What Does an Old-School Village Need?

It’s no secret I love the old-school style of play. It’s what I grew up with (a long time ago), and it suits my insane desire to roll my characters’ stats and manage my resources. I am that cool.

I recently blogged about what old-school means to me, but the article was almost wholly focused on dungeon delving.

What Old-School Means to Me

For me, old-school gaming is best embodied by 1st and 2nd edition Dungeons and Dragons. I’m a massive fan of the old-school style of play, but I also love the mechanics of 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons and 1st edition Pathfinder.

The GameatoryCreighton Broadhurst

Dungeon delving isn’t the be-all and end-all of old-school play, though. Classic adventures of yesteryear such as T1 Village of Hommlet and N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God both featured richly detailed villages rife with flavour and possibility. Hell, to a certain extent, the keep from B2 Keep on the Borderlands is little more than a glorified (albeit well-defended) village.

This got me thinking: what does an old-school village need?