Other D&D Variant Best D&D Clone for open table play with beginners?

[mamba]

I would need a system that emulates D&D while still being welcoming to RPG beginners,

Maybe Bugbears and Borderlands fits your bill

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/528549/bugbears-borderlands-2e

The first edition is available for free, but offers considerably fewer classes

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/409630/bugbears-and-borderlands

 

[Mark Hyde1]

Shadowdark is the common recommendation. I've heard of people house-ruling BFRPG for modern players. S&W and Dragonslayer from Greg Gillespie are another recommend for old school play feel.
Greyhawk is a good choice for a setting -it's the default now for 2024 5e DMG - - lots of resources online for it too.
Greyhawk Grognard – A blog about the World of Greyhawk, tabletop RPGs, wargames, and pop culture - Good resource blog from the YT-er of the same channel name

 

[HellfireVanWinkle]

I"m curious which of these editions you want a clone of? That will help narrow down the options immensely.

My ideal D&D would be a version that ressembles OSR, but with all the Old School "trinkets" (this is me being polite) either corrected or deleted entirely. Because I always hated things such as : Thief Skills, Descending AC, Thaco and other things which I probably forget.

 

[Micah Sweet]

My ideal D&D would be a version that ressembles OSR, but with all the Old School "trinkets" (this is me being polite) either corrected or deleted entirely. Because I always hated things such as : Thief Skills, Descending AC, Thaco and other things which I probably forget.

So...Shadowdark.

 

[TiQuinn]

My ideal D&D would be a version that ressembles OSR, but with all the Old School "trinkets" (this is me being polite) either corrected or deleted entirely. Because I always hated things such as : Thief Skills, Descending AC, Thaco and other things which I probably forget.

I would go with Shadowdark first because that really seems to hit all the qualifications - it’s dead simple for a player to get into as a beginner. As a backup choice, I’d look at OSE which is probably the cleanest, direct clone of D&D while ticking most of the boxes for you.

 

[Cruentus]

I don't know if it fits your categories, but I'd give Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures a look. Its OSR at its base, has a solid char gen using 'playbooks' for archetypes, which shape your character, and build in relationships to other characters and the starting village. It can be as simple or as complex as you want, as there are variants for thaco (default is ascending), 5 or 3 saving throw types, etc.

 

[Zaukrie]

Nimble.

 

[HatWearingFool]

Nimble.

Seconded

 

[thirdkingdom]

My answer for each and every edition :

OSR editions : I'm nota big fan of playing pure unaltered OSR. I prefer OSR clones that try to modernize things a bit.

3rd Edition : I like it but I think it's too complicated for someone who has never played an RPG before.

4th editon : I don't have the gear required for the tactical battles.

5th edition : I'm not a great fan, I think it's too tedious for both DMs and Players.

If 3rd edition is your jam, you might want to check out Bree-YARC, my heartbreaker mash-up of 3.x and BX. It uses the BX engine with 3rd edition customization. Right now only the Quickstart and some various free add-on classes and ancestries are available, but I hope to release the full version by Summer 2026. The Quickstart is set at .95 cents (I had to have some cost in order to sell the offset version), but at the bottom of the listing there's a code that let's you get it for free.