Smoldering Wizard's Old-School Gaming Forums

When S&W WB came out it had to stay close to S&W core and it was still early for clones and they deviated quite a bit to make sure the WotC hammer didn’t come down.

I have been thinking about the next update and how I wish the game was closer to the original game. Things like making sure the monsters are close and using the Original games treasure type system, etc.

The thing is, perhaps that would be too big of a change from S&W White Box and all the WB:FMAG up to this point or maybe it wouldn’t matter?

What do you folks think?

I don't think it would matter much. That's my 2 cents. Then again, WB has really recharged my OSR batteries, so I'm happy to have been introduced to it and these forums.

One of the things I liked about the very first print of WB was that it embraced the changes that made it unique. So you notice in that first print the BHB was right in the class advancement tables, as if to say that ascending AC was the default (even if not stated outright). The single save was there and was _not_ accompanied by the standard OD&D saving throw tables. There were lots of sidebars in the text, calling out ways to houserule the game. It said to me - "Here is the basic framework, now make it your own". That in itself is exactly what 1974 OD&D was. I always thought that by the 3rd print Matt had tried to please too many people and WB had become watered down, less unique. So I guess what I'm saying is I would wish for something closer to that first print while still staying true to OD&D's roots - and FMAG already does this to a large degree with the BHB in the class tables, and the underworld adventuring rules from OD&D vol III. So maybe it just needs some minor fixes. I'd love to see the suggested houserules called out in sidebars again, to accentuate the toolkit nature of the game. But really, I think the game as-is is nearly perfect and I'd vote for more time dedicated to settings and adventures.

Ha. Oh man, I thought I deleted this post! Oh well, it’s out there now.

I djust not really have anything more to say right now. Which is why I deleted it. Well thought I did.

I may just do small things with monster stats and spells, that can easily be incorporated into the next update. If I can ever get that damn Indesign file worked out.

But I also agree, Merias, that adventures and settings would be good.

While I agree about the sidebars for house rules, I think the larger format of early WB helped this. Optional rules in digest format books look too much like a gistraction unless they're in an appendix (which I'm not too struck on).

But as I said on G+, fixing the treasure rules would help the fighter/MU balance at higher levels