Publication of Microlite74 Will Continue
With the return of early D&D edition PDFs (find them at DNDClassics), I’ve had two emails asking me if Microlite74 will continue and one email bluntly telling me that I should stop publishing them so people will play more “real D&D”. I think I need to explain my plans for Microlite74.
First, Microlite74 will continue to be published and new material will continue to come out. The two M74 Companions I’m currently working on should be out this spring (if not sooner). Microlite74 Plus is a long term project, but I’m still plugging away at it. TSR era PDFs were legally available when M74 was first published. I even included directions on how to get them in the design/play notes of early versions of Microlite74. WOTC did not pull them until well after M74 appeared.
To my eyes, Microlite74 serves several purposes. First, it is an easy way for those most familiar with WOTC-era editions to try old school play. It uses the ascending AC, D20 rolls, etc. from modern editions which makes it easier than the originals for players who have mainly played WOTC editions. Second, because it uses “modern D20 systems” (in much simplified form, of course) it is a great system for those who want to play old school byt tack on a few of their favorite sub-systems the the wealth of published D20 material. It’s a lot like Castles and Crusades in this respect but the base game more TSR-era than WOTC-era — at least in the eyes of many players. Third, it has become a very complete game that is simply easier to understand for many people than 0e while giving many consider a very 0e experience, especially when you consider that every table played 0e differently (both in rules interpretation, house rules, and what material from third party sources like The Dragon, Warlock, the Arduin Grimoire, Dungeoneer, etc. were used). The return of legal TSR era PDFs does not really negate any of these purposes.
In summary, it’s business as usual for Microlite74. The return of legal TSR-era PDFs just means that there will be a lot of good, low cost old school adventures available to use with Microlite74 (or your favorite edition or retroclone).