Tuesday, June 11, 2013

The OD&D Handbook Project - Part the First (Announcement)

Remember me mentioning how I've been on an OD&D kick lately? Well, it's gotten worse than just reading the original brown books and following supplements. For reasons beyond mortal ken, I've decided to compile and compose my own three-volume set of OD&D rules, where all relevant material is organized and structured in a sensible fashion, and with all subsequent adjustments and changes built right in from the start.

Whythehell...?!

Hasn't this been done before? And probably better?

Yeah. Call it an exercise in research and development. Call it an exercise in futility, if you like. Sometimes, I learn by getting involved with the material I'm researching. There's nothing like deconstructing something and putting it all back together in a manner that makes sense to you for figuring a thing out. For, while I've played this version of D&D, I didn't know what it was at the time and have never actually learned how it works. Besides, I like to see where things come from. I never became an archaeologist, so I just might make archivist instead.

What does this mean to you?

Well, you'll have the opportunity to watch as I go quietly mad...um - I mean, analyze and organize the first D&D rules for my own personal satisfaction and infamy. I intend to compose my own versions of the original booklets, along with my very own supplement that applies to my own campaign setting. And you get to follow my chaotic and infrequent progress.

Since I don't get to run a game of my own right now, this is my D&D fix for the moment. I want to see if I can follow it through. I already started a home-rules version of Moldvay Basic some time back, and decided I'd had enough at the time. There were priorities and other distractions involved. So, for now, I'd like to try something else. Besides, these damn rulebooks from the early 70's make precious little sense to me and I might actually want to run an OD&D game someday.

Hell, I may even do some crappy line art to enhance the already-damn-fine production value of my little homages to the roots of our glorious hobby. Stay tuned, true believers.




2 comments:

  1. This is really, REALLY cool! I'm excited to see what comes from it. C:

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you. I'm trying to post semi-regular updates. The research is even more fun than the project itself.

    Stay tuned.

    ReplyDelete