As I spend more time playing OSR games, I grow more and more fond of the Fighter as a class. In this post I'll try and articulate why.
A common refrain often heard is that Fighters are "boring" compared to something like the Cleric or Magic-User (let alone the billions of other small variations that exist as classes over the years and editions of D&D), and I just do not agree.
A Fighter is more than just a meathead with a sword. Often they are played as such, but even then I think it does the class a disservice. The Fighter has connections to the idea of the noble class, the aristocracy, of knights, warlords, and other such types.
Here's some of the things that are unique to Fighters, as well as what I would tweak to help further underline their qualities.
Establishing a Stronghold
While every class gets to establish some kind of a stronghold at 9th level, the Fighter explicitly can do that at any point in their level progression, as long as they have the funds, people and will to do so.
This is often the most overlooked and yet I think the most enjoyable unique feature of the Fighter. They are not just a marauder, but a leader. A warlord, a tyrant, whatever you want to call it. For the fighter the "domain game" can start at any point, and I think more players would benefit from giving it a go, and more GMs should encourage their players to do so.
And of course at 9th level a Fighter becomes a Baron(ness), again underlying the connection that the class has with the noble class of any Feudal or pseudo-feudal society, which as we know are quite common in D&D settings.
Multiple Attacks
This is way more common, and usually put back in if that specific version of old D&D that people are using doesn't already have it (B/X being the most common one in omitting it). A Fighter, after all, should be good at fighting. Yes, a big revelation I know.
In race-as-class systems like B/X the Dwarf is often sturdier and more resilient, due to its superiors Saving Throws, which is why I like to make sure that a Fighter always has the ability to mow down swarms of lesser enemies. Not only does it help give the player a sense of power and control in a large and chaotic melee, but it also has the beauty of scaling with the Fighter's level. Plus, it makes enemy Fighters that much more terrifying especially if a party relies heavily on henchmen and retainers during combat (which they should).
Swords, Magic or Otherwise
An often pointed out fact about OD&D is that the Fighting Man is the only class that can actually use magic swords, which are some of the most common and usually quite powerful magical items in the game. This, of course, comes from the simple fact that the Fighting Man is also the only class that can just use regular, run-of-the-mill swords too.
While in my current campaign the Dwarf, Elf and Thief can all use swords, I am seriously considering removing those as options for any future games that I run, and making them the exclusive domain of the Fighter. This I think will help delineate the class from the other martial classes and it, once again, reinforces the connection to status and nobility, as swords often were historically. A spear or an axe, a dagger or a bow are all weapons, yes, and they can kill you just as easily as a sword. But a sword is something else. It is Special, it is a tool which has only one purpose - to kill other humans.
So the Fighter, the class about fighting and killing fellow humans makes the most sense to be the only one allowed to wield this tool.
Armor
This one is just purely my own brainstorming, but I am also getting more and more down with the idea of having the Fighter be the only class that can ever use or even own Plate. Like with swords above, plate armor is the sole right of knights, kings, nobles. It is a status symbol and a clear demarcation of one's place in society. As such, I think the Fighter is the only one to have access to it.
Leadership
As above, this is also a house rule that I am debating implementing. While Charisma should still play a part in establishing the number of Retainers and their Morale/Loyalty scores, I think a Fighter should always have an edge when it comes to leading others. As such I would give the Fighter a flat +1 Max Retainer slots and have all retainers get +1 to Morale, on top of what their Charisma score would usually set for those values.
All of this makes the Fighter, at least to me, stand out quite well on it's own against the Magic-User or the Cleric in terms of impact on the game. Don't get me wrong, I love playing Magic-Users (and often not for any of the spells, but because it feels like it gives me the freedom to poke everything and have an excuse to know random trivia or facts about what the character is seeing), but I feel Fighters have just as much to give to a game of dungeon crawling, exploration-based adventuring as anyone else.
