"The monsters eat FUCK YOU, that's what they eat."

Gronan of Simmerya · February 18, 2016, 09:54:51 AM

Quote from: Spinachcat;879759GRONAN! Back on topic!

Damn, beer withdrawal is bad for you!

How much did Gygax and Arneson focus on dungeon ecology in actual play?

How "jokey" were elements in their campaign? Did they run separate "serious" games vs. more "silly" campaigns?

What is your personal style regarding ecology and has it changed over the years?

Virtually not at all. As I've said before, BLACKMOOR and GREYHAWK both had huge amounts of piss take in them. The first temple in GREYHAWK to get a name was the one I dubbed "First Church of Crom, Scientist." There might be some ecology elements if it made for a cool aspect of play, but otherwise not.

Play was serious but characterization was not. Much like having a Napoleonic miniatures army commanded by General Sir Hugh Jarce, but being so good at the game you win all the time.

More later.

ArrozConLeche · February 18, 2016, 10:40:25 AM

Quote from: Omega;879806Not in my copy or any of the solos I saw. Its got some humorous moments here and there. But overall the tone is serious. Or as serious as a freewheeling fantasy RPG gets.

Oddball was the Grimtooth series which was system neutral last I knew?

OK, I'm mostly going by second hand accounts, and also by what I saw of the spell list:

http://www.freedungeons.com/rules/#spellbook

QuoteDetect Magic (0)   Detects good and bad magic.
Lock Tight (1)   Locks any door for 3 turns.
Knock Knock (2)   Unlocks locked doors.
Will-o-the-wisp (1)   Lights up finger or staff in lieu of a torch. About 1 candlepower. Lasts 1 turn.
Oh There It Is (4)   Usually detects concealed or invisible things or doors by surrounding them with a purple glow that slowly fades.
Take That, You Fiend (6)   Uses IQ as weapon, inflicting hits equal to caster's IQ. Must be directed at an individual foe. No effect on inanimate objects.
Vorpal Blade (5)   Doubles die roll for swords or daggers for one subsequent combat round.
Oh-Go-Away (5)   Combines total of caster's IQ, LK and CHR to drive away foes with a lower Monster Rating or equivalent attribute total. If spell fails, monster chases magic-user to the exclusion of his or her comrades.

I kinda like it to be honest.

AsenRG · February 18, 2016, 12:45:23 PM

Quote from: Chainsaw;879647I don't care who you are, you get the penalty box for asking. Do not collect $200. Lighten up, Francis.

Nope. If Phil Barker asks, you're going to answer!
And you get a penalty box for thinking yourself above him.

Note that Gronan did answer, too, just in his own way;).

Quote from: ArrozConLeche;879813OK, I'm mostly going by second hand accounts, and also by what I saw of the spell list:

http://www.freedungeons.com/rules/#spellbook

I kinda like it to be honest.

Yeah, it's a well-thought, fun list:)!

Also, there are games that pay attention to such details, and then there are those other games;).

jeff37923 · February 18, 2016, 03:05:23 PM

Quote from: AsenRG;879823And you get a penalty box for thinking yourself above him.

You know, just because someone says that they suckled at the teats of Gygax and Arneson when the hobby was in its infancy, only gives their words more weight if you believe that it justifies their obnoxious elitism.

Chainsaw · February 18, 2016, 04:16:46 PM

Quote from: AsenRG;879823Nope. If Phil Barker asks, you're going to answer!
And you get a penalty box for thinking yourself above him.

No offense man, but I give zero shits about Barker and his amazingly detailed setting that I doubt very many referees ever actually ran then and almost no one runs now.

Spinachcat · February 18, 2016, 08:39:15 PM

Quote from: ArrozConLeche;879804I always thought that T&T was the one with the wacky humor.

It can be. The spell list has wacky names, but that's the scope of the wacky in the book. The adventures and combat are very deadly so its a strange combo.

I've run T&T with groups who had to change the spell names to take the game seriously and that was fun too.

Kyle Aaron · February 18, 2016, 09:49:55 PM

Quote from: Chainsaw;879852No offense man, but I give zero shits about Barker and his amazingly detailed setting that I doubt very many referees ever actually ran then and almost no one runs now.

Yeah, but at least it gave Pundit something to write a more readable clone of.

Omega · February 18, 2016, 11:12:12 PM

Quote from: ArrozConLeche;879813OK, I'm mostly going by second hand accounts, and also by what I saw of the spell list:

I kinda like it to be honest.

Yep. The spells have alot of goofy names. But goofy names does not a goofy game make. And thats about all of the oddball in the book really. Everything else reads like BX or AD&D textbooks overall.

The solos, especially the later ones apparently, have jokes and humour scattered about. But none I have seen were wall to wall or themed goofball.

06 Weirdworld by Keith Abbott, and 15 Blue Frog Tavern by James Wilson are the only two I can think of for really odd elements.

AsenRG · February 19, 2016, 04:50:00 AM

Quote from: jeff37923;879841You know, just because someone says that they suckled at the teats of Gygax and Arneson when the hobby was in its infancy, only gives their words more weight if you believe that it justifies their obnoxious elitism.

It does, if I agree with him:p!
I mean, what other justification do you want, or expect, in a thread created as a joke:D?

Quote from: Chainsaw;879852No offense man, but I give zero shits about Barker and his amazingly detailed setting that I doubt very many referees ever actually ran then and almost no one runs now.

Well, that is your problem, not MAR Barker's;).

Willie the Duck · February 19, 2016, 07:38:37 AM

Quote from: AsenRG;879962Well, that is your problem, not MAR Barker's;).

In deed. Who MAR Barker was and what he did is virtually irrelevant to the original point. Gronan made a dungeon. Someone pointed out that the denizens had nothing to eat. He put in a restaurant. Isn't it hilarious? BTW, aren't these 1970s fast food prices hilarious? Pretty straightforward.

JasperAK · February 19, 2016, 09:12:44 AM

I'm still waiting to find out what 'without' references.

Gronan of Simmerya · February 19, 2016, 10:02:00 AM

Quote from: JasperAK;879992I'm still waiting to find out what 'without' references.

See Post 42.

Gronan of Simmerya · February 19, 2016, 10:02:43 AM

Quote from: Willie the Duck;879976In deed. Who MAR Barker was and what he did is virtually irrelevant to the original point. Gronan made a dungeon. Someone pointed out that the denizens had nothing to eat. He put in a restaurant. Isn't it hilarious? BTW, aren't these 1970s fast food prices hilarious? Pretty straightforward.

I know, right?

Gronan of Simmerya · February 19, 2016, 10:03:20 AM

Quote from: AsenRG;879962It does, if I agree with him:p!
I mean, what other justification do you want, or expect, in a thread created as a joke:D?

Hush, you and your "having a sense of proportion".

AsenRG · February 19, 2016, 10:31:42 AM

Quote from: Willie the Duck;879976In deed. Who MAR Barker was and what he did is virtually irrelevant to the original point. Gronan made a dungeon. Someone pointed out that the denizens had nothing to eat. He put in a restaurant. Isn't it hilarious? BTW, aren't these 1970s fast food prices hilarious? Pretty straightforward.

Actually, MAR Barker is in the OP - he's hardly irrelevant, because without him, this thread wouldn't exist:).

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;879997Hush, you and your "having a sense of proportion".

But without proportion, your measure would suffer, and that means you'd be bound to suffer often;)!

(Kudos to anyone but Gronan who guesses what that means, I'm pretty sure he will, despite me trying to make it non-obvious).