Welcome to /osrg/, the Old School Revival General! Here we discuss editions of Dungeons and Dragons from the TSR era, as well as retroclones of those editions and other games and material compatible with them.
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Thread Question:
What's your favourite OSR game that isn't traditional low fantasy? Be it sci-fi, post-apoc, modern, prehistoric, mythic fantasy, Oriental, or anything else?
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Which version of LotFP in the trove is the most up-to-date one?
Also would /osrg/ actually recommend it or is it one of those games that's interesting in theory but a total mess in play?
It's a good system but all the flavor text and setting is super edgy to the point of being parody.
Can it be used for a more conventional fantasy adventure setting?
As long as the rules are good I can ignore the edgy grimderp shit.
I'm working on magic rods.
Give me suggestions for elements, powers, charge amounts and costs, etc.
Yeah. Just use the system and any other setting.
Although if you're going for darker/weirder fantasy I'd just use Astonishing Swordsman and Sorcerers of Hyperborea. It's really overlooked.
>current year
>people still avoid the vastly superior OSR game that is ACKS
It's made by an edgy Fincuck, your players will hate you for running it, it assumes everyone either gets seriously injured, mindbroken or dies (and sometimes all three), you have to make everything up as you go along and it's just not mechanically sound.
I had fun as a GM though so 5/5.
How do I make random encounters interesting? I'm scared that something like "herd animal" or "mastodon" will come up on the table, and it'll be me telling the players "You see a bunch of mammoths drinking from the lake/a herd of deer making their way over the hill" and my players will be like "oh, okay, we'll carry on walking"
Rabies.
What's wrong with that? Not every encounter has to be, "AND YOU NEED TO KILL EVERYTHING."
If it's a non-aggressive animal, it's fine.
Also this.
>it assumes everyone either gets seriously injured, mindbroken or dies
Are you sure you're not thinking of DCC? 'Cause that isn't in the rules anywhere that I see.
>some sort of "good dog" class
I hope you've read Arnold Punch's masterpiece on the theme.
goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2015/08/new-class-really-good-dog.html
Get "Rules and Magic (no art)"
It's essentially B/X with some decent improvements, so it plays very well. Just remember that a 1-in-6 chance is like 16%, so just don't roll for simple things, or at least give a bonus if you're gonna roll for minor stuff.
I have, and also this one.
whatwouldconando.blogspot.com
Overall, I prefer the WWCD one. It has less pseudomagic. But considering neither of them is for OSR systems, I basically have to write one myself.
But despite that they aren't for OSR, I still liked the ideas enough that I want to use them.
>people still avoid the vastly superior OSR game that is ACKS
>still
It had a huge vogue back when it came out, every ass bandit and chocolate thief in the OSR was playing and recommending it. As far as I can tell its momentum and hype died out because of the whole Dwimmermount fiasco, they got held responsible for Jamal shitting the bed and it meant they couldn't afford to publish more material and keep the line in the public eye (or maybe they just never wanted to, fair enough in that case). Basically, James Maliszewski killed ACKS like he fucked up so many other things.
It's not that I want the players to fight it necessarily. It's just that *on theory* it sounds sort of boring for me to put something on the table just for them to ignore it just like that, because it offers nothing interesting.
Same for, for example, encountering "Commoners"
ACKS macht frei.
>ACKS designer was a nazi, you guys
It's really heavily implied and it becomes even more obvious when you look at Raggi's modules. Everything is an unnecessary death trap.
If you try to run it without having at least half the character die per session, you're doing it wrong and you'll break the system.
Alex just released the Heroic Fantasy Compendium and it is so fucking good. It makes it feasible to play actual ritual spellcasters and run Swords & Sorcery / Low Fantasy settings.
Tell me more about Jamal shitting the bed, though.
Not every encounter has to be a dragon. That's how you make dragons special.
Are you people confusing him with Varg?
>random encounter is with rando non-hostile herd animals
ee, the thing is, most of the time they WILL just keep walking. But what if the players happen to be running out of rations at that point? Suddenly "you spot an aurochs herd on the edge of the forest" is a big fucking deal.
It's totally fine for this type of encounter to be frequently irrelevant; you can use it to your benefit. Maybe later the players will lose all their food and go "hang on, didn't we see some buffaloes or some shit a few days ago? I bet there was a watering hole near there, we should head back and see if we can't bag one and refill our waterskins". Or maybe they'll just curse that no useful beasts are appearing now that they lack vittles. Either way, an encounter like that can end up being rewarding for the game later.
Do you ever use races outside of the original four as PCs?
You can absolutely use it for just a regular swords and sorcery setting, though I would also reccomend ASSH pleasejustsomeoneplayitwithme
>neither of them is for OSR systems
Arnold's absolutely is, yeah. It's not even formatted for GLOG or anything shitpost-inviting like that, it's just a pretty front-loaded class.
How do I make a fun adventure /osrg/
>It's really heavily implied and it becomes even more obvious when you look at Raggi's modules. Everything is an unnecessary death trap.
>If you try to run it without having at least half the character die per session, you're doing it wrong and you'll break the system.
You're silly. None of the rules will break.
You might as well play Tomb of Horrors and then declare that AD&D is all about murdering players with deathtraps and "the system will break" if you don't kill a bunch of players with crazy save-or-die shit every session.
> What's your favourite OSR game that isn't traditional low fantasy?
Fantastic heroes and witchery, I would compare it setting to the Might & Magic games
Fair, but I still don't really like the flavour of the abilities. They're far too pseudomagicky for my liking. I also try to avoid having classes be frontloaded like that.
>kill a bunch of players
*kill a bunch of players' characters
I'm not advocating murdering your group here.
Aha, I see. It always circles back to emergent play.
Thanks user
Except AD&D didn't focus extensively on how the stat distribution was created by killing shit tonnes of adventurers.
>Tell me more about Jamal shitting the bed, though.
You don't know about his disastrous mismanagement/embezzling of the money from the Dwimmermount Kickstarter?
Basically, Jamal promised for YEARS to publish his Dwimmermount megadungeon, then ran a Kickstarter together with the ACKS guys where unfortunately they signed an absolutely moronic deal where they were responsible for fulfilment but he managed the cash. Then a large portion of the money "disappeared" and Jamal did an Arneson i.e. handing in a sloppy, half-finished manuscript and did a runner, hiding from everyone online and IRL. Macris had to finish the writing on the dungeon himself and I think they ended up getting soaked for quite a bit of cash getting everyone's rewards out to them, although it ended up being (again IIRC) over a year late. Everyone was furious at Jamal and it's essentially why Grognardia ended: he made himself impossible in the OSR.
>people still avoid the vastly superior OSR game that is ACKS
people are dumb
>Are you people confusing him with Varg?
obviously isn't since he's making fun of other user. That user is a shitposter who showed up in the threads before some time ago, and who seems to think that backwards /pol/ is less obvious. It *might* actually also just be a retard, though, who sicnerely believes Yiannopolous is a Nazi and therefore anyone who works for him is a Nazi, which means ACKS is infected with Transitive Swastikas as though it was an STD. Either way, the shitposter is retarded. Surprise!
>As far as I can tell its momentum and hype died out because of the whole Dwimmermount fiasco, they got held responsible for Jamal shitting the bed and it meant they couldn't afford to publish more material and keep the line in the public eye (or maybe they just never wanted to, fair enough in that case). Basically, James Maliszewski killed ACKS like he fucked up so many other things.
Storytime for someone unfamiliar with this whole thing?
Yes, all that is fine. Those are a matter of taste, and yours makes a lot of sense to me as well. I just wanted to clarify in case there was a misunderstanding, since Arnold is best known for the GLOG, I guess.
>Except AD&D didn't focus extensively on how the stat distribution was created by killing shit tonnes of adventurers.
Beefboy makes his triumphant return!
Last thread we got a lovely beefboy class, maybe this time we can make a character sheet
Which system would be best suited to Beefboy? And don't say Soyboys and Sorcerors
Maybe you're underestimating the players imaginations. They might surprise you, maybe be crazy and try taming one or something.
Or just make one of the mammoths albino. That's interesting to at least trigger a discussion. Or throw in a random Hunter to challenge the party to see who can bag the most points on a buck. Or a nomad family nearby who they can swap rumors/goods with. Or deck out one of the deer with fetishes, maybe it's considered holy by the locals and the players can honor it with a gift for good luck on their adventures.
Just because it says here animals doesn't mean there can't be other things there to spice it up.
Depends on the setting.
Fun is subjective. Figure what you find fun and write that.
How could I beefpost without posting the picture
Never mind, this is all over, I'm a sham. Farewell, cruel world
You dun beefed, user
>Alex just released the Heroic Fantasy Compendium
Got a pdf?
What system is best suited for running a Jojo's bizzare adventure game
I feel OSR is better suited for a JJBA game, what with the dead dogs and all
I don't like the proficiency system desu
Honestly, Jojo requires so much narrative control to make the fights work that I don't think any system is suited for it, even going off the far end of storygaming with barely-there systems like Wushu and whatnot. Less of a "OSR isn't suitable" thing and more of a "tabletop gaming isn't suitable", to be honest.
Flying Swordsmen RPG
...
Say it with me
>Are you people confusing him with Varg?
You know what's hilarious and I'm surprised nobody has pointed this out? Raggi has a friendly business relationship with Varg, which Zak completely ignores and RPGPundit actively defends.
>though I would also reccomend ASSH pleasejustsomeoneplayitwithme
I'll take a look at the pdf but sell me on it.
>Raggi has a friendly business relationship with Varg, which Zak completely ignores and RPGPundit actively defends
Wait what
Tell me some more OSR Gossip
Why would anyone have a relationship with Varg at this point? The dude is nuts.
FOE GYG?
Stat this Foe Gyg.
It's the LoTFP of AD&D 1e, in that it cuts out all the fat and has the rule system in a neat and concise format
Another way I would put it is AD&D 1.5, It's to the point while not changing too much, and introducing things like a d20 skill system to keep the game chugging along quickly
Also has a pretty sweet Swords and Sorcery tone throughout the whole book
Despite the name no knowledge of Conan is needed, it's more of a reference to the Genre than Howards work
It seems you have learnt well
>The dude is nuts
What, you don't burn down churches and publish shitty RPG's? Casual
Hey, burning down churches is one thing, but publishing shitty RPGs? That's true evil, homes.
Seriously though, what exactly is the point here?
I'm intrigued. I'll take a look at it.
Anything else you can tell me about it?
Warlock is a fighter class and it's dope as hell.
>Seriously though, what exactly is the point here?
They're both edgy fucks that want to look cool in front of their peer group, so they probably just get along well
>publishing shitty RPGs
Question: Is Myfarog OSR or OSR adjacent?
Also Myfarog is a fuckins stupid name
Is FATAL OSR or OSR adjacent?
>Raggi has a friendly business relationship with Varg
>Anything else you can tell me about it?
1. It actually has other stat generation methods than 3d6 down the line, though some grogs would put this as a negative
2. Has fun races, though they don't affect your stats really
3. Has fun extra classes, like Witch Shaman and Ledgermainist
4. Descending AC
5. d6 Task resolution
FATAL is 100% OSR, try to prove me wrong
Lay down your arguments for it.
>Tell me some more OSR Gossip
Mike Mearls knew of Zak's and RPGPundit's connections to Neo-Nazism and harassment campaigns of LGBT community members while they consulted on 5e and tried to quell accusations before lawyers at hasbro told him to delete all his G+ posts and never mention it again.
>4. Descending AC
I don't know why but I've always loved descending AC.
Proof of burden is not on me buddy ol pal
>I don't know why but I've always loved descending AC.
You know, that's a good question. Why do we like descending AC?
Descending AC is objectively worse than ascending, and it was nothing more than a artifact from Gary's wargaming days (There was no negative AC, you had "First class" armor, "Second class" armor and so on)
I updated and expanded this in case you misssed it last thread; a full 50 alchemical uses for dragon parts. Enjoy!
Yes, it is!
I like the idea of your skill in battle being the target number and your enemy's armor+skill in battle being the modifier for it.
Don't ask why, it just intrigues me.
>objectively worse
>objectively
It's ELEGANT.
You can't prove that
Memes aside, how is it not?
Ascending AC is quicker (for new players obviously for grogs who have been playing for years its quick), and makes more logical sense
>Despite the name no knowledge of Conan is needed
>Despite the name
Why the FUCK are there suddenly like half a dozen people in /osrg/ who can't tell the difference between Hyboria and Hyperborea, and nobody says shit?! What the hell happened here? Did everyone in this thread who's read any pulp fantasy leave but me?
Public service announcement: Hyboria isn't the same as Hyperborea. Conan has nothing to do with any Hyperborea, or the AS&SH game. If anything, it's referencing Clark Ashton Smith's Hyperborea cycle, but I don't think it's really doing that either; Hyperborea is just the Greek name for the "Land Above the North Wind", e.g. way the fuck up north. In AS&SH it mostly seems to be used because the game's setting is a mythical continent surrounding the North Pole. Message end.
>Zak's and RPGPundit's connections to Neo-Nazism and harassment campaigns of LGBT community members
How far behind am I on news, I've never heard of any of this
Let me know this useless shit about neckbeards on the internet
>burn down churches
The churches aren't the problem, user. Varg stabbed his buddy to death for no apparent reason, while the guy was sleeping. He's an actual crazy person. I have no idea why Norway just let him loose.
I was clarifying because someone thought that exact thing last thread
People make mistakes user, I just wanted to clean things up
>Zak's and RPGPundit's connections to Neo-Nazism and harassment campaigns of LGBT community members
>t. Fred Hicks, salty assmangle
He's just feeding you bullshit to bait people, .
>Varg stabbed his buddy to death for no apparent reason
Oh yeah, forgot about that
Good stuff
>I have no idea why Norway just let him loose
Max sentence for prison in Norway is (I believe, haven't checked in a while) 26 years or so, frankly half the time it's just not worth it
Also he's a Privileged kid from Norway, I'm sure he had some money from his parents bank account to let him ride away
Wait, what? I thought the harassment campaigns against the gays by Zak were shown to be false, and since when has he been a fascist?
Check out False Patrick's "Zak Smith is Not a Homophobe."
>makes more logical sense
It's the same math though. So you add your bonuses to the die roll instead of the target number, so what? One of those isn't "more logical" than the other.
Just starting out with ACKS. How long does it take to get up to domain level play?
>One of those isn't "more logical" than the other.
Number up = good
number down = bad
What's so hard to grasp about that?
Yeah sorry, I should probably not have written that as a reply to you, looks like I was targeting you personally, but I was mainly responding to the anons in the last thread.
So higher target numbers are good, and lower target numbers are bad. Therefore descending AC is the best! Got it.
>Actually defending the person that did this
Wewlad
>I thought the harassment campaigns against the gays by Zak were shown to be false
They were. Do not eat the bait, user.
>It's the same math though
It's not
THAC0 - Roll is different from Roll - THAC0
You have to remember the operation order with descending AC, that's not a thing with ascending AC which makes it simpler by default
>Gygax Apologist (AC 9; HD 1; MV 40'; #AT 1d8; D 2-8 (as glaive-guisarme); Save F1; Ml 10; AL L) Psionic, generate as appropriate.
Here's most of the leg work. Convert it to DCC, but make it Chaotic and make the psionics Vancian.
>as glaive-guisarme
>not fork-fork-fauchard-guisarme-fork
It gets even more confusing when you add magic items or extra bonuses to the equation
What about the RPGPundit?
Forward into Adventure!
So does this mean they're gonna let the island shooter guy go in a few years as well?
I thought it was obvious that I meant "I have no idea why Norway has laws so shitty and lax that they just let literal psychos back out after like a decade".
If you can afford that many hyphens, you're better of just getting a Bec de corbin.
What's confusing? You add them to your die roll.