already be familiar with the concept of
mixing science fantasy and
heroic fantasy from reading my previous
article about the adventures
of a group of AD&D characters tronsported
via
a curse scroll to another
continuum and ending up amidst the androids and
mutants aboard the Starship
Warden of METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA. Rather
than go back over that ground
again, it seems more profitable to discuss
instead the many possibilities
for the DM if he or she includes a gateway to
a post-atomic war earth
a
la GAMMA WORLD. The two game systems
ore
not alien, and interfacing
them is not difficult. The challenges are very
interesting for AD&D
characters, and it might get one of the participants
interested enough to get
a separate GAMMA WORLD campaign going,
thus giving all of you a
new field for gaming, and most important give you
a break from dming continually.
<link: wiki for MA?>
CHARACTER ABILITIES
| GAMMA
WORLD CHARACTERS CONVERTED
TO>> AD&D |
AD&D
CHARACTER ABILITIES
TO>> GAMMA WORLD STATISTICS |
| Strength
as shown, 18 receives no percentile roll |
Strength (Physical)
as in AD&D, with percentile bonus included |
| Intelligence
as shown |
Intelligence
as shown |
| Wisdom
use mental strength |
Strength (Mental)
use wisdom |
| Dexterity
as shown |
Dexterity
as shown |
| Constitution
as shown |
Constitution
as shown |
| Charisma
as shown |
Charisma
as shown |
| Magic Resistance
NONE |
Radiation Resistance
NONE |
Hit Dice: GAMMA
WORLD characters should be allowed to retain their total (based on
their constitution),
while AD&D characters
should retain their hit dice and bonus points gained by level.
Armor Class: Depending
on whether the action is on a GW or an AD&D
world, convert the armor
classes by using the following tables:
| GAMMA
WORLD ARMOR
TO>> |
AD&D AC # | AD&D
ARMOR
TO>> |
GAMMA WORLD AC # |
| NONE | 10 | NONE | 10 |
| Shield only | 9 | Shield only | 9 |
| Furs
/ skins |
8 | Leather
or padded |
8 |
| Furs & shield
/ skins & shield / cured hide armor / plant fiber armor / partial carapace |
7 | Leather & shield /
padded & shield / studded leather ring mail |
7 |
| Cured hide & shield
/
plant fiber armor & shield / total carapace |
6 | Studded leather & shield
/
Ring mail & shield / scale mail (& shield) / chain mail |
6 |
| Sheath armor /
piece metal armor / total carapace |
5 | Chain mail & shield
/
banded mail / splint mail |
5 |
| Sheath armor & shield
/
piece metal armor & shield / total carapace & shield |
4 | Banded mail & shield
/
splint mail & shield / plate mail (& shield) |
4 |
| Powered plate /
plastic armor |
0 | Magic armors from AC 1 to -2 | 3 |
| Powered alloy /
energized / inertia / powered scout / battle armor |
-4 | Magic armors from AC -3 to -6 | 2 |
| Powered attack /
assault armor |
-8 | Magic armors from AC -7 to -10 | 1 |
<note: small changes in
format for readability. readability = playability. game school!>
<unfinished, just format
: two styles given above. use best>
Saving Throws: As
noted, GW characters get no save against magic (spells), although
some mental mutations will modify this rule (see below).
Likewise, AD&D
characters are not allowed any radiation resistance.
Poison saves should use
the GW matrix in a GAMMA WORLD area, otherwise the AD&D
system is used.
All other saving throws
are as per AD&D, with
GW characters being considered
as fighters
(those
with mental mutations approximating spell abilities should gain the benefit
of saving as a 1st-5th level magic-user
if the saving throw category therefore is superior to that of fighters).
Level of ability is based
on the number of experience points the GW character has earned, each step
equalling 1 level,
i.e.
0 - 2,999 = 1st level, 3,000 - 5,999 = 2nd level, 6,000 - 11,999 = 3rd
level, 12,000 - 24,999 = 4th level, etc.
Fighting Ability:
GW
characters in an AD&D world fight at the level
indicated by their accumulated
experience points. AD&D characters in a
GW campaign use the latter
system of resolution to hit, regardless of level.
Movement: Use the
AD&D
movement rates for characters, as the scales
are roughly equal.
Turn Sequence: Use
AD&D,
considering a search move as a round, and a
combat melee round as a
segment.
Weapon Range: Outdoors
convert GAMMA WORLD meters to AD&D
inches ("), the latter being
yards. In an underground setting do NOT lower
"artifact" weapons from
GW to AD&D inches ("), triple their ranges to
make up for the ground scale
being reduced to one-third outdoor.
Rate of Fire: Use
AD&D,
converting GW combat melee turns to AD&D
round segments when applicable.
Initiative: Use the AD&D system.
"To Hit" Bonuses:
Allow all bonuses normal to characters in each game,
except that strength of
GW
will give bonuses rather than dexterity (which
will improve armor class
of GW characters not wearing "artifact" protection).
Damage: As shown in
AD&D
for
all weapons except those found only in
GW. In the latter
case, damage is as shown in
GAMMA WORLD.
Fatigue: Ignore fatigue, or you may opt to use it only for GW characters. <Fatigue, SG>
Mental Combat: Unless
AD&D
psionic abilities are present use the GW
system (otherwise the AD&D
psionic combat system). Wisdom indicates
mental strength. See also
below.
Spells: Magic-users
without their books will not be able to regain spells.
Clerics in a GW world
setting will be totally out of touch with their deity or
deities, and so they will
be unable to regain spells above second level.
Certain mental mutation
powers resemble spells, and vice versa.
Mental defenselessness,
for instance, will allow any illusion/phantasm or enchantment/charm spell
to function automatically against him, her, or it.
A mental defense shield
will give a bonus of +4 on saving throw dice rolls against the very same
form of attacks, and detect both mental powers and magic.
Furthermore, characters
with this ability would certainly have all five forms of psionic defense
modes to use.
Mental control over physical
state would enable override of hold spells and paralysis effects also.
Mental control used against
any AD&D creature would be regarded as a magic
jar attempt.
Likewise, certain AD&D
spells would be very helpful
against GW characters,
creatures, and weapons:
minor
globe of invulnerability, for example, would prevent mental attack
forms which approximate spells of up to 3rd level (inclusive).
Invulnerability
to normal missiles would be effective against slug throwers, needlers,
and fragmentation devices as well as medieval technology missiles.
A wall
of force would stop many beams and rays as well, but blasters and torc
grenades, basically disintegration weapons, would bring it down instantly.
Whenever any case arises,
use the examples and principles above to help you adjudicate the result.
Artifacts:
The GW "artifacts" (except those with chemical bases which
could be reproduced) will
operate in the AD&D
world, just as most magic
items will function in a
GW
setting. AD&Dcharacters are limited in ability
with regard to GW
"artifacts" to those operable under Chart A. Furthermore,
they receive a + 1 on their
die rolls. Clerics and magic-users with an
intelligence of 15 or better
may negate this restriction, and the penalty to
dice rolls as well, through
practice or research. Each successful operation
of an "artifact" allows
a 10% cumulative chance of negating the penalty.
Research on the obiect will
allow a 1% cumulative chance of operating
Charts B
and
C items as follows: Each day of research on type B objects,
with a 100 g.p. per day
expenditure, each week of research on C objects
with a 1,000 gold piece
per week cost. (Naturally, such study and research
must be uninterrupted and
undisturbed.)
Any "artifact" or magic items
which are demonstrated for characters with
usage instructions given
will allow operation without the charts. AD&D
characters will, however,
use "artifact" weapons which differ greatly from
weapons or magic items to
which they are accustomed at 4 levels of experience
lower than they normally
would. Each successful use allows a
25% chance for such characters
to increase in expertise, (ie., lose a
penalty level) until they
eventually reach normal ability. (Such characters
might also receive special
consideration when handling firearms in a
BOOT HILL situation,
being familiar with hand and shoulder arms, and
gaining a base 25 accuracy,
for example, with a 50 maximum after
practice.)
Q: Would blasters
or lasers from GAMMA WORLD adventures be able to harm creatures
only affected by magical
weapons, such as gargoyles?
A: Yes; such energy
attacks would harm
nearly all AD&D
monsters or characters.
Use the "Mutants & Magic"
section of the
DMG
to arbitrate details of such combat.
(79.16)
Q: What happens if
a GAMMA WORLD® mutant hits an AD&D
character with the power
de-evolution?
A: The AD&D
character, unlike GAMMA WORLD characters,
has no resistance to mental
attacks or radiation attacks from
GAMMA WORLD monsters or
devices. De-evolution will automatically
strip an AD&D
character of one level per GAMMA
WORLD combat round (10 seconds),
meaning that 6 life levels
will be lost per AD&D
round, no saving throw allowed. This was
confirmed by Jim Ward, the
co-author of the GAMMA WORLD
rules. And you thought vampires
were bad! AD&D characters
drained of life levels by
de-evolution simply die and do not
become undead. If raised,
the character so affected will be a zero level character.
(76.64)
OUT ON A LIMB
As to the GAMMA WORLD map, the cities and
towns listed were not picked using any criteria
other than spreading them over the map sufficiently
to enable the gamer to guesstimate the location
of any other city. A map of that scale is grossly
insufficient to provide ruined city symbols all over
the eastern half of what had been the U.S.
To paraphrase Ga<r>y Jaquet re your comments
regarding radiation: Yes, there is a lot of cancer and
radiation caused death. The radiation effects charts
did not specify what kind of sickness or death you
suffered; it could be violent and quick from radiation
poisoning or slow and wasting from cancer.
That is best left to the discretion of the GM. To
remove radiation from the game would be to remove
too much of the design structure, and eliminate
all of the radiation caused mutations from the
scope of the game. The residual radiation areas
were not all made by offensive weapons; many
other nuclear facilities could be the cause of the
radiation, due to leaks, cracks or other damage. If
you feel that there is too much reliance on radiation
and its effects, you could consider many of the
areas to be chemically or biologically contaminated.
However, your primitives would have a great
deal of difficulty discriminating between the various
types of “mysterious”, unseen dangers.
-- Tim Kask (The Dragon #29)
* * * *
'Why, Mr. Ward?'
Dear Editor:
This letter has been written to comment upon
the article “A Part of Gamma World Revisited” by <make
& link>
James M. Ward that appeared in the May ’79 issue.
In the Gamma World rule book, the Cryptic Alliance, <make
& link>
the Seekers, “. . . travel and work in large populated
areas, trying to get humans and mutants of all
types to work together. They consider mutated
animals to be inferior, but don’t press the issue, and
sometimes even accept their help. They are filled
with an all-consuming hatred of the technology
that brought about the destruction of civilization
and seek to eradicate all traces of it from the face of
the earth.” The article says of the Seeker’s history
“humanoids and mutated animals were treated as
gruesome vermin to be wiped out with maximum
force” and “the group is led by Tral-Vash . . . he
uses a Fusion Rifle, Energy Mace, and Powered
Scout Armor. Armories have been raided so that
the group has a vast supply of weapons and
vehicles,” Why do the Seekers try to get humans
and mutants to work together if they consider mutants
“gruesome vermin to be wiped out with
maximum force”? And why, if they are “filled with
an all-consuming hatred of the technology that
brought about the destruction of civilization” and
“seek to eradicate all traces of it from the face of the
earth” does their leader, Tral-Fash, use a Fusion
Rifle, an Energy Mace, and Powered Scout Armor?
Why have the Seekers raided armories so that they
will have a vast supply of weapons and vehicles if
they hate technology and seek to eradicate it from
the face of the earth? James Ward, I would like
some clarification in this matter.
Sincerely,
Christopher Beiting — MI
(The Dragon #30)
The answer to this very logical question posed
by this careful reader of THE DRAGON
allows me
to expose one of my primary philosophies in all role
playing games. It is my contention that all “good”
referees should make it their duty to change large
portions of the concepts presented in any given
role-playing game. I am not referring to the mechanics
of any given game: things like combat systems,
the operation of technological devices or
magic items, the limits posed towards character
classes, and the like. What I like to change are the
types of things presented. When there is a list of
100 magic items, I like to add 100 of my own.
Where there are 50 creatures listed in a game, I like
to slightly modify the abilities of 20 of them. When I
created (with a great deal of help) the cryptic alliances,
I naturally changed them in my own game
so that my players couldn’t use all that information
in the booklet to their own advantage. So, we see a
group of Seekers given in the booklet that dislike
animal mutants and in my game hate animal mutants.
We see a group of Seekers given in the
booklet that are filled with an all-consuming hatred
of technology and in my game desire things like
energy rifles and pistols and grenades and powered
armor, but violently hate missiles and attack robots
and anything capable of causing “LARGE” scale
destruction to life and property.
I was rightly called to task for this divergence
from the written norm, but I hope this statement of
mine will answer the question and allow me to
continue to travel far afield from what is considered
normal and proper.
— J. Ward co-author of GAMMA WORLD <make
& link>
(James M. Ward)
(The Dragon #30)
1.
S=Physical Strength
I=Intelligence
W=Mental Strength
D=Dexteriy
C=Constitution
Ch=Charisma
2.
Pure Strain Human
Humanoid
Mutated Animal
serleran wrote:
Do you like mixing genres
together, something like Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, crossed with
Boot Hill, for example... or do you prefer to stick to one element and
see where that takes you? From reading some of the new material (Hall of
Many Panes, for example. Not trying to give anything away about it, though,
so don't sue me....) I'm curious. :) Do you consider that sort of thing
to be "high magic" and not Conaneque "sword and sorcery?"
Heh,
I have mixed genres since the OD&D game was published.
I do not think a magic-rich
setting precludes swords & sorcery, although the pure "Conanesque"
sort is pretty well out in such an environment.
that doesn't trouble me,
as the only real roles in such a setting are permutations of the warrior
and thief archetypes.
Cheers,
Gary
Wow, that's a great insight into alignments Gary. I have seen many discussion regarding alignments that would have gone much different if they had known this.
:oops:
As i said, I blame blame
myself for not fully elucidating the purpose of alignments, assuming that
DMs would comprehend my thinking by some sort of osmosis :?
Cheers,
Gary
Ah, well...
As usual there are exceptions. I do enjoy reading about the Revolutionary War and the various Indian Wars.
I confess to rooting for the Indians, especially the Plains tribes. When i was a boy Crazy horse was a hero of mine, and I designed the Little Big Horn board wargame for TSR that reflected the possibilities well, even that of Custer managing to get Reno and Benteen into line and winning the fight. You know I must then have loved Dances with Wolves
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally posted by Melan
Another question, if you
don't mind.
In several early D&D adventures and supplements, there is a considerable number of futuristic elements: the whole Barrier Peaks module, Dave Arneson's Temple of the Frog and City of the Gods (not to mention a lot of Blackmoor). Judges Guild supplement have a ton of them, too. You also recounted a battle between an Evil High Priest and a division of nazis with tanks and all in The Strategic Review (which I read in the Dragon Archives CD-Rom).
How common were these in
early play? E.g. did the players often find laser rifles, crashed spaceships
and androids (they are, if I recall correctly, even recommended monsters
in Monsters&Treasure)? How does this mesh with your insistance on gunpowder
not working in D&D? Do you feel these elements have a vital role in
the game, or should campaigns be more "pure"? If crossovers are good, were
there other genres which appeared in your early campaigning?
Intense adventuring in the
quasi-medieval fantasy milieu becomes staid without some variety. some
campaigns manage this by bringing integue and politics into the mix. My
group was too large and action-oriented to enjoy much of that...
Science Fiction is really no more than future fantasy, so that was a logical choice, and one that was popular with most players. The more daring (Rob, Ernie, Terry, etc.) loved to send their PCs into the "future" alternate world area based on Vance's "Planet of Adventure." This was the "Carabas" where the Dirdir hunted humans out seeking nodes bearing sequins.
Unlike gunpowder weapons, SF ones are "magical" in that their operational power is unknown and irreproducable by PC. PCs gaining laser-like arms in a SF setting had nothing more than a "wand" with limited charges, a weapon that was useless after those charges were expended. (I allowed 20 charges, less those expended by the former possessor, with usual damage based on 5d4 for pistols, 5d6 for rifles.)
When I devised a scenario
in which the PC party were gated into out own world, entering NYC's subway
system during the blackout there, the players caught wise and after wiping
out a street gang and getting shot a few times thus, turned tail and hastened
back to their own world rather than face police with more firearms
The "curses" sent parties to places such as "Barsoom" and to (my favorite) the "Starship Warden" of Metamorphosis Alpha.
So I retained the fantasy
base but offered opportunities to experience other milieux.
Overall, the group appreciated
that greatly.
The main complaint came
from Jim Ward who was much aggrieved when his elf fighter-mage ended up
in his own RPG's setting.
The "Vigilists" there welcomed
the "mutant" warmly, though, and his wanf of fireballs became the most
potent weapon in that group's arsenal!
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally posted by
tieranwyl
You still have fans that play 1E AD&D, many of whom hang out at the dragonsfoot site. After all these years, some people have not been willing to move on to newer editions of D&D or other FRPG's. Partly they love the game because you wrote it, and mostly they just love Old AD&D. I think many of the "old schoolers" are hanging on to the hope that Old AD&D will make a come-back, that you would be in the creative lead of it and that their favorite classed-based game can be experienced by new gamers. There is still a lot of resentment by them toward the non-Gygax versions of the game. I could be wrong, but I don't think the old schoolers would accept a multi-genre D&D. Just an observation.
When 2E was released TSR
lost about hald of its audience. That's according to inside information
from someone then at the company. I suspect there was a much resentment
about unnecessary changes and the cost of acquiring brand new core books
as there was resistance to playing a game I didn't write...
My take on the matter is that those who hold fast to OAD&D do so because they like the system as it is, do not want any major revisions that alter its spirit and soul--other than those they have done for themselves to suit their group. Seeing as how I am quite unable to create a new edition because of legal reasons, speculating about it is indeed a fruitless exercise.
As for adding genres, that was generally directed in the ODMG, and what alterations I made in the rules would simply have made such facilitation easier.
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally posted by
Hadit
If original D&D had
remained within your control over these long years, do you imagine that
it's future incarnation would be as different in mechanics as LA is now?
In other words, would you
have stayed with the original template or do you think such drastic evolution
is inevitable?
(The wake of 3.5E brings
up such meandering queries... )
I intended to revise OAD&D,
but not into one that graftet skill-based play onto a class based vehicle.
I think that brings the worst of both system types. In the long term I
don't think I'd have made many changes in the AD&D game, only those
necessary to allow the core rules to apply to more genres.
Quote:
Originally Posted by grodog
On a module-related note,
I recently dusted off my copy of GW1 Legion of Gold, which you co-wrote
with Luke and Paul Reiche. This is the only TSR-era module that I recall
you co-writing---was this effort one that you worked up from Luke's concepts,
or vice-versa? I only know Paul Reiche from his OD&D books published
with Erol Otus; what were his contributions to the final adventure?
Thanks again for the news
on the Black Reservoir Gary---it makes my birthday morning brighter already
Happy Birthday, Allen
I was living in the big
place near Clinton, Wisconsin, working in a little library-study there
when Luck came in and told me about his ideas for a Gamma World module.
He dictated a lot of the
content of the Legion of Gold adventure, so I listed him as author.
Darned if I can recall what
Paul Reiche added to the work, perhaps some development to make it a longer
one.
At least he didn't screw
anything up as happened with one helpful editor who removed "Mignol Chorts,
still fresh in their plastic wrapper," and "Grey modeling clay,' as well
as "Package of firecrackers" from a long list of things to discover.
The idiot left in the C4
explosvive, but there was no fooler inert clay, and nothing to set off
the plastique, since the flash crackers weren't there.
Worst of all, though, no
character was able to find and consume the Mignol Chorts, a Tom Whamism
for Twinkies
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray
Mouser
Isn't "life leech" a power
from Gamma World? I've never played MA (although it sounds pretty cool
from what you and others have said).
Also, I assume PSH stands
for "pure strain human", which, iirc, was also a GW race.
Was there overlap between
these games?
MA was dne before GW, and
IMO it was a much better game.
The Blumes "helped" Jim
Ward to revise his MA game for GW, and thus much good material was lost.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray
Mouser
I know you designed a module
for Gamma World, did you do any for MA? (I'm not even aware if there were
any published scenarios!)
No modules were written
for MA, sad to say...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray
Mouser
Oh, and if you want to share
your PC character sheets for MA (or GW) feel free
(re: "You should see my Metamorphosis Alpha PCs.." 
).
Thanks, but no. I have them
for my use when playing the game--although it has been almost three years
since last I had the pleasure of visiting the Starship Warden with James
M. Ward as Game Master.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dead
Dear Gary,
How many years did you run your Greyhawk campaign?
From 1972 through 1985,
rather sporadically after 1981. I still play it now and again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dead
Could you please list all
the worlds/dimensions that players interacted with? Murlynd obviously travelled
to a Wild West world (was this just Earth?) and, apparently, there was
cross-overs to Rob Kuntz's campaign setting.
Good grief! I haven't the
memory for that as most of such play was winged by me--such as Robilar's
adventures in the City of Brass. We did WWII, modern city, and a bit of
wild west as you note. SF action was common, and my players loved to go
to the Carabas of the "Planet of Adventure," Tchai IIRR, to fight with
the Dirdir.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dead
Did the crashed space craft
in "S3: Expedition to the Barriar Peaks" really take place in your own
campaign?
sure enough, as my players
were involved in the testing of the scenario
Quote:
Originally Posted by dead
Were there a lot of genre
cross-overs in the original GH?
Thanks.
About one session in every
12 would involve somethingfrom outside the fantasy genre. that was enough
to keep things from getting too staid.
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jdvn1
Anyway, I have an Origin
of D&D question now. Nowadays, there's d20 Modern, d20 Future, et cetera.
I don't keep up with all the different varieties. My question is this:
How much of this did you think of at the beginning? When you made OAD&D,
did you think, "Oh, we could make modern-day or futuristic classes too
and have a different setting!"? Did you make plans for that sort of thing
or were you trying to keep it fantasy-only?
The fact is I wanted to
be able to mix genres--not use the A/D&D rules to play other
genres, but means of mixing genres.
Thus we had fantasy forces
comprised of orcs led by an Evil cleric meeting and fighting with a Nazi
anti-partizan company, and fought the battle out on a table top.
I had PCs sent to the Starship
Warden to tangle with Metamorphosis Alpha characters.
No need to go on, you get
the idea.
Cheers,
Gart
Quote:
Originally Posted by haakon1
That reminds me of a pre-crash
topic . . . Boot Hill. I think I asked naively if you wrote it.
I should just look it up, I know, but my Boot Hill materials are in NY State, and I'm in WA State. :\
Boot Hill was a whole lot
of fun for me and my friends, in the original and 2nd edition. ...
In the first edition campaign
of BH I usually played the Mexican rancher and bandit Quinto Villa Lobos
with a gang of four compadres--I converted 10 Airfix figurines so as to
have the five characters in foot and mounted form, cmplete with sombreros
and a couple wth ponchos.
When the second edition was being prepared I played ruthless rancher, Mr. G of the Rockin' G spread, I eventually had over 40 hands, a hired fast gun, an Indian tracker, and several Mexican vaccaros who bought cattle south of the border and saw to it that my half-iinterest in three border cantinas was properly repaid. The whiskey flowed freely for all my boys as I built and operated a distillery and eventually ran a stage line too so as to move my whiskey around to the ehole area.
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geoffrey
Gary, I seem to remember
reading that you had a hand in the original Gamma World rulebook. What
parts did you write?
Gamma World was basically
an expanded MA game. Jim Ward did not have control over what went into
it, Brian Blume did. When I was given the opportunity to read the initial
draft, I noted that there were no mounts for the characters to ride, so
I supplied the names and stats for all that were in the game--pinetos,
podogs, rakoxen, and whatever else...I don't recall now and am too busy
to check the rules. I also did a couple of tables of objects to be found
at random, but some jerk editor removed much of the interesting items therefrom.
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by haakon1
Do you like Boot Hill and
Top Secret more on the gritty historical side, or the glitzy Hollywood
side?
However a good GM wants
to present an operation. For the Wild West I favor something akin to the
old cowboy movies mixed with spaghetti Westerns. For espionage I do like
the settings of the Orient Express or an ocean liner...
[Haakon1,
Would you believe Wild Bill
Cody or Red Ryder meets Clint Eastwood? As I grew up watching Westerns
in the 1940s I had many a favorite cowboy back then...including The BLack
Whip who I felt was much better than Lash LaRue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by haakon1
And as you surely now, Gary,
a section is what you could get for free from the US government for settling
the American West, after the Homestead Act of 1862.
I believe the requirements
to stake your claim were building a 10' x 12' dwelling and living there
5 years (or was it 4), before you got the title. I think you had to make
your living off the land, but I'm not sure if that was a legal requirement
or just what everyone did with 160 acres of Nebraska. 
So I figure 160 acres is a full-sized American semi-arid farm, what a man could work (with some horses) and run a few cows on, with a "back 40" and so on.
And I figure 40 acres is a decent sized small farm in a developed area with more rain, from the short lived policy of giving freed slaves "40 acres and a mule" at about the same time. I believe that happened in the areas the Union Navy took in 1862 -- the Sea Islands off Georgia and South Carolina, and maybe parts of Louisiana?
But I wonder how many acres a typical medieval peasant farmed? I'm guessing there's no real answer to that, as it would vary with geography (a lot smaller plots with productive land in the Netherlands or the Thames Valley, a lot bigger with rocky soil in Norway or dryer land in Poland).
I belueve the requirement
for a homestead was working the land for five years.
More likley a 40 acre plot was suitable for dirt farming a cash crop such as tobacco.
Any farm that raised large livestock would need at least 80 acres, even in well-watered areas with fertile soil.
Cheerio,
Gary
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