Your Favorite OSR System?

[Retreater]

Thanks for all the advice. My diehard hater of OSR (who was the hold-out who liked the crunch of modern D&D) took a look at Old School Essentials, and he was immediately sold. To paraphrase his review: "This is the game I loved as a kid, some of my best memories of the game. I was wrong to be against it."
So I have the big OSR fan who really wants to try Old School Essentials, the recent convert, and another guy who's game for anything.
So I'm guessing we'll be giving OSE a shot. I did pick up and peruse many of the others mentioned in this thread.
Any fans of OSE have any advice to a guy who has never played or DMed BECMI?

 

[Campbell]

DCC feels like AD&D First Edition. It oozes Gygaxian style flavor and pure Gonzo antics. Great adventures too.

I personally prefer B/X style OSR, but DCC is a really fun game.

 

[aramis erak]

Of the non-clones, I'll suggest

• Mazes and Minotaurs. (Still free.) Greek based, rules inspired by but not the same as D&D OE.
• Classic Traveller via Starter Traveller or The Traveller Book.
• D&D Cyclopaedia - available in PDF and POD now... DTRPG
• D&D B/X - Moldvay/Cook is available in legit PDF. DTRPG.
• Darker Dungeons - many variations from Dark Dungeons, but at its heart, still Cyclopaedia based
• Forward To Adventure (but note: It's from RPG Pundit. Which may DQ it for you. While the subject matter isn't the same as LotFP, Pundit and Raggi seem to be fast freinds.)

Of the clones

• Dark Dungeons - VERY accurate retroclone of Cyclopaedia+WotI
• Holmes77 and Holmes Companion - presents a "We think Dr. Holmes would have written BXC thusly"

 

[Griffon Lore Games]

4E.

I KID I KID.

OSR I like to go AD&D, but DCC is great.

 

[Voadam]

Any fans of OSE have any advice to a guy who has never played or DMed BECMI?

Go over the initiative and morale sections carefully, these are the areas most different from other forms of D&D.

Saves are like in AD&D, the categories take a little getting used to but have their own internal logic (dodging rays, resisting magic, toughness for transformations, dodging breath weapons, etc.)