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Post by Finarvyn on Jun 28, 2007 10:52:17 GMT -6
I found this a while back and did some re-formatting for my own use, then with the creation of the forum thought I shoud share it for anyone who might not have seen it. I pulled it from K&K, where WSmith was kind enough to post it. (More details in his own post, down the page...) ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png) The key here is that if we're talking about House Rules, who better to answer the question than OD&D Master Gamer Gary Gygax? Here's some information on how he plays his games, 30 years after creation... 1. IntroductionIn 2005, Gary ran an OD&D campaign for his group. This is a compilation of notes about the rules for that campaign. The info was gleaned from Q&As in Gary's Q&A threads on ENWorld & DF as well as some tales of the campaign posted by Deogolf. Rules • Not using the supplements. Only the three little books.
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Post by Finarvyn on Jun 28, 2007 10:53:03 GMT -6
2. Character Generation and Advancement
• Ability scores rolled as best 3 out of 4d6. Arrange scores to taste.
• PCs started at 3rd level.
• Fighters get +1 HP/die. All PCs get +1 HP/die if Con > 14.
• No training necessary to gain a level.
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Post by Finarvyn on Jun 28, 2007 10:54:27 GMT -6
3. Initiative
• 1d6 for surprise. 1=1 round. 2=2 rounds. 3 or more=no surprise.
• PCs must declare actions before initiative. Casters must declare the specific spell being cast.
• 1d6 for initiative. A tie means simultaneous.
• A casting caster who loses initiative will lose his spell if hit.
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Post by Finarvyn on Jun 28, 2007 10:55:53 GMT -6
4. Combat
• All PCs get 1d6 hp/level. HP rolls are rerolled on a 1.
• Fighters do +1 damage if Str > 14.
• Dex doesn't affect AC.
• Dex does affect missile attack "to hit" rolls.
• PCs are unconscious at 0 hp. They can go as low as level +1 before death. (A 4th level fighter can be brought as low as -5 hp & just be unconscious.) A healing potion or cure spell restores them immediately.
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Post by Finarvyn on Jun 28, 2007 10:56:50 GMT -6
5. Spells & Magical Items
• To acquire new spells: Casters must find scrolls, spellbooks, or a friendly higher-level caster.
• Clerics don't need spellbooks. (The original books can be read to imply that they do.)
• Gary IDs most magic items immediately (charging large sums of money when they return to town to rest & recuperate for this service). (This is because the players are anxious to get back into the dungeon & don't want to bother with in-town adventures.)
• Potions must still be tasted to ID.
• Unusual items require a trip to the "striped mage".
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WSmith
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Post by WSmith on Jun 28, 2007 11:00:17 GMT -6
I can confirm that this came from K&K, cause I put it there, ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) copied to from a thread at Dragonsfoot, where Gary was giving a recap of some OD&D gaming.
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Post by Finarvyn on Jun 28, 2007 13:39:20 GMT -6
I can confirm that this came from K&K, cause I put it there, ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) copied to from a thread at Dragonsfoot, where Gary was giving a recap of some OD&D gaming. Thanks, WSmith! I like to give credit where it's due. I'll edit my intro post...
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Post by crimhthanthegreat on Jun 28, 2007 20:15:05 GMT -6
I noted the following on Robert Fishers blog in his post on the 2005 Gygax OD&D house rules
"Posted by EGG on ENWorld September 2006:"
"I run three-booklet OD&D now and again myself, adding some house rules to make 1st level PCs a bit more viable and allowing Clerics a spell at 1st level if their Wis is 15 or higher."
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serendipity
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Post by serendipity on Jul 4, 2007 18:56:15 GMT -6
5. Spells & Magical Items• Gary IDs most magic items immediately (charging large sums of money when they return to town to rest & recuperate for this service). (This is because the players are anxious to get back into the dungeon & don't want to bother with in-town adventures.) • Potions must still be tasted to ID. • Unusual items require a trip to the "striped mage". I've greatly enjoyed haggling with odd traders and unscrupulous town merchants to acquire items I need or knowledge about what I've found while adventuring. However, I find the concept of having a "striped mage" who will-- at great cost and over long distance-- ID magical items instantly hysterically funny. Direct debit for the medieval set. Who knew? I can just picture this striped mage setting out his shingle: a telescope aimed at a crystal ball.
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Post by tgamemaster1975 on Jul 12, 2007 6:23:36 GMT -6
I saw this on the other forum, I think it is great to know how the author plays, with just a few simple house rules. Well at least the ones he admits to. ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) I understand from other posts that I have seen that he house rules on the fly throughout the game and it cuts a different way everytime he plays. I think we would all love a chance to play in his game.
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sham
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Post by sham on Mar 10, 2008 23:44:15 GMT -6
I saw this on the other forum, I think it is great to know how the author plays, with just a few simple house rules. Well at least the ones he admits to. ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) I understand from other posts that I have seen that he house rules on the fly throughout the game and it cuts a different way everytime he plays. I think we would all love a chance to play in his game. Truer words have never been typed. Gary (RIP) is like 99.9% of us DMs out there. We house rule, we change our minds, we refine, we adapt, we deny. It's who we are. I recently added a 'Gary's OD&D House Rules' info bit to my campaign. I realized I needed to stop researching because I kept finding new quotes/house rules from Gary. Honestly, this is exactly why D&D is the greatest game ever invented. ~Sham
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Post by philotomy on Aug 23, 2007 11:54:56 GMT -6
Saw this post on the TLG forums where Gary briefly describes the house rules he used when running his GenCon OD&D game. Moderator note 5/21/21: fixed the TLG forum link as those forums have moved since the original post --- Zenopus
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Post by foster1941 on Aug 23, 2007 12:56:00 GMT -6
That "+1 to move silently" is curious; I wonder what it means -- surely not +1% to a thief's chance to move silently; perhaps +1 to surprise opponents (i.e. surprise on 3 in 6 instead of 2 in 6) but only if you're being quiet (i.e. not in plate armor, not dragging along a mule or dungeon-cart)?
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Post by coffee on Aug 23, 2007 14:16:53 GMT -6
I think it's more of an "anyone can do this; I'll roll a d6" kind of thing. That would be consistent with Gary's demonstrated style (as I understand it).
Also, I believe when he runs the game it is just the three brown booklets, i.e.; no thieves.
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Post by calithena on Aug 29, 2007 7:57:57 GMT -6
EDIT FROM YOUR MODERATOR: ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png) At the request of the posters, I split the thread when I copied the next few posts in the sequence into a new thread called "Calithena's Alternate Stat-Free Chargen Model". The old posts have been erased from here just to keep this thread on track. Your post counts are unaffected. ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) - Your Humble Servant, Finarvyn
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Post by foster1941 on Aug 30, 2007 11:14:49 GMT -6
That's a really fantastic system, but it, umm, has nothing whatsoever to do with Gary's OD&D house rules from GenCon 2007...
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Post by calithena on Aug 30, 2007 11:31:37 GMT -6
Yeah, you're right. Maybe the thread should get split from my first post down. Somehow Gary doing something with OD&D just sets my imagination running...
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Post by Finarvyn on Sept 1, 2007 6:59:02 GMT -6
Okay, back on track. I moved these posts to Men & Magic, since it deals with character creation!
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Post by crimhthanthegreat on Sept 5, 2007 6:31:42 GMT -6
When it comes to playing Gary does love rules lite, that is a very brief set of house rules, really very minor tweaks.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2007 7:35:51 GMT -6
When it comes to playing Gary does love rules lite, that is a very brief set of house rules, really very minor tweaks. Well, I doubt that this is all of them. ![::)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/eyesroll.png) There's another thread about Gary's rules which is more complete. I'll bet he uses that list.
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Post by crimhthanthegreat on Sept 5, 2007 20:05:32 GMT -6
That may well be; however, just because you have a number of house rules does not always mean that they are all in use at the same time.
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