I was excited to hear that the leading and oldest RPG was going to launch a new edition that would bring it back to the basics. I had started playing D&D in high school before there even were editions. The three little brown books plus the "Greyhawk" supplement were the basis for our game. Articles from the "Strategic Review" and later supplements added to our fun, though we rarely used anything from those later books. I did run a "Monk" character based completely off the old Kung Fu TV show and our DM did have the occasional druid as an NPC. Besides those instances, we pretty much stuck to the base rules. As I was graduating from school, AD&D arrived. We transferred to the new rules, but the heart of our campaigns stayed firmly with OD&D.
College, work, and my obsessions with historical miniatures pretty much ended my RPG experience. I was vaguely aware of 2nd Edition. What I saw of it seemed interesting, but the adventures seemed off-putting. Much later when 3rd edition surfaced I tried to renew my interest. The tightening up and standardization of systems appealed to me, as did the vast array of options, skills, and feats. The internal logic seemed sound. Then I tried to play it... egads. I could not imagine DMing it.
Fourth edition once again piqued my interest. I followed the development rumors and play tests for it. The "Video Game" aspect to it was interesting and I played in a local campaign. It was a fun game, but it didn't seem like D&D to me. I won't disparage it. It was fun, just not what I was seeking.
Fifth edition seemed to possibly solve the issue. A return to the basics was what I needed. It initially didn't disappoint. I played in a local campaign that lasted almost a year. The DM moved and offered me the campaign. We had just finished an abbreviated version of the "Lost Mines" starter adventure. Casting about, I purchased "Princes of the Apocalypse". I found it excellent. We spent the next year playing until... everyone hit eighth level. I simply could not keep up with all the special feats, powers, and whatnots. Fifth edition was simplified and streamlined compared to Third... and it was easier to run at lower levels. The breakpoint for the DM however was just moved a few levels higher.
Worn out by this experience (though we did have a good campaign) I just so happened to play in a session at a local convention. One of our group had advertised an OD&D game using just the three books. looking for a bit of nostalgia I signed up. Cody the DM ran a great game. It was simple, fun and quite deadly. I did make it through the adventure in on piece, though a 2 HP wound from an arrow had me worried. Seeing the simplicity of the game opened my eyes.
This lead me to explore the Old School Renaissance or Renewal or Revival or whatever folks have decided to call it. From there I gleaned a good set of rules that harken back to the originals and the game I played in the 70s. I built upon it adding simple changes to weapons and added simple skill systems to provide some standardization. "Mythic Heroes & Legends" is the end result. I hope that folks can find the same joy in playing it as I do.
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