A method you may find useful

[Zulgyan]

When I run OD&D, I generally have at least 20 d6s or more behind my screen.
I don't pre-roll monster hit points. I always roll HD on the spot.

When a monster is encountered, I roll it's hit dice. And I don't count the result. I just leave the dice pile there, toguether, the dice side by side, knowing that, that pile represents that monster. I don't count the total result, because that can take time, and slows down the game. I keep the dice just as they are, not rerolling them for other uses.

As the monter is beign hit, I just take dice away from the pile as needed. For example: If it's a 3 HD creature, and I rolled 3, 4, and 6, and the monster is hit by 3 points of damage, I just remove from the pile the die with 3 as the result, leaving the other two. If the monster is later hit for 2 points of damage, I can change the 6 for a 4, leaving two die with 4 as result.

d**n, I hope my english is making this barely understandable.

This method also works wonder if the fight involves multiple creauters. More so if the are 1 HD creatures. Each dice represents 1 creature. You just remove the dice as they are beign killed.

What's cool about this method is that you don't need to do any paper work in order to manage creature hit points. You just roll and leave the dice as is. Then you just remove the dice as needed. No need of making any anotations.

[jrients]

That is a great idea!

[foster1941]

jrients said:

That is a great idea!

Agreed -- this is really cool and cuts way down on the paperwork and/or memory burden. Makes me want to go out and buy a bunch more six-sided dice (I've currently got 12 in my "active dice" set).

[Zulgyan]

Yeah! You need to get as many d6s as possible!

I use wooden dice. I find them very cool and they are very cheap too (at least in Argentina). I got like 40+ of them.

[coffee]

It sounds good.

My problem is that if I don't write things down, I get confused.

What I do is put each encounter on a 3x5 index card, with creature movement, ac, xp, and hit points (pre-rolled or assigned, depending). I also include any treasure they're carrying.

I can mark off hp on the card, and when the encounter's over I put it in the "dead" pile. Calculating XP is easy; I just go through the dead pile and add up, both creature hit dice and treasure.

And I don't need a wandering monster table; I just grab the deck of wandering encounters and shuffle them and take whatever comes up. This way I can tailor-make different areas of the dungeon (near the goblin lair, there will be more goblin encounters, etc.)

Anyway, that's what works for me.

[Zulgyan]

Random encounter card deck...

hmmm... that looks pretty cool too!

EDIT:

The thing is... with pre-rolled hit points on the cards, you still gotta make annotations and paperwork. I try to avoid that. If I get to use cards like the ones you use, I would still roll HD on the spot.

[coffee]

zulgyan said:

Random encounter card deck...

hmmm... that looks pretty cool too!

Thanks, I'm kind of proud of it!

The thing is... with pre-rolled hit points on the cards, you still gotta make annotations and paperwork. I try to avoid that. If I get to use cards like the ones you use, I would still roll HD on the spot.

And that's perfectly fine for you.

As I mentioned, I have trouble working with such things (I desperately need to have stuff written down.) But I also realize that my way of doing things is not 'the only way.'


Actually, if you wanted to use a random encounter deck, it would be easier for you than for me, because you'd only need one card for each critter type. When you pulled the Ogre, or whatever, you'd go ahead and roll his hit points as you've described.

Me, I have a few of each, because each is a separate encounter with hp and treasure already on the card; that's just how I do it.


The important thing is that we each have our method, and we're both happy to share with whoever can make use of it.

[Zulgyan]

Of course! I never meant different!

That's why the thread title says "you may", and not "the only way"! ;D

[coffee]

And I wasn't trying to imply that you meant 'the only way.'

I just sometimes go on a bit when I've already made my point. Sorry. (Also, I didn't get enough sleep last night, but that's really not your problem...)

[Zulgyan]

This method I use is also another reason for me to prefer d6 HD for monsters instead of d8.

[makofan]

I am going to steal both ideas - an Exalt to Coffee and Zulgyan

[Falconer]

Is that why Men & Magic says, under RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT:

1 pair 4-sided dice
1 pair 8-sided dice
4 to 20 pairs 6-sided dice
1 pair 20-sided dice
1 pair 12-sided dice

Ahh, 20 PAIRS 6-SIDED DICE! Brilliant.

[Zulgyan]

20 Pairs ;D

So that would be 40d6!

[WSmith]

I have used the dice indicator method for hit points on occasion in the past. It works especially well with miniatures, where you just place the die next to the mini and change the face value as the HP total diminishes. This is great cause you can track the battle without writting anything down. If doing this, be sure to buy yourself different colors and/or sizes of d6's to better differentiate creatures and characters. The ONLY problem with this is, if you are a tad bit clumsy like me, and you knock the dice out of wack by accident, you might not remember the last value of the HP total.

I like the idea of a random encounter deck. AD&D 2nd ed. had a product called the "Deck of Encounters" which was basically an adventure seed with a monster, or encounter, or lair, or some such. I don't know if I would go that far in making my own deck, but I should would set such a thing up for "wandering monsters" to be drawn from using the tables in Vol I-III.

[coffee]

zulgyan said:

20 Pairs ;D

So that would be 40d6!

Yeah.

That's about how many I have. I used to play Champions a lot and it requires lots of d6s.


(Also, I think they meant for the whole group, not just for the DM.)

[philotomy]

zulgyan said:

As the monter is beign hit, I just take dice away from the pile as needed.

I like this -- I'll have to try it next game. *exalt*

[Stonegiant]

One great source for 16+ d6's is The Pirates of the Caribbean dice game. It is based on the dice game from the second movie. The game never sold well and I have seen them for sale in the reduced bins in stores. The game comes with 16+ gun metal gray d6's (pipped) but instead of the 1's you have a skull and crossbones. I have one set and am on the prowl for more.

[pjork]

Educational supply companies are good for bulk quantity dice.
tinyurl.com/37oc9g

[philotomy]

Just wanted to add that I've been using this method instead of scratch paper, and I'm sold. It's faster, easier, et cetera; it works great.

[Zulgyan]

Hey, Phil, it's not the first time that I tell you I got started in OD&D cause of your web-site.

Ok, I do it again. Thanks! And I'm glad I did something useful for you too!

[philotomy]

zulgyan said:

Hey, Phil, it's not the first time that I tell you I got started in OD&D cause of your web-site.

Yeah, I remember you posting to my thread over at DF, saying you were kinda tempted to try OD&D. ;D

Ok, I do it again. Thanks! And I'm glad I did something useful for you too!

You're welcome and thank you!

(Hey just out of curiosity, what were you running before OD&D?)

[calithena]

He was running a home-brewed fantasy version of Phoenix Command.

Hey, here's a follow up, somewhat more radical.

How about, have players roll their hit dice at the beginning of each fight.

If you remove a die you can't roll it next encounter. Cure spells heal hit dice.

So like this: Zaftig the Amazon Myrmidon has 6 hit dice. She's fighting 2 bugbears, rolls 653221. These dice go face up on the board. She takes a wound for 2, reduces the 5 to 3. She takes another wound for 6, drops the 6, and then kills the bugbears. Next fight, she will only have five dice to roll for hit points unless she gets a healing spell in the interim.

Let me know if anyone tries this.

[makofan]

That is quite bizarre calithena - want to be the guinea pig in our on-line game? I like the concept, but it sounds too fiddly in practice.

[Zulgyan]

(Hey just out of curiosity, what were you running before OD&D?)

I started playing at 12, with AD&D 2e, ran it for 6 years. Then 4 years of 3e, not liking it almost all of the time. 6 months of C&C, 3 session of OAD&D, and then finally OD&D, last destination....

[geoffrey]

Awesome, awesome idea that I've adopted. ;D

[Meepo]

Wow, thanks for the bump on this thread. I'd missed it while catching up on reading everything.

Love this idea, love it. It's so simple and clean, how did it never occur to me? Yoinked!

[Deleted]

Feb 23, 2008 15:54:17 GMT -6 Falconer said:

Is that why Men & Magic says, under RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT:

1 pair 4-sided dice
1 pair 8-sided dice
4 to 20 pairs 6-sided dice
1 pair 20-sided dice
1 pair 12-sided dice

Ahh, 20 PAIRS 6-SIDED DICE! Brilliant.

I like Zulgyan's way of doing it and will give it a try. I think I might actually have 20 pairs of 6-sided dice or least very close to it. I also like coffee's encounter cards and I think I will start trying to create some of those also. Thanks!

[Random]

Thanks for the link on those dice.
I'm officially buying all my D&D dice from such sources, and never again on eBay (although I haven't bought any in a while)!
I'll be using both the Zulgyan and Calithena hit dice rolling methods for my game.
The less to keep written on paper, the better.

[Deleted]

Feb 22, 2008 11:34:21 GMT -6 Zulgyan said:

Yeah! You need to get as many d6s as possible!

I use wooden dice. I find them very cool and they are very cheap too (at least in Argentina). I got like 40+ of them.

Where do you get the wooden dice? I wonder if there is anywhere that we can order them from here in the US.

[Zulgyan]

I live in Buenos Aires. I get them at a regular game store where they sell non-rpg games and casino-type stuff.