Hit Points: The Original RPG Death Saving Throw

Video Description

RPGs Have Always Had Death Saves (more below) D&D's hit points were invented as a way to provide players a "death save" and avoid being killed with one blow. Before RPGs, hit points for individual people weren't needed in most games. They first appeared in war games as a damage record. Yet in D&D, they are treated as an abstraction, so losing HP doesn't actually harm a character. Perhaps the direct lineage between D&D and hit points is Strategos-A (1969). In those rules, elephant figures had hit points. The hidden correlation was discovered by researcher Michael Wittig; you can seek him out for more background. I feel this discovery changes the myth surrounding the significance of Chainmail from 1971. The dates alone are a clear indicator that many history books need a rewrite now. Additionally, Chainmail requires a figure to be hit multiple times in one round in order to be eliminated. In contrast, Strategos-A implies cumulative damage throughout a battle, making it the same as in D&D. Arneson claimed he invented the combat system for D&D. Many have misunderstood that he was including hit points in his system as well. He was never very clear in his comments. Let us know what you think of his video, Chris & Griff OSR Fantasy RPG Things we hope you'll find useful: The Lost Dungeons of Tonisborg - Old-School megadungeon from 1973 (https://www.tfott.com/the-lost-dungeons-of-tonisborg-book) Blackmoor Foundations - History, Maps, and Lore: 1971 to 1985 The Early Fantasy RPG Works of David Arneson, Co-Creator of Dungeons & Dragons (https://www.tfott.com/blackmoor-foundations) Rob Kuntz's Into the Wild Blue Yonder: A Journey Through Blackmoor’s Dark Realm - an adventure for 1st edition, and compatible systems by the co-author of Greyhawk. (https://www.tfott.com/product-page/into-the-wild-blue-yonder-a-journey-through-blackmoor-s-dark-realm-1) Secrets of Blackmoor documentary about the development of your favorite hobby (https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Blackmoor-History-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/B087QN51WF) ArneCon Gaming Convention. Held every October in Minneapolis, MN (https://ArneCon.com) Thumbnail drawing by FSF-Ink (http://www.fsf-ink.se)