OSR: OD&D Session 1: The Ring and the Marmot

Running a vintage RPG is like running a vintage car. It's fun, but it'll make you realize how much you miss power steering, disc brakes, and seatbelts.

The GLOG is like a handbuilt hot rod. It does its job well, but is more of a heap of loosely linked hopes than a practical everyday vehicle. But you built it yourself and you know what it can do... what will  make the crankcase turn into a cloud of tinsel and smoke. The mutant AD&D version I use for testing is like a rusty station wagon. It still runs, but every part has been replaced at some point, and you wouldn't sell it to a friend. 

Running OD&D is like driving a Model T Ford. It's possible, and it's entertaining, but it's also a bit stressful. I decided to run a by-the-book OD&D game. No initial worldbuilding beyond what's in the books. No outside knowledge of Lord of the Rings or Three Hearts and Three Lions. No Greyhawk, no Strategic Review, just the 3 Little Brown Books, some dice, and some guesswork.

Wikipedia

The Setting

I cover more details about the implied OD&D-derived setting of this game in this post, but this was the pitch the players heard:

The Sai Empire is slowly emerging from a period of civil war. Fabled kingdoms and distant lands that used to send tribute to the capital slipped into independence and myth. The lands beyond the Western Desert are unmapped, untamed, and, so it is claimed, rich beyond belief.

Soldiers of disgraced warlords, drifters, criminals, dreamers, and adventurers are trickling across the desert. Most die. The wilderness is incredibly dangerous. An eagle the size of an elephant carried off a cart and two horses. Giant worms rumble under the surface. Elves stalk the forests. 

But if you survive, and if you prosper, you can be anything. Found a kingdom, a dynasty, an empire. Get rich. Discover world-bending magic. Just watch out for the storm giants, bandits, dragons, and undead.  

The PCs 

• Gorgontooth the Unslain, Dwarf. Plate armour, shield, helmet, battleaxe. Wishes to become a famous hero. Seems not to understand that "unslain" is the bare minimum qualification.
• Elizabeth Greenslade, Magic-User. Scribe to Gorgontooth, recording his heroic story. Her Sleep spell is possibly just Elizabeth reading her draft.
• Chad Bloodsworth, Fighting Man. Plate, sword and shield, rope, and mild paranoia.
• Lurp, Hobbit. Chad's squire, acquired during the wars. Plate, sling, and spear. A reformed Hobgoblin. 
• Tim Eonwalker, Magic-User. Disreputable seller of fake potions and false prophecies.  
• Alcone Darkwell, Cleric (Chaos). Tim's accountant. 
• Jacob Tallerand, Cleric (Chaos). Anxious spotty teenager. Was on a tomb-robbing expedition. Tried to raise their friend from the dead with a scroll. It wasn't a scroll of Resurrection.
• Opum, Skeleton. Jacob's friend. Bow and arrow and 2 HP. 

Every player brought at least one interesting twist to their PCs. We learned that Hobbits are reformed Hobgoblins and that they were involved in the civil wars of the Sai Empire. There's a line between too silly. "I want to play a barbarian named 'Arnold Baconandegger' and everything I say is a quote from a movie" is, usually, too silly. "My cleric is an accountant, and my magic-user is their disreputable client" is the perfect amount of silly. It helped establish that the Sai empire has banking clerics.

If Opum survives, as the text suggests, they'll level up to a 2 HD Ghoul, a 3 HD Wight, etc. I ruled that Opum had to use the Skeleton stat block and couldn't wear armour, making them exceedingly vulnerable, but with the usual Undead benefits.    

The OD&D character sheet I'm using. Based on the timeless sheet by Dyson Logos.

 

The Adventure

(Soundtrack)

Arg-e Bam, from The Desert of the Tartars (1977)

After a long and perilous journey through the Western Desert, the PCs reached Fortress Vallat, the last outpost of the Sai Empire. A heap of mud and stone in the desert, inhabited by around 100 flea-bitten and worried soldiers, the fortress felt precarious. It flew a dragon-kite, a construction of wicker, silk, and mirrors designed to warn any nearby dragons that the fortress' light catapults were armed and ready, but the soldiers rarely ventured far from its walls.

With their knowledge of Imperial paperwork and their air of scholarly superiority making the soldiers more talkative, and Tim and Alcone learned of a recent bandit attack. Everyone knew the bandits were hiding in an old tomb in the foothills, but the fortress couldn't spare the forces for a proper reprisal. Anyone who did so would earn the thanks of Ho Tjatbosk, the local Imperial governor (whose territory extended no further than a catapult shot from the fortress' walls), as well as all the bandit loot they could carry.

The PCs had bonded by their journey. Seeing that the fortress was not a source of instant wealth, they decided to take on the bandits.

07.05: Fortress Vallat
08.05 Bandit Camp

With the aid of a sketched map and some Dwarven stone-sense, the PCs were able to locate the entrance to the tomb without too much trouble. 

Fighting bandits underground seemed like a bad idea, so the PCs decided to camp on the hill above the tomb's entrance. Anyone leaving it would be clearly visible, could be attacked from above, and would have to climb a steep hill to reach the group.

Side Note: this was the first "Wow, that's a good plan." moment of the game. I hadn't expected the PCs to simply wait for the bandits to split their forces.  

As the sun set, a group of 16 bandits emerged from the tomb. Before the PCs could attack them, the large rock next to the tomb's entrance shook itself awake. Jaws slavering and eyes flashing, a two-headed Hydra attacked the bandits with ravenous hunger.  

Side Note: The Hydra was the first successful random encounter roll of the session. OD&D's wilderness is deadly. If the PCs had run into it, it probably would have killed them all. Instead, one problem solved another. Lucky PCs; unlucky bandits. I described it as a two-headed hydra because my brain misfired, but I used the stats and HP of a six-headed hydra. I think I interpreted the roll as "d8 heads", not "4+1d8 heads". 

The Hydra attacked, snapping and devouring several bandits. The bandits, in turn, were either unable to hit the lizard or unable to deal critical damage. After a failed Morale test, the handful of survivors fled into the tomb, pursued by a badly wounded but still angry Hydra.

Wikipedia

The PCs cautiously descended to loot the bodies, when a sudden swarm of eight feral hogs emerged from the tomb's entrance. They ran through the group, nearly striking several PCs, and fled oinking into the night.

Side Note: I rolled attacks for the boars, but somehow they all missed. As you'll see later, my dice favoured the PCs this session. This was another knock-on effect of the random Hydra encounter; it cleared a room and some potential enemies. 

After waiting a few minutes, the PCs descended into the tomb. In another sensible decision, they decided to immediately track down and finish off the wounded Hydra. They descended the stairs (1), ignored three metal doors (4,5,6) and a side passage, and followed the trail of Hydra blood and mangled bandits to another set of stairs (7).

As they descended, the Hydra charged, its one remaining head snapping at Gorgontooth the Unslain. Luckily, Opum the Skeleton fired an arrow into the Hydra's open mouth, smashing its brain just as its fangs closed around Gorgontooth's torso.

Side Note: Initiative in OD&D is rolled on 2d6. The Hydra had 10; Opum got 11, hit, and dealt 4 damage. The Hydra had exactly 4 HP remaining. We got the Initiative sequence slightly wrong, so the attack against Gorgontooth - which would  have nearly killed the Dwarf - was rewound. It was the closest possible shave.

Chad Bloodsworth burnt the Hydra, to prevent its heads from regrowing. The PCs decided to explore a few rooms before returning to the first level. A room to the south (12) contained a mysterious well. A room to the west contained a small pile of gold... which the PCs found suspicious. Lurp the Hobbit threw a rock at it, revealing the gold to be real gold, but surrounded by a carpet of centipedes!

With the aid of some lamp oil and a torch, the PCs burned the swarm before it reached them. Alcone Darkwell, Cleric/Accountant, started to have regrets about this new tomb-robbing lifestyle. 

The PCs bagged the gold, as well as mysterious wooden staff under the debris. It looked magical, so Tim Eonwalker grabbed it, but couldn't figure out how to activate it.

Side Note: A randomly generated Staff of Control Plants was, perhaps, not the most useful item to find in a plant-free dungeon, but that's how random generation goes.

They returned to the first level and opened the three metal doors (7,8,9), revealing only magical darkness beyond. The PCs briefly debated sending someone in with a rope tied around their waist, but nobody volunteered. 

As they continued to explore, another swarm of centipedes - perhaps disturbed by the firey demise of their brethren on the 2nd level - emerged from cracks in the stone. The PCs dealt with them quickly with oil and torches.

Side Note: This was the only successful random encounter roll so far, and centipedes - though potentially deadly - are still one of the better options on the OD&D random encounter table. It's possible for PCs on level 1 to run into 2d8 4 HD level-draining immune-to-non-magical-weapons Wraiths! 

The PCs found a few more gold pieces and another dead bandit in the pigsty (2), and some spare torches in an empty room (8). They also discovered a fountain (3), with a statue of a robed figure holding a book. Gorgontooth the Unslain guessed that it was sculpted by magic, and that the water was also probably magical. Several PCs took a drink, but the Chaotic clerics sensibly declined.

Side Note: The fountain cast Bless on Lawful characters (only Lurp the Hobbit), healed Lawful and Neutral characters for 1d6, and dealt 1d6 damage to Chaotic characters. Luckily, Lurp went first, and seeing the results none of the Chaotic characters risked it.

Also, I couldn't remember the term "pigsty." My brain came up with "piggery", to much merriment.

The party descended once again. They explored a storeroom (14) and stocked up on rations, spotted a staircase (15) but did not approach it, then found a bandit encampment at the end of a hall (23).  The bandits that would have occupied the bedrolls and tables were scattered around the dungeon thanks to the Hydra. 

The PCs heard faint music from the door to the west (23) and guessed that a few more bandits must be inside; more than 2 (judging by the three-part harmony) but less than 100 (judging by the room size). 

Chad Bloodsworth decided lure one out. Some oddly convincing cries for help attracted one bandit. Lurp and Chad grabbed him, but, as both were clad in plate armour, made an unholy racket. A brief and confusing interrogation, they determined that "around 20" bandits were on the other side of the door. 

The singing continued from inside the room, but in a slightly strained way, as if one singer was trying their best to cover up the sound of martial preparation.

The PCs prepared a very cunning plan. They assembled in front of the door, plate and shield fighters first, then kicked it open. Thirteen bow-armed bandits, with one higher-level leader, stared back at them. Before arrows could fly, Tim Eonwalker cast Charm Person on the bandit leader, unsuccessfully. Elizabeth Greenslade cast Sleep on the bandits, successfully knocking out nine of them. Lurp stunned one of the awake bandits with a rock. Suddenly outnumbered, the bandits immediately surrendered. 

Side Note: The plan was very risky and relied on good initiative rolls (or a 2-in-6 surprise check), but Sleep was practically guaranteed to take out a large number of bandits. It's a pity Charm Person didn't work, because a Level 4 Fighting Man would have made a mighty hireling, but it was a good attempt. 

The PCs forced the bandits to reveal their loot, acquiring two 2,000gp diamonds and a 6,000gp piece of jewellery; a decorative cityscape intended as a gift for the Orc city of Vardovarri. They also released the bandits' prisoner. The Orc warrior Kchut explained the whole situation to Lurp, as they both spoke goblin, and none of the bandits did. Gorgontooth listened in.

The bandits, Kchut related, had a famous leader called "The Marmot", who claimed to have a plan to conquer Fortress Vallat with the aid of a magic ring. While exploring down the well (12), the Marmot apparently perished. Dashtar, the current bandit leader, took over. The bandits are all afraid of a "cat-monster" somewhere else in the dungeon, and roast unhelpful prisoners using the fire pit traps to the south of the barracks (23).

The PCs openly debated executing everyone, or leading them back to Fortress Vallat, or throwing in with the bandits and forming a raiding crew of their own. They eventually decided to disarm the sleeping bandits, tie up the others, and lead them through the dungeon as mobile trap-finders. Chad Bloodsworth agreed to take on Kchut the Orc as a hireling. 

When the group approached the third staircase (15), the bandit leader Dashtar kicked one of the tied bandits down the stairs, then turned to run. The stairs turned into a greasy ramp, sending the restrained bandit tumbling into darkness. A spine-chilling roar shook the dungeon.

"The beast!" Dashtar cried, scrambling to escape. Chad Bloodsworth and Lurp tackle the bandit, while the rest of the group left the plate-armoured fighters behind in headlong flight. The hideous shaggy head of a Manticore emerged from the stairs, turned to look at the group, and swung its deadly spiked tail up the hallway.

Six manticore spikes shot outwards.  Six spikes struck home. All six rolled 1 damage each.

Baffled at their luck, Chad and Lurp dragged Dashtar around the corner, and the Manticore retreated to its lair to feast. 

The group debated retreating from the dungeon and splitting their wealth, but, buoyed by the lack of random encounter rolls, their new hirelings (voluntary and otherwise), and the prospect of a powerful magic ring, they decided to continue.

They came up with an excellent plan to explore the well (12). They threw down torches until the cavern was partially illuminated, then lowered the lightly restrained bandits on ropes, and then threw down weapons.

The 12 HP Giant Leech in the pool, as well as the Zombified corpses of five unlucky bandits, quickly overcame the four bandits and Dashtar. Opum the Skeleton, with tireless accuracy, leaned down the well and shot arrows at the survivors until the room seemed safe. The had plenty of arrows to waste; they took every arrow from the bandit encampment and heaped them around the well.

The PCs used all their remaining rope to build a sturdy ladder system, then descended into the cavern (25). Jacob Tallerand went first, and immediately started searching for the Marmot's corpse and its fabled ring. Heedless of danger, Jacob sprinted into a side cavern (26), found a body with a glowing fire opal ring, cut off the corpse's finger, and slipped the ring on.

Side Note: I misread my own map and put the Marmot's corpse in (26) and not (30), but so it goes.  

A flash of fire lit up the cavern, as a 8' tall being of smokeless flame emerged from the ring. "I am the servant of the ring," it intoned. "What is your will, o master?"

Jacob's eyes lit up. "Bring me a scroll of Raise Dead!" he cried. 

"This is within my power," the Djinni said, and vanished in a blast of flame. A few moments later, a scroll appeared before the startled cleric.

Side Note: Yes, technically Djinn in OD&D can't grant wishes or make scrolls. A cruel GM could  have created an illusionary scroll, but I am not that cruel. It's a real scroll (possibly stolen) but I anticipated a few problems. First, despite the group's luck, I expected that Level 3 of an OD&D dungeon would quickly thin the herd, making the choice of who to raise interesting. Second, the scroll is a fragile scroll, and could easily be damaged or destroyed. Third, raising Opum the Skeleton is Jacob's main goal, and it would conveniently turn a Skeleton (and potential Ghoul, Wight, etc.) into merely a Level 1 Fighting Man. 

"Yes!" Jacob shouted.

"What was that?" the rest of the group inquired from a safe distance. "Did you find the Marmot's body?"

"Uh, no, this was an unrelated thing," Jacob quickly lied, rubbing the ring again. 

The Djinni reappeared with a whoosh. "What is thy bidding, my master?"

"There's a Manticore in this dungeon. Go fight it," Jacob said excitedly, pointing vaguely in the right direction. The Djinni flew off like a comet.

It returned a few minutes later, with several ragged holes in it's burning torso. "I fucked up, o master," it said. "It's too strong. Ooow. Ooooowww..." It sank slowly into the ring, until only a pained face was visible on the gem's surface. 

Side Note: Run the numbers. A Djinni is a 7+1 HD creature (rolled 19 HP), AC 5, dealing 2d6-1 damage. The Manticore is a 6+1 HD creature (rolled 16 HP), AC 4, dealing 1d6 damage... and capable of firing 6 1d6 crossbow shots at once. The Djinni hits the Manticore on a 9+ (1x0.6x6=4.2 average damage. The Manticore's tail attacks hits the Djinni on an 8+, with a +1 bonus for close range. (6x0.7x3.5 = 14.7 average damage). The rolled damage worked out more-or-less the same, except that the Djinni didn't even get a hit off before taking serious damage and fleeing. 

"So we've got a weak Djinni," Chad Bloodsworth said. "Fantastic. Didn't the Marmot want to take on Fortress Vallat with this ring?"

"Maybe he wasn't very smart. I mean, he did die to a giant leech," Alcone Darkwell replied.

Gorgontooth the Unslain searched the leech's watery pit for treasure, finding a few more coins and not catching any leechborne diseases.

"My flesh is clay," he explained. "That's how Dwarves are."

Side Note: That's how dwarves are in this setting, I guess. Dwarves are made of clay, Hobbits are reformed Hobgoblins, and everyone is scared of Elves for reasons we have yet to determine.

The party ventured north (27), but entered a cave with a quicksand floor. Jacob Tallerand, Tim Eonwalker, and Alcone Darkwell started to sink, but quick work with ropes and spears pulled them out before they vanished forever. The party skirted the edge of the sand and proceeded west (28).

The slate floor of the cave was trapped. Thin plates of stone rested on a grid of thicker supports, above a 30' deep pit of spikes. 

Elizabeth Greenslade discovered the trap when the group was halfway across the room. She did not survive the fall.

The group froze. A wrong step in any direction could be deadly. As they debated their next move, two ash-streaked robed figures came around the corner, raised their hands, and cast spells at the PCs.

Side Note: The encounter I rolled was "Evil Priests", and an undiscovered room to the north contained two Evil Priests, so it made sense for them to be attracted by the noise and ambush the party while they tried to navigate the pit traps.

The first Evil Cleric a Reversed Cure Wounds spell on Tim Eonwalker, dealing a whopping 3 damage, which was enough to kill the 2 HP Magic-User. The second Evil Cleric cast Hold Person on Chad Bloodsworth, Lurp, and Kchut the Orc. Lurp passed his Save; the others failed. 

"Attack your frieeeeends," the Evil Cleric commanded.

"None of these people are my friends," Chad argued. It was true. At Fortress Vallat, Chad had carefully explained that the shared bond of travelling did not approach friendship, and that Lurp was his squire, not his friend. 

"Yeah, I just met these people," Kchut said. "I'd barely call them acquaintances. The only person who I'd say is close to a friend is Chad, and you just mind controlled him."

This brilliant telepathic argument gave the group time to act. Alcone Darkwell ran west, safely avoiding the pit traps, but pursued by the mind-controlled Chad and Kchut. Gorgontooth and Lurp opened fire with thrown stones and daggers, lightly wounding one Cleric.

One Evil Cleric used Turn Undead, sending Opum the Skeleton fleeing west. Both Evil Clerics then retreated around the corner, out of line of sight. They apparently hoped the mind-controlled Chad and Kchut, along with the pit traps, would weaken the rest of the party.

Side Note: I forgot that Evil Clerics can't cast Turn Undead. Maybe they were... Good Evil Clerics? Oh well.

Jacob Tallerand decided to leap forward, hopefully avoiding the traps, but failed. The slate floor split under the spotty cleric, and he plunged his death.

With slightly more caution, and some judicious arguing over the wording of the Dwarf's trap-finding abilities, Gorgontooth the Unslain and Lurp the Hobbit charged the two Evil Clerics. Gorgontooth slew one, ending the Hold Person spell before the mind-controlled PCs could make their attacks. In return, the other Cleric brained Lurp with a mace. The valiant Hobbit fell.

Gorgontooth the Unslain, with a whopping 7 HP, fought the remaining Evil Cleric for several rounds. He even had time to take a swig from his wineskin full of fountain water, restoring 3 HP. 

Up the corridor, Alcone Darkwell and Opum the Skeleton opened a sliding stone door, revealing a red metal door (33). They opened this door, revealing three Minotaurs with enormous axes. Alcone screamed, slammed the door closed, and ran east.

Side Note: I could have had the Minotaurs pursue, but the comic timing was too good. 

Gorgontooth finally managed to slice the second Evil Cleric in half, then returned to reveal the safe path across the pit trap room. 

With four of the eight starting PCs dead, and some excellent treasure at the bottom of a 30' spiked pit, how will the party proceed? What else lurks on Level 3 of this dungeon? Will the survivors retreat, level up, and return, or cut their losses and flee immediately? 

Wikipedia

Prep & Final Notes

Pre-session chatting, character generation, and dinner took about 1 hour, which isn't too bad. 
I could have done a better job explaining AC and the to-hit-AC values. 

3d6 down-the-line stats produced some mixed characters, but stats don't matter much in OD&D. 

I printed off a quick-reference inventory + weight page, which really sped up the gear buying process.

I had two copies of Greyharp's One Volume OD&D rules printed for the table, but I think a game like this works best if everyone has a copy of the rulebook(s). For future games, I'll print off some more. 

Lurp the Hobbit can't be revived by the scroll of Raise Dead (it's Men, Elves, and Dwarves only). But they could be Reincarnated. Hobbits cannot enter Heaven and are trapped in the cycle of samsara. 

OD&D is not a difficult system to run by the book, but it does make you miss all the little houserules, modifications, and shared wisdom (or shared foolishness) that modern-ish OSR games include.

Item-based problem solving was a highlight.  

Everyone agreed that mapping was tedious and slowed down the game without adding much of value. I tried to include several Gygaxian map tricks in this dungeon, but they didn't lead to interesting gameplay (at least compared to other types of gameplay). The mapper had to switch focus constantly, I had to remember to read out room sizes and try to describe entrance and exit locations, etc. For future sessions, I'll go back to my usual methods of revealing a pre-printed map.  

The entire session (including character generation and dinner) took 5 hours. I think that's a pretty decent pace of play, especially with two novice players.