Tenkar's Tavern: The Tavern Chat Podcast - Episode #34 - AD&D 1e Bard

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

The Tavern Chat Podcast - Episode #34 - AD&D 1e Bard - Broken & Overpowered

I figured I needed a little grounding and therefore reached for my AD&D 1e Player's Handbook this morning.

Tim Shorts leaves a voicemail. A look at the AD&D 1e Bard as presented in the Player's Handbook.

I even drop an f-bomb or two ;)

Link to Episode #34: https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/Episode-34---ADD-1e-Bard---Broken--Overpowered-e1m3ok

4 comments:

JonathanJune 19, 2018 at 10:52 AM
Are you still angry?
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Shadow DemonJune 19, 2018 at 3:02 PM
An example of yet another AD&D element that was completely ignored when playing in the 80s.
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Súil DubhJune 19, 2018 at 5:41 PM
I was always disappointed that it wasn't a starting class to begin with. It's been a long while since I read the Player's Manual, but didn't Bards have to start as Theives and then gain a few levels as a Fighter (or vice versa)? And the prerequisite Ability Scores were really high, too.

I don't know how overpowered they were because I was never able to play one!
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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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Tuesday, June 19, 2018

The Tavern Chat Podcast - Episode #34 - AD&D 1e Bard - Broken & Overpowered

4 comments:

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