Post by Finarvyn on Nov 19, 2007 14:31:13 GMT -6
Boot Hill 1E is mostly a miniatures rules system moreso than an actual RPG (in the modern sense, at least). It came in a small rule booklet similar to Men & Magic and other TSR rulebooks of the day, with a goldenrod cover. The first and second printings (editions?) of BH had slightly different covers but as far as I know the interiors were pretty much the same.
The game was percentile based rather than d20. Characters had attributes of Strength, Gun Accuracy, Throwing Accuracy, Bravery, and Speed. Speed was used for the "first shot" charts as gunfights were clearly a high emphasis in the rules. As a character survived gunfights, he gained experience and that essentially improved his bravery in later gunfights.
Other than combat, there were some rules for tracking, called shots (also a combat rule) and both weapon tables and general cost charts. Pretty standard RPG stuff there.
Most of the "extras" were assumed in the same way that OD&D assumed skills. If you were a blacksmith, you could do blacksmithy stuff and if you weren't you couldn't. Like OD&D, there were no skill lists and our games didn't seem lacking without having them.
BH 3E is a total revision and not so "old school" in my opinion. There was a greater emphasis on rules and skills and the like, which can be interesting but not really needed. I have a copy but have never actually played 3E.
In 1E BH the game often turned into a gunfight, and in our campaigns characters died in a hurry. This meant that often players would be quickly rolling new characters up after dying in the hopes that the GM would let them re-enter the battle. Our games usually started with some simple plotline (local gang robs the bank) and ended up with lots o' gunplay and often some one made use of the dynamite explosion rules.
The game was percentile based rather than d20. Characters had attributes of Strength, Gun Accuracy, Throwing Accuracy, Bravery, and Speed. Speed was used for the "first shot" charts as gunfights were clearly a high emphasis in the rules. As a character survived gunfights, he gained experience and that essentially improved his bravery in later gunfights.
Other than combat, there were some rules for tracking, called shots (also a combat rule) and both weapon tables and general cost charts. Pretty standard RPG stuff there.
Most of the "extras" were assumed in the same way that OD&D assumed skills. If you were a blacksmith, you could do blacksmithy stuff and if you weren't you couldn't. Like OD&D, there were no skill lists and our games didn't seem lacking without having them.
BH 3E is a total revision and not so "old school" in my opinion. There was a greater emphasis on rules and skills and the like, which can be interesting but not really needed. I have a copy but have never actually played 3E.
In 1E BH the game often turned into a gunfight, and in our campaigns characters died in a hurry. This meant that often players would be quickly rolling new characters up after dying in the hopes that the GM would let them re-enter the battle. Our games usually started with some simple plotline (local gang robs the bank) and ended up with lots o' gunplay and often some one made use of the dynamite explosion rules.