Debatable AD&D Interpretations
With the OSRIC Kickstarter looming in the new year, many wonder how different it is to AD&D. Further more, with people learning AD&D, questions come up that generate contention. The people who have been stewarding AD&D for newer generations have specific takes on the game. I am writing this blog post as a survival guide for navigating these conversations (or ignoring them).
An interpretation of a rule isn't the same as a house rule if it can be argued as Rules as Written (RAW) or By the Book (BTB). This is a oddly specific but necessary distinction as conversations about how to play AD&D are assumed to be RAW, which makes responding with a house rule without specifying it often like farting in a moment of silence. So people have a subconscious motivation to justify their interpretation as a RAW, which is natural, but some of those cases people are using the Law of Omission to stake a claim under the flag of "well it doesn't specifically say X", which makes things messy.
Messy is what we don't want in teaching spaces, because people are asking direct, often foundational, questions. Some people love watching debates fly, especially if they are wide-eyed first timers, but just as many people are lead to confusion by these common contentions.
Other interpretations are reasonable readings of the rules, what was said, what wasn't said, and how it dovetails into the rest of the system. They have been debated, cited, counter-cited, and running on the fumes of belief for decades. These aren't posted here to invite debate: that's been done and it's tired. And I have no interest in it, only that people are aware of these. It's for information and reference. I am biased because I am me and this is my blog. These are the Major Contentions in AD&D and they will always be.
Overarching Initiative
First up, is the major one. AD&D Initiative Controversy There isn't a whole lot to say here other than what's written in that linked thread, but some of it's splinter-children result in some of the other major contentions. One of the major differences is that, basically, spill-over segments from actions that did not complete within the 60 seconds of a combat round, complete at the end of the round rather than work their way into the following combat round.
When does casting start in the combat round?
When does movement start in the combat round?
How are characters with high dexterity who do not get surprised handled during segments of surprise?
Attacks at the end of a charge are attack routines?
Weapon Speed of Natural Attacks
Natural attacks have no weapon speed. Or they are the same as fists. This is a melee initiative tie-breaker issue. If they have no weapon speed, some rule that any weapon with a speed attacks first. Others rule that having no weapon speed, means they attack first.
Natural Weapons vs Weapon Length at the end of a charge
Minor Honorable Mentions
When do Assassins get Thief Skills?
Assassins function as thieves at two levels lower. Some say that means they don't get thief abilities until level 3. Some say they function as a level 1 thief up until level 3. Others even look at the progression of thief abilities and map it backwards to reduce the rates.
How do we handle monsters with multiple ACs?
There's no direct guidance for fighting, say, a Bulette.
Does Attacking a Turned Undead "Unturn" it?
It's not stated anywhere in the rules exactly, though most people are pretty clear about cornering undead. If they can't flee, they will be cornered and fight back. Now if they flee and have room, I prefer in my games that it breaks the turn for that undead (not all that were turned). Some prefer that they will continue to flee, as if by a failure of morale so that the attacks at the back as they flee are free. And finally, others prefer that undead become useless.
Magic bows firing non-magical Arrows
It doesn't specifically state (and specially states differently on some other missile weapons) that magical bows cause the mundane arrows that are fired to be able to strike as magical weapons. Make sure to put enough ways to get magical ammo into your game if you're like me and don't have the bow enchant the arrow beyond it's +1 to hit and damage effect.
In Conclusion
The rules disagreements come from a weird place, particularly with people who have been running a certain way for decades. These ideas work into their eco-system of interpretations, they are instinctual, and allow them to run smoother games. People who successfully run AD&D campaigns with their particular set of interpretations are often 'correct' too as they have resulted in fun and successful campaigns, making it the ideal. I can only imagine that reading something counter to their ideal as possibly a badwrongfun declaration. It shouldn't be viewed that way. These are rules considerations to be made once you have a handle on the system overall, not infinite branching logic trails to learning the game.