Musings on the OSR Blogosphere and Forums

22 Monday Sep 2025

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There are some posts on the historical OSR blog scene that I’ve read recently from the Grumpy Wizard and Grognardia (here, and here). They lament the current state of the old-school gaming community, compared with how vibrant it was in the heyday of the OSR, when blogs and forums ruled and conversations on both were commonplace, as well as linked commentary on other blogs.

Travis at the aforementioned Grumpy Wizard notes that the blogs of this era informed him of games and gaming history that he was not aware of:

The era of D&D from 1974 to 1981 was something I knew nothing about until I started reading OSR blogs. … John Peterson’s Playing At the World blog, Grognardia’s retrospectives, and others filled me into the fact that there was a lot more to the hobby and it’s history that I was completely ignorant of.

Here is a choice quote from James at Grognardia on blogs and the rampant sharing of ideas:

The OSR blogosphere was, in many ways, the intellectual and creative heart of a movement none of us fully understood while it was happening. Before social media transformed everything into a fast-scrolling feed of ephemeral opinions and algorithmic noise, blogs allowed for longer, more thoughtful engagement. There was conversation between blogs, even, perhaps especially, when we disagreed, as we frequently and passionately did. Posts would spark responses, build on shared ideas, or spin off in wild new directions. Someone would post a new take on alignment or a character class, and within days, if not hours, half a dozen other blogs would riff on the idea in a cascade of strange and wonderful interpretations. That kind of idea-driven collaboration was a joy to witness and to be part of.

And another from James on cross-blog pollination and community:

Similarly, blogs engaged with one another. There was a lot of cross-pollination in those days – as well as spirited argument. One of the reasons I look back so fondly on those early days is that there really was a sense that the OSR was a genuine community.

I discussed similar changes twice, in the context of the move away from forums – the first time was 11 years ago when the OSR-verse moved to G+, then again when G+ was shut down. My initial objections around G+ related to ease of threaded discussion and discoverability, and if anything, this has gotten worse since then. Discord and Facebook and the large micro-blogging platforms are walled gardens that don’t allow public search engines to crawl even their “public” communities. Reddit, while being publicly searchable, suffers from old comments or posts being quickly buried and forgotten (commenting on an old post doesn’t bring it back to the top of the post list). I’ve noticed a lot of post repetition on Reddit between related subreddits and even within the same subreddit, where the same ideas are re-hashed time and time again because the old discussions are effectively lost. MeWe, which I noted back in 2018 was the erstwhile replacement for G+, has stagnated and is not widely used, and in any event, also suffers from being a walled garden.

The blogosphere, such that it exists still, facilitates public linking so that similar discussions can be read and compared (much as this post is doing). I still think forums are a better way to form a community to discuss and share ideas, but blogs have two main advantages that complement forums: 1) They encourage long-form posts and 2) they allow the author to have control over their own content.

It’s also easy for a blog author to link to a forum post or topic, so the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Nine years ago, I started the Smoldering Wizard Forums as a response to the Swords & Wizardry Forums shutting down, since then my own forums have morphed into a generic old-school gaming discussion and play-by-post platform, and I routinely link my posts here to that forum for discussion.

I don’t think this is nostalgia – the community back in the early days of blogs and forums was better in many ways. Perhaps the worst part of the current mess of platforms is that they have split the community. Some only hang out on forums, some on Discord, some on Facebook or Reddit, and there is not a lot of cross-platform pollination, either because it is not possible, or is prohibitively difficult (if it has to be done, one ends up sharing screenshots of conversations from those other platforms, which of course can hide relevant context).

Will that old community come back? I don’t think so, at least not fully. I have no plans to stop what I’m doing, and I encourage other old-school gamers to start a blog or join a forum if they feel they have something to share. My worry is that the Gen-X’ers like myself that have continued to blog and frequent forums will eventually age out of the community, and I don’t know that the younger generations will pick up the mantle.

3d6 in Order

22 Monday Sep 2025

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In online commentary on various forums, and even in my own group’s games, I’ve noticed that we’ve gotten away from the “take what you get” emergent character creation that supposed to be part of old-school D&D. I’ve made little concessions myself, like allowing the 7th roll for starting gold to be swapped out with one of the six stat rolls. Or even (horrors) allowing “roll 3d6 six times and arrange to suit”.

The stat inflation in B/X, where at the low end the penalties are relatively large, is partly responsible. Then there is wanting to cater to the player’s wish to build the PC they envision, rather than working with what they rolled. If the players come from newer editions, they might even expect a pre-rolled stat block that has no below average stats.

But I think we’re doing a disservice to the new, old-school players in particular when we do allow stat fudging, and missing out on a fun way to play in general – having what is considered a hopeless character survive and level up can be very satisfying. And if they don’t survive, well you can be sure there is a good story there…roll up another one and try again!

In original D&D, the stats don’t have much affect on game play (and in fact, the referee was supposed to roll stats). Charisma had the most variation, with the loyalty base of -2 to +4, but this didn’t affect you much while on an adventure. Otherwise, it was just +1 or -1.

Greyhawk changed this at the high end (especially with with percentile strength, if you used it), but not at the low end. B/X of course, has the unified -3 to +3 for most stats. Still, even there, the rules tell you to just roll 3d6 for each stat, and write down the result. You could adjust stats afterwards, according to the specific swapping rules for whichever class the player chose, but this never allowed much variation, given the average 3d6 roll (in OD&D, there is some disagreement as to whether the point swaps were meant to be real or virtual, my own take is the latter).

The later OD&D supplements and AD&D 1e took this all to a new level, making classes that required minimum ability scores, then of course there were the various ways to inflate stat rolls given in the 1e DMG. I like the way Swords & Wizardry Complete Revised handles this, by removing the minimums, but also tying class-based special abilities to the scores themselves. So if you really want to play that Monk, you don’t need to fudge your ability rolls, but you might miss out on some of the Monk’s special abilities as you level up. But who knows – you could find magic items during adventures that raise ability scores, resulting in a fun in-game solution to low stats (of course, some magic items lower scores as well…).

Anyway, all of this is to say that it’s fun to try and play with whatever PC you’ve rolled. I’m not trying to mandate a particular way of playing, just to suggest you give strict 3d6 in order a try, and see what you think.

How I Run OD&D Combat

06 Sunday Jul 2025

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Over the years I’ve settled on a way to run 0e/OD&D/White Box combat that keeps the action moving and is pretty simple, while covering many cases that come up. I use this basic system for other games also, maybe with some of the details changed (like weapon damage or rate of fire in B/X-style games), but the core system remains the same.

Surprise

If surprise is in question, I use the standard d6 roll per side, with 1-2 meaning that side is surprised. Opponents get a free attack in that case.

Initiative

I use side-based initiative, with a tied roll meaning simultaneous action, but with the caveat that the initiative roll is modified by DEX in the event of a tie. So a PC with a low DEX (8 or less) would go last on a tied roll, while PCs with an above-average DEX (13 or more) will go first in that case. I re-roll initiative each round.

Missiles

I allow two bow shots per round for stationary archers, one if they choose to move and then fire (or vice versa). Elves can always fire two shots, however, even if moving.

Shooting into melee is at -4 to the attack roll, with no range bonuses allowed. On a natural 1, an ally is hit, determined randomly.

Other missile weapons can be fired once per round, except for crossbows, which can be fired every other round.

Melee

Combatants can choose whom they want to attack. Attacks from behind are at +2, except for thieves, who get +4 when unnoticed.

Moving in combat is at 1/3 of the base movement rate times 10, so a leather-armored PC with a base move of 12 can move 40 feet per combat round. Leaving combat can be done slowly with a fighting retreat without penalty – but the opponent can always follow. Fleeing combat outright gives opponents a free attack at +2.

Charging into combat with initiative will give the attacker +2 to their attack roll, but if they miss, their opponent gains +2 on the return attack.

Spears and pole arms can attack from the second rank as thrusting weapons, and spears do an extra point of damage when used two-handed.

Position can be important, for example if three PCs are attacking an Orc, and the Orc is using a shield, one of the PCs will be attacking the shieldless flank.

Sometimes PCs want to switch weapons in the same round, like from bow to sword at the start of combat. I allow this, as long as the weapon in hand is dropped. Otherwise, it takes a full round to stow the first weapon and ready the second.

Crits & Fumbles

I don’t like detailed critical hit/fumble tables. I keep it simple – a natural 20 always hits (barring magic or silver required) and does maximum damage, while a roll of 1 is an automatic miss (but see above for shooting missiles into melee).

Death and Wounds

Binding wounds can be done after any combat and will heal 1d3 hp.

PCs die at 0hp or less, however they do get a save versus death in that case, adding any CON bonus/penalty to the roll. If they succeed, they are left with 1hp and cannot regain any hit points that day without the use of magic, nor do they get a second chance if they fall to 0hp again.

Spells

Spells can be prepared and held in that state until cast. Prepared spells go off before any melee or movement actions for that PC’s side. Otherwise, any spell takes one combat round to prepare (scroll spells go off first the round after the scroll is dug out of a pack or pouch and opened). If it is important to know if one spell goes off before another on the side that wins initiative, I compare DEX scores of the spellcasters.

I assume that keeping a spell prepared does take some small level of concentration, so if a spellcaster is hit by an attack, any prepared spells are lost (but can be re-prepared starting the next round in that case, they are not lost from memory). It is not possible to prepare or cast a spell from memory while in combat, but spells cast from magic items can be used in combat.

Gaze Attacks, Magic Items and Breath Weapons

Gaze attacks always take effect first, followed by spells cast from magic items (like wands, rings or staves) and breath weapons, which will both take effect before melee or movement, but simultaneous with prepared spells. So all told, this is the order of actions per side:

  • Gaze attacks
  • Prepared spells, spells cast from magic items, breath weapons
  • Missile fire, melee & movement

I don’t care whether movement takes place before or after an attack, or when missiles are fired. For a given side, I’ll just go around the table (or VTT) and combatants will act in order. Depending on circumstances, I let players hold their PC’s action, so for example they can charge in to attack just after their companion fires a bow.

Return to the Known Lands – Session #44 – Wherein the Party Finds Themselves Wanted

01 Sunday Jun 2025

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PCs:

  • Frakus (Dw FM 3)
  • Osan (Elf F/MU 4/3)
  • Omes (Half FM 5)

NPCs:

  • Marnes (CL 4)
  • Hurbar (Half FM 1)

Hirelings:

  • Aravay (wagon driver)
  • Samtik (porter)

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Link to previous sessions

Session Date: 1/8/23

Session Notes:

While resting in town, Omes did some searching and was able to hire a new retainer, a Halfling Fighting Man named Hurbar. He told Omes that he had been a captive of Ogres, and escaped several weeks ago, and was anxious to get back into adventuring.

After a week of downtime, the party and the new retainer headed back to Arro’s Hill dungeon, where they found the hilltop occupied and the dungeon entrance blocked by a Stone Giant and two Ogres. A brief parlay attempt fell apart, during which Osan found he was known by name to the giant, and Hurbar recognized the Ogre who had held him captive.

The party backed off and fired bows, then engaged the giant and Ogres in melee. Frakus, Omes and Marnes were wounded during the fight, but the party eventually won out, killing their large opponents.

Near the campsite was a wagon and large draft horse. The wagon was filled with rocks and a lone, giant-sized sack full of gold coins and a scroll. The scroll was not magical in nature, but was a wanted poster offering 6,000gp to anyone who could kill or capture Osan, Frakus, Arro and Omes. It was signed with the seal of the Golden Axe Society. So the Golden Axe was not defunct, but alive and well, and mad at the party, evidently after the party’s Dolmvay River escapades (see sessions #24 – #29).

The party cleared the hilltop and took the wagon and loot back to Larm, returning the next day. This time the dungeon entrance was clear. They proceeded down to the second level, first to the menagerie. There they fed the Wyvern and panther, and freed the White Ape with the help of Marnes’s speak with animals spell.

They continued to explore west and south, making their way through an anti-gravity room and from there to a green marble path that led to an archway. The archway was guarded by two Snake Men holding halberds.

Frakus and Osan attempted to speak to the guards, but they had no language in common, and the guards seemed in no mood to talk with interlopers anyway. A fight ensued, which ended badly for the Snake Men. The party decided to head back to town, rather than explore beyond the arch.

LL Notes:

Reaction rolls were particularly bad in this session, both for the Stone Giant and Ogres, as well as for the Snake Men. The party being wanted by the Golden Axe Society did not help – I figured that gave a -4 penalty to the reaction roll, after the party had been recognized.

The Knave for Labyrinth Lord Original Edition Characters

28 Wednesday May 2025

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I’ve previously posted versions of my Thief variant Knave class for OD&D and Labyrinth Lord, now here is a version of the Knave for LL OEC (PDF / ODT source). I created it some time ago, and it has seen use on and off in my games, so I thought I’d publish it. The main difference between this and the OD&D version is the use of 2d6 for skill checks in OEC, to allow the advancement of up to level 20. So it certainly could be used in an OD&D game if you wanted access to higher level play, or just preferred that mechanic.

The Knave for LL OEC

Musings on the Original Thief Class

26 Monday May 2025

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The story of the Thief class is well-known by now, with the idea being given to Gary Gygax by a D&D fan named Gary Switzer by phone, then appearing in the Great Plains Newsletter around May of 1974 (although the original idea came from Daniel Wagner).

This original version of the Thief class, with d6 hit dice and meant for use with the 3LBB, is only available as poor quality scans of typewritten pages. Allan Grohe (Grodog) did an amazing job of transcribing the copies, but his transcription is no longer available online.

Zenopus Archives did an overview of this class back in 2016, and made a one-page reference sheet of the original Thief available (re-worded and without the example of the Thief in action).

However, since I had downloaded a copy of the original transcription before it was taken down, I wanted to at least go through that document and comment on the various sections with relevant quotes, adding my own views.

Thieves are always _neutral_. Their prime requisite is _dexterity_. Men, Dwarves, Elves, or Hobbits may become thieves.

In subsequent editions, Thieves can be evil or chaotic as well. Restricting them to neutral paints the thief as more of an opportunist. There are no skill bonuses for the demi-human thief in this version, but also no stated level limits.

Thieves are generally not meant to fight, although they are able to employ magic swords and daggers (but none of the other magical weaponry), and the only armor they can wear is leathern [sic].

This is interesting, letting Thieves use magic swords, which can be very powerful in OD&D and were normally the sole province of the Fighting Man. There is no mention of shields being prohibited.

original thief advancement table

Looking at the advancement table, we see the XP was originally the lowest of the original classes (1200xp to 2nd level and a lot lower at higher levels), and closely matches that of Greyhawk and B/X up to 8th level or so. So advancement is very fast, assuming the Thief survives (see below on disarming small traps). The use of percentage skill checks is new, and of course hit dice are d6-based.

Open locks (by picking or even foiling magical closures)… however he cannot open the lock… so it must be forced open — a very time-consuming process.

Remember that if you have to force a lock, wandering monster checks occur every turn in OD&D. Also we see the language that lets thieves pick magically closed locks. Does this include countering the wizard lock spell? This is quite powerful if so, and paints more of a picture of the thief abilities as preternatural.

Removal of small trap devices (such as poisoned needles)… Assume that a fifth level thief (Cutpurse) is a member of an expedition… the thief goes into the area and examines several chests in the room.  He notes that two have traps – which he has a 35% chance of successfully removing. He succeeds on the first, and a vial of poisonous gas is removed… Failure to remove a trap, incidentally, activates it with regard to the thief and any others within its range.

So detecting small traps is presumably automatic (the same as in Greyhawk and Holmes, but not in Moldvay), and one only has to roll to attempt to disarm the trap. The note about failure is interesting, and would make higher level thieves rare, given the 10% chance of success at 1st level.

Listen for noise behind a closed door

Note this is 1-2 in 6 at 1st and 2nd level, giving human Thieves the same chance to hear noise as Elves, Dwarves and Halflings at low levels.

Move with stealth… moving with absolute silence.

Steal items by stealth and/or sleight-of-hand… removing the object, be it from the person of the owner or from his immediate vicinity… the same likelihood as he has of moving with absolute silence.

So moving silently and stealing are lumped together, and note the detailed wording that was dropped in subsequent editions and has confused players of those editions for decades: “the same likelihood as he has of moving with absolute silence” (emphasis added). The thief abilities are extraordinary. This explains the low chance of success, and allows the referee to allow a second, non-extraordinary roll as a non-thief would get to succeed in some lesser fashion.

Stealing items is not limited to picking pockets, or even from the target himself, but within the target’s immediate vicinity. This is a much more compelling view of the Thief class than the one presented in future incarnations.

Strike silently from behind… If the thief strikes silently from behind he will do two dice of damage for every four levels he as attained, minimum damage of two dice, and hit probabilities from behind should be increased by 20% (+4 on numbers shown to hit).

Note there is no weapon restriction with this ability – it’s not a backstab, but an attack from behind. Also note the word “silently”, which implies a “move with stealth” roll, but not a hide in shadows roll.

Hide in shadows… chance to remain undetected when hiding or moving through shadows… hide without being seen provided he wasn’t observed prior to hiding, and there were shadows, of course.

Again with the emphasis on a preternatural skill, the “chance to remain undetected”. This explicitly allows moving through shadows as well, the thief does not have to stay in one place (again, unlike in Moldvay).

Climb almost sheer surfaces rapidly, up or down.

No chance of success or failure is noted here, so we have to assume the climbing skill is automatic. In the Greyhawk supplement, Thieves had a 13% of failure while climbing at 1st level, reduced by 1% per level. In Moldvay, this is “Climb Steep Surfaces”, which has a totally different connotation.

Third level thieves (Robber and above) are able to read languages, so treasure maps can be understood by them without recourse to a spell.

Ninth level thieves (Thief and above) are able to understand magical writings, so if they discover a scroll they are able to employ any spells thereon, excluding clerical spells.

Again, no chance of success is mentioned, so we have to assume these are automatic. Greyhawk added some limitations for these skills.

Overall, I’d say this is a fairly playable class for your 3LBB games. This version of the Thief is similar to Moldvay’s version, at least on the surface (XP requirements, percentage skills). However, the wording used to describe the skills makes it a very different class when played. I much prefer this original version – I like the emphasis on the Thief as having preternatural skills to open magical locks, move with absolute silence, move undetected in shadows, or climb (almost) sheer surfaces – things non-thieves could not even attempt. It would be easy to pull in little house rules from Greyhawk like the chance of failure for climbing, if you thought the class was too powerful. But I don’t see it, especially given the note about how a failure to disarm a trap sets it off. Congratulate any player that gets a Thief to higher levels using this rule.

BLUEHOLME Prentice Character Generator

24 Saturday May 2025

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I’ve added a BLUEHOLME Prentice random character generator to my Player & Gamemaster Resources page. I’ve also added it to the compiled list of known generators post. As with the others I created, it generates a random level 1 PC, in plain text, suitable for printing or copying. You can simply reload the page to generate another one. I find these generators useful for solo games or where you need to quickly start a game session.

This generator also correctly generates a spellbook if needed, according to the PC’s INT score and chance to know, min and max spells. Enjoy!

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Staying Alive in Old-School Adventures Redux: Thieves

23 Friday May 2025

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This is a continuing series of ‘Staying Alive’ posts. The the first three were about Magic-Users, Fighters, and Clerics. They are mostly geared towards OD&D, B/X and clones, and have tips for both players and referees.

Melee

Thieves typically fight as Clerics, that is to say, slightly worse than fighters, but they are limited to leather armor and cannot use a shield. So they are not suited for front-line combat. They do, however, have access to magic swords and bows, so with their rear attack or backstab ability, thieves are best suited for surprise or missile attacks.

As a referee, consider allowing the rear or backstab attack any time a thief can reasonably surprise someone from behind – and not necessarily only when a thief can move silently and hide in shadows as per their skills. The latter requirements make the backstab nearly impossible at lower levels. In my games, If a player can describe a plausible way their thief can sneak into position without being heard or noticed, I allow the backstab after a round or two. And during melee this is sometimes easier to do, given that the general noise and chaos of battle might mask any external sounds or movement.

Missile fire once melee has started can be problematic, with the risk of hitting an ally (if you use such rules), but see below about missile use in other situations.

Avoiding Melee

Try to use clever means of avoiding combat, such as distractions, e.g. thrown food, treasure or rocks used to create noise as a misdirection. Also don’t forget that a thief with a high charisma can be useful in negotiating a party’s way out of a combat, or even making an ally. But if you have to, run away. A thief in leather armor will be faster than any metal-armored party members, so remember that old adage about just needing to be faster than the slowest person in your party.

Thieves of even low levels can climb sheer surfaces well (in the original incarnation of the class, at least), so if the geography or architecture allows it, you should consider climbing above a melee to a perch where a bow or crossbow can be used to pick off opponents who haven’t yet joined combat, or who attempt to flee combat.

Oil

Consider oil as a missile weapon, or as a deterrent to pursuit. In OD&D oil is mentioned only in the latter context; thrown oil that was set alight did not do damage until the Holmes Basic D&D rules came along. Either way, if the thief is scouting ahead for a party, the oil may come in handy if the thief has to flee an encounter.

Scouting

As far as scouting, think tactically. Most thieves won’t be able to see in the dark without magical assistance, and holding a torch or lantern and trying to sneak about unnoticed in a dark dungeon are at odds with one another. So scouting is best done in environments where there are dimly lit or shadowed areas to hide in, or objects to obscure direct view of the thief as they move around.

Staying Alive in Old-School Adventures Redux: Clerics

21 Wednesday May 2025

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This is a continuing series of ‘Staying Alive’ posts. The the first two were about Magic-Users and Fighters. They are mostly geared towards OD&D, B/X and clones, and have tips for both players and referees.

A Good Defense

Clerics are slightly worse than fighters in melee at low levels (same attack matrix at level 1, but slightly lower HP on average), but the availability of plate armor and shield gives them good defensive capabilities, so they can be useful as part of a front-rank shield wall that protects the weaker players. Fighters with spears can be in the second rank.

Missile Weapons

Keep at hand holy water and oil, both are good alternatives to direct melee with undead if that one turn attempt fails. Even if oil cannot be used as a thrown grenade in your games, it can offer a pool of fire that can deter direct attack, or at least slow down a pursuit. My own preference is to allow thrown oil, but not as a Molotov-style fire bomb – the oil must be lit separately, by a thrown torch or similar.

I also allow clerics to use slings in my campaigns (despite slings not being in the OD&D rules at all, they are a common addition), so they can be somewhat useful from afar when the fighters are pulling out their bows. Sling bullets are blunt weapons, after all. They don’t get two shots per round with the sling as fighters do with bows in standard OD&D or White Box, but they’re another missile option should your referee allow it.

Make Allies

Most PC clerics are Lawful in alignment or at least act in a good way in games without alignment (Chaotic or evil PCs in general are a problem in a game meant to be about PC cooperation). This is up to the referee of course, but you can play on this “goodness” and try to make friends of local churches or temples with donations and quests. They will sometimes pay you back with potions or scrolls, or even free healing services for your other party members. I also sometimes have the local temple offer up low-level Clerics to tag along on adventures.

One of the boons I have had high-level priests offer my Cleric players in my games is a one-time blessing of a standard weapon, which has the effect of a stored bless spell, and can be triggered once only at the start of a combat.

Creative Use of Spells

Cure light wounds (CLW) is typically taken as a Cleric’s first spell. Understandable, but I love it when players use non-standard spells creatively. If you can befriend the local temple (see above), and procure healing potions, consider light instead. Most refs allow it to be cast in an opponent’s eyes, and it is also useful to counter the darkness spell. Detect Evil can be useful to ferret-out evil NPCs that may try to join the party with bad intentions. The reverse of Purify Food & Water could poison enough food or water to sicken a dozen bandits and take the fight out of them. And even if you find yourself needing a healing spell and did not learn it that day, you can try to find a safe place to hunker down overnight and gain access to CLW the next morning.

Staying Alive in Old-School Adventures Redux: Fighters

19 Monday May 2025

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This is second in a series of posts on how to keep your low-level PCs alive in old-school adventures. This one deals with the Fighter, and is based on an older post, with some updates.

Armor

First, let’s talk protection. In OD&D and B/X, plate armor is relatively cheap, on the order of 50gp or so. Make sure you buy it during character creation, even at the expense of cheaper weaponry, like spears (see below). In later editions and some clones it can be quite pricey, so take advantage of it if it’s cheap in your chosen system. After you’ve been on a few adventures and have saved up some gold, plate armor makes a great gift for your hireling meatshields. My own gaming group does this to great effect – nothing says you care and boosts loyalty like the gift of decent armor.

Weapons

spear-combat

Next, weapons – the fighter’s bread and butter. I suggest you equip Mogo the Mighty with a spear. Why the spear? First, you can use a spear one- or two-handed, and in many OSR systems it does more damage when used two-handed (and if not, try to convince your referee to house-rule it to do more damage when used that way). Spears can be thrown. They can be used as a trap-finder and general prodding device. Spears can attack from the second rank, and can even be set against a charge to do double damage. Best of all, spears are one of the cheapest weapons to buy, leaving you more money for that plate armor (see above).

Tactics

Tactics can be even more important for fighters than with Magic-users, just because fighters are expected to, well, fight. But you may as well be smart about it. A line of fighters with plate armor, shields and spears is an impressive sight and keeps the bad guys away from the soft and chewy Magic-Users. Most humanoids will need a 16 or 17 to hit AC 2 (plate & shield), and while they are dealing with that, the second rank can attack with longer reach weapons like, well, spears (you may be sensing a pattern here).

If possible, attack enemies in pairs, so their non-shield flank is exposed by at least one of you, or if your opponents are outnumbered, a group can move to attack from the rear. Every little bonus helps.

Don’t be afraid to try the so-called non-combat maneuvers (a bad name, since they can and should be used in combat, or to enter combat). Go ahead and flip that table to get more cover, swing from that chandelier to crash into the enemy’s front line, jump through the window to take an enemy by surprise, gang up and tackle the bad guy, or push your opponent with your shield so they fall into the pit. These work best in rules-light games, where the referee can adjudicate your attempts with a simple die roll or roll-under ability check, either for the PC or the opponent. For referees, 2d6 rolls make a decent check for these kind of ad-hoc actions. As a bonus, they make combats fun and memorable, even when they fail.

Missile Weapons

Before you even consider melee, you should be trying to make best use of your missile weapons. Bows in OD&D and S&W White Box fire twice per round and are only usable by fighters (assuming the original three classes).

holmes-sample-combat-bows
Holmes Basic D&D – Missile Combat Example

But even in other systems allowing one shot per round (or fewer), you’d be crazy not to use a weapon with such a long range. The heavy crossbow seems like a bad choice since it can only be fired once every 2-3 rounds, but it has a very long range, and can be pre-loaded, fired, and dropped before melee ensues. You just have to make sure you are in a position to use it. So send that thief or MU with an invisibility spell or potion up ahead to scout things out, then if you are going to attack, try to work in a round or two of missile fire, either by drawing the bad guys out to you from a higher or more secure vantage point, or by sneaking to within missile weapon range. And if you can’t afford a bow because you spent all your coin on plate armor, buy a sling and fill your pockets with stones.

Run Away!

Sometimes you’ll need to flee, either due to overwhelming odds, or bad luck. Either way, don’t just turn and run. In most old-school, systems, a fighting retreat allows a gradual exit from combat without exposing one’s rear flank to a free attack. If enemies follow a fighting retreat, a well-armored fighter or fighters can still risk it, while allowing other party members to flee. Or, worst case, just make sure the best armored in the group flee last (the more lightly armored PCs will run faster anyway). Also remember that OD&D has some rules around pursuits in the dungeon and wilderness. If you’re a fighter and last in line to flee, burning oil, food and/or gold might deter a pursuit.

Avoiding Melee

Lastly, despite your fighter wanting to, well, fight, don’t just think that every encounter should end in melee. Take advantage of the affects of charisma or reaction rolls and try to talk your way into a favorable outcome, meaning getting treasure or someone to help you without a fight. Many intelligent dungeon denizens will entertain help in fighting their sworn enemy, whoever that may be (ask them). Some referees will even give you XP for cleverly avoiding combat (I do this).