OSR What's the best introductory BX/OSR scenario for new players and DMs?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I guess Village of Homlet and Lost City are not as new DM friendly, though they offer strong RP opportunities and, while potentially deadly, more of a learning curve for the PCs.

New DMs, don’t be afraid…

I think the challenge for Homlett is that new DMs will think they need to have a good handle on all the 10 million NPCs in town, and who's got 10 copper pieces hidden in the hayloft, etc., when the truth is that the town leaders and who's running the inn and maybe who's buying and selling goods recovered from the moathouse is 90% of what will come up in play.

It would be a good candidate for reorganization, with the key players in their own section and the detailed town presented more in an OSE-style bullet point set-up, which would likely make it a lot easier for everyone to run, even old-timers.

The adventure itself is still very solid and doesn't require Lost City-style "and now you make up several levels of a city yourself," which even at the time always felt like throwing new DMs into the deep end of the pool and saying "ah, you'll figure it out."

 

[TerraDave]

You can run both as is, or expand with DM effort (with ToEE perhaps requiring the most effort).

As for Hommlet, it is meant as a longer term base—with that effort. And, the PCs should have some shock after there first foray to the moathouse, go back to town and start looking for help. Then it gets very interesting.

But even just buying and selling in town could get them killed.

 

[Gus L]

I think the challenge for Homlett is that new DMs will think they need to have a good handle on all the 10 million NPCs in town, and who's got 10 copper pieces hidden in the hayloft, etc., when the truth is that the town leaders and who's running the inn and maybe who's buying and selling goods recovered from the moathouse is 90% of what will come up in play.

Hommlet always feels to me like Gygax being his most excessive and actuarial. Keying the town like it's a dungeon rather then making its social connection clearly structured, and then the dungeon is a bit much at times - Those 6 concealed 2 HD frogs in the moat for starters.

It's not bad for what it is, as an intro to something bigger written in a very particular authorial style, but it's certainly not an introductory challenge for people new to older style games. Back to the frogs for example, it's a pure "combat as war" encounter - though it's a manageable one for players who are thinking about hunting dangerous animals and not about fighting monsters in D&D. Scouting, running like hell, and coming back with hooks baited with meat or simply a plan to snipe at the frogs from trees and at longer range can work just fine.

Of the older adventures I think there are some decent options, if less decent then contemporary offerings, ones in the B series, (B4 comes to mind). Usability and accessibility for modern players is the thing, and while I quite like a lot of Gygax's referee advice in places like B2, he's talking to players from the 70's and 80's - without exposure to another 30 or 40 years of D&D fantasy that has built up expectations rather at odds with they systems involved.

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

It is not so long as to be overwhelming, but provides a real dungeon feel and is not just a basement room with rats.

It has some guidance for the first time DM built in as well.

The basement room with rats comment made me think of a streamer I watch playing Oblivion. He assumed it would be the same quest - woman wants the rats killed. No. The woman wants to keep the rats, but a mountain lion was sneaking in and killing the rats.

Come to find out, the lady's neighbor was leading mountain lions into the woman's basement to mess with her.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

You can run both as is, or expand with DM effort (with ToEE perhaps requiring the most effort).

God, ToEE is so bad, though. I cannot imagine choosing it over a better megadungeon, even if you still use Hommlett as the base.

There are always people who get upset with me when I say that a lot of the TSR stuff is, by today's standards, pretty bad, but nothing epitomizes that like ToEE.

 

[Malmuria]

Classic
Against the Cult of the Reptile God
Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh

OSR
Winter's Daughter
The Hole in the Oak
Lorn Song of the Bachelor
@Gus L 's Tomb Robbers of the Crystal Frontier
Honey in the Rafters (for mice)

 

[Malmuria]

My surprise is that r/OSR, which I do read from time to time (I never post there ... though, not for years), despite a general hostility to creativity, design, and designers

In what way do designers feel that it is hostile to them? Just curious

 

[Gus L]

In what way do designers feel that it is hostile to them? Just curious

One example would be that posting links to one's blog is basically forbidden as self promotion for example ... this is absurd given that the OSR was for most of its formative period a blog driven scene.

Then of course if someone else actually links your blog or product Reddit (and identifies it as someone else's work) users don't A) read more then the first sentence B) comment on the blog C) buy the product. Instead Reddit is where users just complain that a book costs too much (if it costs anything) or that it can't be good (if it's free). Now this is general Reddit stuff to a degree ... but it's still not cool with a number of people I know, myself included.

I know there are some r/OSR fans here so I will limit myself to that.

 

[Gus L]

God, ToEE is so bad, though. I cannot imagine choosing it over a better megadungeon, even if you still use Hommlett as the base.

There are always people who get upset with me when I say that a lot of the TSR stuff is, by today's standards, pretty bad, but nothing epitomizes that like ToEE.

I mean ... I think we can find worse? Can we?

Undermountain? DL2 - Dragon's of Story Arc? Railroad of the Slavelords? B11 - Welcome to the World's Smallest Orc Hole?

 

[Malmuria]

One example would be that posting links to one's blog is basically forbidden as self promotion for example ... this is absurd given that the OSR was for most of its formative period a blog driven scene.

Then of course if someone else actually links your blog or product Reddit (and identifies it as someone else's work) users don't A) read more then the first sentence B) comment on the blog C) buy the product. Instead Reddit is where users just complain that a book costs too much (if it costs anything) or that it can't be good (if it's free). Now this is general Reddit stuff to a degree ... but it's still not cool with a number of people I know, myself included.

I know there are some r/OSR fans here so I will limit myself to that.

Fair. I do think that if people could self promote there is the possibility of a lot of spam. But I think reddit as a blogroll would be very helpful; it's basically my favorite channel on the OSR discord.

What I like about r/OSR is when people actually post something they created. What I don't like is how many posts are just game recommendations, and then especially when the chud-dy types come out