And here you thought OSR Christmas was over ;)
As a Happy New Year & overall thanks to the OSR community, I have a series of doubles, older editions, and less utilized material that I'd like to pass on, to 1) share the goodness; 2) expand people's knowledge and playing of some of systems and resources; and 3) clear off valuable shelf space...
Without further ado, I have the following items up for the OSR Christmas giveaway drawings. Unfortunately, these are only available to US recipients, as the postage costs get too high for sending them overseas. These will be given away in the following sets of items:
Dungeon Crawl Classics system
1) Transylvania Adventures - softcover + 3rd party DCC adventures - In the Prison of the Squid Sorcerer, Cast Tower of the Blood Moon Rises!
Castles and Crusades
2) 5th printing set of 3 core books (Players Handbook, Castle Keepers Handbook, and Monsters), new.
Swords and Wizardry
3) Razor Coast hardcover
4) Razor Coast hardcover + GM's shield & modules (Grimmsgate, MCMLXXV, + others)
d20 Necromancer/Frog God Games
5) Modules - Six Spheres of Zahheiss, Coils of Set, Vindication, Dread Saccaroth, Hex Crawl Chronicles-the Golden Meadow, etc.
OSR Resources
6) Dyson's Delves I and II - softcover
7) Selection of early role playing magazines (mostly 1980's) - Alarums & Excursions; White Dwarf; Dragon; Expeditioners Journal
RPG Related
8) Snarfquest Compilation (softcover) + The Fantasy Roleplaying Gamers Bible
These will be randomly given away to commenters listing their favorite OSR or just plain old-school system, sourcebook, or resource (blog, document, whatever). Everyone is welcome to put in multiple entries of favorites, but each individual commenter will get only one chance for each giveaway. The gifting will be done in 2 waves, with 4 randomly determined sets being given away January the 9th and the other 4 on the 10th, in honor of my personal tardiness for all things, even contests... Winners will be announced in the comments section here and contacted for addresses if at all possible, but please check back here after the 10th to see if your name was pulled. Eligibility will end sometime in the early AM EST on both those days.
Thanks to all of you for rekindling my interest in roleplaying over the past few years and, more to the point, helping me give my children the interest in it (how many 9 year olds list DCC as their favorite game of the year?).
-Keith (edit - The Tavern is just hosting - Keith is the one gifting)
I prefer the maps at megadungeoncomic.blogspot over Dyson's. More flavorful and interesting, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteAt the risk of sounding cheesy, everyone contributing to the OSR -- whether products, blogs, podcasts, zines, etc. -- is my "favorite". I love every damn one of ya, dammit!
ReplyDeleteCheesy indeed, but hard to deny!
DeleteSwords and Wizardry whitebox.... simple yet perfect
ReplyDeleteMy favorite OSR system so far has been the D&D Rules Cyclopedia. As far as resources, I finally got around to getting Zak S's Vornheim and it's brilliant.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite OSR product has to be Blueholme Prentice Rules. There's a whole mess of adventure packed into three levels worth of play.
ReplyDeleteI adore Courtney Cambell's tomes on room design and treasure: http://hackslashmaster.blogspot.com/2011/02/on-tricks-empty-rooms-and-basic-trap.html http://hackslashmaster.blogspot.com/2015/03/on-hack-and-slash-compendium-2.html
ReplyDeleteLove so many but my go to choice is Swords & Wizardry
ReplyDeleteDungeon Crawl Classics for this guy!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is the original three D&D rulebooks, followed by the Ready Ref Sheets. I love gaming with just that.
ReplyDeleteI love a ton of OSR products and there's little in that space that doesn't make me smile at the very least. That said, I've been running Labyrinth Lord campaigns for a few years now, so that could easily be considered my favorite. That said, been playing a lot of S+W recently and am always looking for DCC games and recently wrote a White Star adventure so LL has some fantastic competition if it wants that top spot.
ReplyDeleteYou won the Snarfquest and FRPG Bible books, Paul!!! I will try and PM you directly, but you can always PM me to send me your address.
DeleteWell, I am running a Castles & Crusades game now, but it will likely be supplanted by Swords & Wizardry in the near future. There are too many great sources to list! Like Dragonsdoom, Courtney Campbell's supplements are fantastic. I found Vornheim to be eye-opening as far as not only a weird setting, but the tricks to running a game in a city are ace. The Tao of D&D treats DMing like a vocation, and Alexis' book How to Run is a fantastic resource for understanding far more about the act of running a game (like physiological responses to stress, and how to interpret interpersonal cues).
ReplyDeleteHard to pin down a favorite, but it has to be the old d6 Star Wars Role Playing game, which ignited some friendships and squandered many an hour in High School.
ReplyDeleteI love Basic Fantasy. Simple, fun, and pretty much compatible with every OSR resource out there. Thanks for all you do, Tenkar!
ReplyDeleteI gotta say DCC, it was the choice B&W art in the beta that pushed me over the edge from old-school blog consumer to full-on judge.
ReplyDeleteDCC is probably my favorite non-clone. Rules Cyclopedia style systems are my favorite for old school play.
ReplyDeleteCastles and Crusades is my current Go-To for OSR goodness, I am intrigued by Adventurer, Conqueror, King, and I am dying to run Transylvanian Adventures but I only have the pdf so getting a TA in print would be awesome. If you draw me for the C&C lot, feel free to pick someone else, I've got C&C covered.
ReplyDeleteIt must be meant to be, goeticgeek, since the random rolls threw you up for the DCC book set. I will try to reach you directly, but please feel free to contact me via PM to get your address to me.
DeleteSo many choices...we're really living in a Golden Age of Old School RPG publishing.
ReplyDeleteFavorite ruleset: Adventures Dark & Deep
Favorite rules supplement: An Echo, Resounding / Basic Psionics Handbook / On the NPC (3-way tie!)
Favorite campaign supplment: Dark Albion
Favorite cornicopia of gaming awesomosity: Fight On! hardback compilations
Favorite New/Old Hotness: Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls
Best OSR non-clone ruleset: Adventure Fantasy Game
Most anticipated 2016 product: Crypts & Things Remastered / Chaosium's Runequest (tie)
BX, LL, LotFP hybrid is my go to game snd lately I've become a fan of The Manor... it's a pretty sweet zine.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Christian, you just won the second Swords and Wizardry Razor Coast book set. I will try to reach you directly, but please feel free to contact me via PM to get your address to me.
DeleteBX, LL, LotFP hybrid is my go to game snd lately I've become a fan of The Manor... it's a pretty sweet zine.
ReplyDeleteGotta give a shout out to Delving Deeper!
ReplyDeleteI've been enjoying swords and wizardry again.
ReplyDeleteI love the OSR because it inspired me to write and publish my own rules Peril and Plunder. The world doesn't need more old school systems but the OSR encourages it.
ReplyDeleteThanks OSR keep on pushing.
DCC for the easy answer, but I'm still trying to win the argument that Palladium books is the hipster of OSR. Having lived in AR, always wanted to try C&C, though.
ReplyDeleteDCC is where my rpg love is though I love all the OSR goodness out there.
ReplyDeletePhilotomy's Musings. It is the most inspiring OSR handbook to me.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, you won the Dyson's Delves set, JasperAK! I will try to reach you directly, but please feel free to contact me via PM to get your address to me.
DeleteDCC for me! I do not hate the rest but for me it is the best.
ReplyDeleteFor just plain old school, Call of Cthulhu. It's the first RPG I played on a regular basis, and it will always have a place on my shelf and in my brain.
ReplyDeleteSort of surprised that I'm the first to mention Kevin Crawford. Red Tide is the winner for me. It's a veritable master class on campaign design. The perfect balance of prep and winging it.
ReplyDeleteI mentioned An Echo, Resounding about 11 posts up, +Jacob. I'm a big KC fan.
DeleteI love Swords & Wizardry (and White Star), Dyson's maps, anything S&W from Spes Magna games, and just about any 'zine that folks make.
ReplyDeleteI follow Delta's D&D Spot regularly. I'm a nut for the statistics.
I don't think I have ever met an OSR system that I didn't enjoy but to pick current favs would be Basic Fantasy, Pits and Perils and for old school my fav is still what I played first in 1977-78:Holmes Basic Dungeons and Dragons.
ReplyDeleteMaps!! All the maps! Dyson's, Matt Jackson's, Billy Longino's, they're all awesome.
ReplyDeleteAD&D 1e - I have been playing it since 1977 for many reasons!
ReplyDeleteYou won the Swords and Wizardry Razor Coast book, Rick!!! I will try and PM you directly, but you can always PM me to send me your address.
DeleteGotta say that my heart is torn between Swords & Wizardry Whitebox and Labyrinth Lord (with or without the Advanced Edition Companion) as my favorite OSR system.
ReplyDeleteS&W Complete.
ReplyDeleteI have a soft spot for Basic Fantasy Roleplaying because it's so well written, so inexpensive in print, and so well supported.
Best resource is tough - I use a lot of bits of a lot of stuff. The Dungeon Alphabet really pushed me to run a dungeon-based game, though, and it's still going 70 sessions and 4 years later.
LL & DCC!
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of Kabuki Kaiser's stuff, especially Mad Monks of Kwantoom.
ReplyDeleteC&C is one of my favorite rule sets and I love the isometrics Dyson has been putting out there over the last several months.
ReplyDeleteBeen pretty impressed with Blood & Treasure lately.
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge fan of both Labyrinth Lord and Swords and Wizardry, but Dyson's blog (rpgcharacters.wordpress.com) is by far the best and most useful resource for me.
ReplyDeleteDCC is my favorite, but I love the Frog God S&W adventures.
ReplyDeleteDCC is where it's at!
ReplyDeleteDCC
ReplyDeleteWhile there are too many great works that have come out of the OSR to pick just one, Kevin Carson's Spears of the Dawn deserves some love. It's a great, fun game.
ReplyDeleteBeyond the Wall is my current favorite OSR title.
ReplyDeleteI still prefer my B/X D&D rulebooks; but what's wonderful about the OSR is how one can find a system that works and modify it with innovative bits from other OSR systems to customize a play experience that's just right for them. Thanks again, Tenkar, for your generosity!
ReplyDeleteYou won the old magazines set, Peter!!! I will try and PM you directly, but you can always PM me to send me your address.
DeleteI enjoy so many OSR systems but have always found Epee's & Sorcellerie to have a lot of charming touches.
ReplyDeleteThe Dungeon Alphabet is probably my all-time favorite, for getting so many things right. It's a fun book to flip through because of the excellent illustrations, the tables and text are inspirational, it looks nice on the shelf, and it's a sturdy hardback. Runners up are ACKS and LOTFP, because both take the B/X system and improve on it in some areas and create distinct and distinctive settings. I love LL but it is ultimately a substitute; ACKS and LOTFP are their own things too.
ReplyDeleteAD&D, BX, then DCC. Still love reading old Dragon magazines. And now I love all the OSR fanzines.
ReplyDeleteS&W Complete, with ideas cherry picked from all the other fantastic OSR games I own.
ReplyDeleteI lean with Gilman there--pretty hard to beat the S&W complete for me. It's just so, complete....Plus, there is so much goodness out there from you all to mix in it with it.
ReplyDeleteCrypts and Things. No wait... Warriors of the Red Planet. No... White Star. No... Lamentations of the Flame Princess. No wait...
ReplyDeleteCrypts and Things. No wait... Warriors of the Red Planet. No... White Star. No... Lamentations of the Flame Princess. No wait...
ReplyDeleteCastles & Crusades is my go to when I am GMing. When I play I also enjoy DCC and Dragon Warriors.
ReplyDeleteMoldvay Basic, AD&D, Castles & Crusades, Labyrinth Lord, DCC just off the top of my head.
ReplyDeleteI discovered the OSR due to not having any other outlet for gaming currently. As such, I have been having great fun exploring all the options. The one that has struck the strongest chord for me is Castles & Crusades, but having just backed the latest DCC RPG Kickstarter, I am enjoying reading through that rulebook as well. They all have their appeal and I am finding great inspiration to bring back to the table with my children.
ReplyDeleteFave OSR is Castles and Crusades. Fave game is 1e AD&D. I hope I win the old zines.
ReplyDeletePS I already have the C&C and the Dyson books, so if I was to win them, give them to another lucky soul.
DeleteFave OSR is Castles and Crusades. Fave game is 1e AD&D. I hope I win the old zines.
ReplyDeleteI like Basic Fantasy RPG. EVERYTHING in that system is either free online or available at cost in print. That makes it very accessible to new players. I have given away multiple copies of the print books to younger gamers who have shown an interest in role playing. Gotta get the next generation involved to keep the OSR community thriving in the future!
ReplyDeleteFor me it's DCC RPG hands down, as it changed me from being someone casually interested in RPG's into someone who invests their entire non parenting life into gaming now. I hAve interest in other games as well, but so far have discovered nothing better.
ReplyDeleteFor suppliment, it's either Frozen in Time (Goodman Games) as I had never laughed so hard while gaming before, or the Purple Planet box set which I am exiting my anti social shell to Judge a campaign of beginning this Sunday.
Swords and Wizardry for me.
ReplyDeleteDCC for books of late. Moldvay for books of old.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite OSR system is Tunnels & Trolls, 1st edition 1975. 4th and 5th editions of T&T are also up there, but 5th would beat the tie for its extensive support spanning decades. After that, it's Old School Hack, LOTFP Weird Fantasy, and Swords & Wizardry.
ReplyDeleteBecause of my love for B/X, it would have to be Labyrinth Lord, though LotFP has a lot going for it.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite OSR product these days is Delving Deeper. Other than that, I mostly play AD&D these days.
ReplyDeleteAdventurer Conqueror King is by far my favorite!
ReplyDeleteDCC is my favorite OSR-ish game.
ReplyDeleteACKS, DCC, and Swords and Wizardry. In no order.
ReplyDeleteAD&D is what I have probably played the most of in my life so I will have to say that is my favorite OSR rpg.
ReplyDeleteYou won the Castles and Crusades books, Stu!!! I will try and PM you directly, but you can always PM me to send me your address.
DeleteEven though I was already playing World of Darkness and GURPS games before, I feel like DCC brought me back into fantasy gaming. I found the Grognardia blog soon after that and James' review of Lamentations of the Flame Princess steered me back into OSR gaming completely.
ReplyDeleteIt's got to be AD&D for the win!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite OSR system, of course, is Swords & Wizardry. I like all three flavors, but tend to run complete. Of course, my love of the system should be obvious, having picked up running the "Appreciation Day."
ReplyDeleteGotta jump on the Swords & Wizardry train. All the stuff, none of the fluff.
ReplyDeleteThe Dungeon Alphabet is the most useful OSR product that I own.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Jacob, you get the pile of Necromancer games d20 modules! I will try to reach you directly, but please feel free to contact me via PM to get your address to me.
DeleteI <3 DCC!
ReplyDeleteD&D5 actually hits my OSR sweet spot pretty well, some rules, emphasis on setting over system, easy character generation. Its all good.
ReplyDeleteAnd one of the blogs I was add this morning reminded me that Midkemia Press' Cities book is still on of the best collection of city resources (mostly in random table form).
For me its still B/X D&D .... love love love those rules !!!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite of the OSR games happens to be D&D 2E. I guess it's mostly nostalgia (it's the system I played the most of when I started gaming), but it also had Night Below, which is my top favorite module of all time, my second favorite being The Red Hand of Doom for 3.5).
ReplyDelete. . . you can't ask me to choose! T'aint fair!
ReplyDeleteIn truth I like different OSR products for different things - Lamentations of the Flame Princess I enjoy for the setting and adventure materials (Vornheim, Red & Pleasant Land, Death Frost Doom, Better than Any Man), Labyrinth Lord is my preffered B/X fix; Mutant Future when I need to bring the strange and Sword & Wizardry when I want to easer people into OSR gaming with fewer fiddly bits. But honestly, what started it all for me was Stars Without Number (back when it was only available PoD from Lulu!) - it was my entry point down the OSR online rabbit hole and I've never really looked back.
An honorable mention must go out to Grognardia - it may be defunct, and may come with Dwimmermont baggage but for the longest time it was a touchstone of OSR discussion and a gateway into a web of blogs and forums that still comprises some of the core OSR publishers today. And, well, I had already enjoyed old-school style play but the discussions highlighted there made me think about why. Always a good question to ask when you stop to think about it.
I think I've gotten the most used and entertainment from ACKS. The core book has so much going on and detail for an economy it is crazy.
ReplyDeleteMaze Rats, by Ben Milton, takes the industrial trappings out of Into the Odd and creates a pure, instant, beautiful fringe D&D. I love it so. I've never enjoyed character generation more: it's completely random, flavorful, and it only takes 30 seconds. I think everyone should take a look at the random spell generation. It's available for free on its own, but 'Odditional Material', a pay-what-you-want pdf from Lost Pages, contains it and two adventures, a bunch of other Odd material, and Odd Dungeons, another version of a 'pure' D&D variant of Into the Odd.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it, Jesse!
DeleteMy favorite old school system is The Fantasy Trip by Steve Jackson. It has a simple, yet elegant tactical map combat system that really flows. Chargen is simple with only 3 stats.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite OSR game is currently Warriors of the Red Planet, a sword and planet game built on BX. It's four classes: Fighting Man, Scoundrel, Mentalist, and Scientist fit great with the genre.
My long-term favorite OSR has been Basic Fantasy RPG by Chris Gonnerman. However, I recently read the new print version of Castles & Crusades and I really like it too. I know a lot of people prefer the simplicity of Swords & Wizardry or Labyrinth Lord, but I cut my teeth on AD&D so I gravitate to the marginally more complex. But they're all good, really, and we live in a golden age of role-playing choice!
ReplyDeleteI'm rather a fan of S&W Complete, and hope to try some White Star coming up. Otherwise the only older rpg's I've had the pleasure to run/play was the old James Bond 007 game.
ReplyDeleteFavorite OSR, or just plain old-school system, sourcebook, or resource: Holmes Basic, or anything close to it, and Castles & Crusades. Favorite blog, etc.: Tenkar's Taqvern, of course!
ReplyDeleteThese days I'm torn between S&W, DCC, ACKS and Classic Traveller.
ReplyDeleteS&W Complete has been my re-entry into gaming after a LLLOONNGG hiatus...
ReplyDeleteAnd of course the creativity of the blogosphere for its fertile land of gankable maps, criters, rules-hacks, etc...
ACKS and DCC.
ReplyDeleteLabryinth Lord and S&W Complete. Still pull out RC D&D for inspiration as well.
ReplyDeleteHappy New OSR Year! I've always liked Castles & Crusades followed by Swords and Wizardry. Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteBeen playing much 5e, Swords & Wizardry and Dragon Age. My favorite is still 1e. Running Keep on the Borderlands again for a new generation . . .
ReplyDeleteMust say Ive enjoyed picking up some source material off RPG Now: Castles and Crusades Book of Familiars and Sir Reginald Lichlyter's books.
Favorite is Swords and Wizardry, which is making White Star especially attractive lately.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much OSR goodness out there that one scarcely knows where to begin, but why doesn't the excellent Fantastic Heroes and Witchery get more respect? It's awesome gonzo OSR fun, and free to boot. It should be mentioned in the same breath as SW, LL, BFRPG, OSRIC, and the like.
ReplyDeleteAs I have said in other places, I am new to the OSR, but I really like the openness of White Star.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for sharing your favorite OSR resources and systems. You've already helped me discover some new ones, which is great! Hopefully some other readers are also getting something out of this.
ReplyDeleteThe first round of book sets has been randomly assigned and the winners are listed below! Congratulations to all of you!
Set #2: Castles and Crusades core books - Stu Ordana
Set #3: Swords and wizardry Razor Coast book - Rick Stump
Set #7: Magazines - Peter Schweighofer
Set #8: Snarfquest compilation + FRPG Bible - Paul
The final drawing will take place sometime tomorrow AM and I'll post the winners for that at that time. Those who've already commented are still in the running and those who comment in the next 12-16 hours are also in the running for those 4.
I will reach out to the winners individually, or they can feel free to contact me via PM at +Keith G Nelson
Happy New Year to you all!
Keith
ReplyDeleteThe final round of book sets has been randomly assigned and the winners are listed below! Congratulations to all of you!
Set #1: DCC modules and Transylvania Adventures - goeticgeek
Set #4: Swords and Wizardry Razor Coast book and modules - Christian Kolbe
Set #5: Necromancer/Frog God Games d20 modules - Jacob Kipfer
Set #6: Dyson's Delves books - JasperAK
I will reach out to the winners individually, or they can feel free to contact me via PM at +Keith G Nelson
Happy New Year to you all!
Keith