OSR Looking for OSR that specializes in exploration and eventual founding of a keep

[InVinoVeritas]

I've been playing and GMing on and off for decades. B/X, AD&D1e, 2e, 3-3.5e, Pathfinder 1e. Also Gamma World, Star Frontiers, Top Secret/SI, Cyberpunk and 2020, TORG, the list goes on. However, I haven't played much for the most recent decade.

Lately I've been picking up on what I've been missing: exploration. I always preferred a campaign where your character grows as things happen to them and they use what they discover. Of course, this flies in the face of the ideal of mastering your build from first level and the Magic Mart where everything you find is to be liquidated to the Big Six and your worth can be measured solely in your combat prowess. And it's why I slowly paused out after late 3.5/PF, never made the jump to 4th and haven't bothered looking at 5th. The rules no longer help with exploration and adventure.

So, I'm curious what's being used today in OSR to increase the player's engagement with exploration, discovery, and using one's funds and exploits to further temporal influence. Is it a matter of going back to 1e/2e? Is it something that's handled better in newer systems? Are there better rules nowadays for the building and upkeep of a PC's manse, and the new adventures it leads to?

(Not complaining about the combat-forward style of play; combat is where the greatest need for granularity lies, but it's not where influence and power are cached.)

 

[Sacrosanct]

I would say the 1e wilderness survival guide is probably still the best go-to option for that. I'm sure some 3PP has probably put out something for OSE or something, but I'm not aware off the top of my head.

I know you said you haven't touched 5e, but with the 2024 rules, they did implement a bastion system (fortress and keep building). it might not be exactly what you're looking for, but there are probably ideas you can steal from them.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

OK, you're talking about two different things here, by my read: good support for exploration and domain-level play.

For hexcrawling or sandbox play (which is where most exploration rules live in the OSR), here are some well-regarded resources:

• https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/470041/how-to-make-a-fantasy-sandbox
• https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/489696/sandbox-generator-polski
• https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/348791/worlds-without-number

For domain play:

• https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/297829/on-downtime-and-demesnes-basic-d-d
• An Echo, Resounding
• The D&D Rules Cyclopedia is also still very popular.

There's also an OSR game that people will often mention for domain play that is put out by a person you might want to research before deciding whether you want to click the buy button.

 

[Jahydin]

I can think of a few off the top of my head, but when it comes to exploration, I don't think anything beats Forbidden Lands. Quick review I found here, if interested. Not OSR in that it's based off D&D, but certainly in its simplicity and tone.

I love that the lore and major quest items/locations are baked into the established map hexes while also having rules to randomly generate towns and dungeons as well. Lots of rules that cover traveling to make sessions fun as well.

Finally, I love that most of that lore is kept out of the player's book and can only be discovered through exploration.

 

[Jahydin]

There's also an OSR game that people will often mention for domain play that is put out by a person you might want to research before deciding whether you want to click the buy button.

Second this if you're looking for an emphasis on players dumping all their earned gold into late game conquest with large armies. Exploration wise, it will be the same as other OSR systems, but does have a ton of detail on world building and map creation.

 

[thirdkingdom]

I wrote the Into the Wild Omnibus to scratch this itch. It has rules for founding a domain, as well as founding and running thieves' guilds. I'm also in the process of writing Bree-YARC, a mix of B/X and 3rd edition D&D, that's going to have a focus on exploration, discovery, and downtime activities like magical research. The Quickstart for that is currently available.

 

[bloodtide]

The BECMI rules or the The D&D Rules Cyclopedia might be the best.