The Musings - One Man's View of OD&D.
I've been reading Philotomy's Musings by Jason Cone recently.
It's pretty fascinating. This is an interpretation of OD&D - OD&D a system that is frequently confusing and unclear. Rather than being a retroclone A La Swords and Wizardry or Whitebox FMAG, it's just a collection of house rules and ideas about the game. We get to see one person's interpretation of the game splayed out, which is really compelling. It's like the Rosetta Stone of OD&D.
Take this for instance: Cone points out that Hit Points, are abstract. A normal human has 1d6 Hp, representing their physical health, with variation in genetics and upbringing, etc. As adventurers increase in level, they also improve their hit points. This doesn't mean that their physical health is 4, 5 or 6 times higher than a normal man, but Cone argues that they are representing a higher tolerance of the rigors of the dungeon, "As a PC takes damage, the declining hit points represent his resources being used up in combat. Not only is it physical damage, but it's also his muscles getting tired, sweat getting in his eyes, his breath running short, his resolve weakening, his reactions slowing, and his reserves of skill and luck being used"(21).
This is the same reason that weapons doing the same amount of damage also makes sense. In OD&D, you roll 1d6 for every weapon, regardless of type. From daggers, to axes, to pole arms, they all do a flat amount of damage: 1d6. A strike from any weapon has an equal chance of killing anyone, it's just the difference between a fighter's heightened skill and tolerance that gives him a better shot of survival in a melee.
Wild stuff.