I used index cards for character sheets when running Into the Odd at the table - really liked the format. I also used index cards to reveal the dungeon map on the fly, drawing new areas on cards as we went. Worked really well.

Never let hubris kill that character you worked so hard to advance

My thought exactly. I often go back to the LBBs for treasure tables. WBFMAGs treasure system with probability ends up yielding very little mágical items (for my taste).

Thanks, much appreciated!

Yes this is a great solution!

It also would have helped if that system was actually explained in the book, instead of having instructions to refer to a different game.

​@graveyardshift2100 I suspect that was from the business decisions that he knew his initial market (first printing was a small run) was Chainmail players. He was adapting Arneson's modifications to Chainmail. His market knew how to play Chainmail, which he published originally through Guidon Games. Also no one had any dice other than d6. So, it just sucks for us, well after 1974. But it makes sense at that time not to include the rules as he just founded TSR Games and was strapped for cash. He couldn't afford the page count to repeat the rules (and it would also drive sales of Chainmail). But I agree with OP. The original rules makes sense given how Chainmail was played (which took into account weapon class and armor class). Combat is not streamlined as it's a wargame. The point is to spend time on working through combat strategically. Gary had discovered dice of different shapes and liked the idea of having multiple ways to assign probabilities. His variant rules is him incorporating these odd ball dice into a ruleset. And likely how he always saw D&D being played. But he knew, going into it all, that his market likely did not have easy nor cheap access to such. That necessitates having it be based on Chainmail. It's because of D&D and TSR sourcing and reselling polyhedral dice that they are so easy to find nowadays. Which was not true in 74.

Also, another example of him outsourcing to other games as a business or authorial strategy: Wilderness Encounters is based on a game by Avalon Hill. You were expected to own that game too for it's game board.

Yes, this. And also combat initiative was a bit different initially (when the actors would be closing distance thus favoring longer reach) than after the first exchange (where they are already at fighting distance thus favoring speedy weapons). There's quite a lot of factors in choosing a weapon. And unless you were heroic (ie, a player and not his army, and above level 1), one hit killed you. Heck, a high level fighter can mow down multiple mooks in one hit. It is supposed to feel like Conan vs. a horde of nobodies falling like grass before the reaper.

Perhaps what you saw was Blackhack? Though I also seem to recall a BlackBox for whatever reason.

Fighters have better HP, better to to hit bonus, can use any weapon (clerics can only use blunt weapons, so no magic swords/daggers etc, and no missile weapons but oil) and fighters get a number of attacks equivalent to their level against 1 hit die creatures. 10 attacks at level 10! So there is a big difference. Clerics can get stuck in, but not like a true fighter can

Fighters have a better standard save too. So, there you go. Fighters do better fighting, clerics get spells, but are worse at fighting.