2E AD&D Ruleset Suggestions

[ShadeRaven]

So I have some players who've cut their teeth on 4E and 5E who want to go old school for a change of pace after paging through the classic AD&D players handbook (they are genuinely excited by the lack of homogeneity along with the separation of class functions, as well as the lack of emphasis on stats). As I have (too) many classic modules that would fit the bill, I think they might enjoy seeing some of those bygone era adventures and I expect I will enjoy taking players through some of those from my youth.

I downloaded the ADD.pak and it seems to be decent. I am running into a problem with creature attacks. The standard Longsword +0 (1d8 slashing) format is definitely not working on the attack roll. I can ignore it, and do the math in my head, but the [Hit AC #] or drag and drop results would be nice to figure out. So if anyone knows that format for NPC structures, I'd be grateful. I've toyed with BAB / Grp, etc, but haven't found the magic layout to make it all work.

That said, if someone knows a better way to get AD&D play out of FG I am wide open to suggestions. We aren't going to go beyond the core books, so all the kits and options are being left out (at least for the time being unless this sticks and we expand later) and I want to be as faithful as possible to the system while we go retro for a bit. A little converting doesn't scare me, but keeping true to the rules is pretty high priority.

Any input is greatly appreciated!

[JohnD]

Take a look at Castles and Crusades ruleset. It is very old school and will give you what you are essentially looking for.

[JohnD]

To add; your AD&D/2e stuff will convert 90%+ straight across without any hassle. C&C really is a great little rule set.

[Trenloe]

I downloaded the ADD.pak and it seems to be decent. I am running into a problem with creature attacks. The standard Longsword +0 (1d8 slashing) format is definitely not working on the attack roll.

The format is: <Weapon name> THAC0 (damage)

So, try: Longsword 20 (1d8) for a longsword attack with a THAC0 of 20. This will either report what AC you hit (if drag/dropping) or will report a hit/miss against a target.

For example: an untargeted attack roll of 18 will report: [ATTACK] Longsword [HIT AC 2]

The ADD ruleset is a very good community based ruleset, but it is showing it's age and no one is stepping up to maintain it. It'll get you most of they way, but I would recommend looking at Castles & Crusades as JohnD mentions. It's a bit different (no THAC0, AC counts up from 10) and has the siege rules for resolving most things. But it still has very much the original AD&D flavor.

[damned]

I'm another fan of the Castles&Crusades ruleset.
I bought FantasyGrounds for the Castles&Crusades ruleset (and the great community) as it was the closest thing to old school D&D that I could find.
It is great value too - all the PHB and M&T for $10.

[ShadeRaven]

Thanks guys! While the AD&D set is fun and very old school, it does struggle in a few things. I'll give C&C a shot to see if it suits our needs better. We are finally ready to kick off, so deciding on a ruleset is fairly important :P

[damned]

The ADD ruleset is a very good community based ruleset, but it is showing it's age and no one is stepping up to maintain it. ,,,,,,,,

There is no time like the present.... :)

[cas206]

Do you mean ADD2.pak (vice ADD.pak)?

Disregarding 1E vs 2E, opinions on what requires less work to update, ADD2.pak or OSRIC.pak?

[damned]

it depends - each of them does things better than the others.
ultimately you will be better off starting again as a corerpg ruleset and then taking pieces of layout and code from each...