19 November 2009
Today’s Tabbloid
PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
ROGUE FEED
REVIEW: Original Edition
Delta: Book of Spells
NOV 18, 2009 03:46P.M.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the old school renaissance is seeing
the large number of house rules and variant interpretations of OD&D
that are used in individual campaigns. From my perspective, each
campaign should be as unique as the referee who runs it and the players
who participate in it. Some of the best old school blogs include not only
listings of house rules but also discussions of the rationales behind them.
I find material of this sort endlessly fascinating, since it’s a latter day
example of the kind of idiosyncratic creativity that was commonplace in
the early days of the hobby. It also helps put paid to the notion that the
old school movement supposedly marches in lockstep according to one
rose-colored tune.
One of my favorite blogs is Delta’s D&D Hotspot, written by Daniel
Collins. Dan’s been posting his thoughts about D&D online for a long
time — far longer than most — and he’s been playing OD&D even longer.
I consider him one of the more thoughtful and experienced
commentators on OD&D out there and, even when I disagree with his
opinions, such as giving saving throws for any spell that has potentially
negative consequences, I’m always interested in his explanation of why
he holds that opinion. His musings on his blog and elsewhere have often
caused me to re-evaluate my own thoughts, which is a remarkable feat,
given how hidebound I can be. In short, Daniel Collins is someone worth
listening to.
On his blog, Dan’s been discussing his version of OD&D, which he calls
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“Original Edition Delta” or “OED” for short. OED nicely boils OD&D
down to its essentials, clarifying some rules without eliminating the need
for referee judgment calls and rationalizing other rules without
eliminating the charming quirkiness of the original game. Again, I don’t
agree with all the choices he’s made, but OED is nevertheless a version of
OD&D I’d enjoy playing and I’ve pilfered a few ideas from it in my own
Dwimmermount game.
So, when Dan released Original Edition Delta: Book of Spells, I was
intrigued. What did he have in store? As it turns out, Book of Spells is an
18-page product (available in both print and PDF formats) that presents,
as fully open content, all the magic-user spells of 6th level and below
presented in the little brown books, with select additions from
Supplement I. Dan did this for a couple of reasons. First, it fills the void
left by the removal of legal OD&D PDFs by Wizards of the Coast earlier
this year. Second, it gives players of magic-users (and referees) a
“spellbook” they can easily consult during play rather than having to flip
through an entire rulebook for just a few specific pages.
What’s most remarkable about the spell descriptions is that, with very
exceptions, they’re no more than three lines of text long, including
information on range and duration. Most of the descriptions eliminate
“negative” statements and limitations, on the notion that OD&D magic
should be rare and potent and that the primary determinants of what it
can and cannot do are player ingenuity and referee adjudication. This
results in a very bare bones presentation, but one that is strangely
inspiring to those of us who see OD&D not so much as a complete game
in itself as an invitation to create one’s own game from its piecemeal
rules.
Book of Spells is an admittedly specifically book and I can’t say it’s a
“must-have,” particularly for those who already own the LBBs +
Supplements. However, it’s nevertheless a very fascinating take on
OD&D magic-user spells, one that strips away the limitations of later
editions, concessions to convention play, and other needless worries that
have emasculated D&D magic over the last 30+ years. Reading Book of
Spells is like reading a recently-unearthed ancient text, one free from
later glosses so that it can be read with new eyes.
Original Edition Delta: Book of Spells consists almost entirely of dense
text, with only four illustrations (counting the cover) to break it up. It is,
however, very readable and well edited. It’s also a bit expensive
considering its length but that’s hardly a damning critique of what is a
useful and inspiring product. I don’t expect it to set the old school
gaming world on fire, but I do think it could occasion quite a lot of
fruitful discussion about the power and utility of magic in OD&D, even
among those who are already playing the game. That’s a pretty
remarkable feat in my opinion.
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
Presentation: 6 out of 10
Creativity: 7 out of 10
Utility: 6 out of 10
Buy This If: You’re looking for a concise presentation of OD&D magic-
user spells free from later accretions.
Don’t Buy This If: You prefer more expansive (and restrictive) spell
descriptions.
ROGUE FEED
Retrospective: The Secret of
Bone Hill
NOV 18, 2009 12:14P.M.
Published in 1981, The Secret of Bone Hill is the first module in the L-
series, so designated either because it was set on the World of
Greyhawk’s Lendore Isle or because it was written by Lenard Lakofka, a
long-time contributor to Dungeons & Dragons and a regular columnist
to Dragon magazine. Whatever the case, L1 is, in my opinion, an under-
appreciated classic, a low-level introductory module that nicely occupies
a middle ground between The Village of Hommlet and Keep on the
Borderlands. Allow me to clarify.
The Village of Hommlet is often praised — and criticized — for its
mundanity. Hommlet is Exhibit A of Gygaxian Naturalism in action.
Nearly every inhabitant of the village is given a name, a personality, and
a place within its little society. Likewise, the nearby moat house dungeon
is subdued, with a semi-realistic ecology and suffused with a sense of
foreboding rather than blatant evil. Keep on the Borderlands, on the
other hand, offers very little in the way of context. The titular keep is a
lone outpost of undefined civilization, beyond which there exists only the
wilderness and the forces of Chaos who dwell within. It’s almost purely
fantastical in conception and the Caves of Chaos are frequently cited as
an example of bad dungeon ecology, with numerous antagonistic
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19 November 2009
humanoid tribes existing cheek by jowl with one another.
The Secret of Bone Hill presents the town of Restenford, which is as well
imagined as Hommlet, complete with unique names and personalities
for even the most minor of NPCs. In addition, there are maps aplenty for
the town and its buildings, making it very friendly to referees who give
their players the freedom to wander about the place as they wish.
Surrounding Restenford is a dangerous wilderness filled with bandits,
humanoids, and other threats. And of course there’s Bone Hill itself,
home to numerous undead, including such foul things as ghoulstirges,
stirges who paralyze as well as drink blood. Bone Hill is a dangerous
place, one that beginning adventurers ought to avoid until they’ve gained
sufficient experience to tackle its horrors.
To my mind, the beauty of module L1 is the way it combines the
mundanity of Hommlet with the otherworldly fantasy of the Caves of
Chaos. Much as I love B2, it sometimes feels a little too de-contextualized
— perhaps by design — but I find I like context for my adventures,
particularly low-level ones. Hommlet and Restenford are both very good
“home bases,” whereas I don’t find the Keep particularly compelling, a
problem made all the more obvious to me in my own Dwimmermount
campaign, where Muntburg is a close relative of the Keep in terms of
depth and detail (which probably explains why both the players and
myself prefer to visit Adamas, even though it’s farther away from the
dungeon).
Bone Hill is a weird place. During the day, bugbears hold it, while, at
night, they cede control to the undead who rise up from their graves.
This fact gives it a peculiar vibe for me and one that I think helps the
module considerably. And the number and strength of the surrounding
creatures, both at Bone Hill and elsewhere, ensures that PCs have good
reason to spend a lot of time in Restenford, getting to know its
inhabitants and their peculiarities, rather than just treating the town as
“flyover country” they can simply ignore. The result is a terrific dynamic
that I’ve always liked and that has probably informed my own campaign
design as much as anything else.
If you haven’t read The Secret of Bone Hill in a while, I recommend you
do so. I think you’ll find it better than you remember its being and a
genuine classic of the early 80s.
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net 19 November 2009

ROGUE FEED

Old School Art Podcast

NOV 18, 2009 11:30A.M.

The latest Ninja Mountain podcast includes a round table discussion

about old school D&D art, with former TSR staff artists Erol Otus and
Jeff Easley. The discussion is promoting the upcoming release of The
Dungeon Alphabet by Michael Curtis.

It’s well worth listening to, if only to hear the voice of Erol Otus talk
about his art, his influences, and what he takes to be the important
elements of old school art. It’s also quite fascinating to hear — and I
know this will fan some flames in various quarters — Jeff Easley say that
he (and Larry Elmore) had never played D&D before they were hired by
TSR, whereas Erol Otus notes that he was a huge D&D player, perhaps
too much of one, according to his comments.

In any case, check it out.