Continuing the list of olde archaic words for your enjoyment and enlightenment:
Settlers' matches - A name occasionally applied to the long pendulous strips of bark which hang from the Eucalyptus and other trees during decortication, and which, becoming exceedingly dry, are readily ignited and used as kindling wood.
Octogamie - Marrying eight times. From Latin ecto, and Old French gamie (marriage).
Purse Proud - Haughty on account of wealth.
Extranean - An outsider, stranger; one not belonging to a household . . . in the grammar school at Aberdeen, the extranean was one who had not gone through the regular curriculum from the lowest to the highest classes, but had come from other schools for the last quarter in order to get a final drill or finishing touch before going to compete for the university bursaries or scholarships.
Seeksorrow - One who contrives to give himself vexation.
Chair-days - A time of repose; the evening of life.
Crump - One that helps solicitors to affidavit- men and overseers . . . who, for a small sum will be bound or swear for anybody, on that occasion putting on good cloaths to make a good appearance, that bail may be accepted.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
OD&D - Old Forgotten English Words - 013
Continuing the list of olde archaic words for your enjoyment and enlightenment:
Snickle - A snare for birds, constructed of horsehair.
Invalid's table - At Yale college in former times, a table at which those who were not in health could obtain more nutritious food than was supplied at the common board.
Queer rooster - An informer that pretends to be sleeping, and thereby overhears the conversations of thieves in night cellars.
Fangast - A marriageable maid.
Quill-driver - A scrivener, a clerk, satirical phrase similar to "steel bar driver," a tailor.
Cramp-rings - Ring(s) made out of old coffin-lead , and worn as a preservative against cramp.
Aroint - A word of aversion, to a witch or infernal spirit, of which the etymology is uncertain . . . It occurs in Shakespeare's Macbeth, "Aroint thee, witch, the rump-fed ronyon cries"
Snickle - A snare for birds, constructed of horsehair.
Invalid's table - At Yale college in former times, a table at which those who were not in health could obtain more nutritious food than was supplied at the common board.
Queer rooster - An informer that pretends to be sleeping, and thereby overhears the conversations of thieves in night cellars.
Fangast - A marriageable maid.
Quill-driver - A scrivener, a clerk, satirical phrase similar to "steel bar driver," a tailor.
Cramp-rings - Ring(s) made out of old coffin-lead , and worn as a preservative against cramp.
Aroint - A word of aversion, to a witch or infernal spirit, of which the etymology is uncertain . . . It occurs in Shakespeare's Macbeth, "Aroint thee, witch, the rump-fed ronyon cries"
OD&D - Old Forgotten English Words - 012
Continuing the list of olde archaic words for your enjoyment and enlightenment:
Weeping-ripe - Ready to weep; ripe for weeping. A notion long prevailed in this country that it augured ill for a matrimonial alliance if the bride did not weep profusely at the wedding. As no witch could shed more than three tears , and those from her left eye only, a copious flood of tears gave assurance to the husband that the lady had not plighted her troth to Satan, and was no witch.
Shinnock - The game of shinny . . . resembling hockey, the and club used for the game.
Bog-oranges - Potatoes. A phrase perhaps derived from the term "Irish fruit, " which by some strange peculiarity has been applied to potatoes, for even the most ignorant Cockney could hardly believe that potatoes grow in a bog.
Gabriel's hounds - These phantom hounds, jet black and breathing flames . . . frequent bleak and dreary moors on tempestuous nights, and woe betide the unlucky wretch who chances to cross their path.
Weeping-ripe - Ready to weep; ripe for weeping. A notion long prevailed in this country that it augured ill for a matrimonial alliance if the bride did not weep profusely at the wedding. As no witch could shed more than three tears , and those from her left eye only, a copious flood of tears gave assurance to the husband that the lady had not plighted her troth to Satan, and was no witch.
Shinnock - The game of shinny . . . resembling hockey, the and club used for the game.
Bog-oranges - Potatoes. A phrase perhaps derived from the term "Irish fruit, " which by some strange peculiarity has been applied to potatoes, for even the most ignorant Cockney could hardly believe that potatoes grow in a bog.
Gabriel's hounds - These phantom hounds, jet black and breathing flames . . . frequent bleak and dreary moors on tempestuous nights, and woe betide the unlucky wretch who chances to cross their path.
OD&D - Old Forgotten English Words - 011
Continuing the list of olde archaic words for your enjoyment and enlightenment:
Riding the hatch - In the district about the Land's End, a custom once prevailed known as riding the hatch. Persons suspected of immorality were mounted on the half-door (a Dutch door), which was then violently rocked until they fell off. If the accused fell into the house, he was judged to be innocent; if into the street, guilty.
Keak - A distortion or injury of the spine that causes deformity. It seems to have some affinity with the Cheshire word kench . . . "a twist or wrench, a strain or sprain." Our term, however, is never used but for a wrench in the spine.
Curglaff - the shock felt in bathing when one first plunges into the cold water; hence curgloff, panic struck.
Box harry - To live in a poor manner, or on credit. To go without food; to make a poor or coarse meal; to rough it; to take things as they are . . . Hence Boxharry-week, the blank week between pay-weeks when the workmen lived on credit or starved.
The phrase "to box Harry" probably means to box or fight, the devil.
Riding the hatch - In the district about the Land's End, a custom once prevailed known as riding the hatch. Persons suspected of immorality were mounted on the half-door (a Dutch door), which was then violently rocked until they fell off. If the accused fell into the house, he was judged to be innocent; if into the street, guilty.
Keak - A distortion or injury of the spine that causes deformity. It seems to have some affinity with the Cheshire word kench . . . "a twist or wrench, a strain or sprain." Our term, however, is never used but for a wrench in the spine.
Curglaff - the shock felt in bathing when one first plunges into the cold water; hence curgloff, panic struck.
Box harry - To live in a poor manner, or on credit. To go without food; to make a poor or coarse meal; to rough it; to take things as they are . . . Hence Boxharry-week, the blank week between pay-weeks when the workmen lived on credit or starved.
The phrase "to box Harry" probably means to box or fight, the devil.
OD&D - Old Forgotten English Words - 010
Continuing the list of olde archaic words for your enjoyment and enlightenment:
Man-browed - Having hair growing between the eyebrows. Here is is deemed unlucky to meet a person thus marked, especially if the first one meets in the morning. Elsewhere, it is a favourable omen. The term, I suppose, has been primarily applied to a woman, as by this exuberance indicating something of a masculine character, having brows like a man.
Almner - An officer of a king or prince's house whose function is carefully to collect the fragments of meat and victuals and distribute them . . . and likewise to receive and faithfully distribute *cast horses, robes, money and other things given in alms. He ought also to excite the king with often admonitions, especially on festival days, to be bountiful in giving alms, and to beseech that his rich robes may not be given to parasites, maskers and stage-players.
*Cast Horses - A horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor reposition himself to roll the other way. A horse can be injured from this and have to be put down.
Water-quake - A disturbance of water caused by volcanic action.
Man-browed - Having hair growing between the eyebrows. Here is is deemed unlucky to meet a person thus marked, especially if the first one meets in the morning. Elsewhere, it is a favourable omen. The term, I suppose, has been primarily applied to a woman, as by this exuberance indicating something of a masculine character, having brows like a man.
Almner - An officer of a king or prince's house whose function is carefully to collect the fragments of meat and victuals and distribute them . . . and likewise to receive and faithfully distribute *cast horses, robes, money and other things given in alms. He ought also to excite the king with often admonitions, especially on festival days, to be bountiful in giving alms, and to beseech that his rich robes may not be given to parasites, maskers and stage-players.
*Cast Horses - A horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor reposition himself to roll the other way. A horse can be injured from this and have to be put down.
Water-quake - A disturbance of water caused by volcanic action.
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.CP3EVp8Q.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.CP3EVp8Q.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.CP3EVp8Q.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.CP3EVp8Q.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.CP3EVp8Q.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.CP3EVp8Q.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.CP3EVp8Q.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.CP3EVp8Q.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.oD9SwJPy.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.oD9SwJPy.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.oD9SwJPy.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.oD9SwJPy.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.oD9SwJPy.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.oD9SwJPy.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.oD9SwJPy.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.oD9SwJPy.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.oD9SwJPy.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.oD9SwJPy.dpuf
A
horse can get stuck - or cast - in his stall. A horse is said to be
cast when he has lain down or rolled and managed to position himself
with his legs so close to the wall that he can neither get up nor
reposition himself to roll the other way. - See more at:
http://www.equisearch.com/article/help-your-cast-horse-your-horses-stall#sthash.oD9SwJPy.dpuf
OD&D - Old Forgotten English Words - 009
Continuing the list of olde archaic words for your enjoyment and enlightenment:
Resurrection Men - body-snatchers, those who broke open the coffins of the newly buried to supply the demands of the surgical and medical schools. The resurrectionist took the corpse naked, this being in law a misdemeanor, as opposed to a felony if garments were taken as well.
- First applied to Burke and Hare in 1829, who rifled graves to sell the bodies for dissection, and sometimes even murdered people for the same purpose.
Thraw - The Scots thought formerly, and may do still, that to die with what they call a thraw, that is, in pain and contortion, was an indication of having lived an ill life.
- To die with a thraw is reckoned an obvious indication of a bad conscience. When a person was secretly murdered, it was formerly believed that if the corpse were watched with certain mysterious ceremonies, the death-thraws would be reversed in its visage, and it would denounce the perpetrators and circumstances of the murder.
Scrofula - Hard swellings of the glandules of the neck and ears; the King's Evil - so called because it was thought that the touch of the King would cure it.
Resurrection Men - body-snatchers, those who broke open the coffins of the newly buried to supply the demands of the surgical and medical schools. The resurrectionist took the corpse naked, this being in law a misdemeanor, as opposed to a felony if garments were taken as well.
- First applied to Burke and Hare in 1829, who rifled graves to sell the bodies for dissection, and sometimes even murdered people for the same purpose.
Thraw - The Scots thought formerly, and may do still, that to die with what they call a thraw, that is, in pain and contortion, was an indication of having lived an ill life.
- To die with a thraw is reckoned an obvious indication of a bad conscience. When a person was secretly murdered, it was formerly believed that if the corpse were watched with certain mysterious ceremonies, the death-thraws would be reversed in its visage, and it would denounce the perpetrators and circumstances of the murder.
Scrofula - Hard swellings of the glandules of the neck and ears; the King's Evil - so called because it was thought that the touch of the King would cure it.
Monday, May 18, 2015
OD&D - Old Forgotten English Words - 008
Continuing the list of olde archaic words for your enjoyment and enlightenment:
Snuff-dipping - A mode of taking tobacco practiced by some of the lower class of women in the United States, consisting of dipping a brush among snuff and rubbing the teeth and gums with it.
Primovant - In ancient astronomy, that sphere which was supposed to carry the fixed stars in their daily motions, to which all the other orbs were attached.
Celibatist - A person who is unmarried.
Hungerslain - Having a famished appearance. The term is freely applied where circumstances hardly warrant it, as in the case of a family who occupy a large residence without having the means to provide suitable attendance.
Clapperclaw - to jangle and claw each other about. (from Dutch & German klappen, to strike.
- To tongue-beat, to scold.
- To scratch, maul, fight in an unskillful manner; generally used of women . . . Hence, clapperclaw, a noisy woman.
- A man having his face scratched by his wife is said to be "clapper-claad."
Snuff-dipping - A mode of taking tobacco practiced by some of the lower class of women in the United States, consisting of dipping a brush among snuff and rubbing the teeth and gums with it.
Primovant - In ancient astronomy, that sphere which was supposed to carry the fixed stars in their daily motions, to which all the other orbs were attached.
Celibatist - A person who is unmarried.
Hungerslain - Having a famished appearance. The term is freely applied where circumstances hardly warrant it, as in the case of a family who occupy a large residence without having the means to provide suitable attendance.
Clapperclaw - to jangle and claw each other about. (from Dutch & German klappen, to strike.
- To tongue-beat, to scold.
- To scratch, maul, fight in an unskillful manner; generally used of women . . . Hence, clapperclaw, a noisy woman.
- A man having his face scratched by his wife is said to be "clapper-claad."
OD&D - Old Forgotten English Words - 007
Continuing the list of olde archaic words for your enjoyment and enlightenment:
Daw, in common speech, is to awaken; to be dawed, to have shaken off sleep, to be fully awakened and to come to one's self out of a deep sleep.
Chilblains - An inflammation of the feet, hands, &c., occasioned by cold . . . Chilblains are treated by accustoming the parts to exposure, stimulant, terebinthinate and balsamic washes.
To thrash chilblains with holly is an old-fashioned cure, but in some places it is only efficacious if the feet are crossed during the painful operation.
Snoutfair - A person with a handsome countenance.
Screevers - Writers of false or exaggerated accounts of afflictions and privations . . . professional begging-letter writers. Persons who write begging-letters for others sometimes, though seldom, beg themselves. They are, in many cases, well supported by the fraternity for whom they write. A professional of this kind is called by the cadgers their "man of business." Their histories vary as much as their abilities, generally speaking, they have been clerks, teachers, shopmen, reduced gentlemen, or the illegitimate sons of members of the aristocracy, while others, after receiving a liberal education, have broken away from parental control and commenced the profession in early life, and will probably pursue it to their graves.
Daw, in common speech, is to awaken; to be dawed, to have shaken off sleep, to be fully awakened and to come to one's self out of a deep sleep.
Chilblains - An inflammation of the feet, hands, &c., occasioned by cold . . . Chilblains are treated by accustoming the parts to exposure, stimulant, terebinthinate and balsamic washes.
To thrash chilblains with holly is an old-fashioned cure, but in some places it is only efficacious if the feet are crossed during the painful operation.
Snoutfair - A person with a handsome countenance.
Screevers - Writers of false or exaggerated accounts of afflictions and privations . . . professional begging-letter writers. Persons who write begging-letters for others sometimes, though seldom, beg themselves. They are, in many cases, well supported by the fraternity for whom they write. A professional of this kind is called by the cadgers their "man of business." Their histories vary as much as their abilities, generally speaking, they have been clerks, teachers, shopmen, reduced gentlemen, or the illegitimate sons of members of the aristocracy, while others, after receiving a liberal education, have broken away from parental control and commenced the profession in early life, and will probably pursue it to their graves.
OD&D - Old Forgotten English Words - 006
Continuing the list of olde archaic words for your enjoyment and enlightenment:
Clock-faces - A favorite name for the small circles of ice formed upon a pool when it begins to freeze over.
Bundling - Bundling used to be a widely diffused Welsh custom before marriage. (It was also practiced in the American south up through the 1800's and perhaps longer in some areas) The betrothed or engaged pair went to bed or more frequently lay together, in their clothes . . . Even among families of good position it is tacitly recognized and tolerated, and it was at the outset the product of the clothed state, where touch had to play the part of sight in the unclothed. It is a rigorous condition that no liberty be taken with the dress. Prudent mothers gave daughters approaching bundling age a "courting-stocking" completely covering the girl's body from the waist downwards, with room for both legs within it; such stockings . . . were often heirlooms.
Bundling boards - A wooden board the length of the bed and 8-12 inches in width that was placed upright in the bed between the bundling couple.
Drink-meat - Ale boiled, thickened with oatmeal, and spiced.
Town-bull - It was formerly the custom to keep a bull for the common use of the town.
Clock-faces - A favorite name for the small circles of ice formed upon a pool when it begins to freeze over.
Bundling - Bundling used to be a widely diffused Welsh custom before marriage. (It was also practiced in the American south up through the 1800's and perhaps longer in some areas) The betrothed or engaged pair went to bed or more frequently lay together, in their clothes . . . Even among families of good position it is tacitly recognized and tolerated, and it was at the outset the product of the clothed state, where touch had to play the part of sight in the unclothed. It is a rigorous condition that no liberty be taken with the dress. Prudent mothers gave daughters approaching bundling age a "courting-stocking" completely covering the girl's body from the waist downwards, with room for both legs within it; such stockings . . . were often heirlooms.
Bundling boards - A wooden board the length of the bed and 8-12 inches in width that was placed upright in the bed between the bundling couple.
Drink-meat - Ale boiled, thickened with oatmeal, and spiced.
Town-bull - It was formerly the custom to keep a bull for the common use of the town.
Friday, May 15, 2015
OD&D - Old Forgotten English Words - 005
Continuing the list of olde archaic words for your enjoyment and enlightenment:
Gull-groper - A bystander that lends money to the gamesters.
Blutterbunged - confounded, overcome by surprise.
Minnock - To affect delicacy, to ape the manners of one's superiors.
Word-wanton - Obscene in speech.
Taghairm - A wild species of magic was practiced in the district of Trotternish that was attended with a horrible solemnity. A family who pretended to oracular knowledge ... was sewed up in the hide of an ox and , to add to the ceremony, was placed on a precipice beside a waterfall. The trembling enquirer was brought to the place where the shade and the roaring of the waters increased the dread of the occasion. The question is put, and the person in the hide delivers his answer. And so ends this species of divination styled taghairm.
Vomitory - a door of a large building by which the crowd is let out; from the Latin vomitorious.
Gull-groper - A bystander that lends money to the gamesters.
Blutterbunged - confounded, overcome by surprise.
Minnock - To affect delicacy, to ape the manners of one's superiors.
Word-wanton - Obscene in speech.
Taghairm - A wild species of magic was practiced in the district of Trotternish that was attended with a horrible solemnity. A family who pretended to oracular knowledge ... was sewed up in the hide of an ox and , to add to the ceremony, was placed on a precipice beside a waterfall. The trembling enquirer was brought to the place where the shade and the roaring of the waters increased the dread of the occasion. The question is put, and the person in the hide delivers his answer. And so ends this species of divination styled taghairm.
Vomitory - a door of a large building by which the crowd is let out; from the Latin vomitorious.
OD&D - Old Forgotten English Words - 004
Continuing the list of olde archaic words for your enjoyment and enlightenment:
Duck-shoving - A cabman's phrase. In Melbourne, before the days of the trams, the wagonette-cabs used to run by a time-table from fixed stations at so much a passenger. A cabman who did not wait his turn on the station rank, but touted passengers up and down the street in the neighbourhood of the rank, was called a duck-shover.
Fumbler - An unperforming husband, one that is insufficient: Fumbler's Hall, the place where such are to be put for their nonperformance.
Sal ammoniac - a volatile salt of two kinds. The ancient type was a native salt generated in inns where pilgrims ... used to lodge, who traveling upon camels, urinating in the stables; out of this urine arose a kind of salt, denominated ammoniac. The modern sal ammoniac is entirely factitious, and made in Egypt with soot, a little sea salt, and the urine of cattle.
Grave-merels - It is thought unlucky on the Borders to tread on the graves of unbaptized children ... He who steps on the grave of a stillborn or unbaptized child, subjects himself to the disease of grave-merels. ...There is a remedy for the grave-merels, though not of easy attainment. It lies in the wearing of a sark, thus prepared: The lint must be grown in a field which shall be manured by a farmyard heap that has not been disturbed for forty years. it must be spunby an old Habbitrot, that queen of spinsters, it must be bleached by an honest bleacher, in an honest miller's milldam, and sewed by an honest tailor. On donning this mysterious vestment, the sufferer will at once regain his health and strength.
Duck-shoving - A cabman's phrase. In Melbourne, before the days of the trams, the wagonette-cabs used to run by a time-table from fixed stations at so much a passenger. A cabman who did not wait his turn on the station rank, but touted passengers up and down the street in the neighbourhood of the rank, was called a duck-shover.
Fumbler - An unperforming husband, one that is insufficient: Fumbler's Hall, the place where such are to be put for their nonperformance.
Sal ammoniac - a volatile salt of two kinds. The ancient type was a native salt generated in inns where pilgrims ... used to lodge, who traveling upon camels, urinating in the stables; out of this urine arose a kind of salt, denominated ammoniac. The modern sal ammoniac is entirely factitious, and made in Egypt with soot, a little sea salt, and the urine of cattle.
Grave-merels - It is thought unlucky on the Borders to tread on the graves of unbaptized children ... He who steps on the grave of a stillborn or unbaptized child, subjects himself to the disease of grave-merels. ...There is a remedy for the grave-merels, though not of easy attainment. It lies in the wearing of a sark, thus prepared: The lint must be grown in a field which shall be manured by a farmyard heap that has not been disturbed for forty years. it must be spunby an old Habbitrot, that queen of spinsters, it must be bleached by an honest bleacher, in an honest miller's milldam, and sewed by an honest tailor. On donning this mysterious vestment, the sufferer will at once regain his health and strength.
OD&D - Old Forgotten English Words - 003
Some more olde words to lighten up your day and stimulate your thinking!
Duck's dinner - A drink of water without anything to eat.
Wolfshead - An outlaw, meaning a person who might be killed with impunity, like a wolf.
Shoot the moon - To remove furniture from a house in the middle of the night without paying the landlord.
Shuttle-gathering - An expedient for stopping weaving factories without breaking the machinery. The shuttles from the looms were forcibly gathered and taken away by the discounted weavers and, as they could not be replaced for several weeks, business had to be suspended.
Eyeshot - sight, glance, view. Hence, eye-reach, the range or reach of the eye; extent of vision.
Duck's dinner - A drink of water without anything to eat.
Wolfshead - An outlaw, meaning a person who might be killed with impunity, like a wolf.
Shoot the moon - To remove furniture from a house in the middle of the night without paying the landlord.
Shuttle-gathering - An expedient for stopping weaving factories without breaking the machinery. The shuttles from the looms were forcibly gathered and taken away by the discounted weavers and, as they could not be replaced for several weeks, business had to be suspended.
Eyeshot - sight, glance, view. Hence, eye-reach, the range or reach of the eye; extent of vision.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
OD&D - Old Forgotten English Words - 002
Continuing on with some of these fun archaic words:
Pixilated - Led astray, as if by pixies; confused, bewildered. Also intoxicated.
Pixilated - An early American expression derived from the word pixies, meaning elves. They would say, "The pixies have got him, " as we nowadays (1930's) would say a man is balmy.
Pixilated - To use the word in the sense of crazy is not correct. A Vermonter would not hesitate to use crazy if that conveyed his meaning. A pixilated man is one whose whimseys are not understood by practical-minded people ... More nearly a synonym of 'whimsical.'
Tree-geese - A name given to barnacles, from their supposed metamorphosis into geese.
Fiddler's green - A name given by sailors to their dancehouses and other places of frolic on shore; sailors' paradise.
Pixilated - Led astray, as if by pixies; confused, bewildered. Also intoxicated.
Pixilated - An early American expression derived from the word pixies, meaning elves. They would say, "The pixies have got him, " as we nowadays (1930's) would say a man is balmy.
Pixilated - To use the word in the sense of crazy is not correct. A Vermonter would not hesitate to use crazy if that conveyed his meaning. A pixilated man is one whose whimseys are not understood by practical-minded people ... More nearly a synonym of 'whimsical.'
Tree-geese - A name given to barnacles, from their supposed metamorphosis into geese.
Fiddler's green - A name given by sailors to their dancehouses and other places of frolic on shore; sailors' paradise.
OD&D - Old Forgotten English Words - 001
When you play OD&D do you ever throw in any old archaic words for flavor. Not everyone's players would appreciate it, I am sure; however, many of us enjoy words and play many different word games. I am a Scrabble fan myself; however, when I play I have one house rule - if an English word appears in any dictionary I can access the word is valid. When you play Scrabble using the OED and others it greatly increases the number of words available.
Here are a few archaic words, how many do you know?
Sough - the sound of the wind amongst the trees, the sound of one sleeping.
Sic-Sic - Said to pigs when called to the trough by those who think little that they are speaking pure Saxon, in which sic is pig.
Pulpatoon - A dish made of rabbits, fowl, etc., in a crust of forced meat.
Forced Meat - Minced and highly seasoned meat.
Martingale - A gambling term which means the doubling of a stake every time you lose, so that when you win once, you win back all that you have lost. So called from the fact that, as in all fair games you must win once, you have a safe hold of fortune. The difficulty is to obtain a bank large enough to do this effectively ... in a fair game.
Curtain-lecture - A lecture or homily delivered by a wife to her husband when in bed, upon the shortcomings and errors of his daily life.
Here are a few archaic words, how many do you know?
Sough - the sound of the wind amongst the trees, the sound of one sleeping.
Sic-Sic - Said to pigs when called to the trough by those who think little that they are speaking pure Saxon, in which sic is pig.
Pulpatoon - A dish made of rabbits, fowl, etc., in a crust of forced meat.
Forced Meat - Minced and highly seasoned meat.
Martingale - A gambling term which means the doubling of a stake every time you lose, so that when you win once, you win back all that you have lost. So called from the fact that, as in all fair games you must win once, you have a safe hold of fortune. The difficulty is to obtain a bank large enough to do this effectively ... in a fair game.
Curtain-lecture - A lecture or homily delivered by a wife to her husband when in bed, upon the shortcomings and errors of his daily life.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
OD&D - Dave Arneson passed away on April 7th of 2009 and I missed it!
Dave Arneson passed away on April 7th of 2009 and I missed the date. Fortunately there are others out there who are better at keeping track of things than I am. More on that in a moment. Has it really been 6 years since Dave Arneson passed away? I never played in one of his games, but by all accounts it would have been an incredible experience as he was a highly gifted referee. He was brilliant and creating Blackmoor which lead directly to OD&D was the leap of inspiration that no one else made. Would someone else have eventually made that leap, likely yes, but he did it first.
Fortunately Bruno Galan over at Eye Ray of the Beholder is better at remembering things than I am. So go to his blog and read Thank You For Everything, Dave Arneson and thank him for remembering what many of us did not.
I also missed that Gary Gygax the co-creator of OD&D passed away on March 4th of 2008 and that M.A.R Barker the creator of Tékumel: The World of the Petal Throne passed away on March 16th of 2012. Both of these were brilliant men and great referees. I also regularly miss the fact that Dave Hargrave the creator of Arduin passed away on August 29th of 1988 (a man that was ahead of his time as he walked directly in the gonzo footsteps of Dave Arneson). To all reports he was also a highly gifted referee. These men not only created games, but they knew how to play them in legendary fashion. They should all be remembered and honored. I again thank Bruno Galan for reminding me of that.
Fortunately Bruno Galan over at Eye Ray of the Beholder is better at remembering things than I am. So go to his blog and read Thank You For Everything, Dave Arneson and thank him for remembering what many of us did not.
I also missed that Gary Gygax the co-creator of OD&D passed away on March 4th of 2008 and that M.A.R Barker the creator of Tékumel: The World of the Petal Throne passed away on March 16th of 2012. Both of these were brilliant men and great referees. I also regularly miss the fact that Dave Hargrave the creator of Arduin passed away on August 29th of 1988 (a man that was ahead of his time as he walked directly in the gonzo footsteps of Dave Arneson). To all reports he was also a highly gifted referee. These men not only created games, but they knew how to play them in legendary fashion. They should all be remembered and honored. I again thank Bruno Galan for reminding me of that.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
OD&D - The Original Intended Audience & Basic Assumptions - 04 - Even More Follow Up
I wanted to do a follow-up from some of the comments I received on this topic for those who may have missed it.
hedgehobbit wrote:
Role-playing is about the experience and not "the character".
Role-playing is a tool that is used to allow the player to experience, as much as possible while sitting at a table in a basement, what it would be like to actually be a character in a dark dungeon surrounded by monsters. Today, there's the assumption that the player creates a character that has goals, likes/dislikes, and behaviors that are entirely separate and distinct from the player. That wasn't always the case. As a result OD&D doesn't have rules like personality mechanics, social skill, social "combat", etc as those things would distract from the player's ability to experience the world first hand.
+Gordon Cooper made this reply:
One of the things hedgehobbit has observed from reading about OD&D is that "Role-playing is about the experience and not 'the character,'" and that "As a result OD&D doesn't have personality mechanics, social skill, social 'combat...'"
I'd argue that role-playing has been about both from the beginning, and how much any individual player or referee is concerned about the virtual experience vs. faithfully portraying a character has always been a balance (or lack thereof) based on his or her preferences. Not everyone needs social interaction rules or role-playing compliance rules (I sure don't), but even OD&D had alignment rules, and you can bet the original players enjoyed hamming it up as their characters. Heck, they were inspired to do it in the first place from the proto-role-playing they did when they were playing miniature war games. As a war gamer, you might not even sympathize with your side, but it's often more fun to pretend you do and try to think and make decisions like the military leader you are representing. It's a purely voluntary form of playing "in character," with no codification necessary.
I find that I am in agreement with +Gordon Cooper on this particular point. I would be interested in more comments.
Google + and People who post NSFW stuff
I really hate to have to remove people from my circles, especially when I like the majority of what they post. But when they insist on posting NSFW stuff they leave me no choice. It is not about being a prude or censorship, its about common decency and common sense.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
OD&D - The Original Intended Audience & Basic Assumptions - 03 - More Follow Up
Another thing that occurred to me while we are on this subject is that
so many people object to Descending Armor Class. As many know the
founders were familiar with other games that used Descending Armor Class
IIRC in regard to ships. So again it comes down to background.
In my case I grew up on a farm and here are two quick examples: Shotguns come in .410, 32 Gauge, 28 Gauge, 24 Gauge, 20 Gauge, 18 Gauge, 16 Gauge, 15 Gauge, 12 Gauge, 11 Gauge, 10 Gauge, 8 Gauge, 4 Gauge, 3 Gauge and 2 Gauge. Some of these are rare, uncommon, or collector only and the .410 is roughly 67 Gauge. In shotguns the smaller the number the larger the diameter of the bore.
A similar situation exists with wire gauge. Wire gauge runs from 0000, 000, 00, 0, 1, 2, ... ... 37, 38, 39, 40. With 40 being the smallest and 0000 the largest.
These are two real world examples that I dealt with from early childhood, which made Descending Armor Class simple to both understand and to learn.
In my case I grew up on a farm and here are two quick examples: Shotguns come in .410, 32 Gauge, 28 Gauge, 24 Gauge, 20 Gauge, 18 Gauge, 16 Gauge, 15 Gauge, 12 Gauge, 11 Gauge, 10 Gauge, 8 Gauge, 4 Gauge, 3 Gauge and 2 Gauge. Some of these are rare, uncommon, or collector only and the .410 is roughly 67 Gauge. In shotguns the smaller the number the larger the diameter of the bore.
A similar situation exists with wire gauge. Wire gauge runs from 0000, 000, 00, 0, 1, 2, ... ... 37, 38, 39, 40. With 40 being the smallest and 0000 the largest.
These are two real world examples that I dealt with from early childhood, which made Descending Armor Class simple to both understand and to learn.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
OD&D - The Original Intended Audience & Basic Assumptions - 02 - Follow Up
As a follow up to my previous post I present the following quoted from my forum: These guys are way more articulate that I am:
Mr Darke over on my forum started a new thread:
Another poster jmccann rightly noted the following in regard to Point 6 above:
And then another poster wrote:
hedgehobbit wrote:
Mr Darke over on my forum started a new thread:
This is coming off a mention that The Perilous Dreamer and I had in this thread. For those that do not want to read it, we hit on something that had been missed in the standard set of assumptions by OD&D and, by extension, the OD&D clones. This could serve to explain why there can be such a disconnect between players of later editions and the game or the belief that the rules are somehow incomplete or hard to follow. Rather than give a lengthy discussion on this I will start with what I have noticed.
Point 1: Chainmail
It is assumed in the LBBs that the Player/DM will have a copy of Chainmail as well as D&D. While many of us know this it is overlooked to the point that the clones mostly use the alternative combat system. However, Chainmail was a part of the game from the beginning and was later removed. Most of the clones out there did not port this over to their game and I do feel something was lost.
Point 2: Experienced Gamers
D&D was not written for novice gamers. Besides Chainmail, there seems to be an assumption that the players would be gamers of some stripe. For the most part, I feel this would be miniature games but games like those of Avalon Hill could be included. The game was not written for , nor geared to, novice players. While a DM could teach from it, this would take patience on his part especially with non-gamers.
Point 3: Well Read
I thought of splitting this up into two points but one will serve. The assumption here is that those playing would be versed in fantasy and S&S literature as well as history. Notice there are no descriptions of equipment, armor or weapons? I believe that this was an issue of space but also an issue of believing that players would know what the equipment was or would look them up. This would also serve in creating the campaign and adventure.
Point 4: Older Players
With the above we can guess that the target D&D player was much older than what we see now. High School and College age would be the low end of the scale here with the higher end going well into adulthood. This would maximize the above points and their potential. It was not until later that the game was geared to a younger audience and this leads me to believe D&D's target audience was at least 18 to 20 years old.
Point 5: Everything Else was to be Added by the Group
Older players would have the time, resources, and knowledge to make their own additions to the game. With systems under their belts, a miniature collection and knowing how rules work the idea would be that any additions would be made in group. Yes, the supplements were planned as were articles from Strategic Review and The Dragon. However, this would not trump the assumption that many things would come from in group and would be shared by others.
Point 6: Times and Culture
The original game was a product of its time and culture. If you look at what was used for the game and the amount of time a player would have to create there is a disconnect between 1974 and 2015. We have less time to work on leisure, game aids like miniatures are a lot more rare and many of the toys and figures used in those days do not exist anymore.
There was also little to no gaming consoles, VCRs or DVDs were not around and television only had a few channels. The amount of media we consumed was a lot less and time was more available to work on the hobby. Now we are in a place where every minute of your time is demanded for something and entertainment screams at you from all sides. Its far easier to fire up Final Fantasy than it is to create a campaign and find players.
The above are just what I have seen and observed as well as things that the clone makers need to take into account. While some of these can be worked on, the final point is one we have to make ourselves.
I would love to hear how you guys see this.
Another poster jmccann rightly noted the following in regard to Point 6 above:
Point 6: Times and Culturejmccann wrote:
We have less time to work on leisure, game aids like miniatures are a lot more rare and many of the toys and figures used in those days do not exist anymore.
I agree with a lot of your points, but I don't think this is correct at all. By the late 70s, there were many lines of fantasy miniatures as well as historical, but there are many, many more fantasy miniatures available today than during the mid-70s. A lot of early D&D groups did a lot of conversions. And miniatures are a lot easier to get due to the internet today.
As for toys and figures, yes, a lot from back then are out of production, but I am pretty sure there is way more choice now, and w/ ebay, you can often get older stuff. So I really dispute this part of post.
And then another poster wrote:
hedgehobbit wrote:
Here are a list of assumptions I've discovered since first looking at early D&D:
Game club-style open table sessions
Whomever shows up (or is invited) that session plays. There isn't a "party" except for whomever is currently at the table. As a result, XP is earned individually and class-v-class balance is much less important. The character's are not assumed to all be the same level.
Role-playing is about the experience and not "the character".
Role-playing is a tool that is used to allow the player to experience, as much as possible while sitting at a table in a basement, what it would be like to actually be a character in a dark dungeon surrounded by monsters. Today, there's the assumption that the player creates a character that has goals, likes/dislikes, and behaviors that are entirely separate and distinct from the player. That wasn't always the case. As a result OD&D doesn't have rules like personality mechanics, social skill, social "combat", etc as those things would distract from the player's ability to experience the world first hand.
The setting takes precedence over everything
The setting is persistent and of supreme importance. Everything else, the rules, the party, the character classes, equipment lists are subservient. The game world isn't generated during a special pre-game session and isn't beholden to character traits like "one unique thing" or "Icons" etc. [None of that would make sense considering the above.]
Encounter balance is about choice, not fair fights
The deeper you go, the harder it gets. Players choose the difficulty level of the campaign by the actions their characters make. The DM isn't responsible to make sure the players always win.
Zero to Hero (if you're lucky)
Because there is no party per se, it's up to each individual to make his or her way up to the top. Achieving name level is a goal and a difficult task. It isn't something that all characters will eventually get to just by showing up. XP is NOT a pacing mechanic.
These three posters I believe have covered the subject thoroughly and completely and much better than I could since I am so close to the subject that I just assume so much of the above is just the way it is and don't generally realize how remarkable it really is.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
OD&D - The Original Intended Audience & Basic Assumptions - 01
When OD&D was first published back in January of 1974 there were some basic things that are usually overlooked. The common view point these days is that OD&D is essentially the same as the later versions, just not as well organized and full of unpolished stuff. I have always viewed OD&D as radically different from all of the versions that followed. I did have never viewed the later versions as being better organized not as having filled in holes in the rules or as having resolved ambiguities. I have always viewed those later versions as fixing things that were not broken. However, I believe that the difference in viewpoint is due to a number of things that are not being considered. This post has developed out of a discussion over on my forum.
The title of the game is:
So the game in the very beginning had an intended target audience of adults and not just any adults. The target audience were adults who played wargames set in the medieval period who also had an interest in fantasy. Adults who were well read in fantasy, history and played wargame(s). This is very much a niche audience. History shows us that the game sold and because of that was distributed and came to the attention of many who did not belong to the niche described by those four things: not all were adults, not all were wargamers, not all were students of history, although the majority were into fantasy. This resulted in a flood of questions being sent into TSR that initially baffled Gary Gygax and his staff, since they were used to people like themselves that played wargame(s) and were used to house-ruling things during the course of play. They did not understand why so many people needed help imagining things and creating things.
Because of this additional audience AD&D was written that defined way more things and tried to answer most of the common questions with rules. For this and a number of other reasons the Holmes, B/X and BECMI D&D versions were created and these were for market reasons aimed at a much younger audience that were not wargamers, were not well-read in fantasy or history and that resulted in what I consider a completely different game from OD&D.
To quote Mr Darke on my forum:
The title of the game is:
Dungeons & Dragons - Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames Campaigns Playable with Paper and Pencil and Miniature Figures
So the game in the very beginning had an intended target audience of adults and not just any adults. The target audience were adults who played wargames set in the medieval period who also had an interest in fantasy. Adults who were well read in fantasy, history and played wargame(s). This is very much a niche audience. History shows us that the game sold and because of that was distributed and came to the attention of many who did not belong to the niche described by those four things: not all were adults, not all were wargamers, not all were students of history, although the majority were into fantasy. This resulted in a flood of questions being sent into TSR that initially baffled Gary Gygax and his staff, since they were used to people like themselves that played wargame(s) and were used to house-ruling things during the course of play. They did not understand why so many people needed help imagining things and creating things.
Because of this additional audience AD&D was written that defined way more things and tried to answer most of the common questions with rules. For this and a number of other reasons the Holmes, B/X and BECMI D&D versions were created and these were for market reasons aimed at a much younger audience that were not wargamers, were not well-read in fantasy or history and that resulted in what I consider a completely different game from OD&D.
To quote Mr Darke on my forum:
This also may be why OD&D and the clones can be hard to grasp for newer players, especially those coming from newer D&D editions. While you can clone the rules you cannot clone the assumption that a player or DM would have a working knowledge of the Hundred Years War, Howard's Conan tales or know how medieval weaponry worked. This is something to think on and something I think those that make the clones need to consider.I agree with this and I believe that he hit the proverbial nail on the head.
Monday, March 30, 2015
OD&D - "Purist" vs "Traditionalist" Styles of Play
IMO there are two groups in the OD&D camp and they are as different in their understanding of the game as it is possible for them to be. There are the OD&D "Purists" and the OD&D "Traditionalists."
An OD&D "Purist" adheres to the spirit of OD&D as expressed in the rules (guidelines) as evidenced in the following quotes with emphasis added by bolding the text:
Now an OD&D "Traditionalist" on the other hand is someone who does not believe in house ruling the game and only in playing By the Book. In later versions of the game, these came to be referred to as rules lawyers. Two completely different styles of play and two completely different viewpoints with not much overlap. IMO that is the source of most old school arguments and also explains the disconnect many have with everything written after the version they started with. Back in the day, I don't remember ever playing with anyone like that out of the 30 people that I played OD&D with over the period of 1975-1979.
One thing that strikes me as funny is that the BtB people have to ignore the things I have placed in bold in the rule quotes above and pretend that they are not there. I.E. OD&D is unique as a game in regards to the fact that to play BtB in reality requires you not to play BtB and to house rule the game and make it your own. In the case of OD&D the spirit of the game and the letter of the game are the same - both point to house ruling the game and making it uniquely your own.
BTW to be clear here: I am not saying OD&D Traditionalists are bad people - I am not, what I am saying is that OD&D was both explicitly and implicitly set forth as a game to be house-ruled and made your own; therefore a Purist house-rules and a Traditionalist goes BtB (in contravention to the rules themselves). I am not saying that you cannot play BtB or that you are somehow having wrong-bad fun if you play BtB. Please play anyway you want to. I am just pointing out that OD&D is the one game that was not designed or intended to be played BtB.
So how does this relate to the OSR and the clones? I consider all the clones/retro-clones/or whatever you want to call them (some clones claim not to be clones) to be a collection of each authors house-rules of OD&D or Holmes or B/X or BECMI or name the version. Since I am an OD&D player none of the clones fill a niche for me; however, I am always looking at them for good ideas and also to see if any of them succeed in capturing the spirit of OD&D.
When you take OD&D and try to "fix" all of its "faults" and try to make it "perfect and complete" the more you lose the charm of OD&D. A lot of the so-called faults of OD&D are what make it special and when you clean those things up the "special" may (not will, but may) be gone as well. My hope is that each clone will have its own idiosyncrasies that will make it unique and special in the same way that OD&D is unique and special.
IMO if you take OD&D and house rule it your way then you are perfectly representing the 0E experience as you see it. IMO OD&D consists of the 3LBBs, Chainmail, and Outdoor Survival. Everything else is house-rules - all of the supplements (official and unofficial), The Strategic Review, The Dragon and all other sources of inspiration, monsters, spells and treasure are house-rules from which you can use as little or as much as you like. And as I have said before, I don't really think of non-mechanical things like monsters, spells and treasure as being house rules. You are also free to subtract from this as well as add. Is there a point at which it is no longer OD&D, IMO yes and I know it when I see it.
That means that I consider all of the OE clones to be house-ruled OE. My quibbles usually fall under the heading of "if I wrote something and wanted to claim compatibility with your clone do you force me to include something I do not want to". If you don't do that then I usually have no quibbles. Personally I hope many more clones are written (of high quality and I can not think of any so far that I would consider of poor quality) and many materials to support them. So I don't care if there is a gap or not. Keep them coming!
An OD&D "Purist" adheres to the spirit of OD&D as expressed in the rules (guidelines) as evidenced in the following quotes with emphasis added by bolding the text:
These rules are as complete as possible within the limitations imposed by the space of three booklets. That is, they cover the major aspects of fantasy campaigns but still remain flexible. As with any other set of miniatures rules they are guidelines to follow in designing your own fantastic-medieval campaign. They provide the framework around which you will build a game of simplicity or tremendous complexity – your time and imagination are about the only limiting factors, and the fact that you have purchased these rules tends to indicate that there is no lack of imagination – the fascination of the game will tend to make participants find more and more time. We advise, however, that a campaign be begun slowly, following the steps outlined herein, so as to avoid becoming too bogged down with unfamiliar details at first. That way your campaign will build naturally, at the pace best suited to the referee and players, smoothing the way for all concerned. New details can be added and old "laws" altered so as to provide continually new and different situations. In addition, the players themselves will interact in such a way as to make the campaign variable and unique, and this is quite desirable.
If you are a player purchasing the DUNGEONS and DRAGONS rules in order to improve your situation in an existing campaign, you will find that there is a great advantage in knowing what is herein. If your referee has made changes in the rules and/or tables, simply note them in pencil (for who knows when some flux of the cosmos will make things shift once again!), and keep the rules nearby as you play. A quick check of some rule or table may bring hidden treasure or save your game "life".
There are unquestionably areas which have been glossed over. While we deeply regret the necessity, space requires that we put in the essentials only, and the trimming will ofttimes have to be added by the referee and his players. We have attempted to furnish an ample framework, and building should be both easy and fun. In this light, we urge you to refrain from writing for rule interpretations or the like unless you are absolutely at a loss, for everything herein is fantastic, and the best way is to decide how you would like it to be, and then make it just that way! On the other hand, we are not loath to answer your questions, but why have us do any more of your imagining for you? Write to us and tell about your additions, ideas, and what have you. We could always do with a bit of improvement in our refereeing.An OD&D "Purist" is one who follows the DIY spirit of the game and through house rulings makes each OD&D game uniquely theirs. As you can see above it is clear that house rulings are part and parcel of the makeup of OD&D. In addition, all reports of Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax as referees of OD&D agree that they did not follow all the rules as written but house ruled their own games and frequently winged it during games.
Now an OD&D "Traditionalist" on the other hand is someone who does not believe in house ruling the game and only in playing By the Book. In later versions of the game, these came to be referred to as rules lawyers. Two completely different styles of play and two completely different viewpoints with not much overlap. IMO that is the source of most old school arguments and also explains the disconnect many have with everything written after the version they started with. Back in the day, I don't remember ever playing with anyone like that out of the 30 people that I played OD&D with over the period of 1975-1979.
One thing that strikes me as funny is that the BtB people have to ignore the things I have placed in bold in the rule quotes above and pretend that they are not there. I.E. OD&D is unique as a game in regards to the fact that to play BtB in reality requires you not to play BtB and to house rule the game and make it your own. In the case of OD&D the spirit of the game and the letter of the game are the same - both point to house ruling the game and making it uniquely your own.
BTW to be clear here: I am not saying OD&D Traditionalists are bad people - I am not, what I am saying is that OD&D was both explicitly and implicitly set forth as a game to be house-ruled and made your own; therefore a Purist house-rules and a Traditionalist goes BtB (in contravention to the rules themselves). I am not saying that you cannot play BtB or that you are somehow having wrong-bad fun if you play BtB. Please play anyway you want to. I am just pointing out that OD&D is the one game that was not designed or intended to be played BtB.
So how does this relate to the OSR and the clones? I consider all the clones/retro-clones/or whatever you want to call them (some clones claim not to be clones) to be a collection of each authors house-rules of OD&D or Holmes or B/X or BECMI or name the version. Since I am an OD&D player none of the clones fill a niche for me; however, I am always looking at them for good ideas and also to see if any of them succeed in capturing the spirit of OD&D.
When you take OD&D and try to "fix" all of its "faults" and try to make it "perfect and complete" the more you lose the charm of OD&D. A lot of the so-called faults of OD&D are what make it special and when you clean those things up the "special" may (not will, but may) be gone as well. My hope is that each clone will have its own idiosyncrasies that will make it unique and special in the same way that OD&D is unique and special.
IMO if you take OD&D and house rule it your way then you are perfectly representing the 0E experience as you see it. IMO OD&D consists of the 3LBBs, Chainmail, and Outdoor Survival. Everything else is house-rules - all of the supplements (official and unofficial), The Strategic Review, The Dragon and all other sources of inspiration, monsters, spells and treasure are house-rules from which you can use as little or as much as you like. And as I have said before, I don't really think of non-mechanical things like monsters, spells and treasure as being house rules. You are also free to subtract from this as well as add. Is there a point at which it is no longer OD&D, IMO yes and I know it when I see it.
That means that I consider all of the OE clones to be house-ruled OE. My quibbles usually fall under the heading of "if I wrote something and wanted to claim compatibility with your clone do you force me to include something I do not want to". If you don't do that then I usually have no quibbles. Personally I hope many more clones are written (of high quality and I can not think of any so far that I would consider of poor quality) and many materials to support them. So I don't care if there is a gap or not. Keep them coming!
OD&D - 3LBBs vs 3LBBS + Supplements
A number of people all over the web have made the assertion that
The main things our group adopted were monsters, spells and treasure (which I don't to some extent view as house rules since they are non-mechanical in nature.. The new mechanical things are what we carefully considered before trying. He used more of the mechanical things than I did. My preference has always been the 3LBBs plus house ruled spells, monsters and treasure from where ever I found them or created them. I have always preferred to limit the mechanics to the 3LLBs or to tweak those mechanics and try different things. IMO the stat bonuses introduced in Greyhawk are a slippery slope and while I have used them from time to time they are not my preference. I have a hard time believing that bitd I was completely unique in that regard. Perhaps the percentage of people who preferred the 3LBB mechanics to Greyhawk mechanics were not the majority over the period running up to 78-79, but we were certainly not non-existent either.
3LBB gaming is really an artifact of the OSR movement rather than something that actually happened at the time.As I have noted elsewhere, I don't buy this assertion. People certainly used only the 3LBBs with or without Chainmail until Greyhawk first came out 14 months after OD&D was published (Blackmoor came out 20 months later). The ref that brought OD&D to college in the fall of '75 started us out with just the 3LBBs even though he had Greyhawk and I started reffing with just the 3LBBs. After I had reffed a for quite while then he brought out Greyhawk and we jointly decided what to try and keep and what to try and not keep. Perhaps I am wrong, but the vast majority of OD&D players the first few years were adults or young adults and I find it hard to believe that the majority adopted each supplement in toto as it arrived.
The main things our group adopted were monsters, spells and treasure (which I don't to some extent view as house rules since they are non-mechanical in nature.. The new mechanical things are what we carefully considered before trying. He used more of the mechanical things than I did. My preference has always been the 3LBBs plus house ruled spells, monsters and treasure from where ever I found them or created them. I have always preferred to limit the mechanics to the 3LLBs or to tweak those mechanics and try different things. IMO the stat bonuses introduced in Greyhawk are a slippery slope and while I have used them from time to time they are not my preference. I have a hard time believing that bitd I was completely unique in that regard. Perhaps the percentage of people who preferred the 3LBB mechanics to Greyhawk mechanics were not the majority over the period running up to 78-79, but we were certainly not non-existent either.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
OD&D and Taking a Look at Other Peoples Blogs 017
A new blog titled My Two Copper Pieces by Phillip Riley in which he notes that
After almost a decade away from roleplaying, I'm starting to get back to it.He also says:
In past times I've ran a few websites. You may have known me as Lord Eadric, The Wandering Bard, or just Phillip Riley. I've ran a variety of websites and a blog at one time. If you've ever run across the Oriental Adventures Project, that was me. I still get emails about my online name generators. All links will be at the bottom of this post.I remember him as Lord Eadric and I liked his name generators. So just this little post to welcome him back.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
OD&D and the Save or Die Podcast
The Save or Die Podcast is now up to episode 105 see the link below. Thanks to them for mentioning my new OD&D forum at Campaigns and House Rules Discussion for OD&D.
Save or Die Podcast - A Classic Dungeons & Dragons Podcast
Meet the Staff
Save or Die Podcast - A Classic Dungeons & Dragons Podcast
Meet the Staff
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
OD&D - Magical Items 001 - Artifacts
Does your campaign have any Artifacts? If so, how do you handle them? I
have occasionally introduced Artifacts into my campaigns and the one of
the twists that Artifacts have IMC is that many, if not most, are
restless. That is they were created in circumstances that resulted in
almost all Artifacts having a purpose.
When and if a player finds an Artifact, if the player is aligned (not alignment) with the purpose of the Artifact a little the Artifact may stick around for a short time or if a lot, then the Artifact may stick around quite a while, possibly for the adventuring life of the player. If not at all, then the Artifact, will just disappear in a very short time as they seek someone who will use them to fulfill their purpose.
All Artifacts IMC are sentient to one degree or another. In addition, when Artifacts are used they create a magical signature that can be detected and to some degree traced by certain powerful mages and magical creatures.
When and if a player finds an Artifact, if the player is aligned (not alignment) with the purpose of the Artifact a little the Artifact may stick around for a short time or if a lot, then the Artifact may stick around quite a while, possibly for the adventuring life of the player. If not at all, then the Artifact, will just disappear in a very short time as they seek someone who will use them to fulfill their purpose.
All Artifacts IMC are sentient to one degree or another. In addition, when Artifacts are used they create a magical signature that can be detected and to some degree traced by certain powerful mages and magical creatures.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
OD&D and Taking a Look at Other Peoples Blogs 016
As I continue to try to follow the blogs on my list and catch on my reading here and there, I am continually struck with the range, the breadth and depth of the talents that resides in these blog and that for the most part it is by people who are not getting paid to do it. All this is shared with us for free:
Rended Press
He says he is going on Hiatus for a while, but don't let that throw you off. By the time you read his archived posts and check out the downloads and other resources, he will likely be back at it with new materials.
Howling Tower
Here is a sweet little blog with quite bit of resources for old school and new.
... and the sky full of dust.
Here is what it says about itself and I cannot improve on that:
Rended Press
He says he is going on Hiatus for a while, but don't let that throw you off. By the time you read his archived posts and check out the downloads and other resources, he will likely be back at it with new materials.
Howling Tower
Here is a sweet little blog with quite bit of resources for old school and new.
... and the sky full of dust.
Here is what it says about itself and I cannot improve on that:
I draw maps, I play games, I try to write too. You can see some of my maps on my blog, you can buy/read some of my stories, and you can follow my two current campaigns on Obsidian Portal (Against the Giants and Álfheimr). I am also open to being commissioned for drawing maps, and you can follow me on G+ if you are so inclined.
Remebering Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy has passed away. Sad as it is, it comes to all of us and it is a time to reflect. Even when someone has lived to a ripe old age (83) it is still hard to see them go. I never met him, but he brought a lot of joy to my life and that of many others. In his portrayal of Mr Spock, he taught those of us who love games like D&D that when you portray an "other" whether a Vulcan, an elf or dwarf or something else, how it is done. Star Trek would not have been what it was and is without him.
A few things he said:
A few things he said:
"I am not Spock. But given the choice, if I had to be someone else, I would be Spock. If someone said, 'You can have the choice of being any other TV character ever played,' I would choose Spock. I like him. I admire him. I respect him."
"Whatever I have given, I have gained."
"The miracle is this: the more we share the more we have."
"When you let me take, I'm grateful. When you let me give, I'm blessed."
"I believe in goodness, mercy and charity. I believe in casting bread upon the waters."
"Live Long and Prosper"
Friday, February 20, 2015
OD&D and Magic Sword House Rules
How do you run Magic Swords in your campaign? I have run them a lot of different ways over the years. Here is the current method I use in my Redwall inspired campaign:
Magic Swords
Magic Swords, unlike other magic items, are intimately tied to their master on every plane of existence. A magic sword once claimed and used by its master, then becomes the ultimate symbol of its master’s power. An unused, unclaimed magic sword starts out as a semi-sentient entity with the potential for relating to its master as a good dog relates to its dearly loved master. Magic Swords start as a blank slate and align themselves over time with the alignment of their master. A magic sword has its own life-force that it bonds with its master’s life-force when it is treated with the proper respect and care and they become intertwined over time so that they cannot be separated willingly.
A mistreated sword will turn on its master seeking to cause him harm in battle and slowly drinking his life force. A stolen sword is deadly to the thief and will seek to return to its rightful master.
When the master of a sword dies, if he so chooses, his soul will combine with the sword increasing the power of the sword, its Intelligence and its Ego. In this way it is sometimes possible for a great Artifact to be created.
When its master dies there are usually only two things that can normally be done with a magic sword, one is to pass it on to a blood relative who must be like minded with the original master and must seek vengeance for the original master’s death if the killer still lives and if they choose to take up the sword. These inherited swords are the only ones that do not start as a blank slate. If the blood relative is not like minded or does not choose to seek vengeance assuming the killer lives, then they should not take up the sword or it will turn on them.
Inherited swords can be passed down through several generations until a suitable master is found. The other option is to bury the sword with its master where it will guard its master and is deadly to grave robbers.
When the conditions are right for an Artifact to be created, these Magic Swords have a definite purpose and as such it is possible for someone other than a blood relative to wield the sword. This type of sword will seek out the person best suited to fulfill its purpose. Usually this person will have to undergo a series of tests in order to be found worthy.
A newly gained magic sword starts with the ability to glow in the presence of its new master’s enemies and the ability to wound anything that requires magic or silver to wound. As the master grows in power and skill, so grows the sword and they will grow from semi-sentient to fully sentient over time. Swords will as their master grows discover talents unique to that master. No two swords are ever the same. Swords used by those who also wield magic will discover talents unique to that master. Swords forged with unique and special metals will also discover unique talents. The more powerful the master, the more powerful the sword will become.
Magic Swords
Magic Swords, unlike other magic items, are intimately tied to their master on every plane of existence. A magic sword once claimed and used by its master, then becomes the ultimate symbol of its master’s power. An unused, unclaimed magic sword starts out as a semi-sentient entity with the potential for relating to its master as a good dog relates to its dearly loved master. Magic Swords start as a blank slate and align themselves over time with the alignment of their master. A magic sword has its own life-force that it bonds with its master’s life-force when it is treated with the proper respect and care and they become intertwined over time so that they cannot be separated willingly.
A mistreated sword will turn on its master seeking to cause him harm in battle and slowly drinking his life force. A stolen sword is deadly to the thief and will seek to return to its rightful master.
When the master of a sword dies, if he so chooses, his soul will combine with the sword increasing the power of the sword, its Intelligence and its Ego. In this way it is sometimes possible for a great Artifact to be created.
When its master dies there are usually only two things that can normally be done with a magic sword, one is to pass it on to a blood relative who must be like minded with the original master and must seek vengeance for the original master’s death if the killer still lives and if they choose to take up the sword. These inherited swords are the only ones that do not start as a blank slate. If the blood relative is not like minded or does not choose to seek vengeance assuming the killer lives, then they should not take up the sword or it will turn on them.
Inherited swords can be passed down through several generations until a suitable master is found. The other option is to bury the sword with its master where it will guard its master and is deadly to grave robbers.
When the conditions are right for an Artifact to be created, these Magic Swords have a definite purpose and as such it is possible for someone other than a blood relative to wield the sword. This type of sword will seek out the person best suited to fulfill its purpose. Usually this person will have to undergo a series of tests in order to be found worthy.
A newly gained magic sword starts with the ability to glow in the presence of its new master’s enemies and the ability to wound anything that requires magic or silver to wound. As the master grows in power and skill, so grows the sword and they will grow from semi-sentient to fully sentient over time. Swords will as their master grows discover talents unique to that master. No two swords are ever the same. Swords used by those who also wield magic will discover talents unique to that master. Swords forged with unique and special metals will also discover unique talents. The more powerful the master, the more powerful the sword will become.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Ye Olde School List of Retro Games & Clones, Retro Clones, and What Have You! - 003
Just jumping on here to give you links to two new retro clones out there. Since I don't want to appear to favor one over the other. I am making a d6 roll (1-3 vs 4-6) to see whose game I list first. They are both focused on OD&D - two different takes on it. The roll is in and here are the games:
Treasure Hunters RPG
This game is by Scott Anderson and he has been developing it in a couple of threads over on Dragonsfoot and it is, as noted above focused on OD&D as the source. It is as he says not yet complete, so take a look and then go give him some feedback.
Iron Falcon Rules for Classic Fantasy Role-Playing
This game is by Chris Gonnerman who is best known for writing Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game. Here he shows us his version of OD&D as it was in 1975 after the thief class was introduced. You may also want to get a copy of The Role-Playing Game Primer and Old School Playbook. I am not sure if this last is a download or hard copy, but if I get a link to it and I will come back and update this post with it.
While I have not read these in detail yet, I am certain they are both worth a good look. Great job guys. Keep creating!
Treasure Hunters RPG
This game is by Scott Anderson and he has been developing it in a couple of threads over on Dragonsfoot and it is, as noted above focused on OD&D as the source. It is as he says not yet complete, so take a look and then go give him some feedback.
Iron Falcon Rules for Classic Fantasy Role-Playing
This game is by Chris Gonnerman who is best known for writing Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game. Here he shows us his version of OD&D as it was in 1975 after the thief class was introduced. You may also want to get a copy of The Role-Playing Game Primer and Old School Playbook. I am not sure if this last is a download or hard copy, but if I get a link to it and I will come back and update this post with it.
While I have not read these in detail yet, I am certain they are both worth a good look. Great job guys. Keep creating!
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
New OD&D forum: OD&D - Campaigns & House Rules Discussion - Purpose: widen the discussion on the creative do-it-yourself part of the game!
Announcing a new discussion board focused on Campaigns and House Rules.
The primary purpose of these forums is to discuss fantastical medieval wargames campaigns and house rules in all threads, unless otherwise noted. The primary focus is on OD&D, other Classic D&D rules and their various simulacra as the assumed foundational rule-sets for our campaigns, as well as, the house rules used therein.
This will be a place to vet house rules and discuss them before they are tried out on the unsuspecting players. We will post new monsters and all types of new material for our campaigns; including, but not limited to, setting ideas, setting/world building and the like. Tips on how to run a campaign, how to ref/DM and other related topics are also welcome.
This new forum is not an attempt to replace any existing forum, but rather to complement and spur more creativity. The focus is more on using and adapting the rules to your personal campaign. We hope it will be a great deal of fun to look at other people's campaigns and see how they do things. Even on those rare occasions when there is nothing that you directly want to borrow, we hope the discussion will always prove inspiring.
If this is of interest to you, please join us in this joint creative effort to harness the synergy of sharing ideas and mixing them to get more old school goodness out of many minds than what one mind working alone could accomplish alone.
You can find us at: OD&D - Campaigns and House Rules Discussion.
The primary purpose of these forums is to discuss fantastical medieval wargames campaigns and house rules in all threads, unless otherwise noted. The primary focus is on OD&D, other Classic D&D rules and their various simulacra as the assumed foundational rule-sets for our campaigns, as well as, the house rules used therein.
This will be a place to vet house rules and discuss them before they are tried out on the unsuspecting players. We will post new monsters and all types of new material for our campaigns; including, but not limited to, setting ideas, setting/world building and the like. Tips on how to run a campaign, how to ref/DM and other related topics are also welcome.
This new forum is not an attempt to replace any existing forum, but rather to complement and spur more creativity. The focus is more on using and adapting the rules to your personal campaign. We hope it will be a great deal of fun to look at other people's campaigns and see how they do things. Even on those rare occasions when there is nothing that you directly want to borrow, we hope the discussion will always prove inspiring.
If this is of interest to you, please join us in this joint creative effort to harness the synergy of sharing ideas and mixing them to get more old school goodness out of many minds than what one mind working alone could accomplish alone.
You can find us at: OD&D - Campaigns and House Rules Discussion.
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