#old school renaissance

[plethoraworldatlas]

In reading Marcia's review of her experience with Shadowdark, I contemplated on how I run my own OSE games. This is also fresh on my mind because I am running Miranda Elkins' fantastic Nightwick. Its all about distilling things down to the interesting choice and eliminating the non-interesting one.

Basic Equipment: I am thinking about charging my players a flat rate for all basic dungeoneering equipment that is rolled into weekly expenses-- so 7sp a week for expenses plus ~3-5sp for pick of equipment

Not interesting:  Cost of equipment, especially down to coppers

Interesting: Scarcity (what if there is no 50' rope this week?) and how many slots PC dedicates to basic equipment

Light: Due to torch cost and number per slot, it is easy to carry a lot of torches.

Not interesting: Carrying enough light to last 12-24 turns- easily done

Interesting: When torches extinguish-- like in the middle of a fight or when the goblins you are negotiating with get mad; how many hands in the party are occupied by torches

This is why I prefer to use the overloaded encounter die to simulate inopportune moments when a torch is snuffed out- gust of wind, dripping slime, bucket of sand thrown by a sneaky goblin. And with regards to hands, holding a torch potentially lowers AC, removes a weapon, or makes spell casting delayed (need both hands). One saving grace: torches are an improvised weapon that do 1d4 dmg and are on fire.

Stuck Doors: I now commonly interpret the 2-in-6 chance as a basic surprise roll. If they players fail it, they make a loud noise and alert anything on the other side of the door, but open it next round.

Not interesting: Rolling a d6 over and over again to see if PCs finally break down a door

Interesting: Seeing if PC get surprise on whatever is on the otherside; if additional equipment is brought to deal with doors

I usually like the idea that a crowbar allows and additional 1d6 rolled per individual with one.

Rations: This is similar to the situation with light, its easy to carry enough food/water for 2-4 hours which is more likely the time frame of a dungeon delve-- not a camping trip.

Not interesting: Tracking both food and water separately for nominal circumstances

Interesting: How many PCs carry rations; will rations be used for other things (like distracting monsters) or saved to avoid fatigue

For me the nature of rations are both food and water abstracted. So if a player want to use food as a distraction, mark off 1 rations. If a player wants to douse a small fire, use 2 rations as you frantically empty out a water skin and try to put out the fire consuming the spell book.

Secret Doors & Traps:  Two dungeon features that are opposite sides of the same coin. Really I think Chris McDowall has written some of the best bits on this that boil down to "traps are puzzles" and not really "gotcha".

Not interesting: Situations where the PCs have to pick the exact right spot and roll a 1-2 in 6

Interesting: Adding in environmental clues or other sources of information that allows discovery by players investigating the fictional environment

Now, I will keep both rolls as a back-up for either PCs not having a good idea and/or a back-up for perhaps me being unable to convey the fictional environment properly in the moment.

Weapons: I've yet to find a really good way to do weapons simply outside of 1d6 damage for all types. I don't mind BX's variable weapon damage. And I do like some old rulesets sorta "first strike" if your weapon is larger than an opponents other wise smaller, lighter weapons strike first in subsequent arounds.

So here is what I have got so far: Using a weapon two-handed is a +1 to damage, using an off-hand weapon is +1 to-hit, and a shield is of course +1 AC. I do like that fighters with bows can shoot twice if they did not move and the "cleave" ability.

Not interesting: Weapon factors that are so extensive they require a separate rules discussion, trigger player obsession, and/or orient the whole of gameplay to combat

Interesting: What PCs chose to do with their hands: more armor, more weapons, or more light

So that is it for now, if you'd like to see more of my house rules here is my post on the Serpent Song Hymnal. I hope to have a sorta player version created sometime soon but I'm still trying to dial-in what my go-to "french vanilla" D&D is like.

[commander-ben]

So for the last year or so i have been working on a OSR style TTRPG called Black Powder based on the Mörk Borg system.

Its a fast paced, explosive game filled with witch hunters, wars of religion, demons and witchcraft.

if you want to stay up to date on the project and its production you can follow my substack for free!

[peregrine-coast]

Milk Bar: sci-fi OSR roleplaying in post-Communist Poland

Bełchatów exemplifies what the paypigs called Total Fucking Vertical Integration. They dug out coal from a hole in the ground 300m deep and 10km across, wheeled it 17km across a field, and burned it to produce 50TWh of energy a year. The city, this city, sprang up around it to keep those functions and those conveyor belts alive at any cost; total fucking vertical integration.

Eventually, the coal ran out. The Soviets found a more lucrative source of energy in the south and they would wheel it back here to justify keeping hundreds of thousands of people in the middle of nowhere. An explosion at the plant sent them reeling, leaving only you—the Communards—to pick up the pieces. 

🧑‍🔬sci-fi OSR roleplaying in the vein of Cairn and Mothership 🇵🇱 set in an alternate timeline, post-Soviet Communist Poland 🏠 unique progression system tied to basebuilding 🥟 pierogi

Coming soon! Follow the project on Kickstarter to get updates 👀

[sam-seer]

Hey, you! Here are 12 old school dungeon ideas inspired by In Search of the Unknown, a classic D&D adventure.

🐉 For more ideas, check out the full article →

[3d34-2]

[jazz-dude]

something I threw together today

you can get it here

and here

Thank you for your attention :)

[lil-tachyon]

Riding the endless tide...

Cover art for Tide World of Mani, a new Mothership RPG setting by Joel Hines! Funding on kickstarter now!

[scribblingsorsomething]

An homage to a Clive Caldwell illustration from The Dramune Run, an adventure for the Star Frontiers rpg. This depicts the Malthar, a dralasite kingpin of crime.

[detyan]

52 Magic Items For Troika (Or Other OSR Games!)

-Share the dried cysts of a saint! -Pass cerumenal superfluity aurally! -Receive an insectoid enema! -Use a fleshmagnet to tear holes into people! -Unleash psionic Oedipus complexes!

Designed after an old Victorian adverts catalogue, with a distinct weird-fantasy flair.

It was great fun to work on these and I think they'll be a blast at your table. FREE while community copies last!

[legendl0re]

So I wanted to present an idea to the collective, as we mine 5e and other games for good nuggets of ideas.

What do you guys think on taking subclass abilities from 5th edition classes and turning them into magic items to give players in Shadowdark? Such as the Battlemaster’s Maneuver beings like a tome depicting battle stances for a Fighter, or the Life Cleric’s additional healing in the form of a holy amulet they can wear.

Obviously SD has its own magic items which are super dope, but I wanted to know if you guys think? I’ve had a lot of fun with it as a concept but haven’t had a chance to implement it.

[owlbear33]

ok I guess I better ask in case such a thing exists, is there an OSR game (or at least old DnD based), that has more present and accessible magic, I guess more like the magic of modern dnd or is the whole idea of that antithetical to the whole concept of OSR

[oddseekers]

To the Aid of Falx, written by Frank Mentzer, with art by Jim Holloway

[peteramthor]

OSR style game system, Cyberpunk settings.

[creature-codex]

Did some fun NPCs for a game of ShadowDark I ran for a friend’s kid and their friends.

[sam-seer]

Hey, you! Here are 12 old school dungeon ideas inspired by Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, an old-school adventure published in 1980.

[3d34-2]