OSR Guide For The Perplexed Questionnaire
So, guess Im jumping in on this bandwagon:
1. One article or blog entry that exemplifies the best of the Old School Renaissance for me:
http://jrients.blogspot.com/2017/10/so-you-want-to-run-your-own-vaults-of.html
Jeff's post on how he started his Vaults of Vyzor mega-dungeon campaign. As is the norm with his blog, we find some seriously good advice. If for some ungodly reason you haven't read his blog, I beg you to do so.
BONUS: http://jrients.blogspot.com/2011/04/twenty-quick-questions-for-your.html To me this is the quintessential post when in comes to world building in RPGs in general;
2. My favorite piece of OSR wisdom/advice/snark:
3. Best OSR module/supplement:
Module:
Tower of The Stargazer - LoTFP - James Raggi
Short, sweet and great. This is the best introduction to RPGs and OSR in general that I've seen. Ran this countless times. The very first door in the adventure is easily the best teaching method out there.
4. My favorite house rule (by someone else):
My favourite is one I picked up from my time in Jeff's Vaults of Vyzor game. Rolling 1d6 to solve more complex and weird plans, when there is no specific character skill and it could possibly go horribly wrong. 1 means everything goes bad and 6 everything goes great.
Simple and good
5. How I found out about the OSR:
I started playing D&D in an event in my school, where some people ran a few games of AD&D and I got immediately hooked. On my birthday I went to the local bookshop looking for this elusive game (much more fun than my brother's Weird Larpy Vampire Game With Too Many Dudes in Trenchcoats), which at the time was at its 3rd edition. I had an awful time with the rules, art, pretty much everything. In the end I tried my best to create rules to emulate that which I saw in that fateful day. I don't think me and my friends ever managed to play by the rules, we basically made a whole new game. We continued playing until 4th edition hit, giving up at that point. The products being released had nothing to do with the game we were playing. The worst thing is that I thought we were playing some sort of mediocre version of the game, that if we could play by the rules something truly magical would happen. I was very frustrated and couldn't understand how anyone played with that thing (3.5), and much more how anyone used those adventures.
At that point I gave up on D&D in general. Until, while in college a few friends wanted to play D&D and I thought I could do better than before as a DM. I literally googled "Best adventures for D&D" and read about LoTFP. I discovered much simpler rules than I was used and more importantly a different mindset when it came to playing the game.
6. My favorite OSR online resource/toy:
http://summon.totalpartykill.ca
Summon spell generator. It is pretty fun and helps save time when someone casts the spell.
7. Best place to talk to other OSR gamers:
The only place I currently frequent in the Discord OSR server.
8. Other places I might be found hanging out talking games:
Twitter, I guess? Here? I don't usually talk about it outside of these places.
9. My awesome, pithy OSR take nobody appreciates enough:
Game system doesn't fucking matter. The very best stuff in the OSR could be played with pretty much any RPG system. OSR is in the playstyle;
10. My favorite non-OSR RPG:
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition. There is something magical about the very early days of Warhammer, before it became Corporate Approved Grim Fun For The Whole Family!.
Reading through it, it felt like they were trying, inside their own constraints, to make the games they wanted to play. Which is something to live by, in my opinion.
Also it has my favourite cover art ever:
11. Why I like OSR stuff:
I always try to summarise this. Here is today's try:
- It is simply useful. You can actually use it at the table. I was always so frustrated by sourcebooks that described in detail every fucking useless thing "this bedroom contains a bed and two chairs", or the ones that go into excruciating detail on stuff that has no effect on players. "Why are guys ignoring the important statue that celebrates the creation of the city's sewer system! 100 halflings kids lost their lives 1000 years ago :( ". - If feels like the people who have made the stuff actually play the fucking game;
- The art speaks to me. I don't know why, it just feels good to look at. Its people doing what they can with what they got;
- Its just less vanilla. Not that vanilla is bad, but I get the feeling that the people who write and produce OSR stuff don't really care, in the sense that they are doing what they like, not restricted by a "brand" or similar. It has that kind of pure unbridled childhood imagination thing going, with a more "professional" set of skills;
- It is just better;
12. Two other cool OSR things you should know about that I haven’t named yet:
- Blood In The Chocolate by Kiel Chenier is one of my absolute favourite modules released and one of my first contacts with the OSR. If the name doesn't pique your interest, check this out:
Kiel does a bunch of other cool stuff and you should definetly check his stuff out: https://dungeonsdonuts.tumblr.com
- Stonehell Dungeon (http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/poleandrope) is something I keep coming back to as it is one of the most useful things I own. I know that if someone says they want to play a game, I can just pick that bad boy up and run a game with basically 0 prep time. There is a free preview around the web that I've used for months as the base for a megadungeon I ran my group through. Even if you are not gonna run the dungeon as is (I never did), the maps, the layout and the way the dungeon is communicated to the DM and constructed is very much worth checking out;
13. If I could read but one other RPG blog but my own it would be:
http://cavegirlgames.blogspot.com
I love the stuff here and im interested in seeing what Emmy cooks up in the future. I really loved following the development of her wargame (it made me actually play one ahahaha) and checking out the final product.
This is a blog that I think exemplifies very well the DIY aspect of OSR. Less wishful thinking and more actually making the thing.
14. A game thing I made that I like quite a lot is:
I made a pretty cool custom random advancement class, for a player in my game who wanted to play as Gaston from The Beauty and the Beast. All abilities and level up bonuses were inspired by song lyrics and stuff the character says.
This friend and I are finishing up a Beauty and the Beast themed adventure module that will have this class in it.
(cool thing: this person had 0 experience with RPGs and in less than a year of playing is already making her own stuff. This is the power of the DIY rpg stuff, when people realise they can just make the thing they want)
15. I'm currently running/playing:
Playing:
- Ocasional 5E;
Running:
- Playtests for stuff to come;
- Unfrequent Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay game;
16. I don't care whether you use ascending or descending AC because:
You can just tell me what your character is wearing and we can figure it out in seconds;
17. The OSRest picture I could post on short notice:
1. One article or blog entry that exemplifies the best of the Old School Renaissance for me:
http://jrients.blogspot.com/2017/10/so-you-want-to-run-your-own-vaults-of.html
Jeff's post on how he started his Vaults of Vyzor mega-dungeon campaign. As is the norm with his blog, we find some seriously good advice. If for some ungodly reason you haven't read his blog, I beg you to do so.
BONUS: http://jrients.blogspot.com/2011/04/twenty-quick-questions-for-your.html To me this is the quintessential post when in comes to world building in RPGs in general;
2. My favorite piece of OSR wisdom/advice/snark:
Don’t
Play D&D with anyone you wouldn’t want to go on a 3 hour car trip with.
The absolute best advice I've ever heard in this little OSR world. By Sam Mamelihttp://betterlegends.tumblr.com3. Best OSR module/supplement:
Module:
Tower of The Stargazer - LoTFP - James Raggi
Short, sweet and great. This is the best introduction to RPGs and OSR in general that I've seen. Ran this countless times. The very first door in the adventure is easily the best teaching method out there.
4. My favorite house rule (by someone else):
My favourite is one I picked up from my time in Jeff's Vaults of Vyzor game. Rolling 1d6 to solve more complex and weird plans, when there is no specific character skill and it could possibly go horribly wrong. 1 means everything goes bad and 6 everything goes great.
Simple and good
5. How I found out about the OSR:
I started playing D&D in an event in my school, where some people ran a few games of AD&D and I got immediately hooked. On my birthday I went to the local bookshop looking for this elusive game (much more fun than my brother's Weird Larpy Vampire Game With Too Many Dudes in Trenchcoats), which at the time was at its 3rd edition. I had an awful time with the rules, art, pretty much everything. In the end I tried my best to create rules to emulate that which I saw in that fateful day. I don't think me and my friends ever managed to play by the rules, we basically made a whole new game. We continued playing until 4th edition hit, giving up at that point. The products being released had nothing to do with the game we were playing. The worst thing is that I thought we were playing some sort of mediocre version of the game, that if we could play by the rules something truly magical would happen. I was very frustrated and couldn't understand how anyone played with that thing (3.5), and much more how anyone used those adventures.
At that point I gave up on D&D in general. Until, while in college a few friends wanted to play D&D and I thought I could do better than before as a DM. I literally googled "Best adventures for D&D" and read about LoTFP. I discovered much simpler rules than I was used and more importantly a different mindset when it came to playing the game.
6. My favorite OSR online resource/toy:
http://summon.totalpartykill.ca
Summon spell generator. It is pretty fun and helps save time when someone casts the spell.
7. Best place to talk to other OSR gamers:
The only place I currently frequent in the Discord OSR server.
8. Other places I might be found hanging out talking games:
Twitter, I guess? Here? I don't usually talk about it outside of these places.
9. My awesome, pithy OSR take nobody appreciates enough:
Game system doesn't fucking matter. The very best stuff in the OSR could be played with pretty much any RPG system. OSR is in the playstyle;
10. My favorite non-OSR RPG:
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition. There is something magical about the very early days of Warhammer, before it became Corporate Approved Grim Fun For The Whole Family!.
Reading through it, it felt like they were trying, inside their own constraints, to make the games they wanted to play. Which is something to live by, in my opinion.
Also it has my favourite cover art ever:
How could you not want to play this?!
11. Why I like OSR stuff:
I always try to summarise this. Here is today's try:
- It is simply useful. You can actually use it at the table. I was always so frustrated by sourcebooks that described in detail every fucking useless thing "this bedroom contains a bed and two chairs", or the ones that go into excruciating detail on stuff that has no effect on players. "Why are guys ignoring the important statue that celebrates the creation of the city's sewer system! 100 halflings kids lost their lives 1000 years ago :( ". - If feels like the people who have made the stuff actually play the fucking game;
- The art speaks to me. I don't know why, it just feels good to look at. Its people doing what they can with what they got;
- Its just less vanilla. Not that vanilla is bad, but I get the feeling that the people who write and produce OSR stuff don't really care, in the sense that they are doing what they like, not restricted by a "brand" or similar. It has that kind of pure unbridled childhood imagination thing going, with a more "professional" set of skills;
- It is just better;
12. Two other cool OSR things you should know about that I haven’t named yet:
- Blood In The Chocolate by Kiel Chenier is one of my absolute favourite modules released and one of my first contacts with the OSR. If the name doesn't pique your interest, check this out:
Kiel does a bunch of other cool stuff and you should definetly check his stuff out: https://dungeonsdonuts.tumblr.com
- Stonehell Dungeon (http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/poleandrope) is something I keep coming back to as it is one of the most useful things I own. I know that if someone says they want to play a game, I can just pick that bad boy up and run a game with basically 0 prep time. There is a free preview around the web that I've used for months as the base for a megadungeon I ran my group through. Even if you are not gonna run the dungeon as is (I never did), the maps, the layout and the way the dungeon is communicated to the DM and constructed is very much worth checking out;
13. If I could read but one other RPG blog but my own it would be:
http://cavegirlgames.blogspot.com
I love the stuff here and im interested in seeing what Emmy cooks up in the future. I really loved following the development of her wargame (it made me actually play one ahahaha) and checking out the final product.
This is a blog that I think exemplifies very well the DIY aspect of OSR. Less wishful thinking and more actually making the thing.
14. A game thing I made that I like quite a lot is:
I made a pretty cool custom random advancement class, for a player in my game who wanted to play as Gaston from The Beauty and the Beast. All abilities and level up bonuses were inspired by song lyrics and stuff the character says.
This friend and I are finishing up a Beauty and the Beast themed adventure module that will have this class in it.
(cool thing: this person had 0 experience with RPGs and in less than a year of playing is already making her own stuff. This is the power of the DIY rpg stuff, when people realise they can just make the thing they want)
15. I'm currently running/playing:
Playing:
- Ocasional 5E;
Running:
- Playtests for stuff to come;
- Unfrequent Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay game;
16. I don't care whether you use ascending or descending AC because:
You can just tell me what your character is wearing and we can figure it out in seconds;
17. The OSRest picture I could post on short notice:
From "The Weird That Befell Drigbolton"
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