Players of Older D&D (2e/earlier) and Clones - Page 149 - OG Myth-Weavers

Notices


Gaming Discussion

For all things gaming related.


Players of Older D&D (2e/earlier) and Clones

   
I noticed that a couple weeks ago myself. It was kind of weird that they only released the basic set of that edition for such a long time. Though I don't play BECMI it is probably the most popular of the Classic D&D line. Maybe they figured releasing the RC was close enough.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Black Wyvern View Post
I noticed that a couple weeks ago myself. It was kind of weird that they only released the basic set of that edition for such a long time. Though I don't play BECMI it is probably the most popular of the Classic D&D line. Maybe they figured releasing the RC was close enough.
My mom bought me the BECMI basic set when I was nine years old. I had little idea what D&D even was, the guy at the store just told her it was good for imaginative kids.

That box literally changed my life. Most of my best friends in high school came directly from playing D&D. Obviously, I still enjoy it quite a bit today. That system will always have a special place for me. In many ways I think it is one of the best versions of D&D to this day. Simple, no min-maxing, and a constant threat of death. Stuff like the FUBAR AC system is easy to overlook when you figure all that in.

I'm working up a BECMI campaign at the moment, should have the recruiting post up in a few days but the game won't start until after the holidays.

It's pretty much straight basic D&D, the only thing I homebrewed was that you can put your rolled stats anywhere you want during character creation. I'll also probably neglect to use alignment languages. Honestly, I don't know what they were thinking with those.

Setting the game in Threshold, in The Known World. The adventure itself will start with Castle Caldwell.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cailano View Post
II'll also probably neglect to use alignment languages. Honestly, I don't know what they were thinking with those..
Alignment languages are Biblical in origin. One of the gifts some early Christians received was the ability to speak and understand "tongues".

Sorta? From Gygax's mouth it seem's more like a
in the sense of classical mystery cults like Mithras
mystery language or a liturgical language common to shared belief or pantheon. But then you get the oddities, like assassins - and only assassins - being able to learn other alignment languages so there's clearly a mystical component otherwise no other classes would/should be barred from doing so.

If it were a sort of factional, elevated common I wouldn't have much of a problem with it - reflavor it as as High Aoian or Freya's Tongue or the like and you've added a bit more depth to the campaign world: heck, a cleric PC could spin it into a duty, spreading the word of the faith to lands where it's not known! - but the is-it/isn't it divine nature of it I find offputting.

I've always considered more of a heart thing, as in you can't mimic another belief system, just the dogmatic beliefs of the Jedi..err...ways of thinking. I think of it as the CE assassin mimicking Elysium...NG, or Baator...LE, etc...

Well, that ties into the absurdity of the classic alignment system, which is itself mystically enforced with magic that can not only detect or conceal alignment, but harm or aid based on a target's alignment. Or even force alignment changes (helm of opposite alignment anyone?). Given all that, it's not in the least surprising that they have special mystical languages nobody else can speak, because why the heck not?

Early Christians speaking in tongues is more the basis for the Tongues spell than it is for alignment languages.

The entire language system doesn't make sense on a global scale. Why would all the members of a race speak the same language no matter where they were located?

If the entire campaign (aka the known world) exists within 50 to 100 miles of Castle Greyhawk, racial languages and universal mystical languages make more sense.





Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Last Database Backup 2024-03-19 03:25:55am local time
Myth-Weavers Status