A totally unscientific survey: Do you own an older edition?

Prompted by this and the fact the question comes lot on the TheRPGSite a lot. I have some questions for my audience.

1. Do you own an older edition of D&D (prior to 2e)?
2. If you didn't keep your copy from "back in the day" or just wasn't old enough; how difficult it was it for you to find your copy and buy it. Do you consider the price a good deal?

Finally any opinion on how difficult for a new gamer to get an older edition is appreciated.

As for my opinion, I noticed that the availability of older editions in local game stores have plummeted. The only place where I now a NW PA gamer to reliably find copies is the Wargame Matrix in Cleveland. Online prices are creeping up and at some point a year ago it has become impractical for gamers to just pick up a copy of OD&D as prices gone up over $50 for the later printing. Add in the supplements the prices become really unattractive. My impression is that is becoming the same for the Moldavy Edition although not quite there for Holmes. The same for the Rule Compendium for D&D. AD&D 1st and Mentzer D&D still appear readily available.

Comments on Marketing of the OSR.

Al from Black Gate has an interesting post on marketing the OSR. The main reason for the marketing issue is the result of our diversity. None of companies specifically making OSR products individually have the budget for marketing of even a 2nd or 3rd tier publisher. Collectively we sell a lot but each only spend our little slice.

Given time, a handful of OSR commerical publishers will grow large enough that they would be effectively a 2nd or 3rd tier publisher accompanied with a bigger budget for marketing.

However if folks want to jump start the process then it seems to me that a manufacturer's associations focused solely on pool advertising dollars. It would have a membership fee of between $50 to $100. Large enough that only folks serious about commercially publishing will pay it but low enough that it isn't a barrier to entry. In short signing up means you are committing yourself to be a professional.

Again it's focus needs to be limited or politics will be a big problem. It will be little problem as it is. Plus there are groups like TARGA, GaryCon, etc that focus on convention, and other aspects of the OSR. This doesn't need to duplicate what they do.

To summary what I am suggesting If ten publishers sign and the fee is $100 then it will have a $1,000 budget. The members appoint a marketing team and they design the ads, buy X amount of adspace on the web and print. Part the budget will have to be used to pay artist and layout folks leaving the rest for the actual ad buys.

This summary leaves out a lot of details that would have to be hammered out like the ad content, who gets to approve stuff and so forth and so on. One thing I do suggest that a omnibus website be maintained by this manufacturing group. That space on the site be reserved for ANYBODY involved in the OSR. Just submit a link and it will made part of the directory. The content of the actual paid ads will be reserved for dues paying members.

Also if an existing group, like TARGA, want to expand themselves to do this that would work just as well as long as the publisher have collective control over how their dues are spent.

The philosophy of doing this is that making people aware of what we do keeps our hobby healthy by having new gamers come and start playing the games we love. It helps both the commercial and non-commercial side of the hobby.

Unfortunately I don't have the time to take on a project of this magnitude. But I hopes this inspires folks to think about this issue and certainly if it comes into existance Bat in the Attic Games will be joining.

From the Attic: Nobles of the Ancient World

Normally my from the attic is stuff I pulled from way way back. This is a little more recent.

Before I got the license that allowed me to do the Majestic Wilderlands I had a few idea for different projects. Some I will do under Bat in the Attic others are of less priority now that I have the Majestic Wilderlands to deal with.

One of the project was a highly cultural centric project focused on humans. The idea was to use race as culture. The nominal target was D&D 4e but that fell by the wayside when the GSL Version 1 proved to be a really bad deal.

The idea was go through the Ancient, Classical, and Medieval periods of history and work up major cultural groups of society. They would be generic so that the referee could adapt them to his setting. This excerpt is the Ancient Noble roughly of the same time period as Ancient Egypt, and Babylonia.

Nobles of the Ancient World
Paragons of humanity, they are the rulers and defenders of civilization.

Special Abilities
+2 to Charisma

The noble of the ancient period is the best of humanity; he knows that life is too unforgiving to allow the weak to survive. Unlike later eras he does not assume that her special status is by right. He knows that he has to prove himself worthy of the responsibilities. He know that the nobles are all that stand between the monsters and the utter ruin of civilization.

Play a noble if you want…
to be a leader.
to defend civilization against the depredations of barbarians and monsters.
to have a chance to create a lasting legacy.

Physical Qualities
Being born of a king does give the nobles access to more food and the time to train and hone the body. Because of this they are taller and heavier than the average peasant. Having the luxury of time to train, their appearance is more muscular and fit then the rest of the people of the land.

Nobles wear fine linen and wool for their clothing. Using the harvest surplus they hire artisans to work at the palace not only to create weapons, tool, and armor but luxury goods as well. As the leaders they are expected to look their finest as a shining example. Their first duty is to defend the city-state against its enemies both monsters, barbarians, and rival city-states. To this end they train incessantly for war and the hunt.

Playing a Noble.
The noble is about duty. They receive the best because they are expected to be the best. They continually train, and are busy with their duties assigned by the king. They often find themselves in harm’s way so that the people and the city are protected. The nobles supervise the various construction projects that are underway after the harvest is in. They provide leadership and guidance to ensure that the walls, temples, and buildings are properly built.

The king is the leading noble of the land. In the late centuries of the ancient age the creation of the empire required the king to appoint governors to rules the subject city-state in their name. Within those cities the governor fulfills the king’s role as leader. The remaining nobles form his elite guard, and advisors. The king supports them and their families with the surplus from the harvest. The first bureaucracies are established as favored nobles are chosen by the king to supervise the distribution of the harvest to the peasant and artisans.

Weak nobles soon become scorned. They will be challenged time and time until they either reform or they lose their position. Those who suffer the loss in status often will live the city in shame to live in exile. A weak or tyrannical king will soon lose the support of his court, the priest, and the rest of the city-state and be deposed usually in favor of a close relative.

The noble’s view of the peasant’s is that they are the backbone of civilization. It is by their labor that he has the food he eats. It is by their labor that the great temples, walls, and palaces are built. If they grumble then the noble should listen. If they are attacked then they must be defended. The priests can be rivals but they are important to ensure that the city-state remains in favor with the gods. They are also the first line of defense against the supernatural. The artisans produce much that is useful and pleasing. Their wit and skills give the nobles the means by which the city-state can be defended.

When peasants are lazy, artisans do shoddy work and the priests neglect the altars, it is up to the noble to set matters right. He will give the elders a chance to rectify the problem but if it continues then he will enforce discipline. If fellow nobles are faltering, even the king, then it is the noble’s duty to issue the needed challenges. The noble is also sought by those who been wronged by a crime. Using the law set down by the King he will judge the accusation and decide. If justice is granted, those who have been wronged are free to seek equal retribution from the perpetrator.

A Kaddian noble feels loyalty to his king or governor first. The establishment of the empire has begun to broaden many noble’s view of the world. They have become aware of other lands like Goshen and Archonia. In some ways they are no better than the barbarians but it is obvious that they are far wealthier. Many nobles have started accompanies the artisan on trade missions to these far off lands for glory and opportunity.

The Goshen Nobles know he lives in paradise on earth. The gods have truly blessed him with the annual flood creates the bounty of the land. The pinnacle of the Goshen nobles is the Naswet the supreme king of all Goshen. In recent decades the faith in the Naswet has begun to shaken as the Naswet is unable to stop the raids of the Sea People. Travelers from the far off land of Saggiga tell stories of heroes who rise in times to depose weak kings and save the land. The nobles have begun to wonder if such a time has come for Goshen.

The Black Wizards have backed the Nobles of Archeronia against proverbial wall. Either they fight and die true to their ideal, or sell their souls to the wizards for the glory of conquest and pillage. In either case weak nobles quickly die in Archeronia. The ones that survive are of the stuff that legends are made.


Noble Adventurers

Urnungal was appointed to the court of Dumishar the governor of Kishnar. Dumishar had just arrived in Kishnar replacing the previous governor who let the city and its defenses fall into disrepair. As a consequence, Guti barbarians and monsters continually raided the region with impunity. Urnungal proved to be an adept leader, inspiring his men to victory and leading them on successful hunts. Dumishar has rapidly promoted Urnungal giving a larger share of the Kishnar’s defense. This has drawn the ire of Irmunkal, one of the few holdovers from the previous governor’s court. Irmunkal had expected to be rewarded for being one of the few to continue to be faithful their duties. But Urnungal’s rapid rise has eclipsed Irmunkal’s efforts causing her to be jealous.

As the fifth son, Sanakba had little prospect in the court of the Naswet. He was sent to be trained as a priest in the service of Ament the Sun God. His love of fighting and the outdoors proved ill-suited for either scholarly pursuits or the patience need to perform the exacting rituals for Ament. He was trained as a champion of Ament, a paladin, and sent to the court of Governor Nefkhare of Spaimeh, a province of the Goshen delta region. There he grew outspoken about the need for actions against the Sea People and offended Governor Nefkhare. For his offense he was exiled to the desert province of Herun. Reduced to chasing the elusive desert herdsmen he rages at Goshen’s continue impotence against the Sea People.

Eumenes was captured when the Black Wizards sacked his father’s citadel at Pylos at age 14. Taking advantage of his early training the Black Wizards had him fight for their amusement at various games they held for entertainment. Restless the night before a fight he explored the ruins of the amphitheater he was currently staying at. There in a forgotten store room he found scrolls detailing the pacts an individual can make to the powers of nature. That night he made his pact and escaped his confinement in a mist. Since then he has found others fighting the Black Wizards and joined them, resolving one day to retake Pylos.

Switching classes in the Majestic Wilderlands, a questions.

I like to get your opinion on an interesting question that Dwayne of Gamer's Closet asked me.

Many of you with the Majestic Wilderlands know that the additional classes I created originated in what my players did throughout the years. Some were created from antagonists while most were created as result of the players wanting to roleplay being a member of a particular part of the society I created.

Because I referee using sandbox techniques where the player drive the direction of the campaign. It is plausible that a situation may come up where a character may want to switch classes. Say a fighter worshiping Set decides he "seen" the light and becomes a devout adherent of Mitra to the point where he wants to be a member of the priesthood. Or one of the magic using classes deciding to learn the traditions of another magic using class. Order of Trehaen to order of Thoth etc.

While the d20 method of multi-class certainly solves the issue it is not in the spirit of OD&D and require a lot of messing around with the character class system which is what I don't want to do.

I come with several ideas

1) Drop the current class completely start at 1st level in the new class.

2) Do #1 but when you equal the level of the old class you get to use it's abilities again. You get to keep your old HP total tho.

3) You quit earning XP in the old class, keep all it's abilites and start as first level in the new class. You don't get any new HP until you exceed the level of the old class.

4) You start dividing XP between the old class and the new class advancing in both. The new classes starts at first level.

I am currently leaning to #3 as it make the most sense from a realism point of view.

Before folks go debating me on realism, my point of view that given X alternative for a given game system with all other things being equal I am inclined to go with the option that feel most realistic. So my first criteria for switching classes is to make sure all the alternatives are in the spirit of OD&D. Then I will weigh the pros and cons including which feels more realistic.

Swords & Wizardry Combat Notes

The basic combat procedure in Sword & Wizardry is pretty straight forward but a bit vague on specific. This is not an issues as it gives each referee some latitude to customize the combat portion of the game to his taste.

First understand that for over twenty years I played Fantasy Hero, Harnmaster, and GURPS all featuring combat system with a lot of options and a strong use of miniatures. Even when I used AD&D 1st edition I was noted for being a referee that used miniatures.

Since I started running Swords & Wizardry on a regular basis I customized the basic S&W procedures to my taste. Here are some of things I do. Hope you find some of them useful.

1) Everybody rolls individual initiative every round adding their Dexterity Modifier.

2) You can move up to 1/2 of your movement and get your full range of attacks.

3) If you get multiple attacks in melee you get one attack during your initiative and the rest at the end of the round.
4) You can 1/2 move and attack, and attack and 1/2 move.

5) If you have multiple melee attacks you can step on one square before each attack

6) multiple ranged attack all go off on your initiative.

7) you can choose to move up to 1/2 move and split multiple ranged attack at any point on the move.

8) There is not attacks of opportunity or free attacks you can roam the battlefield how you feel like it.

9) The only exception is that you must stop movement when entering a hexes or squares next to a enemy. If you are already next to an enemy you can always take a step of a single hex or square before attacking. This includes multiple attacks.

10) Spells goes at the caster's initiative. If the caster takes damage before their initiative then they can't cast a spell.

11) Take a round to get up if you are knocked prone

12) 1 results in a miss and you throwing your weapon into a really inconvenient spot.

13) 1 while using unarmed combat results in you falling down and going prone

13) a 20 results in a critical hit that is your normal damage + max damage. You can keep rolling and for every 20 you roll you get to add max damage again. For example if Able rolls three 20s in a roll with a longsword and a +1 str modifer then he would do 9+9+9+1d8+1 damage.

14) See the Majestic Wilderlands for various rules on weapons like polearms, crossbows, shields, and mounted combat.

15) attacks from the rear are +2 to hit or flanking a target will grant a +1 to hit to both flankers.

The Human Question

In this thread Iamtim asks about what benefits to give humans if he removes level limits. As I am not a fan of level limits myself I am interested in the answer.

Later in the thread timmyd comes up with an idea to give Human a XP bonus. He suggests +40%!. While I think that is a bit excessive I think set to about +10% is a great way of making human attractive compared to their demi-human counterparts.

+2 to any stats of choice (can be split to +1 to two stats)
+10% XP Bonus

This can be combined with the +5% prime requisites bonus for a total of +15% to XP.

The XP Bonus seems more in the spirit of OD&D than any of the other solutions I been mulling around in my mind. Thanks Timmyd and the rest of the S&W forum crowd.

A preview of the Scourge of the Demon Wolf

I am hard at work on my next product an adventure titled the Scourge of the Demon Wolf. It is representative of how most of the adventure I run in the Majestic Wilderland work. Most are highly situational and results from the PC poking around. After I ran this one it turned out to be able to work well as a standalone adventure and I have run it several times at gaming conventions.

Here are some maps that I recently completed for the adventure.

The small crossroads hamlet of Denison's Crossing.



The lair of some nasty bandits.




The village of Kensla one of the main locales of the adventure


I am going to try to make this product useful both as an adventure and as a collection of locales that you can place in your game. So while Kensla is part of the adventure additional detail is supplied so you can use Kensla as a typical farming village in your campaign. The same with the bandit lair, and other locale featured in the Scourge of the Demon Wolf. Finally I hope the adventure give a sense of what life is like in the Majestic Wilderlands. A low level view compared to the high level view in Supplement VI.