"Adventure as 1974 intended you to."

[Geoffrey]

"Adventure as 1974 intended you to."

That statement advertising DDC RPG has as its authorities the very highest: Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. They write at the beginning of the 1974 D&D rules under "Scope": "DUNGEONS and DRAGONS will provide a basically complete, nearly endless campaign of all levels of fantastic-medieval wargame play. Actually, the scope need not be restricted to the medieval; it can stretch from the prehistoric to the imagined future..."

Then, on the very last page of the rules in the "Afterward": "We urge you to refrain from writing for rule interpretations or the like unless you are absolutely at a loss, for everything herein is fantastic, and the best way is to decide how you would like it to be, and then make it just that way!"

D&D can have any setting whatsoever, from the prehistoric to the farthest of futures. And YOU decide (based on your whim alone) how EVERYTHING will be. That's from Gygax and Arneson in January 1974.

It's too bad that those three sentences have been basically ignored by virtually all publishers of D&D material. There is enough vanilla-flavored D&D stuff to last anyone 20 lifetimes. I for one have no desire to see another orc or another +1 sword. I want to reach back to the exhortations in the 1974 rules and have some really imaginative stuff published.

The only two publishers that I know of who are giving us a lot of actual innovation are Goodman Games (with their forthcoming DDC RPG and with James Raggi's Random Esoteric Creature Generator) and Lamentations of the Flame Princess.

Ever since the 1970s, people have typically failed to distinguish between A) the D&D game and B) the sample playing pieces included with the game. Just about every D&D product is full of monsters from the standard lists, magic items from the standard lists, spells from the standard lists, and etc. I think that shows a reticence to really unleash the imagination.

As far as I'm concerned, all of the published D&D monsters, magic items, spells, and magic systems are merely suggestions/options/examples. I have chucked them all from my campaign worlds.

The bedrock, the basis of the game is pretty much the standard character generation system for making a human fighter, plus the rules for him to operate: to hit, saving throws, etc. And I think that's it. Even the equipment lists and prices are merely options. Everything else is wide-open for the referee to make as he wills.

So I am very thankful for Goodman Games' DDC RPG. It is helping to drive the OSR truck through unexplored terrain rather than keeping to the safe, well-trodden paths.

[Ducaster]

+d16 Nicely said.

DCC for me has been a breath of fresh air to one that had abandoned D&D as soon as he took on elok at 3rd ed rules.. They are good rules but I can not recognize them as D&D.

DCC is the D&D that I remember plus some polish. Plenty of kinks to work out yet Goodman Games but a crackin' start!

[finarvyn]

The bedrock, the basis of the game is pretty much the standard character generation system for making a human fighter, plus the rules for him to operate: to hit, saving throws, etc. And I think that's it. Even the equipment lists and prices are merely options. Everything else is wide-open for the referee to make as he wills.

Well said. I've used the basic OD&D mechanic to run wild west adventures, Star Wars, espionage, and more in addition to the standard fantasy campaigns. It doesn't take a really complex rules set in order to do this, simply take the basics and add in a few weapons, monsters, and spells that fil the style and you've got a whole new "world" of adventure.

I for one have no desire to see another orc or another +1 sword. I want to reach back to the exhortations in the 1974 rules and have some really imaginative stuff published.

Well, I happen to enjoy orcs and +1 swords, but those things I can create myself without any problems. I agree that it's the unusual that is more difficult to come up with, and hope that some really imaginative and innovative settings and adventures get released for DCC.