AD&D Slave Pits of the Undercity (Wed 830 pm GMT-5)

[leozelig]

Gamers,

I am starting the next adventure of my "classic modules" series in 2-3 weeks.

Slave Pits of the Undercity (A1)

We have a very relaxed and friendly group that meets once a week. I am looking for players who can join us consistently for the duration of the module. Of course, I understand that you might not be able to attend every session, but the game is more rewarding for everyone if you are reliable. The last adventure, The Village of Hommlet, ran for 4 sessions (3 hrs each), but I anticipate that this one will run for 6 sessions or more. I encourage efficient and cooperative play so everyone has maximum fun. ;)

You do not need to be an expert with the rules, but some familiarity with the old school play style is preferred. If you understand the basics of initiative and combat, you are ready to go. OSRIC presents these rules very clearly and may be substituted as a reference if you do not have the old books anymore.

Time: Wednesdays 8:30-11:30 pm ET (GMT -5)
Source Material: AD&D 1st edition Player's Handbook or OSRIC (https://www.knights-n-knaves.com/osric/)
FG Ruleset: OSRIC (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11419) - be aware this is very "feature-lite" but functional
No. of Players: 6-8 (need 1-3), pregens available if desired
Starting Level: 4
Voice Chat: Skype

I try to adhere to the rules as much as possible, but I do employ a few of the more common house rules - max hp at level 1, for example. These are outlined in the game calendar page (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/calendar/?id=681) and can be viewed after you join.

PM me if you are interested or have specific questions. Oh, and prepare to save or die! :p

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a9/A1SlavePitsCover.jpg
Cover image from wikipedia

[GunnarGreybeard]

Looking forward to it. Just hope my shortbow skills improve between now and then cause going 3 for 20 in this module ain't gonna cut it. :D

[leozelig]

:D

Aw, you'll get 'em next time!

[Orpheus]

Hey, Leozelig. I played in your 4e Revenge of the Giants game for a while, but had to bow out due to my schedule.

I would be interested in playing in this one. I still have a copy of the orange spine PHB and would love to play some AD&D again.:D

[leozelig]

Orpheus!

I will send you an invite for the game. You can check out the party and see what you want to play...

Z

[leozelig]

Orpheus,

If you have a full license, you can download the OSRIC ruleset and create your character. If not, PM the stats to me, and I will have it ready for you. You have a couple weeks, so no rush.

I would recommend rolling up a level 4 character. Check the 'House Rules' at the game calendar page for guidelines. There are pregens if you prefer. If you have questions, you can post at the game calendar page or send me a PM.

Z

[Orpheus]

Right on.

I do have the full license so I should be good to download the OSRIC ruleset and create a character within there.

8d6, three highest, right?:D

I'll check out the House Rules section.

[Secluse]

I am interested in this if there is a space. I have been looking to get into Fantasy Grounds, but I'm not a fan of the 4E having been brought up with 2E. Do I require a license - don't mind picking one up if needed.

This will take me back a little further than my 'roots', but I really enjoy the old-school stuff vs. this later stuff - happy to take a read through of early rules and get involved if you'll have me.

[brett3692000]

i'm interested and will use a pre-gen fighter or thief if you have one. its been a while since I've played this version.

[leozelig]

You guys are both welcome to join the game!

@Secluse
Minimum requirement is a lite license ($24). I think you'll find that the differences between 1st and 2nd edition are minor (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editions_of_Dungeons_%26_Dragons). OSRIC (https://www.knights-n-knaves.com/osric/) is useful to review if you don't have the 1st edition books.

@brett3692000
Here are the pregen character options...

Elwita - female dwarf fighter 6
"Ogre" - male human fighter 5
Freda - female human ranger 4
Karraway - male human cleric 6
Blodgett - male halfling thief 5
Dread Delgath - male human MU 5
Phanstern - male human illusionist 5
Eljayess - male half-elf cleric 3 / fighter 3
Kayen Telva - male elf fighter 4 / MU 4

The alternative is to roll up your own level 4 character.

You can check out the rest of the party on the game calendar page (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/calendar/?id=681). I will post the date of our first game there when I know for sure - either Feb 29 or Mar 7.

Z

[Secluse]

Thanks, I'll look to hook up a license - I'm interested in DM'ing one day, so I may fork out for the full edition if it's reasonable.

As for weekends, I am out on the 29th (wife doing the annual marathon) so if you decide to start then I'll have to miss the first session - happy to sit out and see if you run another module, but definitely around for the following weekends.

[leozelig]

I might need an extra week to get everything ready anyway, so you might not miss anything. :)

Those dates are Wednesdays, just to clarify. Check in at the game calendar when you get a chance.

[Secluse]

Sorry, not sure why I assumed those were Saturdays. That Wednesday (29th) I'm out, connected to the marathon weekend - will update my status on the game calendar.

[DarkRider68]

Hey, I am also Interested... I haven't Played on FG before... Did you say there's a Minimum $24 Cost?

Also, I don't see your name anywhere on the Calander, maybe you're not the GM

DarkRider-

[leozelig]

DarkRider,

My game is here (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/calendar/?id=681). You might need to be invited to see the whole thing.

We have 9 players right now for Slave Pits... I will be running A2 after that, so I will post another recruiting thread. I would be glad to have you in the game if a spot opens up before then.

I sent you a PM about licenses - the minimum cost is $23.95.

Z

[brett3692000]

i'll play the pre-gen theif. can you send me his info?

[leozelig]

PM sent.

:)

[DarkRider68]

Thanks for the Reply, yeah that Link takes me to a Blank Page which has a Link on it for The Calendar main page (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/calendar/index.xcp)

And I don't see you on there, unless I'm just not seeing it.

Cool, keep me abreast, and I'll keep an eye open for your New Recruitment

Thanks Again

DarkRider-

[EOTB]

I'm looking into buying a VT right now, and am comparing them. I am posting in your thread because I see you are using the OSRIC ruleset to run a 1E game. I am looking to run 1E games for some high school buddies when the re-releases come out in April, and maybe for my brother. So I was wondering if I could ask you some questions on how it's working for you.

1) Does the ruleset handle initiative for you, or do you generate initiative manually and then just tell everyone to go when it's their turn

2) How hard is it to put in new spells, classes, etc, or tweak existing ones? I am not high-level tech, but can usually figure stuff out with manuals and documentation. I love OSRIC, but I know that some of the 1E content is not included for various reasons.

3) How is fog of war handled? I see that some other VTs point it out as a feature and it seems very robust. What I found on this site was a line about using a paint tool to unmask things. So is line-of-sight a high maintenance item in FG?

I wish I wasn't on the west coast - 5:30 my time is just a half hour too early to get into your games if a slot was available; I'm usually home by 6 :)

[leozelig]

I'm looking into buying a VT right now, and am comparing them. I am posting in your thread because I see you are using the OSRIC ruleset to run a 1E game. I am looking to run 1E games for some high school buddies when the re-releases come out in April, and maybe for my brother. So I was wondering if I could ask you some questions on how it's working for you.

1) Does the ruleset handle initiative for you, or do you generate initiative manually and then just tell everyone to go when it's their turn

2) How hard is it to put in new spells, classes, etc, or tweak existing ones? I am not high-level tech, but can usually figure stuff out with manuals and documentation. I love OSRIC, but I know that some of the 1E content is not included for various reasons.

3) How is fog of war handled? I see that some other VTs point it out as a feature and it seems very robust. What I found on this site was a line about using a paint tool to unmask things. So is line-of-sight a high maintenance item in FG?

I wish I wasn't on the west coast - 5:30 my time is just a half hour too early to get into your games if a slot was available; I'm usually home by 6 :)

Hi EOTB,

The ruleset is functional enough for me but doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles. The newer edition rulesets are pretty amazing in that respect.

Let me see if I can answer your questions...

1) Does the ruleset handle initiative for you, or do you generate initiative manually and then just tell everyone to go when it's their turn
Manually. I just call out everyone's turn (on Skype) since initiative is rolled every round in 1e. Actually, I prefer that method because it feels more like a real game. I use the "combat tracker" mainly to track hit points.

2) How hard is it to put in new spells, classes, etc, or tweak existing ones?
Not too hard. I have done it before, and I am not high tech either. The ruleset has library modules for spells and monsters (at least partially complete), so you have a template. I prefer to enter the monsters as I go.

3) How is fog of war handled? I see that some other VTs point it out as a feature and it seems very robust.
As I understand it, some other VTs have a more robust fog of war feature. The DM clicks and drags an "unmask" tool to reveal areas of the map to the players. Default is a rectangle, or you can go freehand. It's a little choppy, but I wouldn't say it hinders the game.

I take a minimalist approach to my games. OSRIC offers a respectable character sheet that can auto-calculate ability score bonuses, "to hit" tables, and saving throws. FG lets me share my maps and handouts, and the dice roller is pretty cool. I can drag and drop the monster attacks and damage into the chat window, and the players can do the same. So, it is very functional and user friendly. I keep my books handy as references.

The community here is great. If you end up purchasing the software, I would be happy to take you on a tour of the OSRIC ruleset. I don't know if that can be done with the demo, but if so, let me know.

Cheers!
Leo

[lachancery]

EOTB,

From your questions, I can guess which other VTT you're considering. :) While I have not used that other one, I have been playing in Leozelig's game for over 6 months, and I am running my own games with FG. If I may, I'll add to Leo's feedback:

For a tactical focused open game (ie. not based on a "module"), automatically computing light sources, lines of sight, and improvising drawn maps are nice features. Of the three, only the drawing tools really matter - the other two are simple enough to manage with FG.

Leo's game goes through old school modules where the material is prepared ahead of time; there's been no need for improvised drawn maps. The initiative system in AD&D 1Ed is a single D6 for the party and one D6 for the enemies. Leo chose not to bother with the "tactical stepping for each character" that is supported in the Combat Tracker in favor of an old school feel. If you ran a more tactically-minded game, the combat tracker does support individual initiative score for each player and as GM, you can step through each player by clicking an icon.

[lachancery]

I had to wrap up my earlier message rather quickly...

OSRIC with FG on the positive side, provides a good character sheet (see a couple of screenshots of mine in Leo's game), a complete list of spells, and a pretty strong role-playing tool with the chat window and the notes the GM can prepare ahead of time...