OSR New Edition of HackMaster!!!

Jahydin · 2026-03-16T08:32:37+0000

Looks like Kenzer and Company is releasing a new edition of HackMaster in celebration of it's 25th anniversary!

WE HAVE NOT YET BEGUN TO HACK - Kenzer & Company

HackMaster 25th Anniversary Edition by Kenzer and Company First released in 2001, HackMaster won Game of the Year and single-handedly created the old school RPG revival movement. However, KenzerCo wasn’t through! We painstakingly honed the mechanisms and strategy of HackMaster to continually...

kenzerco.com

I love 4th and 5th dearly, but understand how the crunch is just too much for most. Hoping this new edition is more inline with OSR sensibilities with a HackMaster twist, if that makes sense. No matter what though, I'm on board. I can't wait to see what they've been up to.

From David Kenzer on Discord:

The newest edition of HackMaster (HM XXV) seeks to improve on several areas of gameplay from past editions:

Better balancing of core abilities (Con, Int, Cha improved and better aligned), species and classes

Skills revamped (all rolls are now competing, high is always the target, streamlined list)

Tons of new talents and modifications to the originals

Proficiencies expanded (many skills have become proficiencies, new specializations available such as shield and weapon types)

Unarmed Combat and Fatigue both overhauled

Combat has certain modified rules (e.g., ties go to the attacker half of the time, armor coverage makes it more difficult to be stung and bitten)

New spells and spell lists as well as tweaks to, and re-leveling of, some of the classics in addition to a retooling of spell mishaps

Completely new social engagement rules

Revamped Quirks and Flaws and a new category called "Idiosyncrasies" for improved roleplaying opps -- even Paladins can have them!

Kickstarter Link for those interested in backing:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kenzerco/hackmaster-25th-anniversary-edition-a-fantasy-rpg

osarusan · 2026-03-16T09:13:18+0000

Extremely excited for this!!!

sevenbastard · 2026-03-16T13:16:59+0000

When it shifted from AD&D parody to its own game the crunch was too much for me......but ill still keep an eye on this to see how it shakes out. They might have streamlined it enough to get me interested.

Reynard · 2026-03-16T13:22:42+0000

Interesting. I think Hackmaster 5E Basic was a really good game, but it was too much when the full books came out.
That bestiary tho!

darjr · 2026-03-16T13:26:04+0000

Yea, that bestiary. Still want it.

Micah Sweet · 2026-03-16T13:45:46+0000

darjr said:
Yea, that bestiary. Still want it.

It's a beautiful book. I still take it down and use it for reference sometimes.

Reynard · 2026-03-16T13:46:57+0000

darjr said:
Yea, that bestiary. Still want it.

Micah Sweet said:
It's a beautiful book. I still take it down and use it for reference sometimes.

Mine ended up a casualty of one of my periodic purges. "I am never actually going to play this." Ugh. So dumb.

Matrix Sorcica · 2026-03-16T15:11:46+0000

I don't think HM qualifies as a D&D Variant since HM 5e.
I'll be following this with interest.

fuindordm · 2026-03-16T20:04:22+0000

I had a blast reading the AD&D parody but never found players for it.
Didn't see the point of any later editions, I'd rather play AD&D than any other high-crunch fantasy game.

osarusan · 2026-03-17T01:29:34+0000

sevenbastard said:
When it shifted from AD&D parody to its own game the crunch was too much for me......but ill still keep an eye on this to see how it shakes out. They might have streamlined it enough to get me interested.

You're not kidding. The crunch was insane.

However, you can drop a lot of it without losing much and just end up with something that resembles AD&D with an amazing combat system. Then you can slowly add in the more crunchy bits to your taste as you play.

I think the new edition would benefit from framing its crunchy bits as modules that can be added or removed from the game. Obviously as a GM you have "permission" to trim the game in any way you feel, but it helps when the game is designed with that in mind. But that was sort of the biggest hurdle for new players to overcome. Once you get past how heavy it is, the system inside is beautiful. The Monster Books are such a fun read!