This was my favorite thread on the old r/OSR. So is your favorite system/systems?
I’ll start:
Basic Fantasy - BF gets overlooked a lot because the print books are sold at cost so I think it ends up being a lot of peoples introduction to OSR, but I keep coming back to it. The modules are really well written.
Old School Essentials - Just got the Rules Tome and I love it, though I haven’t had the change to dig into a game with it yet.
Hyperborea (Described to me as effective AD&D 1e but refined) is my first, so it’s all I know. That said, I’m really enjoying pouring through it. My players for my Delta Green game are very excited to play too, but none of them have played OSR before either, so part of me worries they’re in for a rough time with how deadly combat is.
We’ll find out soon!
Embrace the bloodshed! I hope it goes well!
Swords & Wizardry my review of Revised - OD&D rather than B/X which is very cartoony. Much more, uh, complete than White Box, much simpler than AD&D, really a great sweet spot.
Advanced Fighting Fantasy, Troika!, etc. - great simple game, minimalist rules, setting-as-system in Troika’s case.
Monsters! Monsters! is replacing Tunnels & Trolls, which has been bought & sold a couple times now and is in limbo. M!M! runs all the T&T adventures, esp. the solos, and is a great pick-up game.
I love the adventures for Lamentations of the Flame Princess, but the system’s been neglected, the Referee book is still not out, there’s no monster book, etc. But the adventures work in any OSR game with minor tweaking.
I’ll have to check out Swords and Wizardry. I have played some Lamentations before. That game always yields … unique results. :)
There is a monster book, but it’s a book about generating monsters rather than using existing ones. This is a deliberate choice that’s explicitly stated in the guidance Raggi gives to writers interested in submitting new content you can find posted… uh… somewhere.
For players that want crunch: AD&D 1e (if they can’t get the books, then OSRIC is the AD&D retroclone).
For when I want to make a setting and need D&D rules: OD&D - the original 3 books. I need little else. If folks need a PDF, the Swords & Wizardry White Box 3rd printing is free and handy.
For when I want to make a setting and need sci-fi rules: Classic Traveller - I’d use the original 3 little black books from 1977, but anything from the classic era (1977-1985, pre Mongoose) works. If folks need a PDF, the CT “facsimile” is the 1981 version with errata applied.
My first dip was with DCC. I love the books and the ambiance it goes for, but I found that at the table, the heavy use of random tables to get results for spells, crits, fumbles, and so on requires a lot of buy in from the players (and a lot of printed material). If all the players are into it, I’m sure it’s amazing.
So later on I bought Old-School Essentials and that’s what I’m currently running and I love it. It’s dead simple, easy to run, and even if combat can appear a bit stale, the XP for gold mechanics and the reaction rolls tend to de-emphasize combat a lot. And that’s great because as a GM, I much prefer my players “solving” a situation through parlay and / or Charm Person (which lead to me roleplaying NPCs more) than killing everything in sight.
I have been with one group who runs DCC and they manage by heavy house ruling. It’s a great system but there is a lot of stuff that can be cut out in favor of a good game flow and I get the impression most people snip out chunks like that.
Im getting into DCC and i hate that there seems to be only two types of scenarios : gonzo and more gonzo. I modify every system i play, so the base rules are what they are… Id just like to see some published scenarios that are more down to earth. Please note, i dont begrudge people who want that! I love it that its there for them. Just wish there were more that took the foot off the gas a bit.
I think, as unfair as it is, my favorite system is probably the one I’ve been focused on making. I’d call it NSR since it isn’t really a clone of any of the actual old school systems. It doesn’t have a name yet, and the only copy lives on my Nextcloud server for now.
My favorite actually published system is Whitehack. It’s so elegant and flexible that my system takes a ton of inspiration from it, and really just slightly tweaks it to make startupbquicker for players, and provide some more targeted tools for GMs.
And my favorite actual old school system is 0e. As weird and clunky as it is in some places, it really does feel like they got it right through first time. My system could be pitched as a 0e hack (is it still a hack if it brings almost none of the original mechanics unchanged?)
Good luck with your new rules set! Let us know when you have something you can share!
TSR: Rules Cyclopedia.
OSR: Cy_Borg.Have been reading Old School Essentials and rather enjoying the experience.
Lots of warts, but AD&D 1st edition is still my favorite.
Honestly not a bad choice. I remember when I was a kid, those books were already pretty old and were very cheap. (early 90s) I wish I had collected more of them.
Labyrinth Lord. https://goblinoidgames.com/
Just want B/X? Labyrinth Lord
Want AD&D-ish? Labyrinth Lord + the Advanced Edition Companion. (Druids, Monks, Paladins, Illusionists, Gnomes, Half-Orcs, Half-Elves, Rangers, and Assassins, oh my!)
Want Gamma World? Mutant Future.
Want Planet of the Apes? Apes Victorious.
Want Star Trek? Starships & Spacemen
Want GW + AD&D? Labyrinth Lord+ the Advanced Edition Companion + Mutant Future.
Want Full-Knuckle Gonzo? Labyrinth Lord + the Advanced Edition Companion + Mutant Future + Apes Victorious + Starships & Spacemen.
Is it as pretty as OSE? Nope. But you can download Labyrinth Lord + the Advanced Edition Companion + Mutant Future without art for free. If you want art, you do have to pay. They all work with each other.
MF https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/56282/Mutant-Future-Revised-Edition-noart-version
Labyrinth Lord introduced me to the concept of OSR back in 2009 or so and will always be special for that reason.
