Top 5 Must-Play OSR Games: Timeless Classics Reimagined!
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- čas přidán 29. 01. 2024
- Welcome back to ClassicRollPlayer, your destination for fans of Old School Renaissance (OSR) gaming! 🎲 In today’s video, we’re diving into the world of nostalgia and innovation with our handpicked selection of the Top 5 Must-Play OSR Games. Whether you're a seasoned veteran longing for the golden days or a new adventurer seeking the roots of tabletop RPGs, this list is your treasure map!
We'll talk about what makes each of these games unique, their gameplay mechanics, and why they stand out in the ever-evolving world of OSR. Plus, stay tuned for some pro tips on how to maximize your enjoyment and immerse yourself fully in these fantastical worlds.
🔔 Don't forget to hit the subscribe button and ring that bell for more OSR game reviews, playbooks, and tips. Whether you're here to relive the glory days or to write your own legend, ClassicRollPlayer is your guild!
Comment below with your favorite OSR games and experiences. Let's keep the dice rolling and the adventures coming!
🔗 Relevant Links:
1983 Basic D&D DM - preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/p...
1983 Basic D&D Players - preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/p...
Basic Fantasy RPG - preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/p...
White Box - preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/p...
www.amazon.com/White-Box-Fant...
Five Torches Deep - preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/p...
Advanced Fighting Fantasy - preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/p...
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#ClassicRollPlayer #OSRGames #TabletopRPG #GamingNostalgia #RPGClassics #OldSchool - Hry
Thanks for the video. Love these games. I tend more toward the "rules light" genre rather than anything that is true old D&Dish stuff, so FTD is a winner as it's fleshed out cousing Shadowdark. What I like about FTD and SD is they can play old school modules just fine (adjust the HPs down to old school levels and/or just remove the CON bonuses for each HD). Basic Fantasy is cool for that too, and EVEN if you don't play BF, you should checkout their adventures. They adapt pretty easily to any OSR type game.
OSE should make the list too. The editing is fantastic. The price is high but every once in a while the PDF is on sale. Wait for that if you cant stomach the prices.
And... don't shoot the messenger, but 5e Essentials Kit rulebook pdf is still available for FREE. It is streamlined and if you used just this to play a 5e rules light, you can get the feel of OSR with a few gritty rule mods (reduce healing to OSR levels, remove the con bonuses for HPs for characters and monsters, and return the monsters to OSR HD and hit points with no con bonus etc).
BECMI - Tell me you don't play a thief class without telling me you don't play a thief. B/X has 14 levels total and BECMI had 30 where the thief class abilities get stretch out. I'd also suggest one of the first retroclones, Castles & Crusades. All the AD&D feels but streamlined. It's siege mechanic is just overwritten, that's all.
1 - Ill def check out Castles and Crusades... i did not play AD&D as a kid because it was too much too read and too intimidating for my small attention span but I probably would have loved it and 2 - I've actually NEVER played a thief personally. So you got me. lol... thanks for your comment!
Basic Fantasy rocks. It has recently updated to 4th edition which means additional monsters, some new artwork, and still compatible with all the earlier versions of BFRPG.
thanks for the information! Ill be getting that right away!
4th edition is mostly meant to get away from D&D Open Game License due to the fiasco a year back when Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast tried to revoke that license for something they could monetize. BFRPG hasn't change that much, and if you have 3rd edition, just keep using that. 4th Ed was more of a legal licensing move and dropped D&D Open Game License in favor of Creative Commons license@@ClassicRollPlayer
Basic Fantasy is really good all the extra free stuff available and all the optional stuff you can use can’t be beat for me.
All solid suggestions. I like OSE (b/x clone, so BECMI but stops at 14th lvl) I really like Adventure, Conqueror, King another basic D&D clone but reworks the AC system and adds a lot of Domain level play stuff.
My advice try all the free stuff and steal ideas from everywhere since most old school is roughly compatible.
subbed.
Thanks! Now I have new things to lookup!
@@ClassicRollPlayer I second this. I am running OSE right now and its really easy to run and play. Character creation takes 5 minutes or less.
@@perfectmachinegamessounds like a great future video! Thanks a ton!
OSE is a B/X clone not a BECMI clone, two different systems beside the level cap.
B/X also known as Moldvay Basic came out in 1981.
BECMI also known as Menzer Basic came out in 1983 and has extra products for up to level 30.
I'm surprised, when you mentioned BECMI, that you didn't mention it's one big compilation book, the Rules Cyclopedia. It has a print option on DTRPG, and is the single go-to choice for that system.
Always nice to see AFF get a mention!
Wow. That video talked to me. To the point, no BS, super clear. Subscribed.
Awesome, thank you!
Great choices! I need to check out some of these. I also enjoy Olde Swords Reign and Dungeon Crawl Classics.
I talk about my new found love for Olde Swords in the follow up video I put out! It’s really good!
I'm laughing at your "going to the beach" scenario--I can totally picture it. Solid list, good video, thanks.
thanks much! yep, a campaign based on my life, lol.... ( if my wife and daughters would ever want to play dnd with me that is )
Know this, you are not alone!@@ClassicRollPlayer
@@tednovy7762😢
Yes! Advanced Fighting Fantasy is my favorite as well. Was great to see you cover it.
thanks! I feel like so many people overlook this one, maybe its the book covers or something... I dont know.
Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer!
wow another one I have never heard of AND its free.... i got a lot of reading to do lol...thanks for the suggestion!
@ClassicRollPlayer Yeah, we're like roaches! Lol
@@VengerSatanis 🪳
The reason DTRPG is selling the book for 20 vs Amazon for 5 is because DT has to print the book, and the price is accounting for the printing cost.
Basic levels 1-3 Expert 4-14 Companion 15-25. Never got past that so not sure for the master or immortal.
How was Companion?
@@ClassicRollPlayer I enjoyed it. It is where we started work on our castles/domains.
@@jaybakata5566 thats cool!
Basic Fantasy is cool. I also like Lion and Dragon.
I've not heard of Lion and Dragon, thanks for the comment and I will check it out!
Big fan of Basic Fantasy! I'm also enjoying Olde Swords Reign
I've never heard of that one... will check it out!
@@ClassicRollPlayer The current creator recently made the PDFs free, the two books are very cheap much like Basic Fantasy.
@@RollForTuraco getting it!
@@ClassicRollPlayer Awesome!
You should check out whitewyrm: a fantasy rpg. I've been told it's as if "D&D and the Fighting Fantasy books had a baby." @@ClassicRollPlayer
There is a lot of supplements for White Box
I cannot believe you missed the entire Wretched OGL series.
Yes I've missed this one completely. I've played a solo game with the same title but have never looked at this one.
FMAG is a reworking of the original Swords & Wizardry White Box, a clone of the original D&D with the thief class added. The higher price on Drive thru is the hardcover. They do the paperback cheap too
Amazon only do the paperback. They also have 3 different cover options
@@finger3181 thanks for the comments! I appreciate it but I do not see the cheaper price on DriveThru.... Im literally seeing the "Softcover, Premium Color Book (5.5" x 8.5")" listed for $20.69 Do you see the cheaper price?! Maybe I get a special "premium" price
The premium colour is on better paper stock, Maybe they no longer offer the standard option. They definitely used to.
My top 5 are: Basic, Expert, Companion, Masters and Immortals.
haha... did you really play through all of those?! I'd love to hear more if so! We played a lot of basic into expert but never had guys long enough to move past those.
@@ClassicRollPlayer No, you caught me trying to be funny; I've never even met anyone who played Immortals organically. I got to Expert levels. I hate to admit it, but those last three books might be a meme. I've heard of people who rolled an immortal and just started there. I mean it would take years to make it from level 1 and then what? you just basically play a completely different game after you switch over to immortality? The idea is really fascinating, though. I think it just tickles the completionist part of my brain.
Three more I would recommend, and all free I might add, are Olde Swords Reign, Shinobi & Samurai, and Mini-Six Bare Bones.
1. Olde Swords Reign is another free PDF with book sold at cost (like Basic Fantasy). The selling point here is that this game has some D&D 5E bits in it, like weapon and armor traits (longsword is "versatile" and does more damage if you use it 2-handed), and a "Proficiency" bonus that is just 1 number, but used whenever your character should get a bonus to a roll.
2. Shinobi & Samurai by Taxidermic Owlbear. This is a version of Basic D&D, but the deal is that it is set in medieval Japan. Hell, I even know of another free Samurai game called Whitebox Eastern Adventures by Tasaka Games, and that one is based on even older "White Box" rules.
3. Mini-Six Bare Bones. This is the classic West End Games D6 Star Wars, but simplified even more (only 4 attributes, not 6, and simplified combat sequence, though you can use traditional combat sequence if you want as an option). The game is meant to be generic, so you can use it for any setting, but a couple of knockoff settings are included in the back of the book. Settings like Willow, or Firefly/Serenity, and of course, Star Wars. They're not called those, but they're clearly meant to be those settings.
Fantastic!!! I’ll be checking all these out, thanks!
I heard AFF is very simple rules wise us that true?
VERY simple and intuitive and fun!
@@ClassicRollPlayer Good, I plan on trying it with my 5e players after ending current campaign. At least presenting it as an option. I have starter adventure, I may run it for them first.
@@IdiotinGlans Let me know how it goes!
It's relatively simple. Yet, at the same time, it still manages to be a skill-based system along with having special abilities. So it still retains such customization options. The combat also hinges on opposed rolls. Which eliminates the need for Initiative and cuts down the amount of rolls you do each turn. It's a good blend of content and quick play and there's a good amount of splatbooks out there if you want more goodies.
My primary complaint would be the book layouts. They're pretty old-school so looking for a rule in the middle of a paragraph is an archaic throwback. I got used to it long ago so it's not too big of a deal for me. However, since I have the PoD books I'm not afraid of using a highlighter on some of them. Notably some of the monster special abilities listed in middle of their description paragraph, as a prime example. Fortunately the monster stat blocks are pretty small in the first place.
sorry for me it is Holmes edition all the way
I get it!
My first D&D book. Love the book, love the art. I can just sit and stare at it and feel good about life.
But the rule kinda suck, once I started reading them again.