OSE help

[Jack Hooligan]

I understand Old School Essentials is basically a cleaned up B/X ruleset. However, I’m a little confused on the offerings. Is it a single book? A box set? What’s this new KS about?

I just want B/X… what do I need?

 

[RealAlHazred]

I understand Old School Essentials is basically a cleaned up B/X ruleset. However, I’m a little confused on the offerings. Is it a single book? A box set?

Short answer: yes.

Somewhat longer answer: you can get a Classic Fantasy box set with the rules separated into five separate thin books: Characters, Magic, etc. Or, you can get all of the Classic Fantasy rules in one book, the OSE Classic Fantasy Rules Tome. Both of these are the classic B/X rules, extensively cleaned up, edited, and reformatted in a really good way. I cannot emphasize enough how good the formatting is in these. For each class, for example, all of the rules you need for the class (aside from spells) are on two facing pages. If all you want is B/x, this is the tome or box set to get.

Then there's the Advanced Fantasy rules. The Kickstarter is for this, to repackage it. OSE AF is basically an attempt to take the stuff from 1st edition AD&D and find a way to fit it in to B/X D&D. So, for example, the Barbarian and Acrobat are available classes, but they're drastically changed to fit B/X power levels and mechanics. AF also allows you to separate class and race if desired. Again, there's a box set or separate Player's and Referee's Tomes so you can get little thin books or big, thick tomes. And the formatting is again, on point.

 

[RealAlHazred]

I see, putting the links in, that the box sets are both out in Necrotic Gnome's online store, but you can probably find Classic Fantasy box sets at hobby shops or online retailers. The Advanced Fantasy box sets are currently shipping, but the tomes have been available for some time.

 

[Jack Hooligan]

So the Tomes and the box sets have the same content? There a single B//X tome or a box set of you want the content broken out. Also two AF tomes or a to-be-released box set of you want the advanced content broken out.

Is this right?

 

[Retreater]

If you get the two "Advanced" tomes, it has every option from every boxed set and individual book compiled in one place (well, two books technically).

 

[Composer99]

If you just want B/X I don't know what's on offer for hardcopy but I have the Classic Fantasy Tome in PDF and it has it all (to the best of my knowledge).

 

[overgeeked]

So the Tomes and the box sets have the same content? There a single B//X tome or a box set of you want the content broken out. Also two AF tomes or a to-be-released box set of you want the advanced content broken out.

Is this right?

Mostly, yes.

OSE Classic Fantasy is B/X D&D. It’s all-in-one with the Classic Rules Tome. Or split into five books in the Classic Fantasy box.

OSE Advanced Fantasy is AD&D content added to the B/X chassis. For that you need both the Advanced Referee’s Tome and the Advanced Player’s Tome. These two books contain all the Classic Fantasy stuff plus the unique AF stuff.

It’s important to note the AF box has only the content unique to AF. For a complete game (basic rules etc), you’ll also need the Classic Fantasy book or box.

 

[RealAlHazred]

So, for Classic Fantasy (which is to say, B/X D&D): all of the content is in the Rules Tome, and the Box Set. They include all of B/X in one book or a box of five thin books.

For Advanced Fantasy, all of the content is in the Player's Tome and the Referee's Tome, or in the Classic Fantasy Box Set plus the Advanced Fantasy Box Set. Includes all of B/X D&D, and a bunch of AD&D 1E stuff ported to fit.

 

[overgeeked]

So, for Classic Fantasy (which is to say, B/X D&D): all of the content is in the Rules Tome, and the Box Set. They include all of B/X in one book or a box of five thin books.

For Advanced Fantasy, all of the content is in the Player's Tome and the Referee's Tome, or in the Classic Fantasy Box Set plus the Advanced Fantasy Box Set. Includes all of B/X D&D, and a bunch of AD&D 1E stuff ported to fit.

Yes, exactly.

 

[RealAlHazred]

In Gavin's defense, he wanted to make it easily portable and modular. However, in the process, he made it a little tricky to figure out what books to get.

Which, if you're going to the "original D&D" experience, I guess that's hitting the nail on the head! "We use the white box Greyhawk book and the AD&D Monster Manual, but mostly we're a Holmes D&D table..."