The Last Great D&D Game

[OldSchoolGamer]

The year is 1985, and it's time for the last great Dungeons and Dragons game of your life.  So grab those books, that case of Coke, those Doritos, those Black Sabbath and AC/DC albums, and those dice.  It's gaming time!

Oh, you'll play D&D again after today, but somehow, deep down inside, you know it won't quite be the same.  Graduation is in a couple weeks, you start your summer job, make your move, or begin your Army duty a week or two afterwards.  That won't leave much time for your hobbies.  You'll steal an evening here, a day there, perhaps, if you're lucky.  But it won't be the same. 

So you're making this one a campaign for the record books.  It's going to run from Friday at dinner to who knows when on Sunday afternoon.  What's more, someone came up with the idea of appearing in-character, dressed for the part.  So you've all decided to go medieval.  You rented a cabin at the lake a few miles out of town, up in the hills.  It's like a graduation present...for yourselves.  You want the game to be as realistic as possible.

But that night, it will become more real than you could possibly have imagined...

This is a story where a D&D game comes to life.  I picture it will be dark and gritty in places (orc sex, anyone?) and beautiful in others.  Characters can gradually turn into D&D-style adventurers, or remain 20th-century people in a rather interesting place.  There will be a deeper plot...I don't want to give away the story, but characters will uncover a storyline here, and find threads tying the world they find themselves in with Earth.  There will be elements of Stirling and Edgar Rice Burroughs here, as both of these writers treated the juxtaposition of eras extensively in their work.  The opportunity to return to Earth at times may present itself.

Anyone interested?

[Ryvaken]

Interested? Mesmerized, more like.

Query. Are we restricted to character concepts that would have existed in 1985's D&D?

[Far eyes]

A highly interesting concept

Is this going to be 3.5E, as my experience with 1 and 2E is limited?

Core books or is anything outside that allowed

[NightBird]

I have so many fond memories of those high school D&D games in the early 80s. I'd love to do this, especially if it's limited to the core classes for the old-style feel. I still have my 2E collection in boxes somewhere, but 3rd is probably easier with the SRD available for free.

I'm thinking elven ranger... as close to the character I played back then as I can manage.

[Muse]

Oh, lordy, Ty!  This is so PERFECT! 

(Please tell me your sticking to your guns for 2E D&D!) 

[WraithBlade]

*still has his AD&D books...*

[Far eyes]

Has ADnD books but newer really got weary much into the mechanics, would need a tincy wincy bit of help with it. But I <3 the spell durations. Armor or Charm person anybody

[BK Geno]

Oh, oh, oh. I want to join! Can I be a half dragon?

[firestorm]

This sounds like a fun game!  I'd dig up my AD&D rulebooks for this in a heartbeat.

[Ryvaken]

Right then, I'm out. Fun concept, love the genre, but for the first time in my life I'm a gamer generation too young.

[firestorm]

Well, to be fair, I don't think a system has actually been mentioned yet -- but 2e WOULD be appropriate for a game supposedly run in 1985.  Then again, I don't think a little historical inaccuracy will spoil the game any.

[kongming]

As far as I recall, 2E was easy: the majority of it  (beyond character creation and some basics) is all made up on the spot, each group running their own patchwork of houserules out of necessity. Apparently character optimisation was easy too: lie about rolling an 18/00 for STR, nothing else to it. None of these "options" kids have these days 

...I couldn't help myself. I just had to sass it.

(Incidentally, I love the idea and would join, but I don't want to be irresponsible here - I currently have been disregarding the games I'm in too much, and ZK has first dibs on me when I get moving again. Otherwise, I would enjoy this a lot.)

[Muse]

*Chortles*  Kon-chan no kawaii desu ne! 

[HairyHeretic]

Could be a lot of fun, but I'm not sure my last D&D character would quite fit ... Rabid Snarling Badger, the half orc monk :)

[Sarat]

OH OH I WANNA PLAY! If it's 2nd that is.....not the pansy non char dying 3.5 version. I want the 2nd edition, gritty, be careful, Save v. Death, one wrong step and you die, version. Now THATS what I'm talkin about! Hardcore. But yeah, I want to play, even if it's not 2nd. Muse can vouch for me...=)

[schnookums]

Man, I shouldn't get involved in another game, but I want to play too...

[Lanzlo]

This sounds great. I want in, even if (or perhaps because) it is Old Skool D&D.

[RubySlippers]

I would but I just threw out my 2E D&D books since I'm moving and had to lighten my stuff and never expected to play it again. 3E is better anyway.

[Tawny]

*has many many many ad&d books, 1st and 2nd ed, plus some advanced/expert rules for the original d&d*  Hmmm.. I might be interested, depending on how swiftly the game moves.  I am in quite a few games here and elsewhere, plus tabletop game or games on the weekend, and WoW. 

What edition would it be???  Please say 1st or 2nd ed :) :) :) *giggle*

[OldSchoolGamer]

Wow...I didn't think my little idea would be so popular.  

A couple of clarifications here:

1) The story itself features modern characters (not D&D) who find themselves in a D&D-style world whilst playing a game of AD&D Second Edition.  Therefore the game itself is not starting as any version of D&D per se.  

2) The way the game works, your characters can transform into first-level Second Edition D&D characters.  Yes, I'm going to be using Second Edition because Third Edition is way too much system overhead.  I'd rather spend my time creating the storyline than consulting 12 diferent tables to resolve 6 variables modified 5 different ways to determine exactly how a goblin gets spavined.

3) As DM I do tend to interpret rules as guidelines rather than absolutes.  I also assign traits to characters...special mods that I think most 3E enthusiasts would agree help bring some of the customizability of 3E to 2E.   For example, a character with a yen for reckless charges into battle might get a trait of Hard Charger, which would give him a +1 to hit but -1 on AC during his first melee attack in a battle.  

[HairyHeretic]

Would the players physically transform into their characters (fully or partially)? I presume they'd have their characters skills and knowledge as well as their own? And what game world would you be using? Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk? That would affect the choice of characters available.

[OldSchoolGamer]

That would depend solely on the player's role-playing decisions.  Players could have their characters "go native," in which case they would slowly but surely acquire the abilities, real and fantastic, of a D&D character (not necessarily the one they were playing).  Or players could have their characters try and be like David Innes in Pellucidar, using their knowledge of 21st-century technology to "civilize" the fantasy world.

Or try to, as this world bites back...

But no, there's not going to be a moment of instantaneous transition when the characters will suddenly get all these cool powers.

Would the players physically transform into their characters (fully or partially)? I presume they'd have their characters skills and knowledge as well as their own? And what game world would you be using? Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk? That would affect the choice of characters available.

[HairyHeretic]

Hmm. So how would you handle magic, both mages and clerics? Seems to me it would be kinda tricky to have those powers just start appearing.

[Muse]

 So, no physical transformation, then?  For example, if I, as a male human, was playing a female elf, would I wind up in a trans gendered story? 

[OldSchoolGamer]

So, no physical transformation, then?  For example, if I, as a male human, was playing a female elf, would I wind up in a trans gendered story? 

You would remain yourself...you would simply "become" a D&D character.  If you wanted to undergo a gender transformation, I could always arrange for you to find an amulet of gender reversal.  ;-)