Recommend an OSR

[Snarf Zagyg]

I get the argument about scaling skills, but exactly like 5e and exactly like 1974 aren’t the only two options. Some of the OSR games use something in the middle, but some seem to have mimeographed (get it?) the original books.

I hear ya. That's why if you look back at my list, above, one of my recommendations is to try some rules-lite or indie games if you want to explore the space a little.

The thing is ... a lot of the OSR is devoted to recreated a very specific type of experience. So you have two things you want to keep in mind-

1. Compatibility is a major plus. Sure, there might be a few obvious changes (such as ascending armor class), but for the most part the people who make and play these games want to be able to play all the classics. Why run OSRIC (for example) if you can't find a copy of T1-4 and have at it? There's modern material that's great, too, but it's all part of the same ecosystem.

2. A lot of the mechanics play into the "feel" of the game. A primary feature/bug of OSR games is that they are level-based, and not ability-based. The ability treadmill that was introduced in later games is absent in OSR games- for better or for worse.

 

[Ath-kethin]

Dungeon Crawl Classics is the only game you will ever need. It has the best (and most flexible) rules and the friendliest and most engaged publisher/creative team you will ever have the pleasure of meeting or interacting with.

 

[Voadam]

One thing I wonder about in reading these different systems is whether some of the throwback mechanics are chosen because they are believed to be better/more fun, or if it's just pure nostalgia. Examples:

2. Saving throws by Rod/Staff/Wand, Breath, etc.

Take a deeper look at the old saving throw charts and how they match up to classes.

In the 1e DMG you have:
Paralyzation, Poison, Death Magic
Petrification or Polymorph
Rod, Staff, or Wand
Breath Weapon
Spell

Looking at 1st level characters
PPM is usually unhoy stuff flip of the die things (ghoul touch, necromancy, life or death poison) that favor of the gods buoys, Clerics are the best here at a 10.
PP is deal with attempts to change your nature, thieves are best here at 12. Also note that this does not include wand zaps but does include gorgon breath.
RSW is magical zaps that you dodge or magically resist. Magic users are best here at 11, but clerics who magically resist and Thieves who dodge are tied for second.
BW does not include paralysis breath. You are dodging or bracing behind a shield or magically resisting. Everyone is pretty terrible here with MUs being best at 15 which is not far from the Fighter's worst of 17.
Spells it is straight up magical resistance and MUs take the crown at 12.

Fighters generally start off normal Joes but progress up to heroic and superheroic at higher levels becoming awesome at everything with improvements every two levels compared to everybody else's 3-5 levels between improvements and topping out with some awesome specialties but definite comparative weak areas.

There is some useful thematic cohesion that can be drawn out of the charts.

 

[Aldarc]

The only game you will ever need is the one that you have the most fun with, and it's not the same game for everyone.

When it comes to OSR, it really depends on what you are looking for or hoping to get out of it. One of the big divides is "Retroclone OSR" and "Philosophical OSR." The former generally wants to play TSR era D&D with minor modifications. The latter will make more drastic changes to the core game as they are more interested in "OSR principles."

There are a lot of high quality OSR and OSR-like games out there.

• Old School Essentials
• Black Hack
• Stars/Worlds Without Number
• Beyond the Wall / Through Sunken Lands
• Castles & Crusades
• Dungeon Crawl Classics
• Knave / Maze Rats
• Forbidden Lands

IME, they all scratch different itches.

 

[Bill Zebub]

When it comes to OSR, it really depends on what you are looking for or hoping to get out of it. One of the big divides is "Retroclone OSR" and "Philosophical OSR." The former generally wants to play TSR era D&D with minor modifications. The latter will make more drastic changes to the core game as they are more interested in "OSR principles."

Yeah that's a good way of summarizing the pattern I'm seeing. I'm personally more interested in the philosophical approach. I'm nostalgic for what it felt like back in junior high, but not really the specific rules.

 

[reelo]

While I'm an unconditional fan of OSE, it's been mentioned several times, so let me just throw Hyperborea into the mix.

 

[jdrakeh]

I'm gonna recommend a rather low visibility game: Neoclassical Geek Revival. It's a very clever, original, OSR system that isn't mostly an older game with one or two improvements. The adventures are, likewise, very inventive. If you end up liking the Basic rules, you can also get the Acidic (i.e. Advanced) rules.

 

[SakanaSensei]

Worlds Without Number is my favorite game in the OSR I've seen, by a pretty large margin. It's fairly simple compared to something like modern DnD, but it still has options available for players to customize their character in interesting ways. It's packed to the gills with tools to make the DM's life easier, from building up hexes and dungeons to creating factions and giving you a mini-game to play between sessions to let the movers and shakers of the world move and shake.

The only thing I kind of dislike is skills, mostly because my players get confused with skills and combat actions not both working off of the same dice. (Skills are 2d6, attacks and saves are 1d20.) They're also a bit fiddly to advance, with every skill having four ranks and with players gaining 3-4 skill points on level up to spend upgrading them... If my players get through our current campaign and like most of the rest of the bones as much as I do, there's a chance that I hack the system a bit and fix this for our preferences. That is, after all, half of the draw to OSR I think: it's a nice little toolkit/toy box that is very easily hacked.

Best of all, the rules are free! The paid version has some extra subclasses (far from necessary), rules for god-like powers (only needed for certain flavors of campaign), and other things of that nature. Still, can't recommend the game enough.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Appreciate all the suggestions. I’ve got some reading to do!

 

[Aldarc]

Worlds Without Number is my favorite game in the OSR I've seen, by a pretty large margin. It's fairly simple compared to something like modern DnD, but it still has options available for players to customize their character in interesting ways. It's packed to the gills with tools to make the DM's life easier, from building up hexes and dungeons to creating factions and giving you a mini-game to play between sessions to let the movers and shakers of the world move and shake.

The only thing I kind of dislike is skills, mostly because my players get confused with skills and combat actions not both working off of the same dice. (Skills are 2d6, attacks and saves are 1d20.) They're also a bit fiddly to advance, with every skill having four ranks and with players gaining 3-4 skill points on level up to spend upgrading them... If my players get through our current campaign and like most of the rest of the bones as much as I do, there's a chance that I hack the system a bit and fix this for our preferences. That is, after all, half of the draw to OSR I think: it's a nice little toolkit/toy box that is very easily hacked.

Best of all, the rules are free! The paid version has some extra subclasses (far from necessary), rules for god-like powers (only needed for certain flavors of campaign), and other things of that nature. Still, can't recommend the game enough.

Stars/Worlds Without Number feels a bit like a D&D and Traveller hybrid.