I is for Ignore and Inspiration
I was running a little short on ideas for a single subject post so I
doubled up on this also. Consider it a
bonus since there are two different subjects for this post. If you must, then consider it as just covering up for a lack of ideas – take your pick!
I is for Ignore
What portions of the B/X rules system will I ignore for the Toldara
campaign? The B/X rules are not
cumbersome to use at all. In fact, they
are adequate, complete, and very manageable.
That is the main attraction for using them. There are, however, a few things that I am
probably not going to use during play.
Alignment languages: I have just never been a fan of the
alignment tongues; it seems silly to me.
I *think* they were included to simulate stuff like “the dark speech of
Mordor” mentioned by Gandalf or maybe the true name magic from Earthsea. It is an intriguing concept and is relevant
to the fantasy genre of fiction but I do not like the super simple alignment
language system in D&D.
Level titles: I have absolutely no objections to level titles
for the classes. I just do not want to
come up with new titles for any new classes I design – plain and simple. If a player wants to use level titles then
that is perfectly fine with me.
I is for Inspiration
What is my inspiration for the Toldara campaign and where does it come
from? The easiest answer is that there
is not just one source for my inspiration and I have used several ideas from
several areas. The more detailed answer
is below.
Miscellaneous: I have drawn ideas from many different sources
over the years. If I run across
something I like from a book, TV show, video game, or other source then I will
try to include it. For example, I like
the concept of the Cauldron-Born monsters from The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd
Alexander. I would like to work up a
conversion of them but it has been years since I read the books. It does give me a reason to read them again.
Old Campaigns: There are a ton of old campaigns we played when
I was growing up. Admittedly, I do not
remember all of the details but if I
can remember something cool or useful then there is no reason that I cannot
recycle it.
Original Toldara: The original Toldara was based on the 3E/PF
rules but this campaign is firmly based in the B/X rules. That does not mean that I am simply going to
convert everything over. I am using this
opportunity to think about what I would do differently. It is safe to consider it something like an
ElseWorlds story from DC. The B/X
campaign will be familiar but different
in its own right.
