Initiative in 1st-edition AD&D / OSRIC - Fundamentals & Fixes
Anyone who is familiar with the 1st edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons will know that there is much more to the combat round than first meets the eye. Those coming to AD&D from original or basic versions of the game won't easily grock the game's combat, nor will those coming from later editions. This is largely, but not solely, due to the disordered presentation of the rules. I don't intend to get into the minutiae of AD&D combat here, but if you're interested, a comprehensive reordering of the rules (with references) can be found at: https://idiscepolidellamanticora.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/addict.pdf In this post, I'd like to take a look at the simple d6 initiative mechanic with reference to OSRIC (which in my opinion is a remarkable revision/reiteration of the 1st edition rules (and too often unfairly maligned)). Most older editions of, or variations on, D&D simply require each side to roll a d6 to determine the order of initiative, with t...