What were we talking about again?
It is often said that the AD&D game is not a "winners-and-losers" game. This is true. The AD&D game is not a game in which one player wins at the expense of the others. But at the same time there is winning and losing, after a fashion, based on how well the group plays and… Continue reading The Importance of Experience
So I really like the way that D&D 2e asks for us to determine initiative. Each side (the DM and the players) roll a single d10. The lowest result goes first and that side acts before the other. Now this result can be modified by various situational modifiers (for example being "Slowed" will add 2… Continue reading Combat in ADND 2e, Part 4: Initiative
The combat sequence of Dungeons and Dragons 2e is quite a bit different from that of 3e. In 2e the sequence goes as follows: 1. The DM decides what actions the monsters or NPCs will take, including casting spells (if any).2. The players indicate what their characters will do, including casting spells (if any).3. Initiative… Continue reading Combat in ADnD 2e, Part 3
I know that I've mentioned several times that there are drastic changes between AD&D 2e and D&D 3e but no where is this more apparent than when we're talking about combat. So please forgive me if this sounds a bit over the top: but the AD&D 2e combat round is 1 minute long. Let that… Continue reading The Combat Round in ADnD 2e
When it came to the Combat chapter of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Second Edition (AD&D 2e) I found myself struggling to understand the way that THAC0 (To Hit Armor Class 0) worked. In large part this is because D&D 3e, and the subsequent editions, all worked in a significantly different manner. In D&D 3e the… Continue reading THAC0, or How I Learned to Love Descending AC
Image by Moebius, Title Unknown All that we have explored this far in the Learning Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition (AD&D 2e) project has been a preamble for this chapter as it represents one of the most common occurrences within the game: the combat encounter. Before we get into the meat of this chapter… Continue reading Learning AD&D 2e: Chapter 9, Combat, More than Meets the Eye (pgs 118 – 141)
If you play any version of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) for any period of time and happen to mention your love of it on social media you’re bound to see the criticism that D&D is nothing more than a hack-and-slash slog played by murderous hobos as they go from location to location killing things and… Continue reading Is D&D Just About Combat?
In an earlier part of this series, Player Character Classes, I noted that not all classes, or groups, advance in experience at the same rate. What does Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition (AD&D 2e) mean, though, when it talks about experience? . . . Every time a character goes on an adventure he learns… Continue reading Learning to Play Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Second Edition: Chapter 8 Experience (pg 116 – 117)
Priests: Priests are different from their wizard counterparts, not only in how they are balanced as a class, but also in how their magic is themed. This comes from the Priest’s role as a defender and spiritual guide for the party and for non-player characters (NPCs) in the game. As a result, a lot of… Continue reading Learning to Play Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Second Edition: Chapter 7 Magic (pg 107 – 115), Part 2
Just a quick update to let you know that I'm still working on Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Second Edition (AD&D 2e) learning project but that part of the reason why I took a break from the blog was that I was beginning to become bored. I'll be back at it shortly but for right now… Continue reading Progress on Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Second Edition
As was the case with Dungeons & Dragons Third Edition (D&D 3e) characters with powerful magical weapons at their disposal were some of the most powerful in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition (AD&D 2e). Unlike D&D 3e, however, AD&D 2e made it a point to ascribe such powers as rare in the game. .… Continue reading Learning to Play Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Second Edition: Chapter 7 Magic (pg 107 – 115), Part 1
I'm skipping ahead a few chapters in learning Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition (AD&D 2e) because I have no interest in discussing Alignment (Chapter 4 pgs 64 - 69) right now and I'm not ready to study an optional rule set (Chapter 5: Proficiencies pgs 70 - 87) until I understand the basics of… Continue reading Learning to Play Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Second Edition: Money and Equipment (pgs 88 – 105)
Specialist Wizards concentrate their efforts into a single discipline – kind of. See the thing to remember about Specialist Wizards is that they aren’t cut and dried. There are five Specialist Wizards who concentrate on a single school (Abjurer, Diviner, Illusionist, Necromancer, and Transmuter) and three that concentrate on two schools (Conjurer, Enchanter, and Invoker).… Continue reading Learning to Play a Wizard in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Second Edition, Part 2: Specialist Wizards
One of the first things you’ll notice when beginning to play the Wizard in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition (AD&D 2e) is that while you may, eventually, have access to world shaping magics that you’re limited physically because you’ve been too busy studying the arcane arts to get outside and lift some weights. In… Continue reading Learning to Play a Wizard in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Second Edition Part 1: The Basics
Dungeons and Dragons Third Edition (D&D 3e) classes share many qualities with the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Second Edition (AD&D 2e) classes that preceded them but there are many noticeable differences. Chief among these differences is the way that classes advance in level. In D&D 3e all classes advance on a single chart which allows… Continue reading Learning to Play Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition: Player Character Classes (PH pgs 35 – 63)
Dragons Never Forget 