As far as I know in the 70s the idea was literally "Here's the dungeon, go explore" (not everyone did this but this was basically the default), with the "hexcrawl" stuff coming from the Wilderness part of the 3LBBs that talks about using outdoor survival but even that seems to indicate it's only when you're traveling to/from a destination, not as a mode of play. B/X which I've read (but didn't play as I was too young, Moldvay Basic came out a year before I was born anyway and Menzter came out when I was 1 year old) says 1-3 you should have no outside encounters at all, then 4-14 you can add in outdoor encounters, but nothing (outside of X1 anyway) seem to indicate those are anything more than random encounters while traveling to a destination, certainly not the modern "hexcrawl" that I've seen espoused on Youtube and social media.

I started in 90 although I played 1e briefly, then moved to the 1991 "Black Box" Basic set (with the weird cards to teach you the game and Zanzer's Dungeon), then quickly picked up AD&D 2e and never looked back.

I don't want to keep derailing the thread, if someone wants to make a spin off thread I'll be happy to further talk about it. I only wanted to initially voice my distaste for DCC

Quote from: Nobleshield on December 19, 2024, 08:38:35 AMI don't want to keep derailing the thread, if someone wants to make a spin off thread I'll be happy to further talk about it

Ok, will do. I'll make the topic. It's worth discussing.

Quote from: Nobleshield on December 19, 2024, 08:38:35 AMAs far as I know in the 70s the idea was literally "Here's the dungeon, go explore" (not everyone did this but this was basically the default), with the "hexcrawl" stuff coming from the Wilderness part of the 3LBBs that talks about using outdoor survival but even that seems to indicate it's only when you're traveling to/from a destination, not as a mode of play.

"Wilderness" adventuring was most definitely a thing in the 70s. I never heard the term "hexcrawl" until recent years. We called it "wilderness".

And yes, dungeoneering was the default, not "outdoor survival" (our "wilderness" adventures were rarely "survival" scenarios).

I'm not sure what any of this has to do with "sandboxing" though. No one I know uses the word "sandbox" to indicate wilderness vs. dungeon. Sandbox is about player agency, regardless of the "terrain".

Quote from: a_wanderer on December 17, 2024, 06:24:51 AMTo me it feels more like 3E on Acid...

I think Pundit has been running a DCC campaign for about 12 years, so it can sustain campaigns

If you mean legacy- it's ~15 years old, no 2e, just reprints (although they changed the language and newer prints seem of thinner paper stock. my 8th printing is built like a tank). I believe it's here to stay but can't see it coming close to mainstream

It's one of my most beloved systems

It'll be 12 years in early February.
I also wrote World of the Last Sun as a setting/sourcebook for it, and the Gonzo Fantasy Companion too.

It's a fantastic game for long-term play.

DCC always seemed to me to be the "Pearl Jam" of RPGs

a game (band) everyone is *supposed to like*, gets a lot of publicity, but really doesn't deliver imho. It really isn't all that good.

a few fun mechanics and ideas, but nothing that stands out. The game world and settings aren't anything new or exciting.

not a *bad* game, just nothing special.

it's like Shadowdark --a lot of hype

much better games out there

Quote from: MerrillWeathermay on December 20, 2024, 08:13:56 PMDCC always seemed to me to be the "Pearl Jam" of RPGs

a game (band) everyone is *supposed to like*, gets a lot of publicity, but really doesn't deliver imho. It really isn't all that good.

a few fun mechanics and ideas, but nothing that stands out. The game world and settings aren't anything new or exciting.

not a *bad* game, just nothing special.

it's like Shadowdark --a lot of hype

much better games out there

DCC is radically more different than Shadowdark, and was written much earlier (in fact, Shadowdark borrowed some ideas from DCC, as it did with other OSR games). And it is highly special, in the way it handles niche protection, and with the capacity it has at high-level play to make each class extremely effective, without just all being able to do the same things as each other.

It also manages to have a more effective ongoing death-risk for characters even at high levels, one of the common problems of D&D.

Quote from: RPGPundit on December 20, 2024, 05:41:49 PM

Quote from: a_wanderer on December 17, 2024, 06:24:51 AMTo me it feels more like 3E on Acid...

I think Pundit has been running a DCC campaign for about 12 years, so it can sustain campaigns

If you mean legacy- it's ~15 years old, no 2e, just reprints (although they changed the language and newer prints seem of thinner paper stock. my 8th printing is built like a tank). I believe it's here to stay but can't see it coming close to mainstream

It's one of my most beloved systems

It'll be 12 years in early February.
I also wrote World of the Last Sun as a setting/sourcebook for it, and the Gonzo Fantasy Companion too.

It's a fantastic game for long-term play.

Having a big list of spell effects, based upon the level of the success of your die roll, for every spell in the book; is a cool take on spell effects.  It's something different.  A roll of 30, is far more successful than a 20.

Quote from: RPGPundit on December 20, 2024, 05:41:49 PMIt'll be 12 years in early February.
I also wrote World of the Last Sun as a setting/sourcebook for it, and the Gonzo Fantasy Companion too.

It's a fantastic game for long-term play.

Hmmm, I didn't know that. Well, two more products to buy. Also I saw this:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/424141/rpgpundit-presents-the-gonzo-fantasy-companion

"Hipster Elves"

That's so random...

DCC reminds me of LotFP. Some really cool ideas and great adventures in a game that iv never seen anyone actually play. Its like its built to be a place other designers steal ideas from and not a real game.