THAC0 Really Was Stupid
We played another session of The Outsiders campaign last Saturday, and we kept having issues keeping combat rolls straight. The whole “rolling high to hit a low number” caused confusion on multiple occasions. While this was particularly true for players new to AD&D, even I (the DM) had a hard time explaining it and keeping it straight.
I have decades of experience with AD&D, RPGs and negative Armor Classes – but I’m out of practice and routine play. When planning the upcoming gaming weekend for our college group, Richard (“EvilDM” here) and I talked about how we were all probably rusty on the mechanics and the rules. We used to be able to quote rules “chapter and verse”, and instantly find passages in any rulebook. But those days are long gone.
The problem with new players, is that they have yet to have those days. And, in the current stage of our lives (work, kids, wives, mortgages, responsibilities…) where we only get to play one Saturday evening every couple of weeks, we probably won’t have those days anytime soon. We played a bit of 4e early on, and while there are things about it I don’t like; it is certainly more accessible from a mechanics standpoint.
Recent Comments