New to AD&D 2e/Getting Started

[Matthew]

I use the sweep rule in 2E - if they've got 1 HD or less, you can attack as many as your fighter level. (I think that may have been part of why 1st-level fighting men had HD 1+1, to not be sweepable?)

One of the strange things about the move from OD&D to AD&D is that in the former it was HD 1 or less (orcs and worse) and in the latter less than HD 1 (worse than orcs). Either way it is a massive difference when your fighter can down ten goblins a round, but only one hobgoblin or whatever.

I'm coming from the same background as OP, meaning I started with 3rd edition, but I'll be DMing my first 2nd Ed. game in a few days.

My biggest worry right now is that I'll end up killing everyone's characters. Characters have so little health in 2nd ed., and there isn't that stop-gap of 0 to -9 HP. It seems like a much deadlier game to me, which is fine, but I have some friends that are new to roleplaying, and I don't want to turn them off to it by killing them unfairly.

What can I do to keep the game challenging, but not have an immediate TPK?

Death and defeat is part of the fun. I stopped counting of the number of halfling characters I lost when I first started playing.

[satorian]

If you prefer to avoid the high lethality a bit, thus incentivizing players to write good backstories as they roll up their character, you could just start at 3rd level. It's your job to eyeball encounters (there is no CR, of course) to give them something challenging but not too lethal. If you go low on special abilities for a while and just focus on orcs and goblins and 1 HD bandit groups for a little while until you get your legs, you should be fine.

[Machpants]

If I don't want to go the high lethality way, which is often the case, I give max HP 1st level, re-roll 1s and 2s 2nd level, re-roll 1s 3rd level.
Nothing more annoying than rolling a 1 on your Ftr's HP! Back in the day our 1st level lower than average HP PCs were very gungho, didn't take long to get a new one ;)

[thirdkingdom]

I strongly suggest that anyone interested in old-style play read this thread here. It is a link to a game on rpg.net; unfortunately you have to be a member to access the play by post forums, but that is, I feel, worth it just to read through this thread.

The game in question is run using the OD&D rules. The mechanics are hardly visible; the DM running the game makes all the rolls and mechanical calls behind the "screen". In fact, there are a number of players in the game who don't have the rules or have never played OD&D before! But in terms of capturing the Old-School style of play it is by far the best example I have come across and something I strive to emulate in the games I run.

[Matthew]

That is an interesting example of play.

[thirdkingdom]

It has greatly influenced my playstyle since being exposed to it. A couple things grabbed my attention.
1)Plot hooks. There are plot hooks everywhere. Absolutely no railroading. This is a perfect example of sandbox play.
2)Mechanics are behind the curtain. A lot of those players had never played OD&D before.
3)The most memorable character Gworg the Unwise (Fighting Man) has only a single 13 for Strength. All his other scored are lower than that. Yet he is a fantastically capable character.

[Oddfellow]

unfortunately you have to be a member to access the play by post forum

Signing up to do exactly that right now. I'm intrigued.

EDIT: I think your link is broken there, friend.

[thirdkingdom]

Signing up to do exactly that right now. I'm intrigued.

EDIT: I think your link is broken there, friend.

Try it now.

[Oddfellow]

Ah, perfect! IT LIVES! Thanks, I'm looking forward to some good reading.