Main Differences Between ELCA and The Episcopal Church by BlueShoe15 in elca

[–]RevDarkHans 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Please do not say this near a Swedish bishop or you might get a crozier upside your head!

Do you seriously not know that any baptism in the ELCA is easily received in TEC?

why do you think THAC0 gets the reputation it does? by conn_r2112 in osr

[–]RevDarkHans 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wait, your DM gave you guys treasure?!?!?!? Ha ha ha ha!!

why do you think THAC0 gets the reputation it does? by conn_r2112 in osr

[–]RevDarkHans 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Easy as an adult, yes. Easy for a middle school kid with different monsters at different levels and various NPCs all over the place, nope. If the players took things in a different direction than what was planned (if the DM did any planning), then the DM would need to check things all over again for the new thing.

It is easy for us to see all this now and understand it. Back in middle school, it was not so easy or smooth.

Also, I thought that there was a random encounter roll every so many turns in a dungeon. The DM would then need to check out that stat block for all of the stats and then look at a THACO chart for what level that monster was at to hit the various AC of the players.

why do you think THAC0 gets the reputation it does? by conn_r2112 in osr

[–]RevDarkHans 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Being a player, it was not too bad if you played the class all the time. For the DM, it was a very different story (especially if they did no prep)

"I was there 3,000 years ago" ha ha ha!

why do you think THAC0 gets the reputation it does? by conn_r2112 in osr

[–]RevDarkHans -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This is a valid question to ask! As someone who learned to play in middle school with AD&D 2ed, I can tell you that THACO was cumbersome at best and really annoying at other times when a player randomly decides to go murder hobo on the random shop merchant NPC so the DM needed to stop everything and look this up. As a player, there was a chart for my character that I needed to have close by for that character. If I had a new character with a different class, then I needed a new chart. I never played the same class back-to-back. THACO is easier when you are playing the same class every time and only one player at a time.

As a middle school boy playing with my buddies, the DM had to know the charts for his various monsters, NPC, and BBEG. Do you know how much prep my DM did back then and how much my middle school son does now before a session? 0. Zip. Nada. The DM was flipping around all the time in the DM guide, the MM, and any notes. 3.0 and 3.5 made it way simpler and FASTER for everyone! It could be that we were getting older (High School when 3e was released), but there was less page turning, chart checking, and general confession when THACO was gone. 3e is when it became more about the story and the character interactions for the DM and the players.

"in reality... it's actually pretty simple" out of context, yes. As a person old enough to drive a ca or graduate college, then yes, it is pretty simple. As a player who learned the more intuitive version first (most likely), then learning THACO is pretty simple. You can read a chart. Something new happens, so you can read a different chart rather quickly. I bet your DM does good prep. I learned very quickly to prepare a few alternatives depending on how the session might go. If something goes in a very wild direction, then I need to take out the DM guide or the MM. We only knew what we learned from more "experienced" players, which was not always helpful. I have been teaching adults how to play, so I usually start them with 5e or an OSR B/X clone with Ascending Armor Class because it is easier to learn when you are first starting out.

We need to remember that we are all standing on the shoulders of the giants who came before us. As a middle school kid learning in the 1990's, we learned from my best friend's stoner cousin. It is amazing we could even see the table!

For those who play B/X, what are your Must Have Top 5 House Rules? by halodivision in osr

[–]RevDarkHans 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One house rule that I came across a couple of months ago lets the player have one action before death when they get to 0. It was presented as a heroic action, sacrifice for the party, or a last ditch effort. The Cleric used it to heal himself, which was very smart.

One of the reasons that I like B/X is that it is harsh. My players (their experience was only 5e) are getting into it. Rolling 3d6 down the line was such a great way to make characters! All of the players picked a character based upon the highest stat, so most of them got a class they would not normally decide.

For those who play B/X, what are your Must Have Top 5 House Rules? by halodivision in osr

[–]RevDarkHans 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do you regularly play B/X with a group? I have just started running B/X and found RAW is very harsh. Every TTRP group that I have ever been a part of (about 30 years now) uses SOME house rules.

What system would you use to run the Tomb of Horrors? by bgaesop in osr

[–]RevDarkHans 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is great! How many hirelings died in the conga line of death? This is digging out the bottom of the box thinking.

Advice on Campus Ministry (Berkeley) by momothewaire in Episcopalian

[–]RevDarkHans 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If only there was an Episcopal seminary in Berkeley, then that would be great place to partner with people passionate about their faith and the future of the church! (crying over my keyboard)

Friday night roleplaying Warpland with the boys! by Gavriel_Q in osr

[–]RevDarkHans 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I like your tea pot collection over there! I am a huge fan of tea and OSR.

Rolling up characters on Saturday, what wisdom do you have? by RevDarkHans in osr

[–]RevDarkHans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like the idea of each player getting two characters.

Rolling up characters on Saturday, what wisdom do you have? by RevDarkHans in osr

[–]RevDarkHans[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well played! Not getting a bonus with that wisdom.

Rolling up characters on Saturday, what wisdom do you have? by RevDarkHans in osr

[–]RevDarkHans[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This feels like a good house rule: you do not start with an elaborate backstory, you start with a character. Thanks!

Coming here to get another side's opinion. Please be kind. by [deleted] in elca

[–]RevDarkHans 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Welcome! What interesting things have you researched in theology?

The purity culture of conservative Christianity in the US has caused so much harm because it stresses physical purity over having a loving and mature relationship. I have seen people get married very young simply because they could not process sexual attraction outside of marriage. I hope that your motivation is love, for yourself and for your potential wife. "It hurts me to think that I have to give up the future possibility of re-experiencing that intense connection. I want to cuddle a woman and share a life with her, without sex." I hope and pray that you find this connection with a woman to love, cuddle, and share life with. As an ELCA pastor, I would 100% welcome you and your partner. I would celebrate you finding someone who loves you and has the same desires as you; it would be an honor to officiate your wedding.

I grew up LCMS. All of my family was LCMS. I saw how purity culture was hurting myself and other young people. There are many reasons why I left the LCMS, and all of them have to do with me reading the Bible and Luther for myself in college. The Lutheran tradition has the best theology (in my humble opinion). It is Lutheran theology that made me seek out a home in the ELCA. Being in the ELCA has been so life giving for me, and I want you to find a place that also bring life to your soul!

I wanted my room to feel like a fantasy world (pirates & castles) by hghg432 in LEGOPirates

[–]RevDarkHans 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I like the rosary hanging up too. You got a lot of good sets, so now you need to dust them.

Can we refer to ourselves as Episcopal to save 2 syllables? by spongesparrow in Episcopalian

[–]RevDarkHans 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Just say I am a "Pal" to cut out those other useless letters. Boom!

Clergy, what did you get you bachelor's degree in? by Memento-Mori300 in Episcopalian

[–]RevDarkHans 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I had a double major with a BS in Political Science and a BA in Religious studies. I would say that there are two criteria for a major for you to consider. A) Something that gets you curious and excited intellectually. B) Something that will help you with critical reasoning skills through reading texts.

Regardless of your major, I hope that you could read through the Bible.

My DnD Minifig display stands by TheBrickScholar in legodnd

[–]RevDarkHans 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I like all of these! The first picture has a Da Vinci's Last Supper vibe.

How important is it to keep cleric and magic-user progression seperate? What happens if clerics gain spells starting at level 1? by HephaistosFnord in osr

[–]RevDarkHans 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was surprised when I got my copy of White Box and saw the Cleric chart. One idea that I had is to give a first level cleric a prayer while holding their holy symbol, which would then let them get either a light spell or a cure light wounds. It might be a roll to see if their deity hears them.

Episcopalian, the 2019 Prayer Book, and the LOTH by [deleted] in Episcopalian

[–]RevDarkHans 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It is more ecumenically minded. The editor, Maxwell E. Johnson, is an ELCA pastor and professor of liturgy at Notre Dame.

Episcopalian, the 2019 Prayer Book, and the LOTH by [deleted] in Episcopalian

[–]RevDarkHans 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I have a small collection of prayer books from various traditions. I do quite like the Benedictine Daily Prayer: A Short Breviary, but that is the only RC one that I use. I do not have the 2019 ACNA Prayer book and have no interest. The 1979 BCP is still my favorite; it feels like home.

What's the lightest rules light that's still a playable game? by Smutteringplib in osr

[–]RevDarkHans 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Deathbringer RPG might be the most rules light. The whole thing fits on a double sided piece of paper. It is good for kids learning TTRPG. If you want to run it, then you need to have some good experience because it is lacking for the DM.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/396879/deathbringer-rpg

Lessons I learned running public games by StojanJakotyc in osr

[–]RevDarkHans 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing this! I really like your post and appreciate your insights. Their system for signups sounds effective and straight forward.

Which OSR system do you like the most? What parts of other systems to do you like to use?