Tenkar's Tavern: I Finally Own a Copy of the "Ready Ref Sheets"

Thursday, January 23, 2014

I Finally Own a Copy of the "Ready Ref Sheets"

Until my eBay copy arrived today, I never owned a copy of the Ready Ref Sheets from Judges Guild. An amazing confession, I know ;)

Not the easiest to read for my aging eyes, but it's a damn near mint condition copy and I'm very happy with it. Along with the D30 books, I should have the tools to fill some amazing sandboxes.

I'll need to do a post or two mixing the tables from the three books, but probably not until I put this week from hell behind me.

Oh, that's Chloe, our dachshund. Last night at 11 PM we thought she was on her way out, but she instead was having a slight OD from the fenal barbital she was just started on for Monday Night's severe seizures. Vet visit earlier this evening as a follow up to the emergency vet hospital stay has her a-okay, all things considered. She's now on lifetime meds for her heart and the seizures. Our little trooper. And yes, she shares the bed at night with our cat Ashley. :)

9 comments:

HoundinJanuary 23, 2014 at 8:30 PM
Cool book, but you'd better watch out. It looks like there's a rust monster behind it...
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Gothridge ManorJanuary 23, 2014 at 9:26 PM
Glad to see Chloe enjoy the new gets from eBay. Keep her warm and spoil her often.
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Darcy PerryJanuary 23, 2014 at 10:31 PM
That's two treasures you have there.
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Zach GJanuary 23, 2014 at 10:43 PM
There is almost no snapshot of daily living that cannot be made better by adding a dog. Awesome about the Ref Sheets...though I am kind of jealous ;)
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AnonymousJanuary 23, 2014 at 10:44 PM
That is the original DMs guide. Before Gygax went all commercial and shit...lol.
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Timothy Paul SchaeferJanuary 23, 2014 at 10:57 PM
I think you'll enjoy it. Especially the tables that tell you what kind of trouble henchman can get the PCs into.
I hope Chloe is feeling better. I have a dog that has seizures as well. It can be scary and worrisome.
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Peter DJanuary 24, 2014 at 7:40 AM
I think you'll like them. I never heard of them until James M. mentioned them, then I picked it up at cover price from Different Worlds. It's pretty cool - it would have been nice back in the day, but JG stuff just wasn't around where I was as a kid.
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R.J. ThompsonJanuary 24, 2014 at 8:53 AM
Just got these in the mail myself, yesterday, in fact.
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Mystic ScholarJanuary 24, 2014 at 6:38 PM
A long hair miniature dachshund! I grew up with a passel of those!

Chloe is beautiful. Reminds me of my "Amy Lou," long since departed. Yep! She's got Amy's eyes! LOL

Sorry she was unwell, glad she's feeling better!
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Why "Swords & Wizardry?"

Believe me when I say I have them all in dead tree format. I have OSRIC in full size, trade paperback and the Player's Guide. I have LL and the AEC (and somewhere OEC, but I can't find it at the moment). Obviously I have Basic Fantasy RPG. Actually, I have the whole available line in print. Way too much Castles & Crusades. We all know my love for the DCC RPG. I even have Dark Dungeons in print, the Delving Deeper boxed set, Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. BOTH editions of LotFP's Weird Fantasy and some dead tree copies of the Greyhawk Grognards Adventures Dark & Deep

I am so deep in the OSR when I come up for breath it's for the OSR's cousin, Tunnels & Trolls

So, out of all that, why Swords & Wizardry? Why, when I have been running a AD&D 1e / OSRIC campaign in Rappan Athuk am I using Swords & Wizardry and it's variant, Crypts & Things, for the second campaign? (Actually, now running a S&W Complete campaign, soon to be with multiple groups)

Because the shit works.

It's easy for lapsed gamers to pick up and feel like they haven't lost a step. I can house rule it and it doesn't break. It plays so close to the AD&D of my youth and college years (S&W Complete especially) that it continually surprises me. Just much less rules hopping than I remember. (my God but I can run it nearly without the book)

I grab and pick and steal from just about all OSR and Original resources. They seem to fit into S&W with little fuss. It may be the same with LL and the rest, but for me the ease of use fit's my expectations with S&W.

Even the single saving throw. That took me longer to adjust to, but even that seems like a natural to me now. Don't ask me why, it just does. Maybe it's the simplicity of it. At 45 52, simplicity and flexibility while remaining true to the feel of the original is an OSR hat trick for me ;)

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Thursday, January 23, 2014

I Finally Own a Copy of the "Ready Ref Sheets"

9 comments:

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