Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Not Sure Why I Am Posting This...

But, since I posted a while back what I like: Mounted Characters, I thought I would post about what I don't like, or at least what doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Putting this down in a blog kind of surprises me - since they may be construed as being non-old-school.

  • Dungeons. Yep don't like 'em. They make no sense to me what-so-ever. A small one under a castle for prisoners, sure, but a large one for whatever reason... nah. Natural caverns, sure. A mega-dungeon? Not in my worlds. I can even go with some Dwarven mines and some billeting for the miners, but a conventional dungeon.... Why is it there? Specially when most have no rhyme or reason for their shape? Pass!
  • Vancian Magic. Another of the love-it or leave-it topics. I will just have to leave it. I feel so dirty... I guess it falls into my love of low-magic preference, but something as... incredible as magic, leaving your conscience after you cast it... nah.
  • Hit Points. Okay, I don't not like them, but the idea of them being 'wounds' is outside my level-headed obsessive compulsive comprehension. The best I can succinctly refer to them as, at this moment, is Resolve. I guess 'damage' falls into the same sphere. The best way I can explain my take on it is that it isn't damage to your opponent, but rather Advantage for the attacker....
  • Treasure. Not that I don't like it, but it makes no sense to me in the grand scheme of things either. I mean, why does a clan of Goblins have 'treasure' in the form of gold. Sure they are somewhat intelligent, but I just don't see them hording it either. What use do they have for it? I don't see them bartering with humans or demi-humans with it. It just seems to me that a society of chaotic, dungeon dwelling, defecate in the corner of their own 'living room', type of monsters wouldn't give... well two copper for the gold that humanity puts so much value into. If they are "intelligent" you would think they would push it all out under a tree or something to keep the big mean adventurers from ransacking their home. Now a bag of fungus spores... now that is worth fighting for!
I'll stop there before you think I shouldn't be allowed to blog about classic gaming and leave it on a high note:


Mounted Dwarves!! (Yes, again, pic used without permission and I have completely forgot where it originated from, but as always it can be removed should the originator request)

TB

2 comments:

  1. Huh, interesting list.

    Dungeons I love, though they are rarely literally dungeons. More like ancient ruins. The Tomb Raider video games are some of my favorite examples. I also like to base maps on real world structures (example).

    I've never really minded Vancian magic, but the flavor was really enhanced when I finally got around to reading the Dying Earth stories. If you haven't, I highly recommend them, also as the best fictional example of a "points of light" setting. But, as I said, I didn't mind fire and forget magic before that either, so YMMV.

    I'm with you on HP. Can't picture loss of HP as anything more extreme than minor wounds. Actually being hit directly with an axe is taking you below 0 HP most of the time in my book.

    Treasure has never bothered me, but my treasure is rarely sacks of coins. It's paintings in a haunted house that you carry back to a town and fence for a letter of credit with a local merchant. Or the remains of dead adventurers in the ghoul's lair. I guess that is a very naturalistic take, but it always seems to be logical at least.

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  2. Thanks, I thought it was interesting myself considering they are kind of tenants of D&D. I can do dungeons, but they need a purpose or a reason for them. I cliff side castle that got buried by landslides hundreds of years ago, for example.

    Other than Vancian Magic, we appear to be on the same wavelength I would gather. So, I guess I will check out the Dying Earth stories. Perhaps it will give me some insight.

    Thanks for stopping by,
    TB

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