Arduin Week Day Seven 2021

This was posted in the Arduin Grimoire community on the defunct Google+ platform by Matrox Lusch a number of years ago.

From the old group, original source is unknown.

David Hargrave's Thirteen Rules for Survival

1. Nothing is ever what it seems, so always be alert.

Forget this rule at your peril, never assume. Some monsters hide in plain sight, the obvious trap may distract from the real trap. 

2. The Game Master cannot be out-fought, be he can be out-thought.

The best defense the players can muster is to work together and pool their knowledge and talents. 

3. In all melee, battle, or surprise situations, the prime thing to remember is that you must react. Do something, even if it’s wrong. Take action!

The Decision Challenged die! A vital old school ability is to be ready and be decisive, indecision kills. 

He who hesitates is lost. "Swift and resolute action leads to success; self-doubt is a prelude to disaster. The proverb goes back to 'Cato' by English essayist and poet Joseph Addison.

4. The surest way out of any ambush is through the point of maximum resistance. Never ever try to turn around and/or retreat. It’s precisely what they’ve planned for you to try. So hit them hard, fast, and hell bent for blood, because you’ve got nothing to lose anyway!

Again, he who hesitates is lost.

5. Never fight when you can think instead.

In real old school games, murder hobo's die quickly. Those who can think and decisively act with wisdom survive. Fighting everything is suicide. Trying to kill everything is stupid. If you think fighting is always the only option, you are dead before you begin.

6. Beware mixing the three M’s: melees, missiles, and magik. To do so is to court disaster.

Enough said, no need to belabor the obvious. 

7. Remember that for battle you must have preparation; distance between yourself and the target; sufficient delay time in which to wield your maximum firepower, and enough firepower to ensure the absolute destruction of your intended target.

Fight if you must and if you must, fight to win.

8. Always expect the worst in any given situation. Always be prepared for the worst, no matter where you may be, and truly, through practice, become “the worst” so that trouble will strive mightily to avoid you!

There was a reason the Boy Scouts of yesteryear had the motto of "Be Prepared." Be Prepared means “you are always in a state of readiness in mind and body to do your duty.”

9. You must have eyes and ears in all directions at all times.

Are you focused? Or are you talking about non-game things during the game? Are you focused? Or do people have to remind you of what is going on and what they just asked you to do? If so, you are highly subject to being surprised.

10. A closed mouth means silence, which equates to secrecy, which means safety and a surer way to travel. Don’t advertise your destination.

Amazing the loose chatter that comes out of players when they are in taverns or other public venues where who knows who or what is listening. Amazing the things that players volunteer to NPCs without any reason to have done so.

11. Be careful with your weapons - they cut in two directions, and your friends are often more vulnerable than your foes.

More than one PC has fallen from "friendly fire."

12. Every adventurer should be prepared to fight and/or flee at any time with no more than what he is wearing and carrying. And don’t load yourself down with a lot of junk; be selective.

Your kit should contain nothing trivial, every item should have a purpose and be the things that you need the most.

13. The thirteenth, though last, is the most important of all the rules of survival:

THINK!! THINK!! THINK!!

Old school players are masters of the art of thinking. They are focused, thoughtful and they develop good memories of things that can save their lives. But beyond this, successful adventurers are creative and can come up with ideas at the drop of a hat. For every obstacle there are solutions. Thinkers mine for solutions all the time.