AD&D isn’t a burger, it’s a meatloaf

This is a response to Eric Diaz’s “The AD&D burger” so you may want to go and read that first.

I do agree with Eric that AD&D is better than B/X, but I think his chosen analogy (the burger) is reflective of a discursive problem with how the OSR community often approaches AD&D (and by AD&D in this post, I strictly mean AD&D - 1e and 2e, published by TSR and later by WotC until August 2000).

Eric discusses the burger as something you can take and remove from - it’s twice as large and twice as filling as the hypothetical “B/X meal”, but it’s also easier to remove toppings you don’t like from the burger. His examples are “bards and monks, weapon versus armor, and weapon speed,” to list a few.

He notes that many OSR games, including his own, try to reach a “happy medium” between the two; choosing specific things (like separated race and class) to add to the B/X standard; but he also notes how his “ideal D&D” would be a cut down AD&D (implied to be 1e) at around 120 pages, instead of B/X with AD&D parts added onto it.

I think this still reifies the discursive problem. Everyone thinks of creating their own OSR system or retroclone as choosing B/X (or rarely AD&D) and stitching the two together by addition or subtraction from one base to the other. It’s a mix, but a mix of whole parts: this is perhaps why Eric is reaching for the burger analogy, because it matches this discourse. You’re taking parts from one and sliding them into the other, customizing the burger (which is what Eric describes.)

But I think this does AD&D a disservice both in terms of how it was designed, and what it can offer us as designers/DMs/players/gretchlings/screaming small children of the crying moon.

One thing that’s well known about the design of AD&D 1e was that Gygax was trying to make the play rules of D&D more concrete and consistent for reliable tournament play (the prevailing model of conventions at the time.)[1] Because of this, the AD&D 1e rules go over many of the same game situations and concepts as B/X but in more detail or more systematically, contributing to AD&D’s greater “meatiness.” (Eric Diaz touches on this element in his own “what can be taken from the 1e DMG for B/X review” series, with an example here: https://methodsetmadness.blogspot.com/2023/07/ad-dmg-cover-to-cover-part-v-pages-47.html)

I think it’s elements like these clarifications and consistencies of the basic moments of play that get missed under the “burger model.” Discursively, the OSR will flip through the core rulebooks for AD&D 1e, grab race/class split, grab the bard, and maybe grab a few polearms, but when you’re looking through the DMG to add “extra” to your B/X game you’re not going to look at Appendix O about treasure weights and container limits despite it possibly being the single best written description about how coin-based encumbrance works in actual play.

Another good example is in the 2e DMG - we’re always looking at random encounter tables, how to do them better, how to tweak the probabilities, how to make them have “memory” or cross-table compatibility. Did you know that the 2e DMG discusses creating random encounter tables that cover all of this? Seriously, check out Chapter 11: Encounters (in the “black book” revised or premium reprint editions) which walks you through creating random encounter tables and building your own library of them for your game. Again, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an OSR game touch on these materials, despite it being a clear example of how to create and use these play structures (and I know this for sure, because when I was 9 and learning AD&D encounter tables were one of the things I realized I had to make ahead of time for my first, disastrous adventure. They weren’t good tables but I had them!)

One thing I’m struck by, paging through the 1e PHB as part of writing this post, is despite it being “advanced” that so much of the “extra text” (the “double meat” part of the burger) is devoted to explaining the core gameplay elements of D&D in a way I’m not sure I’ve seen any other player-facing D&D core rulebook do. It actually explains what tricks, traps and specials are from the player’s perspective, and provides advice and suggestions for handling each.

So yes, the AD&D core rulebooks are the “bigger burger” but I think they have a lot to recommend that isn’t taken as burger toppings.

That’s why I think the OSR should move away from the “burger model” and towards a “meatloaf.” Unlike the burger, when you make meatloaf you get all your ingredients, you put it in a bowl, you mix it up (and if you have a morale score better than a goblin’s you do it with your fists like a Superhero) and the end result is a congregate heterogenous combination of everything you put in there. Yeah, if you’ve ever made homemade meatloaf you know it’s not perfectly mixed (again if you’re doing it with your hands THE RIGHT WAY) and you do sometimes get a bit that’s got a lot of onion or sage or whatever, but everything is mixed together.

And that’s why I think we should look at meatloafing our B/X and AD&D mixes. Don’t just grab parts that you like, whole. Read both in comparison, in conversation to each other, like people would have back in the day, and let the rules seep into each other. Let the B/X uncomplicate the AD&D when it fits, and have the AD&D offer more suggestions, clarity, and expansions of core mechanics when it suits you.

Don’t take this as me saying you need to take everything from AD&D though. While I know why weapon speed and segments exist, we’re probably better off without them and just grabbing something like a 3e concentration check if you want that mechanic. (And the conversation of how much we should really be taking from 3e is left for another blog post.)

Joesky Tax: I ain’t got one. I’m blogging in a literal homeless shelter and while I do have something gameable I could post, it’s best suited to a post about how I’m actually running a game in said homeless shelter. Fail!

[1] The 2e AD&D core rulebooks do the same thing, although with slightly different presentation as the “tournament rules.”

Rest, Healing and Hit Points

This is a set of healing and rest house rules I came up with for the Swords and Wizardry Forgotten Realms campaign I'm running. They should be usable for any retroclone or relative of D&D from Basic through to 2e AD&D; design notes are at the bottom.

They speed up healing hit points (and only hit points), as my game uses a Death and Dismemberment table with a fair amount of grievous wound results that lead to actual convalescence. The rules also add more detail to resting, including inn room quality, camp preparations, and so on.

Feel free to use these, hack them, and adapt them for your own game. If you do use them, I'd love to hear how they work for you!

These rules replace the standard natural healing rules. These rules only handle recovering lost hit points, not recovering from grievous wounds, diseases, or other such conditions.
A creature that can naturally heal from injury (ie: not undead or a construct), heals hit point
damage as long as it rests for an extended period. By default, this is eight hours of sleep, for
humans and many other such creatures. Depending upon a creature's abilities, the duration
and nature of this rest may differ: elves dream in the reverie instead of sleeping; thri-kreen do
not sleep or dream but must still rest. This period of rest can be interrupted (such as by
nighttime attacks) to a limited degree, but severe or prolonged interruptions or poor
conditions may prevent any healing from occurring. Rest for healing's sake can only be
accomplished once every 24 hours, unless a special effect allows otherwise.
The basic rate for such healing is the formula (X+Constitution bonus) x HD = hp healed per rest.
X as a value represents the quality of rest, and is 1 by default unless modified. (Most modifiers
to rest affect the value of X.) X can never be reduced below 1 and can never exceed 5. A
creature's constitution bonus is the bonus for having a high Constitution score which is added
to hit points per Hit Die. (If a creature would have a Constitution penalty, treat it as 0 for the
purposes of resting.) Every creature has Hit Dice; only whole Hit Dice count for the formula. (ie:
A monster with 4+1 HD has 4 HD for this formula.)
The default values for the formula which apply to many creatures are (1+0) x 1 = 1 hp healed
per rest. This includes low-level monsters, most NPCs, and first-level PCs. (Exceptions do apply,
of course.)
Resting In Communities
Resting in a community can increase the value of X, depending upon the quality of
accommodations used. In general, accommodations (including inns, boarding houses, and cost
of living expenses during extended downtime) are rated 1 to 5 for quality. The
accommodation's quality is the value for X when resting in that accommodation. (Example: a
first-level character with no constitution bonus is resting in a rating 3 quality inn room. Their hp
healing rate is (3+0) x 1 = 3 hp healed per rest.) Higher quality accommodations are usually
more expensive, or require some other basis (such as a well-outfitted stronghold.)
Even if a creature is resting on the streets, X would remain 1. (Yes, this does mean there's not
really much benefit gained from the absolute worst common room resting spot.) Sleeping
rough does possibly risk guards pushing the sleeper to move, pickpockets, and other such
calamities, possibly severely interrupting rest and allowing for no healing. Paying for
accommodation reduces the risk of any such interruptions to nil, unless danger is already
established in some way. (ie: assassins in the night, Psycho-style accommodations, sudden
cataclysmic events.) In other words, paying for or establishing accommodation guarantees safe
sleep without the random encounter tables coming into play. (And now the worst common
room resting spot has a use again!)
If a creature is resting for a tenday in the same community and has had no severe interruptions
to rest or other taxing activities during that time (combat, extreme exertion, etc), they regain all
of their hit points at the end of the tenth rest.
Resting In Dangerous Areas
Equipment, skills, and preparation by adventurers can increase the value of X.
Especially good food eaten during rest (premium rations, exotic treats, a well-cooked meal)
increases X by 1. Any source of food may only provide one bonus per rest in this way: for
example, a character could eat a well-cooked stew of freshly caught deer and then share a
bottle of elvish wine with their comrades, providing two separate +1 bonuses to X.
Especially luxurious equipment (a premium bedroll, finely-made tent or similar) can also
increase X by 1. Any single piece of equipment can only provide one bonus per rest, and only
for the people directly using it to rest. (Only one character can sleep on a premium bedroll, but
multiples could share a large exceptionally-well made tent.)
Engaging in acts of camaraderie and morale can also increase X by 1. (A bard might tell stories,
the party could play dice or cards before going to rest, et cetera.) This bonus can only be
gained once per rest.
Poor environmental conditions can reduce X if not properly handled. Freezing in cold weather
or sweltering in hot weather without proper preparation would reduce X by 1, as an example.
Extremely poor conditions (such as severe dehydration) may count as severe interruptions,
preventing effective rest at all! The GM will inform the PCs of any such conditions that apply
and give them an opportunity to resolve them as part of making camp as appropriate.
Resting in dangerous areas always risks interruption and random encounters. Unless resting is
persistently interrupted (a foe using guerilla tactics or a particularly unlucky night), rest is not
prevented by interruptions during the rest period. In general, a party resting in dangerous
areas should expect that between making camp, resting, any interruptions, and beginning-of-adventuring-day preparations (including tearing down camp), the party has actually been
resting for twelve hours or three "watches" as a rule of thumb. (Most actions in D&D, S&W, and
similar games that are described as taking an entire "day" actually describe an eight hour long
period similar to the North American workday, so twelve hours at rest does not prevent
traveling, exploring, or day-long activities from other sources.)
If a party wishes to reduce their chances of being interrupted in dangerous areas, they may rest
clandestinely, without lighting a fire. This reduces X by 1 by default, prevents engaging in acts
of camaraderie to increase X, and other bonuses may not be available (such as preparing a
well-cooked meal.) However, resting clandestinely generally halves the chances of random
encounters while resting (depending upon the location and possible encounters, the exact
amount may differ.)
Special Note: There are many spells and magical effects, from rope trick to Mordenkainen's
magnificent mansion that help make resting in dangerous areas safer or more pleasant. These
effects are adjudicated on an effect-by-effect basis. Particularly strong effects may allow
creatures to rest like they are in a community.
NPCs Resting
NPCs have access to the same tools as PCs, depending upon their level, wealth, and other
resources. NPCs usually do not have a Constitution bonus to hp, and the quality of their home
determines their rest quality in their communities. NPCs are unlikely to have special
preparations for bonuses to X while resting in dangerous areas, but will act to resolve poor
environmental conditions.
Monsters Resting
Monsters are extremely unlikely to have access to any bonuses to X while resting in dangerous
areas, and monsters never have Constitution bonuses to HP. Monsters are immune to any
environmental conditions in their native environments/habitats or other areas they are resistant
to. For example, a fire elemental can rest safely in a volcano, even though it is not their native
habitat and would count as a severe interruption for most creatures. However, a monster does
count as resting in a community if it's in its lair or a similarly safe space, and may receive a
bonus to X for high quality accommodations. (This is dependent upon the monster. A dragon
resting on its massive hoard of coins has no soft bed nor royal meal, but certainly counts as
sleeping in quality 5 accommodations.)
Design Notes
This system makes healing hit points, and specifically hit points, much easier than the default in
many old-school editions of D&D, clones, and relatives. It assumes that you have other systems
in place to promote downtime, including downtime spent resting or healing. (Diseases,
poisons, or severe injuries from critical effect or death and dismemberment tables are common
examples.) Healing hit points this quickly makes them clearly luck/grit/exertion in the narrative,
instead of direct meat points. This system does not work for all games or all narratives, and it's
not meant to.
Tenday is what the Forgotten Realms uses instead of weeks, a period of ten days of which there
are three to a month. If your world uses a different calendar, replace tendays with a significant
number of days in your world. If you don't have days or your timekeeping is wildly different, let
me know how you've hacked this! Similarly, accommodation quality going from 1 to 5 is taken
from the 2e Volo's Guide supplements for the Forgotten Realms; you may change this for your
own setting.
Sources
The Retired Adventurer's Into the Depths house rules:
https://retiredadventurer.blogspot.com/2017/04/into-depths-update.html
The Infinity Engine series of D&D computer games
Swords and Wizardry Complete Rulebook (SW)
Player's Handbook (2E AD&D)
These Dragonsfoot threads: https://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=39957 &
https://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20240

20 Setting Questions, Reredux: OSE FR ("Grim's Knights") Answers

Anthony over at Dungeonantology put together a new list of 20 questions to answer about your campaign setting so that players have an idea of what to expect.

I'm answering them for one of my PLOGgy campaigns. Both my campaigns take place in the Forgotten Realms; this is my "Grim's Knights" campaign, which uses heavily houseruled OSE (with a lot of 1e and 2e and FR material packed in), and takes place in northern Cormyr in 1357 DR. (The beginning of the Forgotten Realms as published in the 1e Forgotten Realms Campaign Set.) We're starting with a greatly expanded version of FRQ1 The Haunted Halls of Eveningstar.

Answering these questions then isn't about answering with particularly canon FR answers, because that's kind of boring - it's discussing how I'm portraying the Realms in this particular campaign, how the players are interacting with the setting, and how that is its own unique trash. I'm tagging some of these with the appropriate sources, in case people want to do more research; but I'm showing this to my players, so I'm not telling all the exact details.

1. What is something that players can interact with that inspires wonder in your setting?

I think the most wondrous thing the players have encountered themselves yet is when they tried to smoke out the Caverns of the Claws last session, to force out the trolls dwelling there. The wind was in their favour, and the black thick smoke filled the cavern. The trolls did rush out, terrified, burning to death in the firewall at the entrance. But something huge inside came out too, with eye tentacles and claw tentacles twenty feet long each, and it smashed apart the firewall and broke open the smoke with little trouble, knocking down Dansk and almost slaying him. It thankfully took Nym's owlbear leg as an offering and retreated back into the depths of the cave. Now the players know that things ancient and magical lurk in surprising places.

(Said monster IS right out of the Forgotten Realms setting-specific monster books, but I'm not telling. Yet.)

2. How does one religion in the world work? What rituals and observances are involved, and how does this religion play with other religions out there? Are gods real?

The gods of the Realms are definitely real, and the ones in Northern Cormyr are all part of a single loose pantheon. Eveningstar has only one temple, the House of the Morning, dedicated to the sun god Lathander; but they accept many other faiths. In the Realms, people choose a single patron deity to devote themselves to, but often offer prayers, sacrifices, or work to placate other deities. The PCs returned a dead hireling to the sanctified graveyard at the House of the Morning, and offered simple prayers to her patron deity, Tempus. Randal whispered his own private prayer to his goddess, Chauntea, at the gravesite, and Chauntea showed her favour with a flower blooming on the hireling's grave. Other such manifestations have been visible.

(Basically all the FR campaign setting books/Faiths and Avatars.)

3. How does one get access to goods and services in the setting? Items, magic items, hirelings.

Eveningstar makes good trade selling to adventurers, so standard goods are very much available for sale in the shops of the town. (One of the shopkeepers is a dick who takes glee in humiliating the adventurers who come to buy from him, but he still sells to them.) Magic items are not generally available for sale, although the House of the Morning sells limited amounts of potions of healing for exorbitant prices. (Again, profiting off adventurers.) Hirelings are common, with plenty of people coming to prove their mettle in the Haunted Halls.

(FRQ1 Haunted Halls of Eveningstar, Volo's Guide to Cormyr)

4. What are some examples of people and creatures a commoner would be wary of in-setting? What are some examples of people and creatures a commoner could trounce without worry? What are some examples of people and creatures a commoner would trust?

Unusually for the Forgotten Realms, Cormyr is generally a strong, stable kingdom. Commoners generally trust their noble, good King Azoun IV, his military (known as the Purple Dragons), the various government officials, and the War Wizards, the national force of magic-users under Royal Magician Vangerdahast.

Eveningstar's position just below the Stonelands means goblin, kobold, and orc raids are not unheard of. Commoners would be wary of monstrous humanoids or significant bestial monsters (worgs, owlbears), and likely try to call on the local Purple Dragon detachment for help.

The most common creature a commoner in Eveningstar would trounce is a tressym, the winged flying elven cats. For some reason, a large semi-feral colony of them exists in Eveningstar.

(Revised Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, Volo's Guide to Cormyr)

5. Name a heroically slain dragon, or something comparable in threat. How was the creature slain, according to stories? How was it actually done? Was it a fluke or a well-executed slaying of a monster?

The most recent dragons slain were a year past, when a Flight of near a hundred dragons boiled forth from the Cold Lands to the north and east, destroying much of the cities before them. Lady Lord Myrmeen Lhal proved herself an able ruler when one such dragon attacked Arabel in northern Cormyr. Under her coordination, Arabel's large garrison of Purple Dragons took the dragons down with catapults and archery, the creature crashing to the east. Purple Dragons are not generally outfitted to fight dragons (Arabel is garrisoned against humanoids, such as orc bands or rebels), but with the assistance of the War Wizards, they succeeded.

(Forgotten Realms Campaign Set, Forgotten Realms Adventures)

6. How do people who adventure (if there are even such people) get jobs and contracts in this setting?

Adventurers in Cormyr require an official adventuring charter from the Crown in order to adventure legally. Chartered adventurers may take jobs or contracts from anyone, as long as such actions do not injure or damage Cormyr, its government, or its people.

(Volo's Guide to Cormyr)

7. How do people convey their station/caste if such things exist? In particular, what intersections do station/caste have with the adventuring lifestyle (whatever the players are in the setting...guards, tomb raiders, bounty hunters, etc.)?

Clothing and privilege matter a fair amount in Cormyr, which has significant noble and merchant classes. Nobles have rights that members of lower classes do not (for example, they can stop their carriages in the middle of busy streets, impeding traffic), wear their own protected heraldry, and so on. Members of all classes adventure in Cormyr, although it is not generally thought of as a wise or socially acceptable profession; third-or-so in line noble children may adventure for lack of anything better to do to prove themselves.

(Elminster's Forgotten Realms, Revised Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting)

8. What privileges and prejudices exist in your world, if any do at all? For example: How does the world view LGBTQ identities, ethnic identities within each fantasy “race”, and race relations?

In general, Cormyr's cities are quite tolerant, while prejudicial, close-minded views are more common in smaller communities. A prominent rumour in much of Cormyr's villages is that the odd "lass-lovers" flock to each other in some sort of commune out towards the Stonelands; in reality, many queer people find happy, accepting lives in Arabel, Suzail, and the other cities.

Nation of origin can be met with some skepticism; the neighbouring country of Sembia is often regarded with disdain, as its "gold-first, scheme at all costs" views are often thought of as misguided and something to be avoided.

People of other ethnicities are sometimes exoticized, such as the Mulhorandi and the Turmish far to the south and east across the Sea of Fallen Stars.

Elves, dwarves, halflings, and gnomes are accepted in Cormyr; orcs and goblins are not. Half-orcs are met with suspicion.

(Swords of Eveningstar, Forgotten Realms Campaign Set)

9. What is the distal view of the political system? Is it feudal, is there a suzerainty, do we have a triumvirate, etc.

Cormyr is a hereditary monarchy, with House Obarskyr the continual ruling house since the country's founding, when Ondeth Obarskyr claimed the right to settle the Forest Kingdom's lands from the elf-lords who held dominion over it. Succession goes to the first-born first, regardless of gender (currently this is Crown Princess Tanalasta), as long as they have an accepted claim to the throne. (Bastard children have been an issue in the past; regents ruling on behalf of underaged rulers is not unheard of.)

Other noble houses exist, with their nobility granted for service to the Dragon Throne; intermarriage with House Obarskyr has strengthened many of their ties, especially among the so-called "royal houses."

(Revised Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, Grand History of the Realms, Swords of Eveningstar.)

10. What is a more proximal view of the political system? Who are local nobles or leaders that should be known about, and what are their reputations?

Eveningstar is well-lead by Lady Lord Tessaril Winter. Her assistants are the local Herald Tzin Tzummer (responsible for all naming legalities, taxes, births and deaths) and the town clerk Aldo Morim. Tessaril was appointed by Azoun IV; she is thought to be fair but stern, and works to keep Eveningstar safe from its many dangers.

Lady Lord Myrmeen Lhal's hold on Arabel is more tenuous. The city has a reputation for past rebellion, epitomized by the month-long reign of Gondegal, the Lost King, who rose up to take Arabel and could only hold it by force. When Azoun IV and his men retook Arabel, Gondegal had escaped, presumably to the north and east. Rumours hold that he plots to regain his kingdom once again, some six years later.

(FRQ1 Haunted Halls of Eveningstar, Revised Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, Forgotten Realms Campaign Set)

11. Do your players even need their rations and torches?

Yes. Torch longevity has mattered for trips into the Haunted Halls, and rations will become more meaningful as the party travels farther beyond the comfort of Eveningstar's inns.

12. How do you become a ruler of many?

Thumbing your nose at the Crown, as Gondegal did, would make you a ruler of many - until your sword arm tires, and you cannot hold the lands you've stolen.

Better to prove yourself to the Crown and receive title to some land or position. In particular, King Azoun IV has promised a title to experienced adventurers who can clear and hold territory in the Stonelands to the north of Cormyr.

(Forgotten Realms Campaign Set, Revised Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.)

13. Are there social consequences for necromancy or other forms of forbidden magic? Do these consequences differ in the view of the common man vs. other people?

Necromancers are associated with Myrkul, the god of death, and are quite feared. The common man fears the necromancer, but fears Myrkul's wrath more: the god of death and his priests sometimes cross the land, raising those dead in unsanctified ground and sending the newly risen to attack nearby settlements. A commoner is likely to offer tribute to a necromancer and plead mercy.

The War Wizards, in contrast, will expend great effort to find that necromancer and shackle him, exile him, or slay him. Magic-users who are not registered with the Royal Magician, and evil magic-users at that, are great concerns.

(Cormyr, Revised Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting)

14. What is the common man's capability to distinguish the following things: a werewolf's tracks vs. wolf tracks, a manticore attack vs. a lion attack, a demon attack vs. a gargoyle attack?

A common man might be able to separate out common animal tracks (the wolf and the lion) from those of monsters, but no more. They could certainly not distinguish between various kinds of monsters.

(Elminster's Ecologies: The Settled Lands)

15. What is the social position of rogues?

Rogues and thieves are distrusted, watched carefully by city watches and the Purple Dragons, and generally thought of as unsavory. Thieves' guilds do exist in Cormyr, but they are often at odds with the Crown. In contrast, rogues signed to adventuring charters ("the honest trade") are slightly more trustworthy, as the charter means others vouch for their conduct - and can be brought to justice should the rogue commit some crime.

(Forgotten Realms Campaign Set)

16. What is the role of dungeons within the world?

Dungeons are structures built or found by secretive groups or populations, to live or perform secret aims away from common view. Notably, dungeons are almost never empty or unoccupied for long - a dungeon has frequently passed through several occupants, all of whom have left their own legacies and impacts in the place. The Haunted Halls were originally created by dwarves for the bandit lord Rivior; they are rumoured to have other secret occupants to this day.

(Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting)

17. How common are dungeons, how deep or large are they, and how much treasure might be expected within their depths?

Dungeons and ruins are extremely common; settlements are frequently rebuilt atop the ruins of previous settlements due to geographic features. Dungeons can be very deep or large, often linking to the great Underdark below in their darkest reaches. The presence and value of treasure frequently depends upon how accessible and dangerous the dungeon is; adventuring groups frequently clear out shallow ruins, only for them to be repopulated by humanoid races in need of shelter, used for some wizard's experiments, or similar.

(Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting)

18. Explain, if you could, the differences between magic-users in the world. For instance, how would wizards, sorcerers, miracle-workers, warlocks, witches, medicine-men, stage magicians, and the like differ from each other? Do all of those categories even exist?

Those who have true magical power are called wizards, sorcerers, warlocks, thaumaturgists or similar, and all draw force from the Weave which connects all things, shaping it to create their will in the world. Illusionists are their most prominent subgroup, a secret society sworn to the goddess Leira. Other even more unusual, rare types are rumoured, but not confirmed.

Witches are rare, powerful, and worship forbidden gods unknown to humanity.

Hedge witches, frequently women who practice herbalism and act as midwives, do exist, but hold no specific magical power in general.

Charlatans, pretenders, and stage magicians are frequent performers.

(Forgotten Realms Campaign Set, Elminster's Forgotten Realms, Dragon #54: Down To Earth Divinity) 

19. What are two examples of food culture in the world? Even if food isn't a part of play, what dishes are people consuming in the world around the players, and what messages can be conveyed through food and drink?

Coffee (kaeth) is slowly spreading throughout Cormyr as a new and trendy drink, its beans grown in far-off Durpar, branded as "Thondur's." It hasn't replaced the herbal, grass, or local teas commonly drunk, is very expensive, and is usually served in tankards, hot and unadulterated.

Ciders, hard and soft, are commonly drunk in Eveningstar; the town and much of Cormyr are in prime apple-growing climates. The presence of the Starwater River gives Eveningstar good local fishing, such as bass and eels; the local farmers sell sheep, goats, long-horned beef cattle known as sharrada, and poultry.

(Elminster's Forgotten Realms, Volo's Guide to Cormyr)

20. What is the internal logic of the game world you are running, as far as players are concerned? When the players act and the world reacts, what principles do you hold to?

The world is internally logical and exists beyond the players, with struggles between powers known and unknown. The world does not wait for the players, and events may occur beyond their reach. The world reacts to the PCs according to the aims and powers of the other factions; it is up to the players to decide what they can handle and how they will deal with the consequences. Fatal consequences are dealt squarely and honestly, but may occur for initially unknown reasons.

The OSR Campaign: System Selection

Hello everyone!

My first step in planning my OSR campaign was simple to imagine, but surprisingly complicated to achieve. I had to choose a system to run the game in, of course. I'm going to walk you through how I did it, and why I made the choice that I made. There's a lot of different systems, and a lot of different options in OSR gaming.

It's 2017, so I of course googled around to find some discussions of different retroclones and their qualities. There's not actually very much substantial discussion out there that I found, at least not recently. There's always new retroclones, and maybe I'd missed out on the right game for me! (Remember, I'm starting this as "the game I've always wanted to run," so I'm picking what I like.) The only good resource I found was the grand list of retroclones of all shapes and sizes, which is here.

With little discussion I could use, I had to figure this out for myself. If I'm going to find the right system, I want to find one that fits the game I'm going to run. Nothing hurts more than fighting a system to make it work for the game you want to be playing (and I usually run Pathfinder, so I know that pain very well.)

Stripping down my campaign idea, I want these qualities:

1. I want simple character creation. There's going to be PCs dead a plenty, and I'd like something where someone can roll up a new character in 5 minutes and get thrown back into the action Paranoia clone-style.
2. I want a relatively simple, clean ruleset. Something easily digestible. I have a lot of players who like me as a GM, and would like to play whatever I run. Which is why I'm not worried about having people to play whatever game I come up with - but they might not necessarily be familiar with the system, and I want them to be able to play easily.
3. I want something for relatively traditional fantasy-style play. Part of what I like about the OSR is the endless inventiveness, the unwillingness to settle for the usual goblin or elf, but I don't know how far I'm going to go with that. I do know that there's going to be swords and monsters in a dungeon, so it should support the classics.

One easy question suggests itself: Why don't I use an actual older edition of D&D or AD&D? I have in the past, I've run Rules Cyclopedia BECMI, and that was a lot of fun. But I want something more recently published and with cleaned up language. I like the freedom of rulings, not rules - but I want to know what my rules are and not worry about interpreting commas in Holmes Basic or something.

First place to check for options was my own OSR folder. Second place was the list of retroclones I linked above. Third was asking some people on a cool OSR Discord server I hang out on. (You can join it here!) My general list of options after that was: Adventurer, Conquerer, King System; Beyond the Wall; Castles and Crusades; Dungeon Crawl Classics; Hackmaster; Labyrinth Lord; Lamentations of the Flame Princess; OSRIC; Swords & Wizardry; and The Black Hack. I did a cursory skim of all of these to winnow them down a bit, and pulled these out as not suiting what I wanted to do:

• Adventurer, Conqueror, King System. ACKS is really notable for its extended, detailed rules for high-level play. It's got developed trade rules, strongholds, mass combat. But I'm not anywhere near that. I'm thinking goblins, dungeons, level 1. And ACKS' higher-level emphasis involves a campaign focus with long-lasting that I'm not sure my death trap will ever get to.
• Beyond The Wall. Developed to emulate some novels that don't fit what I want to do with my game.
• Castles and Crusades. Too detailed, too much stuff to it. If I wanted a bunch of supplements, I have my Pathfinder stuff.
• Hackmaster. Even more detailed. Way too much stuff. Cool game, but I don't think I have the fortitude to actually run it.
• OSRIC. A straight conversion of 1e seemed a little bland-ish for me. I've used OSRIC before and it's fine, but it was a bit too much with not as much reward.
• The Black Hack. Way too simple. I don't want things simplified that much; I do want something recognizably D&D in both feel and actual rules. I've run Dungeon World before and hated it; this wouldn't be quite the same but I don't think it would be fun for me.

What's left on the list? Dungeon Crawl Classics; Labyrinth Lord; Lamentations of the Flame Princess; Swords & Wizardry. For each of these, I ended up breaking it down into a pro and con list. At this point, I was starting to consider support for the system in question. I don't want something with a ton of player-facing options or complexity, but I did really start playing D&D with 3e, and I do want something with some good DM support if I need it.

• Dungeon Crawl Classics. Pros I actually have this in hard copy, and I really like referencing actual books. I really like the gonzo, table and crazy-dice heavy style. Cons This is a big book, even just for players. All those tables add up. It has some great support, but its support is mostly prewritten adventures, and I want to do my own thing. I'm not sure how the funnel would interact with a lot of changing players.
• Labyrinth Lord. Pros Great support, with the Advanced Edition Companion if I really need more player options. All of Chris Kutalik's Hill Cantons stuff is for this, as well as some other highlights (Dwimmermount, Stonehell, Barrowmaze, ASE.) Nice, succinct rules. Cons Uh, not much. Looks a little drab?
• Lamentations of the Flame Princess Pros Amazing horror-fantasy style, and the game definitely lives up to the art. Reasonable core rules. Plenty of support in all kinds of ways, from game industry luminaries like Kenneth Hite and D. Vincent Baker. Cons Amazing horror fantasy style might be a bit too much for a lot of people. I like black metal, but I'm not sure how many people would want to join me in that kind of game. There's a lot of confusing different versions of the core rules, and it might be difficult to find a single one to refer players to. LotFP also has a fairly strong implied setting that I might not want to include.
• Swords and Wizardry Pros The third printing core rulebook is gorgeous and with amazing representation. I look at those sample characters and I want to play them all. Plenty of good support, and I like Frog God's stuff a lot already from using it in my Pathfinder games. Nice, clean core rules. Cons Suffers a bit from the lots of basic rules versions problem as LotFP, but a reliable usable version is available for free. I'd want to try to show people third printing though, because OMG.

I ended up bouncing my ideas off my partner next, who's a big OSR fan and I know would want to play in whatever I do. They agreed with me that LotFP was going to be a bit offputting for a lot of our usual RPG social circle, and pointed out that a lot of what interested them about Dungeon Crawl Classics was closer to campaign-style play, which I'm not necessarily going for. The final two contenders were Labyrinth Lord and Swords and Wizardry. My partner suggested Swords and Wizardry, and with that wonderful third printing it was easy to agree with them. I've already read through the entire core rulebook, and I definitely like it and can work with it. It'll be a great starting place for my own tinkering, and that's just what I wanted. I'm definitely going to add some gonzo randomness that I could never pull off for balance reasons in Pathfinder - critical hit/fumble tables and so on.

Back to considering house rules now!