-
The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
OSR Old School Essentials Box Sets Kickstarter
- Thread starter darjr
- Start date
I think the original appeal of OSE was that it replicated b/x but with great layout, and without any houserules that other b/x retroclones have. Some people just want to play b/x, and OSE classic is the way to do that. So I have a feeling they will keep the OSE classic line, because it's a true retroclone.
Yes, I would recommend you purchase the advanced fantasy players and referee tomes; that will be the complete OSE game. (For a truly b/x experience, just limit character options to fighter, cleric, thief, magic user, dwarf, elf, halfling).
The box sets are there for people who like to have the rules in a modular format.
btw, if you just want to play the game and don't care about which books to buy, all of the rules are here
OSE SRD
oldschoolessentials.necroticgnome.com
Yes, they can. The "Advanced" vs "Classic" fantasy label implies that the Advanced rules are more akin to AD&D, but they aren't. Advanced Fantasy includes material from AD&D, but tuned down to fit B/X. The AF rules are the same as the CF rules, but have some clearly marked optional rules. AF primarily adds 2 things: classes and races that were not in B/X but appeared in 1e/2e (eg Half-orc, Gnome, Druid, Illusionist, Barbarian), and rules for separating race and class. But it's all firmly grounded in B/X. The AF tomes make it clear which rules are optional to add, so for example if you want a B/X Dwarf, use the Dwarf class from the Character Classes chapter, but if you want the Advanced flavor use the Dwarf race with one of the allowed Dwarf classes from the optional Character Races chapter. The AF Player's Tome also adds new race-as-class options so you can have a B/X-style Half-orc, Gnome, etc. Other than that, there aren't a lot of differences. For example, the AF cleric and magic user are the same as the CF cleric and magic user with the same B/X spell lists. The AF fighter class still has d8 hit dice not AD&D's d10. The AF Referee's Tome adds new monsters and treasures inspired by AD&D.
Last edited:
overgeeked
B/X Known World
If you want a B/X clone, Classic Fantasy is the way to go. It's pure B/X with an updated layout and no rules changes. Advanced Fantasy is the B/X chassis plus races, classes, and spells from AD&D. Classic Fantasy is one $40 book (the Rules Tome) for everything. Advanced Fantasy is two $40 books for everything (Player's Tome and the Referee's Tome).
I will say I don't really understand the appeal of the advanced fantasy boxed set. I mean, I get having modular books might be nice, so that the DM can keep the monster book and the players can pass around the spell book, for example (this is also why having a separate players and referee tome is nice). But it seems like the advanced box set includes all the advanced options in a separate series of books. So now the referee will have two monster and treasure books (classic and advance) and the players will likewise have separated character classes and spells books.
overgeeked
B/X Known World
My understanding is that this Kickstarter is setup like the previous boxed sets they've put out. The Basic Box is only the B/X stuff in multiple volumes. Basic Rules (dice, stats, hit points, levels, cleric, fighter, magic-user, thief, etc), Cleric & Magic-User Spells, Genre Rules (basic classes plus dwarf, elf, halfling, gear, vehicles, etc), Monsters, Rogues Gallery, and Treasures. The Advanced Box is only the AD&D additions in multiple volumes. Druid & Illusionist Spells, Genre Rules (classes, stand-alone races, multiclassing, etc), Monsters, and Treasures. So there's no or minimal overlap between the Basic Box and the Advanced Box.
But yeah. Some people prefer slimmer hardback books to beefy door stops. They're more expensive to produce, hence the Kickstarter.
Yeah. It's a quality of life thing. You have the Basic classes in one book so if a few players need that they have them in their own book. Likewise the Advanced classes. Not everyone at the table will need the same book at the same time. Anyone playing a straight B/X character? Here's the Basic Genre Rules. Anyone playing an AD&D character? Here's the Advanced Genre Rules. You have two books with different info that your group can share. It's not everyone's style, sure. But it makes things easier, I think.
If nothing else they will last a lot longer than staple-bound softcovers.
For players it does help to split up the rules into mini books, less so for DMs. I probably won't be backing the KS since I already have the tomes, but I do sort of wish I could just buy the box lol.
Parmandur
Book-Friend
On the one hand, I understand it, but on yhe other, this seems designed to confuse and scare off customers in general.
Most non-D&D games try to be single volume if possible, and thst seems wise.
I think it just speaks to the way the product developed. They initially wanted to release only the box set, so that you could have the core rules and then add bits and pieces (that's why the box contains extra room). But they found that some people wanted a single volume book. You can hear Gavin Norman talk about it here
