Let's Read: AD&D

[dmw71]

I still plan to (casually) keep up with my 'Let's Read: BECMI' topic, but I frequently find myself wanting to crack open the Advanced books as well.

So, this is a topic for those endeavors.

[dmw71]

I'm going to handle this topic a bit differently than how I've been managing my BECMI topic. (And will probably adopt this strategy in that topic going forward.)

One of my biggest "problems" in keeping that topic running has been a conflict between the ability to read versus the ability to read and document at the same time.

Last night I started reading the 1e DMG in bed while trying to fall asleep. I didn't have a notebook open, or this topic, or an email draft where I would attempt to provide a running commentary of everything I read, as I read it. Instead, I just read. And made it up to the section on 'Lycanthropy' which is almost a full 10th of the way into the book.

Most of what I read last night I've read before. A few things snuck up on me, though.

1. The first was in the Preface, on page 8:

   As this book is the exclusive precinct of the DM, you must view any non-DM player possessing it as something less than worthy of honorable death. Peeping players there will undoubtedly be, but they are simply lessening their own enjoyment of the game by taking away some of the sense of wonder that otherwise arises from a game which has rules hidden from participants. It is in your interests, and in theirs, to discourage possession of this book by players. If any of your participants do read herein, it is suggested that you assess them a heavy fee for consulting “sages” and other sources of information not normally attainable by the inhabitants of your milieu. If they express knowledge which could only be garnered by consulting these pages, a magic item or two can be taken as payment — insufficient, but perhaps it will tend to discourage such actions.

   That's harsh.
   
   Are there any players at present that don't regularly refer to the DMG?
   
   

   ---

2. Then, on page 10. That's a pretty clever use of the d4 that I never realized:

   When rolled in conjunction with another die, the d4 can be used to determine linear number ranges twice that shown on the other die...
   
   ...simply by varying the meaning of the d4 number; 1 always means add 0, but 2 can be interpreted as add the value (highest number) of the second die, 3 can be twice value, and 4 can be thrice value. Thus, a d4 reading 4 in conjunction with a d8 (linear curve 1-32) would mean 24 + d8, or 25-32.

   I admit, it took me some time to wrap my head around the concept, but I found this really interesting once I finally figured it out.
   
   
   d4+d8 (Range: 1-32)
   1+1 > (0*8=) 0 + 1 = 1
   1+2 > (0*8=) 0 + 2 = 2
   1+3 > (0*8=) 0 + 3 = 3
   1+4 > (0*8=) 0 + 4 = 4
   1+5 > (0*8=) 0 + 5 = 5
   1+6 > (0*8=) 0 + 6 = 6
   1+7 > (0*8=) 0 + 7 = 7
   1+8 > (0*8=) 0 + 8 = 8
   
   2+1 > (1*8=) 8 + 1 = 9
   2+2 > (1*8=) 8 + 2 = 10
   2+3 > (1*8=) 8 + 3 = 11
   2+4 > (1*8=) 8 + 4 = 12
   2+5 > (1*8=) 8 + 5 = 13
   2+6 > (1*8=) 8 + 6 = 14
   2+7 > (1*8=) 8 + 7 = 15
   2+8 > (1*8=) 8 + 8 = 16
   
   3+1 > (2*8=) 16 + 1 = 17
   3+2 > (2*8=) 16 + 2 = 18
   3+3 > (2*8=) 16 + 3 = 19
   3+4 > (2*8=) 16 + 4 = 20
   3+5 > (2*8=) 16 + 5 = 21
   3+6 > (2*8=) 16 + 6 = 22
   3+7 > (2*8=) 16 + 7 = 23
   3+8 > (2*8=) 16 + 8 = 24
   
   4+1 > (3*8=) 24 + 1 = 25
   4+2 > (3*8=) 24 + 2 = 26
   4+3 > (3*8=) 24 + 3 = 27
   4+4 > (3*8=) 24 + 4 = 28
   4+5 > (3*8=) 24 + 5 = 29
   4+6 > (3*8=) 24 + 6 = 30
   4+7 > (3*8=) 24 + 7 = 31
   4+8 > (3*8=) 24 + 8 = 32

More later.