Dropping the Baggage

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Julian Grimm
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Dropping the Baggage

Post by Julian Grimm »

While trying to get my next campaign up and running I realized that I am carrying around over 30 years of gaming baggage that I feel needs to be dropped. I have found I am in a cycle of attempting to recreate my past AD&D glory days(TM) rather than do something new. This came to me while trying to decide on a few things and as I was reading some setting material I found myself slipping into a familiar thought process that has hit me for years...mainly that I was basing everything on past games and desires to get back into that late 80s to early 90s feel. While not all bad I found that what I wanted was everything to be the same as it was 30 years ago.

C&C had to feel like 90s (A)D&D and couldn't stand on it's own as a game. Aihrde had to be exactly like the old TSR settings. The group had to be the same size and personality make up of my old groups. So on and so on. I saw this as what it was; a sick and twisted form of nostalgia that has subconsciously plagued me for years. When you add in a healthy amount of gamer ADD brought on by a rather large collection this turns into the full meaning of a reversed Six of Cups (those who know, know).

So the question now is how do I keep a certain spirit alive and not be bogged down by all this? I started by pulling everything but C&C and a couple select AD&D books off the shelf to focus. I decided that I was being unrealistic and over-detailed and needed to simplify; Run the A Series using the bare basics of the setting and build from there. Go back to only two things from the past: 1) build off a simple set of assumptions canon be damned 2) unless it is useful tools the past 30 years of experience and baggage does not exist.

Realizing many of my campaign failures were based off unrealistic expectations was a hard lesson. Yes use the best of what I have learned but stop trying to recapture something that no longer exists; it's 2021 not 1994 for God's sake. Nostalgia is fine but when everything is contained and informed by it the idea becomes a trap.

So for all of you; anyone else have this issue and have you solved it? Any help is appreciated.
Lord Skystorm

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AD&D per se is as dead a system as Latin is a language, while the C&C game has much the same spirit and nearly the same mechanics. --Gary Gygax 8/16/06

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Re: Dropping the Baggage

Post by Grandpa »

Just aim for fun. As a GM we tend to over do it as far as minutia that doesn't end up being experienced by the players (at least I have tended that way). Sometimes I have focused too hard on some possible goal for the PCs and forget that sometimes it is journey and not the destination/end game that makes the adventure memorable. Think of some neat story you have read and rip off from that even if not a D&D/medieval type story. Modify it for the genre you are using. Roddenberry did it with Wagon Train... ;)

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old school gamer
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Re: Dropping the Baggage

Post by old school gamer »

Nostalgia can become toxic.

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Julian Grimm
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Re: Dropping the Baggage

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old school gamer wrote:
Sat May 15, 2021 5:11 pm
Nostalgia can become toxic.
Very so I have found. Especially when you get into the 'things were better in my day' trap.
Lord Skystorm

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AD&D per se is as dead a system as Latin is a language, while the C&C game has much the same spirit and nearly the same mechanics. --Gary Gygax 8/16/06

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Re: Dropping the Baggage

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Julian Grimm wrote:
Tue May 18, 2021 11:48 pm
old school gamer wrote:
Sat May 15, 2021 5:11 pm
Nostalgia can become toxic.
Very so I have found. Especially when you get into the 'things were better in my day' trap.
Oh but they were better back in the day ... no rule bloat, no min making, no meta gaming, no murder hobos, just good fun role playing ... well there was the 2e splat books and complete series, I can think of at least 3 players that always played elf ranger or dwarf fighter etc because that was the best race class mix, more than one campaign was just dungeon delves and kill everything, .... but things were still better back then 8-)

Honestly, I'm in a similar boat. with my girls and their friend going through their 1 st adventure, I'm catching myself doing things for them that me and my group would have wanted, and setting up things that would have been fun for my groups over the years. Not things that they will enjoy.

That said, I am purposely running them through some of the ole classic adventures (modified to be a tough more Tolkien and more for their enjoyment) that way after they are done I can tell them they just ran adventure x and back 30 + years ago when I played it I died in the orc cave, or we ran from the trolls etc.
"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain

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Julian Grimm
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Re: Dropping the Baggage

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Lurker wrote:
Tue May 25, 2021 11:03 pm
Julian Grimm wrote:
Tue May 18, 2021 11:48 pm
old school gamer wrote:
Sat May 15, 2021 5:11 pm
Nostalgia can become toxic.
Very so I have found. Especially when you get into the 'things were better in my day' trap.
Oh but they were better back in the day ... no rule bloat, no min making, no meta gaming, no murder hobos, just good fun role playing ... well there was the 2e splat books and complete series, I can think of at least 3 players that always played elf ranger or dwarf fighter etc because that was the best race class mix, more than one campaign was just dungeon delves and kill everything, .... but things were still better back then 8-)

Honestly, I'm in a similar boat. with my girls and their friend going through their 1 st adventure, I'm catching myself doing things for them that me and my group would have wanted, and setting up things that would have been fun for my groups over the years. Not things that they will enjoy.

That said, I am purposely running them through some of the ole classic adventures (modified to be a tough more Tolkien and more for their enjoyment) that way after they are done I can tell them they just ran adventure x and back 30 + years ago when I played it I died in the orc cave, or we ran from the trolls etc.
I was mainly referring to the whole 'we walked uphill naked in snow to school both ways and we liked it' mentality actually but you are right about how gaming worked. I try to keep up on what is going on in the current D&D realm and am just at a loss for words with some of what is going on out there.
Lord Skystorm

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AD&D per se is as dead a system as Latin is a language, while the C&C game has much the same spirit and nearly the same mechanics. --Gary Gygax 8/16/06

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Re: Dropping the Baggage

Post by Grandpa »

Julian Grimm wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 8:46 pm
I was mainly referring to the whole 'we walked uphill naked in snow to school both ways and we liked it' mentality actually but you are right about how gaming worked. I try to keep up on what is going on in the current D&D realm and am just at a loss for words with some of what is going on out there.
It is D&D in name only. Been that way since 3x. Thank god(s) for C&C (aka the Real D&D 3rd Edition.)

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Re: Dropping the Baggage

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Grandpa wrote:
Sat Jul 03, 2021 11:40 am
Julian Grimm wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 8:46 pm
I was mainly referring to the whole 'we walked uphill naked in snow to school both ways and we liked it' mentality actually but you are right about how gaming worked. I try to keep up on what is going on in the current D&D realm and am just at a loss for words with some of what is going on out there.
It is D&D in name only. Been that way since 3x. Thank god(s) for C&C (aka the Real D&D 3rd Edition.)
Actually, THIS is AD&D 3rd edition.... :lol:


Seriously I would actually consider the above AD&D 3rd over C&C as 3rd as C&C is more akin to the idea of a Gygaxian Second edition in my book.
Lord Skystorm

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AD&D per se is as dead a system as Latin is a language, while the C&C game has much the same spirit and nearly the same mechanics. --Gary Gygax 8/16/06

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Re: Dropping the Baggage

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Julian Grimm wrote:
Sat Jul 03, 2021 5:08 pm
Seriously I would actually consider the above AD&D 3rd over C&C as 3rd as C&C is more akin to the idea of a Gygaxian Second edition in my book.
Well Gygax said C&C was his idea of what 3rd should have been... Probably as he had direct input and veto on rules ;) But in any case, the designers of 3rd didn't "get" D&D so well. (same with those doing 4 & 5) otherwise they wouldn't have created the monster that was 3.x, the P&P video game that was 4th and 5th (the Snowflake Edition).

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Re: Dropping the Baggage

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Grandpa wrote:
Sun Jul 04, 2021 12:39 pm
Julian Grimm wrote:
Sat Jul 03, 2021 5:08 pm
Seriously I would actually consider the above AD&D 3rd over C&C as 3rd as C&C is more akin to the idea of a Gygaxian Second edition in my book.
Well Gygax said C&C was his idea of what 3rd should have been... Probably as he had direct input and veto on rules ;) But in any case, the designers of 3rd didn't "get" D&D so well. (same with those doing 4 & 5) otherwise they wouldn't have created the monster that was 3.x, the P&P video game that was 4th and 5th (the Snowflake Edition).
You're abut 4 years too late to get me in on the edition bashing thing, friend. Let people play what they like without resorting to schoolyard insults is my take these days. 8-)
Lord Skystorm

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AD&D per se is as dead a system as Latin is a language, while the C&C game has much the same spirit and nearly the same mechanics. --Gary Gygax 8/16/06

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Re: Dropping the Baggage

Post by Grandpa »

Julian Grimm wrote:
Thu Jul 08, 2021 7:37 pm

You're abut 4 years too late to get me in on the edition bashing thing, friend.

What ARE you talking about? I simply gave my opinion. Quit projecting.

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Re: Dropping the Baggage

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Grandpa wrote:
Fri Jul 09, 2021 1:29 pm
Julian Grimm wrote:
Thu Jul 08, 2021 7:37 pm

You're abut 4 years too late to get me in on the edition bashing thing, friend.

What ARE you talking about? I simply gave my opinion. Quit projecting.
I'm not projecting and using terms like 'Snowflake' pretty much puts you in the same camp as those that used terms like "Turd-Edition" "3tard" "4on" and even 'C-tard' to describe fans of games that are not The One True Game (Trademarked and copyrighted by those who's calendars never made it past 78 or so). I've been on enough sites to know what edition bashing and school yard name calling is and I don't particularly want it in a thread I started to discuss dropping years of baggage to start fresh.

So stop deflecting and use big boy words to provide dislike for editions you personally don't like or better yet; do like many of us and say 'not my cup of tea' play what you want and don't waste energy on editions you think are for snowflakes.
Lord Skystorm

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AD&D per se is as dead a system as Latin is a language, while the C&C game has much the same spirit and nearly the same mechanics. --Gary Gygax 8/16/06

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Re: Dropping the Baggage

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Baggage often has your name on it, so you can claim it later.

Oh, no. Wait, that's luggage. And in some places of other worlds, it follows you.

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Re: Dropping the Baggage

Post by Kayolan »

The edition wars ended long ago and I'm glad they are dead and (partially) buried.

I didn't know that C-tard was a thing. Kinda lame :lol:

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Re: Dropping the Baggage

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serleran wrote:
Fri Jul 16, 2021 3:54 pm
Baggage often has your name on it, so you can claim it later.

Oh, no. Wait, that's luggage. And in some places of other worlds, it follows you.
And cause mass extinction.... :D
Lord Skystorm

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AD&D per se is as dead a system as Latin is a language, while the C&C game has much the same spirit and nearly the same mechanics. --Gary Gygax 8/16/06

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Re: Dropping the Baggage

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Kayolan wrote:
Sat Jul 17, 2021 1:18 am
The edition wars ended long ago and I'm glad they are dead and (partially) buried.

I didn't know that C-tard was a thing. Kinda lame :lol:
I saw C-Tard during the C&C vs OSRIC dust up years ago. Another thing that I am glad is dead and buried.
Lord Skystorm

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Donner Party Meats: We're here to serve YOU!

AD&D per se is as dead a system as Latin is a language, while the C&C game has much the same spirit and nearly the same mechanics. --Gary Gygax 8/16/06

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