AKRATIC WIZARDRY: A blog wherein I scribble about role-playing games (Dungeons & Dragons [old school and new], Mythras, Swords & Wizardry, Into the Unknown, Against the Darkmaster, Middle-earth Role-playing, Lord of the Rings Role-playing, Adventures in Middle-Earth, Crypts & Things, Call of Cthulhu, etc.) and RPG settings (Greyhawk, Middle-earth, Cthulhu Mythos, Lyonesse, etc.). I also write about fantasy and science-fiction films, novels, art, TV shows, and the like.
It's amazing to me how much content Matt Finch has managed to pack into such a slim package (144 pages) in a clear and accessible way. Roughly speaking, Swords & Wizardry Complete , gives you pretty much everything in the original D&D 1974 box set, and a lot (but not all) from the subsequent supplements ( Greyhawk , Blackmoor , and Eldritch Wizardry ). What you end up with is something very close to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (as realized in 1979), but somewhat simpler and lower-powered. The main (or at le
There are some minor but helpful innovations in S&W that distinguish it from "0 edition" D&D. Among them: the ‘ascending’ scale for AC is used (which I appreciate and find preferable to the older system, although the old ‘descending’ system is provided as an option as well); a single unified ‘saving throw’ is provided for each class (but with the option to use the older system, broken down into categories like “death rays and poison”); four different options for determining initiative are outlined; rules fo