QUIRKS OF THE DICE: OD&D - AD&D

The first time I ever played D&D was when I was 7. I remember it taking a bit to establish my character, but in the end, I was a fighter, named Kron. I know the module was T1: Village of Hommlet b/c I remember the artwork & the graphed map of the town inside (huge impression), but I dont remember seeing any other books present that day.

So was Kron a hero, or a superhero? Since there were no books involved, did we use D&D or AD&D?

AD&D character generation is when Old School became Old School. First off, I know there are those that will say that 1st edition AD&D is "Old School" & perhaps in some ways they are correct, but in the way I mean Old School, AD&D is actually the first move into modern RPGs or @ least modern D&D. Not that I am an expert in the history of RPGs, but let's take a look @ OD&D Men & Magic, where it is stated that the DM should themselves roll for any players' ability scores, etc.:

Prior to the character selection by players it is necessary for the referee to roll three six-sided dice in order to rate each as to various abilities, and thus aid them in selecting a role.

In OD&D, a player's role choices are dependent upon the rolls of the dice. After the DM rolls, you are given choices: trade certain abilities, one class over other, race, etc. If you go w/ the highest rolls, you are limited. You know what type of character you are playing quickly.

BASIC (Holmes Blue Book to Mentzer Red Box), DM rolling aside, continues this approach. Though a few more ability trading options, you have the OD&D approach to character generation intact. Roll 3d6 down the list of attributes, adjust where able, if you like, choose class/race, etc.

But ADVANCED D&D is much different. What kind of character do you desire? Let's look @ the 1st edition Dungeon Master's Guide:

As AD&D is an ongoing game of fantasy adventuring, it is important to allow participants to generate a viable character of the race & profession which he or she desires. While it is possible to generate some fairly playable characters by rolling 3d6, there is often an extended period of attempts @ finding a suitable one due to quirks of the dice. Furthermore, these rather marginal characters tend to have short life expectancy - which tends to discourage new players, as does having to make do with some character of a race and/or class which he or she really can't or won't identify w/. Character generation, then, is a serious matter, & it is recommended that the following systems be used. Four alternatives are offered for players characters:

Method I:
All scores are recorded & arranged in the order the player desires. 4d6 are rolled, & the lowest die (or one of the lower) is discarded.

Method II:
All scores are recorded & arranged as in Method I. 3d6 are rolled 12 times & the highest 6 scores are retained.

Method III:
Scores rolled are according to each ability category, in order... 3d6 are rolled 6 times for each ability, & the highest score in each category is retained for that category.

Method IV:
3d6 are rolled sufficient times to generate the 6 ability scores, in order, for 12 characters. The player then selects the single set of scores which he or she finds most desirable & these scores are noted on the character record sheet.

OD&D/BASIC had already factored in that any adventuring PC is of exceptional something. That's what qualifies them to be a 1st level adventurer vs. any "normal human" on the attack chart, etc. Personally, I find "quirks of the dice" to be a positive to D&D vs. a limitation of the earlier game.