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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Jul 3, 2022 16:17:27 GMT -5
While I was browsing the paints at Top Deck Games, I also browsed their game section. They always seem to have at least a tiny amount of older used stuff and some of the newer OSR type stuff. I hit my first hurdle when I spied the new version of HeroQuest on the used shelf. It was barely worn at all, and it was a beautiful box of updated 80s gaming goodness. I had to summon the same strength that many of our parents used when they walked to school uphill and had to wrestle a grizzly bear to get in the front door. Alas, I was able to overcome the mighty beast and put the gigantic box back on the shelf. A little more browsing and there were 3 of the Old School Essentials rulebooks from Necrotic Gnome on another shelf. The Classic Fantasy Rules Tome is a very cleaned up and re-organized version of the B/X system and their Advanced Fantasy Player's Tome and Referee's Tome does the same for AD&D. B/X is my jam! If I didn't have my old, battered copy lying next to my laptop I would have picked that up immediately. I believe they have followed the Delving Deeper example and kept Descending AC; they have included Ascending AC as an optional rule. I left all 3 of those rule books on the shelf as well. If you dig B/X and want to know more, they also offer a free pdf of their Classic Fantasy Basic Rules. |
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Post by ironnerd on Jun 28, 2023 19:24:08 GMT -5
I have to say OSE is nothing short of excellent. It has replaced my Rules Cyclopedia as my rules set. Totally compatible with BECMI and B/X, but with actual corrections, and MUCH better organization and presentation.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Jun 29, 2023 2:31:58 GMT -5
I have to say OSE is nothing short of excellent. It has replaced my Rules Cyclopedia as my rules set. Totally compatible with BECMI and B/X, but with actual corrections, and MUCH better organization and presentation. Have you written a review of it? |
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Jun 29, 2023 7:18:51 GMT -5
I have to say OSE is nothing short of excellent. It has replaced my Rules Cyclopedia as my rules set. Totally compatible with BECMI and B/X, but with actual corrections, and MUCH better organization and presentation. That was my first impression upon browsing the tome. I'm definitely buying a copy. |
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Jun 29, 2023 7:19:20 GMT -5
I have to say OSE is nothing short of excellent. It has replaced my Rules Cyclopedia as my rules set. Totally compatible with BECMI and B/X, but with actual corrections, and MUCH better organization and presentation. of it? Please do so! |
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Post by ironnerd on Jul 1, 2023 17:18:34 GMT -5
I have to say OSE is nothing short of excellent. It has replaced my Rules Cyclopedia as my rules set. Totally compatible with BECMI and B/X, but with actual corrections, and MUCH better organization and presentation. That was my first impression upon browsing the tome. I'm definitely buying a copy.  Old-School Essentials is not just a clone of B/X (but I use it in place of BECMI), it is quite a bit more. Created by Gavin Norman and published by Exalted Funeral and Necrotic Gnome, the system gives you everything you loved about Basic D&D in a high-quality, well bound, digest-sized package. As I stated, this is not just a compilation of the old rules. Old-School Essentials includes corrections to the old rules, adds in a few things that seem to have been misplaced along the journey up from OD&D, and presents these rules in a really nice, well-organized format. The interior art may not be Elmore, but some of it is really darn good. Players can still pick from the B/X classes (Cleric, Fighter, Magic-User, Thief, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling). Character creation is still quick and easy. Game play is still quick and easy. Best of all, OSE is compatible with all the cool old B/X and BECMI stuff (Modules, Gazetteers, Creature Catalogue, Hollow World... all of it), so there is a lot of material out there that can be used with it. For those pulling players in from more recent versions of D&D (5e), there is an option for using ascending armor class which is annotated throughout the rules. Monsters have THAC0 Armor Class, then Ascending AC in brackets. The rules are well supported with free downloads at the Necrotic Gnome website like character sheets, setting information ( Dolmenwood seems to be OSE's Greyhawk/Blackmoor), and at least one adventure module. DM's will also find the on-line Rules Reference and Generator tools to be quite handy. But wait... there's more. Necrotic Gnome also came out with Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy. This set of expansion rules allows players to adventure as an acrobat, assassin, barbarian, bard, cleric, drow, druid, duergar, dwarf, elf, fighter, gnome, halfling, half-elf, half-orc, illusionist, knight, magic-user, paladin, ranger, or svirfneblin) and adds new creatures, magic, and treasures. Since I have started using OSE, I have rarely needed to pick up my Rules Cyclopedia when running a game of D&D. I have not had to change any characters, monsters, settings, or anything in order to make the switch, and it has made both running and playing Old School D&D more enjoyable for me and my players (less time looking up hidden rules - like natural healing - means more time pulverizing Orcs). You don't have to believe me (I'm a Dungeon Master... I lie), you can download a free super-basic version of the rules to look over for yourself right here: LINK
And if that ain't enough, here's Captain Courageous' review:
If you like this review, I have more stuff on the BECMI D&D Forum |
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Post by simrion on Jul 12, 2023 18:20:56 GMT -5
While I was browsing the paints at Top Deck Games, I also browsed their game section. They always seem to have at least a tiny amount of older used stuff and some of the newer OSR type stuff. I hit my first hurdle when I spied the new version of HeroQuest on the used shelf. It was barely worn at all, and it was a beautiful box of updated 80s gaming goodness. I had to summon the same strength that many of our parents used when they walked to school uphill and had to wrestle a grizzly bear to get in the front door. Alas, I was able to overcome the mighty beast and put the gigantic box back on the shelf. A little more browsing and there were 3 of the Old School Essentials rulebooks from Necrotic Gnome on another shelf. The Classic Fantasy Rules Tome is a very cleaned up and re-organized version of the B/X system and their Advanced Fantasy Player's Tome and Referee's Tome does the same for AD&D. B/X is my jam! If I didn't have my old, battered copy lying next to my laptop I would have picked that up immediately. I believe they have followed the Delving Deeper example and kept Descending AC; they have included Ascending AC as an optional rule. I left all 3 of those rule books on the shelf as well. If you dig B/X and want to know more, they also offer a free pdf of their Classic Fantasy Basic Rules. OMG we ARE related! I would have experienced the exact same level of temptation. I no longer have HeroQuest core however the figures live on in my TTRPG miniatures collection. Sadly I missed the introduction of OSE else I'd have been onboard at the beginning. Alas I have far too many tomes in my hoard so adding more is not feasible,Can't say it won't happen but I'm doing my best to avoid that result LOL. I'm essentially happy with the B/X originals of which I have many, and the addition of the "Companion" volume by B/X Blackrazor. Were I to stumble across a sued and inexpensive set of OSE you betcha I'd be financially poorer  |
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Post by simrion on Apr 26, 2024 4:47:17 GMT -5
A little "Thread Necro" Recently had an opportunity to snag someones rather extensive collection of OSE "gems." Couldn't resist. Gorgeous books, look great on the shelf! Hesitant to actually use them at the table (have plenty of beater copies of B/X for that) but happy to have them. Well done product with some novel options, especially in some of the additional third party (?) items that came with. One is a "Style Guide" which does away with classes in favor of kits/feats to individualize characters and their abilities. That needs a more indepth look-see.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 1, 2024 16:49:01 GMT -5
A little "Thread Necro" Recently had an opportunity to snag someones rather extensive collection of OSE "gems." Couldn't resist. Gorgeous books, look great on the shelf! Hesitant to actually use them at the table (have plenty of beater copies of B/X for that) but happy to have them. Well done product with some novel options, especially in some of the additional third party (?) items that came with. One is a "Style Guide" which does away with classes in favor of kits/feats to individualize characters and their abilities. That needs a more indepth look-see. Nice! I definitely want to hear more about this!! |
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