Redbeard's Ravings

Resource Management is one of the pillars of what I consider to be Old School role playing.   One of the limits on your resources is the encumbrance system of your game.   Especially in a game where the majority of your experience is derived from treasure recovered, there’s a balancing act for the player to manage of how much equipment, how many supplies, and how much treasure they can carry.   One of the key resource mechanics in 5 th edition is resting, by which character abilities recharge and hit points (always an abstract measure of stamina) can be recovered.   In order to really make this matter to 5 th edition players, consumption of supplies must be a part of the rest mechanic.   So I have a house rule that rations and water must be consumed in order to get the benefits of a rest. Encumbrance Many original games and most new style games have encumbrance systems that don’t get used at the table, so you need a simple and quick system. ...

I wasn't the first to come up with this general idea.  But I've been running with it for a while.  I think it helps me run quicker and more interesting combats. Initiative House Rules Procedure: 1.    DM announces initiative and everyone rolls as per normal, d20 plus dexterity mod or other modifiers. 2.    DM uses their big spindown d20 to show the 1 opposing/monster initiative score 3.    Player to the DM’s left announces whether they beat/tied the opposing initiative score and if they do, take their turn. 4.    Play continues going around the table to the left, each player taking their turn if they beat the monsters’ score. 5.    DM takes the monsters’ turn for all the monsters.  DM removes the big spindown die so they don’t forget that the monsters had their turn (I… sometimes drink when I DM). 6.    Players then restart to the DM’s left, taking their turn if the monste...

Identifying magical items is one of the areas of play where the game does not meet the fiction.  In part, this is due to magical items becoming frequent commodities and tools and not the singular plot points of fiction.  Yet some of us do have stories of the first time we found a wand, pressing the button, or quizzing the Dungeon Master on the properties of the newly found sword we were swinging about. A spell that gratuitously reveals all the mystery removes those moments from play.  On the other hand, spending 30 minutes of play deciphering that +1 dagger isn't fun for anyone else at the table, least of all the sole player and DM at that moment.  In 1st edition, the Identify spell was nearly unplayable by the book.  It needed to be cast within a certain time frame of acquiring the item so that the debilitating effects could be dangerous, and the 100gp cost was also meant to be significant, at least to the 1st level caster that had access to it. The 1st Edi...