A Few Good Monsters

Less is More
As a referee I try hard not to over describe. Allowing the imagination of players to "fill-in" details and hypothesize and "go wild" is one of my goals. As a result I do a lot of answering questions from my players. Verisimilitude and immersion are two of my main goals in refereeing and I am of the opinion both are easier to achieve when using the adage "less is more".
There is an element of storytelling in all role-playing type games. I like to share that task with my players, even while we are engaged in a game system that predates an emphasis on narrative. White Box is so flexible that inserting some narrative techniques borrowed from indie games has posed no problem. Asking the players to describe certain things during the game helps get them in the habit of imagining beyond the table action of consulting their character sheet and rolling dice. I use maps and miniatures very sparingly and mostly rely on "theater of the mind".
White Box doesn't include a list of skills and prior to Supplement I there aren't any mechanics for opening a lock or disarming a trap. I like to have my players think through a situation, picture in their mind's eye, describe how they search a room, disarm a trap or other tasks that can become just a dice roll in later editions and other game systems. Fewer rules can lead to greater player engagement and player skill development.
Fewer monsters, shorter spell lists and fewer magic items can mean each one takes on greater importance. I seldom mention a monster by name, preferring to describe what the party sees, hears, smells and feels. I do try to be consistent in my monster descriptions so that players can know that what they have before them is the same as what they encountered a while back. Often a familiar odor will announce a monster's presence before they see or hear him. I think some consistency is important to allow predictability and smart game decisions. I like to define my milieu in part by what monsters are commonly encountered and have given up using every monster in the book for each campaign. I take the same approach to magic spells, making some easy to acquire and others rare. Keeping the overall number of spells small makes a "new" spell stand out and have special value to the possessor of such rare knowledge. Each magic item I try to make unique, by its history or abilities. That way I think each acquired "treasure" seems more special and "magical". Magic items are not generally offered for sale in my world.
When designing an area for adventure I try to sketch out several possible avenues for the players to pursue rather than detail out too much and hope I can wrangle the PCs into my plan. I depend on them to pick a course of action, but provide some guidance. This method requires more improvisation on my part as referee, but allows greater freedom for the players and results in some surprises for me. I generally start a campaign off with a general idea of what's happening in the world and how things will progress without PC intervention and then present the situation to the PCs and together we find out how it all plays out.
Experience systems range from simple to complex, but all reinforce certain behavior on the part of PCs. White Box bases exp. on monetary gain, with a little extra for killing monsters. I like a simple system that is easy for the PCs to understand and for the referee to keep track of. Pay-outs can take many forms and variety seems desirable. Piles of coin are nice and adventurers will always be happy when they acquire such, but I find it more interesting to mix up "mundane" treasure by replacing some coinage with goods of equivalent value, such as carpets, vases, statues, and other furnishings, books, maps and scrolls, incense, oils, spices and other rare ingredients.

Demihumans

Thoughts on Fantasy Race
Elves, dwarves and hobbits, who together with various human peoples, oppose the evil forces of Sauron in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy form the player character races in White Box. In life, it seems timing is everything and at the time Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson were creating their White Box, the works of J.R.R. Tolkien were becoming very popular, so popular that according to gamer legend, Mr. Gygax was pressured by players to include the Tolkien-esque races despite his own preference for human PCs. Later editions of the game call these the demihuman races.
I have always struggled with demihuman PCs, mostly because I think they should be more odd and fantastic than most people play them. In the boardgame Dungeon! by David Megarry, (who I believe also gamed with Dave Arneson) playing the elf character gives a bonus to finding secret doors and only needs 10,000 gold in treasures to win the game, otherwise the elf plays the same as the wizard, the hero and the superhero. The elf is just a playing piece with specific rules that set it apart. I think this is the way demihuman PCs are often seen by those playing them in pen & paper role-playing games.
Taking on the "role" of a non-human and trying to make it seem different and alien from humans is more of a challenge. Ultimately, demihumans may end up being played much like human PCs except with pointy ears, or a beard. After all, we players are human with limited ability to be otherwise. As a consequence, I prefer humanocentric milieux both as a player and as a referee. As referee I like to characterize the demihuman as having an alien personality and motives that often defy understanding, thereby making them an adventure to interact with. The imaginary races seem to lose their fantastic element when they become PCs.
Richard Snider has a rather unique take on elves and dwarves in his Powers & Perils game. The game is set in what Mr. Snider calls the middle world which is most similar to our own ancient/medieval world and lies between the upper world of the gods and demons (heaven, hell, etc) and the lower world of elves, trolls, faerry, etc. The lower world predates the sun and is a land of perpetual twilight. Humans may visit the upper world or lower world and occasionally denizens from those worlds may enter the middle world, and interact with humans. I like this idea. 

Good & Evil

...or Shades of Gray
Epic struggles between the forces of good and evil describe many novels and frpg campaigns. Others feature a less dramatic delineation between good and evil, both of which may exist in the same individual. One of the defining elements of a milieu is how the question of good and evil is dealt with.
Prof. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a classic example of an evil focused in the being of a single entity bent on ruining the world and the forces of good, our heroes, who gallantly oppose that evil, both through the conventional means of alliance, might-of-arms and magic and ultimately through the seemingly less powerful means of friendship, self sacrifice, mercy and simple perseverance (and maybe also a little luck). It is the less powerful methods of goodness that arguably makes this such an appealing story. Prof. Tolkien didn't invent the epic scale, world-in-the-balance tale of good verses evil, but he certainly created one of fantasy literature's more recognizable and oft-copied examples.
The pulp fiction industry which heavily influenced the authors of White Box, and continues to flavor much of contemporary game design, approaches the question of good and evil in a more dark and gritty manner, which has become a defining feature of the genre. Termed Sword & Sorcery when set in an ancient, fantastic and frequently decadent imaginary world, authors such as R.E. Howard and Fritz Leiber  wrote many fascinating tales involving characters who often straddle the moral line between good and evil. Thieves, rogues and usurpers all, who live by a personal code with little regard for law or religion, their heroes seldom "save the world" and can on occasion, leave things in a bigger mess than they found them.
Fantasy games have frequently featured characters modeled on Tolkien's Middle Earth, but just as often modeled on Sword & Sorcery rogues. White Box supports both as befits its widespread roots in fantastic literature. The thief character class of Greyhawk and Blackmoor's assassin class give players a hint that those worlds are not necessarily all about telling the stories of good triumphing over evil. White Box's alignment system lists Law, Chaos and Neutral as the sides on which all creatures contend with each other. Evil is often associated with Chaos, but they are not the same thing, unless of course the referee says they are!
How the referee sets up the milieu largely defines the role good and evil will play in the stories that come out of game play. I have been reading Richard Snider's Powers & Perils rules which includes information on the game's default setting and an interesting alignment system. Humans in this milieu are unique in having the capacity for "free will" as it pertains to alignment. Humans get to choose, all others, including elves and dwarfs, are aligned by their very nature and get no choice in the matter. Alignment sets forces in opposition and determines who one's friends and enemies are. It also plays a role in determining what magic is available for use.
Whether it is the defining element in determining the character's actions and the fate of the world, or merely one aspect of choices made, good and evil deserve some thought in setting up the type of milieu desired. In its versatility, White Box can support many interpretations and I think this is by intent. Whether gaming or in life, what one sees in the world is largely determined by what one looks for.

Powers & Perils

Avalon Hill Enters the FRPG Field
The art on this box cover has always intrigued me, which together with the Avalon Hill name probably prompted me to purchase this game back in 1984. It very much has that sword & sorcery look of a Frank Frazetta book cover illustration. It pulls me into the scene, evil sorcerer and his snarling pet lizard is confronted by our barbarian hero, assisted by a pretty femme fatale. The illustration has some depth to the composition and even though it isn't great art, there is action and excitement here, just the sort of thing I would have been looking for in an adventure game at that age. Published by Avalon Hill, the originator of and at the time still the biggest name in cardboard counter and map wargames, Powers & Perils (P&P) held the promise that Avalon Hill would deliver the same quality to its fantasy role-playing game (frpg) that I had come to expect in wargame purchases.
Inside the box are five paper booklets (The Character Book, The Combat and Magic Book, The Creature Book, The Book of Human Encounters and Treasure, and County Mordara) and some dice. The booklets follow a general organization pattern familiar to anyone who has read their wargames. (That is they have numbered sections like 12.1.4 and so on.) Despite being broken into four rule books and a scenario, and introducing the rules in the order players are likely to use them starting with character generation and also using the familiar wargame rules organization technique, I recall having difficulty rolling up a character and grasping the mechanics back when this game was new. The interior illustrations are all b&w and are generally less impressive than the cover illustration, although the Frazetta influence is still in evidence.
I believe this game sat, unplayed, on my bookshelf for several years, until I finally sold it about a decade ago. I purchased P&P at a time my group was looking for something "more realistic" than White Box, although I continued to run White Box as well as experiment with other games. The group finally settled on RuneQuest 2nd ed. as our "more realistic game", but again, I continued to run White Box (often using Red Box, if that makes any sense). I recently saw a nice used copy of P&P for sale and purchased it (the above image). Maybe I was drawn in once again by that box illustration, maybe by the fact that many games I found "unplayable" in my youth now make sense to me upon reading them again and I am wondering if P&P might be one of those. Maybe it's pure nostalgia - a powerful drug to a middle-aged guy.

Old School Renaissance

What's Old is New

The Old School Renaissance (OSR) has supplied me with an enormous amount of entertaining reading, both in terms of blogs and published game material. The earliest offerings seem to have been aimed to allow publication of new material compatible with White Box or another of the early editions. Many make use of the Open Game License (OGL) concept and the Standard Resource Document (SRD) and seek to recreate one of the early editions of the most popular roleplaying game.  If they are very close to one of the early editions, they are termed simulacrum or “clones”. At this point there are multiple offerings for just about every version of Original, Basic and Advanced. Each new title brings something new, be it organization, a small change supposed to be an improvement, or some original art. Perhaps their greatest appeal is price as the new products cost considerably less than the collectible originals. The original White Box remains my favorite version of the game, although there are certainly some impressive new games I have recently encountered. P&P has that "old" look to it and does a good job of breaking down the White Box into its "essence" and rebuilding something very similar to the original experience using new mechanics. Chris Gonnerman's Iron Falcon stands out among the "clones" as probably the closest mechanically to the original three LBBs plus Supplement I. Spellcraft & Swordplay by Jason Vey comes to mind as among the most original of the "nostalgia" games. Like P&P, Spellcraft & Swordplay attempts to capture much of the spirit of the White Box era of wargames intersecting with roleplaying. Using a mechanic based on the Chainmail miniatures rules rather than the more common "alternate combat system", Mr. Vey presents an alternative visioning of the game had it continued to develop along those lines.  Whitehack by Christian Mehrstam combines the OSR game feel with some indie-style narrative elements and a brief, but very original setting description, in a way that intrigues me. Indie gamers frequently “hack” their games by modifying published rules for their own use, usually involving an original setting. Yes, the DIY spirit of the 1970’s is still evident in the more amateur side of the hobby and that certainly gets my attention.

Pits & Perils

A Nostalgia Game
Pits & Perils (P&P) is a re-imagining of the White Box, it is not a simulacrum or clone, but rather authors James & Robyn George have seemingly closely examined what makes White Box what it is and have designed a game that does what White Box does (minus introducing the world to a new hobby, of course) in a manner that reflects the 1970's style amateur press products, yet using their own new mechanics. The resulting product is delightful to read and maybe one of the best rules-lite games I have seen.
P&P notes in the Introduction that White Box was "just a special kind of war game".  Rules designed by amateurs for their own enjoyment, played with friends using miniature figures with an emphasis 1:1 on tactical decisions and imagination - describing just the state of the hobby circa 1977 when I acquired my White Box. I recall feeling it was a terribly difficult game to decipher and I was never sure we were "playing it correctly'. P&P attempts to solve this latter issue while reproducing the feel of a 1977 game, right down to the odd font which looks like it was "typed in someone's basement" and the artwork which is all done by the author.
So what makes P&P stand out? Mr. and Mrs. George have cleverly distilled the six classic ability scores down to a single roll to determine which one (or maybe two) of the abilities the PC is outstanding in, Strength, Intelligence, Dexterity, Wisdom, Constitution or Charisma. Being outstanding in an ability may give some game bonus or allow the PC to do things other PCs can't. Humans can excel at any ability, while dwarfs and elves are limited. P&P is a class and level system and uses the "race as class" concept of early "Basic". Human PCs can be a Cleric, Fighter, Magician or Thief. Certain exceptional abilities are associated with certain classes, like Strength and Fighter, Dexterity and Thief, but there is no rule that prevents a Fighter with exceptional Intelligence or Wisdom, or a Magician with exceptional Strength. The exceptional ability gives each PC a specialty in addition to their class special features and further encourages teamwork.
Each class differs in the amount of experience needed to level, hit points, armor and weapons allowed, and any special class abilities such as a cleric's ability to turn away undead and a thief's ability to pick locks and disarm traps. Each PC must choose a "side" which corresponds to White Box alignment. Lawful characters are "honorable and generally good", Neutral characters are self-interested and generally non-committed, while followers of the Chaotic side are "unpredictable and often quite evil".
P&P uses a universal mechanic, a roll of two six-sided dice added together to achieve a number equal to or greater than a 9 in combat or to a 7 out of combat. Fighters get a +1 bonus in combat, dwarfs receive a +1 to all saves. In combat a successful hit deals either one or two points of damage, armor increases one's hit points and using a two handed weapon adds an additional damage point. P&P seems less deadly at low level play and high level PCs seem less uber-powerful, particularly in hit points, compared to many other games. A magician starts with 5 HP and a fighter with 10. At 9th level the magician will have 14 HP and the fighter 28. With each hit causing one or two points of damage it takes a few of them to drop a PC to 0 HP and death.
Encumbrance limit is 10 items and up to 1,000 coins, simple and easy. Armor slows movement and adds a bonus to overall HP. Combat starts with initiative/surprise and PCs have the choice of several actions such as maneuvering, blocking with a shield, parrying with a weapon, attacking or casting a spell. Various tactical situations add to or subtract from the attack roll making P&P combat feel like a miniatures war game - one with fantastic creatures and lots of magic.
Magicians can cast a number of magic spells depending on their available magic points starting with two spell points per day. There are twenty-four spells on the list and curiously, they all have four-letter names. The starting Magician or Elf can know any 3 spells from the list, each costs the same (1 spell point) to cast. Clerics know Cure and Heal and their magic is called "Miracles" rather than spells. Otherwise it works very similar, but Clerics are better at casting Cure and Heal.
Experience is gained for killing monsters and acquiring treasure, so P&P is a "kill monsters and take their stuff" type game. The actual exp. numbers are relatively low compared to many games with a typical level 1 monster earning the PC 5 exp. and 150 exp. is needed for a Cleric to reach 2nd level. The experience tables top-out at 9th level with the highest, Elf, needing 80,000 exp. to reach that level. Like White Box, P&P uses titles for class level such as "acolyte" and "novice" respectively for 1st level Clerics and Magicians. P&P lists 87 monsters and gives a brief description of each. Included are some common animals (some of giant size) such as horse and mule, ape and bat as well as many of the classic fantasy monster tropes such as dragon, troll, vampire and minotaur.
Mr. & Mrs. George have published a couple supplement books for P&P, but the basic rules cover essentially the same ground as the 3 LBBs plus Greyhawk, of course all is in the unique P&P style. P&P is a recent purchase for me and I have not had a chance to play it yet, but I am very excited to do so. There is a lot of material packed into these 74 pages and although the basic mechanic is simple, like some of the best wargames there seems to be considerable subtlety there that only repeated play can reveal. In P&P, like in White Box, success depends on players cooperating, using their collective and individual game skill and imagination and making good decisions. That's the way I recall the game being played in 1977.

Fighting Man, Magic User, Cleric

The Three Original Classes
White Box introduced the world to a new pastime and in many ways defines the resulting hobby today. Mr. Gygax and Mr. Arneson re-imagined the stories they loved, involving heroics, magic and the supernatural, and invented a new type of game, one where players get to experience through an alter ego, the player's character, those adventures read about in mythology and fantastic fiction and seen portrayed on the screen and in comics. Archetypes and icons figure prominently in the design of their game including the Fighting Man - warrior, knight or strong-man, the Magic User - wizard, sorcerer or wise-man, and the Cleric - crusader, priest or holy-man - Heroes all, who conquer adversity by using their bodies, their minds or their faith. The inclusion of the Cleric, inspired by the medieval warrior-monks of various religious orders such as the Knights Templar, I think says much about the game's creators, their interests and their intent for the game's default setting or milieu.
The class system seems a way to organize, individualize and balance player character (PC) abilities and specializations, giving each PC a unique role to play in the party mix. Combined with Tolkien-esque races, the White Box player can choose among a number of unique characters. Backgrounds and fully fleshed PC personalities are not encouraged in the rules as written, partially I believe because of the high anticipated mortality rate of low-level PCs. PC personality is what develops through play and the longer the PC lives and adventures, the more personality becomes established.
White Box essentially encourages each referee to make the game their own. This often involves modification of some aspect of the rules including the addition of alternate classes and sub-classes of playable characters, frequently a part of campaign development as evidenced by the official supplements. My initial discovery of White Box included a near mindless desire to play with all the options without regard to source or effect on the nature of the milieu. At this point I am more deliberate in my choices and ask myself whether the original three classes aren't enough. How is the campaign shaped by offering additional PC classes?
Supplement I introduces the thief class and paladin subclass. They can be viewed as specific to the Greyhawk campaign along with higher level magic spells and additional monsters and magic items that all help shape the particular milieu of Greyhawk. Most players, myself included, have treated Supplement I as additional material which we add to the White Box without much thought - an "upgrade". I think it is more than that, however. It is also our first model for how to customize White Box for a specific campaign. It is the rules for playing White Box in Greyhawk.
The White Box gives us the basics and with the Fighting Man, Magic User and Cleric many fun and exciting games can be played. Adding additional material should be done deliberately and with purpose because it will change the game to some extent. One of the reasons I keep returning to the original game is White Box encourages making the game your own.