tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8561540689417623514.post3447467679052441875..comments2024-01-20T13:32:51.840-05:00Comments on Wargame Dork: Review Corner: A review of the RPG Ruins and RoninCaptain Rufushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00296697477771399357noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8561540689417623514.post-10264235463461616642010-01-14T23:33:36.876-05:002010-01-14T23:33:36.876-05:00If you notice, I DO mention S&W (at least full...If you notice, I DO mention S&W (at least full on and not White Box anyhow) does have some changes. Heck, check my tags. I have actually done a few bits of rules and stuff for it myself.<br /><br />(I would do more but my gamegroup isn't full enough for any sort of RPG right now, and when we are up to minimum RPG group size one player generally wants "Mechanically Custom" characters ala D20 D&D, and the other generally dislikes the D&D Dungeons and hordes of interesting critters genre. And keeps trying to push Savage Worlds on me for everything. I couldn't get S&W off the ground even though I tried!)<br /><br />I have a couple of the Retroclone books. (Basic Fantasy, the Normal S&W, and now R&R as ones I have read a serious amount of, and I have perused bits of OSRIC and Labyrinth Lord.)<br /><br />In most cases even when there are things that probably SHOULD be changed they are left as close to Gygax as possible.<br /><br />I would disagree that Basic D&D or AD&D 1-3 NEEDS a retroclone book though.<br /><br />Finding any of them is far easier than using Lulu or some other purchasable source.<br /><br />Ebay, Noble Knight, Troll and Ripo.. I mean Toad, Amazon Ripo.. I mean resellers. They all have tons of the core books available and CHEAP.<br /><br />With shipping I think I have gotten THREE AD&D 1st ed copies over the years. A nearly cherry Easley cover, and 2 decent condition original covers. (I kept the Easley one and put a nice book cover on it. The other 2 were gifts to the gamegroup. Who didn't appreciate it as usual.)<br /><br />Dirt cheap has gotten me Red Box D&D, Moldvay/Cook D&D, Black Box Red Dragon D&D, and Holmes D&D.<br /><br />Honestly the only version of D&D that's hard to get is original, and I still got it for under 50. The book looked like that Pikachu "loving" bulldog had gone on a date with the box, but the books were in solid condition.<br /><br />(Reminds me I still need the Gods book to finish out my set.)<br /><br />Sure the PDF bit is tough, but honestly dead tree is and probably will be for the forseeable future so much better than virtual its not funny.<br /><br />Real is always better than virtual. Companies can't take real away from you as easy. You can resell real. You can lend out real. Real doesn't care if you have batteries or a power cable. <br /><br />Honestly its so easy for anyone online to get most editions of D&D legally and cheaply most of the OSR's reason for being really HAS to be so they have the easy excuse for making their own supplements.<br /><br />(Which of course then lead to the skeevy Carcosa, but that's not S&W's fault.)<br /><br />I'm not dissing S&W in any way. Its honestly a GREAT GAME for what it is. I would choose a house rules Mentzer Basic or Castles & Crusades over it for my classic D&D as I always wanted it fun, but its still excellent.<br /><br />But I do have to say the high levels of adherence to what Gygax decreed from on the mountain is a bit annoying for my taste.<br /><br />But I never worshipped D&D's rules as being good or even great at the time I first encountered them. <br /><br />These days I like the rules light option as I can add in or take out what I want, but as a 13-18 year old in the late 80s/early 90s this really didn't cross my mind.Captain Rufushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00296697477771399357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8561540689417623514.post-24498400013357865792010-01-14T07:39:09.536-05:002010-01-14T07:39:09.536-05:00You won't find me judging you on your opinion,...You won't find me judging you on your opinion, everyone's got one. I've not read R&R, so I can't comment on its content.<br /><br />I would like to comment about:<br /><i>Its what we call a "Retroclone". For the most part these games aren't really designed to be played. They are just handy excuses to allow for new adventures and supplements for the games they are based on as they tend to be as close as legally possible to the original RPG.</i><br /><br />The only "clone" that was made for the express purpose of making publication legal was OSRIC. With the large amount of 1e books still available, the intent was to make the OGL work for the fans of original AD&D. Happily, it seems to have worked well.<br /><br />S&W was created to make OD&D more accessible with a few changes that the author felt would improve the game (one saving throw, ascending Armor Class for example). While S&W does allow 0e adventures to be created, it is indeed meant to be played on its own and is regularly played on its own as its own game.<br /><br />You cannot legally purchase a PDF of AD&D, OD&D or any WotC book anymore. WotC took care of that in April. The retroclones are our only link now to those games in a legal way.Michael S/Chgowizhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052820400496340137noreply@blogger.com