There are no characters with dark vision in the original three little brown books. Without a light source, characters are in the dark. Elves, dwarves, humans and hoblings are all dependent on a light source in order to use their vision. Being plunged into blackness and forced to rely on senses other than vision is disorienting and frightening. It's also part of the tone of the original dungeon game.
Monster creatures who dwell in the underworld have access to an almost magical ability to "see" in pitch blackness. They sense their way through corridors and glean the presence of intruders and prey. This ability to "see" in the dark serves them right up until the moment they are charmed or otherwise convinced to aid a party of adventurers when they suddenly become just as blind in the dark as real life humans. This is all by design and adds to the potential enjoyment of the game.
People find a safe scary situation exciting. In situations where there is no real danger, a scary story, film or amusement ride makes us tingle and jump and we find it all good fun to laugh about afterwards. Adding the element of imagined darkness and the threat of boogie men we can'y see, cliffs and traps we may blindly stumble over, all adds to the wonder and tension of the game.
Thank the deities for those light spells!
Danger of all types seems more immediate in White Box and other old school games. Fewer hit points and weaker healing magic is also part of the tone. The cure light wounds spell is available at level two for the cleric class (no spells at level one cleric, sorry). A better cure spell doesn't become available until level 6. So that magical healing is not about setting the characters aright in terms of max hit points, it rather seems a way to stabilize a seriously weakened character so that they might push a little further and prolong the current delve, or just survive the dangerous trip back out of the dungeon where time and safety can do the rest. The idea that parties of adventurers heal up after each encounter is not old school.
Casting during combat is risky in the original game. The rules are not explicit in the LBBs, but the game is frequently played such that spells require the entire combat round in order to take effect and that if the casting character is damaged during this round, the spell is lost. It fails to take effect and the spell is considered used and therefore not available until after rest and re-memorization.
In the original game it is customary to roll three d6 in order for the six ability scores. The original three LBBs allow for very few bonuses (or minuses) based on these ability scores other than the prime ability score bonus to earned experience for each class. There is no rolling against an ability as appears in the Basic and Expert version (B/X), so the function of the ability scores is often seen as an aid to roleplaying in older editions. If the character has high scores in strength and constitution they may be seen as strong and healthy. Low scores in intelligence and wisdom imply that the character is a bit dull and uneducated. A high charisma suggests the character makes a good impression and inspires loyalty. A critical examination of the character's ability scores may help the player get a "feel" for who their PC is and how to play them during the game.
The tone of the original game is one very close to the real world. Darkness is absolute and can be scary. Characters are vulnerable to damage caused by weapons and other hazards so we worry about their health and survival. While the game is new, and in the days of the original game we were all experiencing something new, the sense of wonder is easy to achieve as each new creature is an unknown, magical effects have not become routine and surprises abound. The longer we play, the harder it is to achieve some of these effects.
At my table, I try to make use of these old school sensibilities. Darkness is dark, characters are vulnerable and magic and creatures are unpredictable and special. There are no orcs or goblins, just bigger and smaller humanoids with pointy fangs and dirty nails, and who may or may not be looking to eat you.
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