Old School Essentials: Still Solid

Old School Essentials is still solid. Two small books and infinite possibilities. What I love about this game is that it encompasses everything found in shelves of 5E books, plus more, in two small tomes (for Advanced, Basic is one book). This is a "bug out" game, one you could take with you on a trip, camping, or toss in your backpack for fun wherever you go. Shadowdark is similar, but this has far more in terms of levels, classes, races, spells, treasures, monsters, and campaign scope.

Games do not have to be bigger to be fun.

So many games are horribly overwritten these days, with page after page of meaningless filler, likely AI-generated text filling the pages, saying nothing. Most of the 2024 D&D DMG is like this: two to four pages rambling on, and in the end, they tell you to "make something up yourself."

Do you have any clear ideas on what I'm supposed to do to run your game, or are you just stalling and filling up the word count?

OSE is the opposite. Every page spread is designed with super-tight spacing, leaving ample whitespace and good space between lines, making it readable. Bullet points and charts are used to convey information, and the design and layout remain clean and legible at a glance, ensuring that the information you need is readily available.

I can see how some see this game as the "smallest with the most" and ignore every new game that comes on the market for this beautiful pair of books. For a game that uses your imagination, it stays out of the way, inspires with art, and gives you what you need to play. Everything else you make up yourself.

Less is more.

DCC: Monster Hide Edition

 

https://goodman-games.com/store/product/dcc-rpg-dungeon-crawl-classics-core-rulebook-demon-skull-monster-hide-edition/

Dungeon Crawl Classics has some nice special editions, like the Monster Hide core rulebook. I love these special editions, and they're great to display on my shelf.

And I still love DCC, this is the best version of D&D 3.5E or Pathfinder 1e ever written. I loved Pathfinder 1e, and it was my go-to dungeon game for over 10 years. The insane spell charts, make-it-fun class mechanics, and over-the-top adventures all make one of the best tabletop experiences in a 3.5E framework.

The negativity surrounding DCC will be short-lived. This is a strange mix of people upset about City State of the Invincible Overlord on one side and old-school gamers on the other, both looking to take down a game due to a mistake and attract more players to their favorite systems. I swear, the fans of tabletop games spend more time acting like Xbox or PS5 fans, yelling at each other online instead of playing. That's what you do when the standard edition of video games costs $80 and the only new games are remasters of things you've already played.

Once City State ships, people will be on to the next thing.

And I saw the product release video featuring the furry costume and those with the strange masks. I don't care. The game is supposed to be fun. Let people dress up to do those. If I got mad over every silly thing a publisher did or put in a book, I would not play any game. There's stuff in my games stranger than that; come on. If I don't get mad about this, then the other side needs to cut some slack on chainmail bikinis and bare-chested Frazetta Conan art.

There are a few things, however, that are beyond the pale, such as D&D 2024 sanitizing the monster list and what Wizards attempted to do with the OGL. I will never buy those D&D 2024 books, and I support Tales of the Valiant instead. Those actions are hurtful to the hobby; silly costumes, cheesecake art, and masks are not.

And DCC replaced Pathfinder 1e for me, a game I loved for nearly 15 years. I like that 3.5E framework, but I've always wanted something more over-the-top and extreme, with fewer rules and more fun. But the rules mess that all the 3.5E games turned into was a constant sore point, which led us down the road of D&D 4 and 5E. DCC is rules-light 3.5E, and that is an excellent sweet spot to hit, just like Shadowdark being rules-light 5E.

I look at the old covers for my Pathfinder 1e books, and those sing DCC to me. That isn't Pathfinder 2, nor is it 5E. That is not the OSR either, since the casters would never get that close. This isn't Shadowdark either; it is too bright.

The only game that does that is DCC.

Castles & Crusades

Castles & Crusades is a fantastic game. Many are switching to this as a 5E replacement, and it seamlessly integrates into campaigns, playing like the game you are used to. Everything works. The characters feel like Basic D&D. I can run them from 4x6" notecards and have more space than I need.

This is a "sell your 5E books" sort of game, where you can forget the past 10 years ever happened and play the game you love, telling the stories you want to share together.

The remastered edition is even better, with no OGL and no SRD content, and finally standing on its own as an independent game. The game seamlessly integrates with any classic or OSR adventure, making conversion a trivial task.

The SIEGE Engine, which runs the game's internals, is the best single-mechanic d20 resolution system in gaming. This is even better than Swords & Wizardry's "one save" mechanic, which is already genius.

You can not go wrong with this game.

Compared to other games, such as Old School Essentials, C&C offers more content, including classic classes, a higher power level, and additional options. The characters feel more capable and competent. The game has more "stuff," and the save and skill system is more modern and streamlined. There are no unusual save categories, such as "Save versus Wands." While OSE is the best old-school game ever written, C&C feels more modern but retains the old-school charm.

OSE is still one of the best-organized and presented books in gaming, and has influenced a generation of games since its release with its clean, two-page spread design, bulleted format, and clearly presented information. If all you want is an entire world in one or two small books, and that will be your gaming library forever, OSE is the clear winner.

This is a game that can sit in a backpack with a bag of dice and provide a lifetime of fun.

Versus Swords & Wizardry? S&W is a simplified version of AD&D, and it plays like a rules-light first edition. C&C still feels like it has more "meat on the bones" as S&W will lean back into that "basic dungeon" model of play, with no frills. The SIEGE Engine makes the difference here again, with that system providing the tools for a bard's smooth-talking skills, whereas in older games, how that is done either is just made up on the spot, or roleplayed with no dice rolls.

The SIEGE Engine gives C&C a fallback point where, if something needs a mechanic, you can use that, and the game feels like it has a full skill and ability check system. These other games do not have that, and rely more on the "old school method of play where if you roleplay it well, or are smart and figure out the trap, the referee just says, "you do it," and play moves on without a roll.

With C&C, players accustomed to making "search checks" and "persuasion checks" have a system to fall back on. Check "athletics?" In C&C, that is a DEX or STR save. There are no skills, only professions and classes. The SIEGE Engine is elegant and expressive, allowing for both the old-school "talk it out" method and a clean system to roll against in a pinch.

C&C is the better game for 5E players, as it utilizes a framework they are accustomed to, but it is only employed when necessary. This is even easier than Shadowdark, since we have more direction and clarity on how SIEGE checks are made, and there is more to the game than a handful of classes and levels to advance in.

Shadowdark, like OSE, is small and compact. Shadowdark wins on the random tables and world creation in the books, and those tables are also very useful in OSE. The options in OSE, especially the Advanced rules, far outdo Shadowdark. OSE also has the stronghold, followers, and dominion endgame, water travel, and many other game rules that a dungeon-focused game omits.

Shadowdark wins for being more like a board game, and also emphasizing time management and teamwork. This also uses a rules-light version of 5E rules. It somewhat limits its handling of things beyond the dungeons, and using it for a lengthy, epic campaign is not as straightforward as in other games.

C&C and OSE will play that epic game much easier.

When I play C&C, my first reaction is, "Why do I need 5E? This is doing all it does but much easier, with fewer books, and no computer software needed to manage characters." Then, my 5E books are put in storage, and C&C handles everything for much less cost and hassle. I get guilty when Tales of the Valiant books come out, and 5E goes on the shelf again.

But, honestly, if I were to keep one and not the other?

It would be Castles & Crusades all the way.

Dungeon Crawl Classics: Pool-Based Improvement

We have a new optional rule for Dungeon Crawl Classics today, and I added this as a page to the blog to collect them together. This also works for MCC or any other game based on this system. Today, it is Pool-Based Improvement! Enjoy!

Pool-Based Improvement

Take 90, and subtract the total of all your ability scores from this value.

Example: If all our scores were 11, the math would look like this: 90 - 66 = 24.

Write this number on your character's ability score sheet as their improvement pool. If this number is below zero, ignore the rest of this rule; this means your ability scores are too high to benefit from this improvement, and you rolled fortunate!

Example: We would write 24 on our sheet as our improvement pool.

Now, divide this number by 8 and drop all fractions, do not round up!

Example: In the above case, this would be 24 / 8 = 3, with no fractions.

Write this number on your character sheet as your bonus value.

Example: We would write 3 on our sheet as our bonus value.

At levels 2 through 9, add the bonus value to your ability scores. You can add them all to one, or one to three, or two to one & one to another. Any combination works. Make sure to adjust your modifiers accordingly. These can be used to replenish permanent ability score decreases. Every time we level, subtract the bonus value from our pool.

Example: Every time our character levels, we would add 3 to our ability scores. We would also subtract 3 from our pool, so when our character reaches the second level, our pool would be 24 - 3 = 21. At level 3, we would add another 3 points to our ability scores, and our pool would drop to 21 - 3 = 18.

At level ten, add the remaining number in your pool to your ability scores.

Example: At level ten, we would have zero left in our pool (I did the math), so we would not add anything to our ability scores.

What does this do? This ensures all level ten characters have a minimum average score of 15 in every ability. No matter how horrible scores you roll at level one, you will slowly improve your ability scores to heroic values as you level. You do not need to set them all to 15, and this may allow some characters to go to values above 18, so you may want to put a cap on how high a score may go, such as 18.

Example: If you were the person who rolled all threes for all six ability scores, you would increase by 9 points per level from levels two through nine, and have no increase at level ten.

If you find the 15 average score at level 10 to be too high, you can adjust the 90 value to your liking, as  15 x 6 = 90. This is simple math, and the pool mechanic accounts for all remaining fractional points at level 10. For example, if you felt an average level 10 ability score of 13 was better, replace 90 with 13 x 6 = 78.

You will still suffer at low levels with terrible scores, but these will slowly improve to heroic levels. You can use this pool value as a suggested amount of points to reward as a GM each level, or just let the players freely add them. If you roll terribly at character creation, do not worry! This system will ensure you eventually become a hero as you adventure, building up your scores with each level.

Coming Soon: Castle Whiterock

 

https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/5642027b-7207-40e9-ae27-72ebc8318a3f/landing

Here is another cool project to track: the classic Castle Whiterock is being remade for DCC and 5E, and it's expected to arrive in about three months. This is a five-book set, comprising over 700 pages of adventure. You can visit the site above to be notified when it launches.

I choose DCC for these, since that game is a lot easier than 5E and gives me the old-school vibe that I crave. I have enough 5E books, and those are being focused more on Tales of the Valiant to support Open 5E. DCC is my Pathfinder 1e replacement game, and it does a fantastic job at that.

You know what I would also love to see? Some of the classic Tunnels & Trolls adventures rewritten for 5E and DCC, like Naked Doom and others. These are solo adventures in T&T, but a guided path through each dungeon could be recreated from the entries, and this could be presented as a solo adventure in a book in the set, or the full version could support party-based classic exploration play. This I would be all over, and Goodman Games has worked with the Flying Buffalo IP before with Grimtooth's Traps.

There are numerous options available, and they help raise awareness of T&T while also introducing these classics to a new audience. This is nostalgia-fueled greatness for gamers like me, and brings back memories of seeing them on hobby shop shelves.

Please make this happen!

Dungeon Crawl Classics as a 3.5E Replacement?

I am finally putting my beloved Pathfinder 1e books in storage. I don't have the time for the system anymore, and the world of Golarion has moved on without me, becoming a faux-modern steampunk world with guns, technology, and constructs. The world feels safe and modern. It no longer feels like classic 1e Golarion in Pathfinder 2. I've cooled on the setting a lot since I saw where it went, and I'm a bit heartbroken over losing everything that made it cool.

This was my favorite 3.5E game, and it still holds up well today. An option for playing in this world is always the excellent Savage Pathfinder system, which I may still do now that my 3.5E books are being put away. I may look at this one again, since it exists in an alternate universe where Pathfinder 2's world changes won't happen, and I can keep going on with the "savage" version of the world I fell in love with. You look at the 1e art, vibe, and feeling, and it is entirely different than 2E, so much so that 2E feels like a different world, much softer and happier, almost as if Wizards crafted it for Paizo.

Yes, Pathfinder 2E on the tabletop is anything but safe, but the art and look of the world is so far gone from what it was that the entire game does not hold my interest. I feel no excitement when I look at it. The art of 1e? That is what I want to be. That looks like fantasy gaming to me. It has edge and style. This is the game they promised us with D&D 4E, but never could deliver.

They have a second printing of the first four core books, which might be something I'm interested in. They have also done Bestiary 2 and Advanced Player's Guide 2 this year, so the system is still supported. They are continuing this effort, which is encouraging to see as a long-term commitment.

If I ever start another blog, it will be for Savage Worlds, another all-time favorite system of mine.

But for me, my 3.5E game is Dungeon Crawl Classics. This has the 3.5E framework in place, including saves, rough hit point totals, deadliness, balance (and unbalance), and each class brings something fun to the table. A lot of the 3.5E crunch and complexity is gone, and the characters are very streamlined and straightforward. 

Yet, they still can do a lot of the cool stuff you could do in 3.5E, just differently. The warriors and their Might Deeds of Arms are stunting all over the place, and this takes the place of all the special, fiddly, feat-specific attacks in 3.5E like entangle, trip, push, and so on. Now, it's all on one die, and you roll a 3 or higher, and you do it. You don't need 101 specific special attack types with rules like in Pathfinder 2, while it is nice to have Advanced Squad Leader's level of rules depth, so people can't shove a house-sized dragon, logic tells me that, and I don't need rules to spell that out for me.

It is as if a generation of gamers has lost their ability to think and make decisions on the fly, and rules are needed for every tiny, specific, and detailed situation.

In DCC, we have a referee for that. Make a ruling right then and there, and keep the game moving. No rule in the book will help you. Just call it as you see it. This is why we have a referee.

Life is not a computer game.

Honestly, I blame D&D 3.5E for this situation, as that game started us down the road to "rules for every little thing." The skill system in 3.5E was flawed, leading to skill-heavy classes. I had players tell me they hated leveling up. They could not acquire the skills they wanted because they were afraid that if they did not "keep up with the Joneses," their core skills would fall behind and they would be ineffective in their core class function. I had fighters prioritizing INT just to have those few extra precious skill points every level.

We need those combat adjacent skills! Our class does not provide us with that training. Why have a class, then? What good is it? You saw what good it was by 5E, as a framework to hang special powers off a level chart.

Really? All right 3.5E, I give up, let me play GURPS where I can spend my points where I want and not be gimped by a low INT in my combat skills.

DCC throws all that out, and creates a rules-medium version of 3.5E that hits the action and adventure notes that I liked about Pathfinder 1e (and its art), but kills the crunch. Most of DCC is rules-light, a bare-bones version of 3.5E, and only around casters and the spell charts do you delve into a slightly more in-depth area.

I can have an INT of 3 in DCC and still have one of the best warriors in the game. Sure, he won't be smart, will fail most of his INT-based skill checks, but that has no effect on his Mighty Deeds die and how much he can kick tail in a battle.

"Outside of the skills required for combat, thievery, and magic, your character knows the skills dictated by the occupation they had before choosing a life of adventure." - Dungeon Crawl Classics, page 64.

And yes, there are skills in DCC, and they have a whole chapter dedicated to them in the book. They are based on professions. You could give a character a new skill if they spend the gold and time to train in it, if they find a trainer, no problem. You could grant a character a skill if they spend most of an adventure trying to make untrained checks against all odds, and learn it by experience. Nothing in the rules says you can't.

I have a very loose view of ability scores, character stats, and skills in the system. Any and all of these can be changed during an adventure for any reason. This is not like 5E, where you reward a character with a +1 STR during an adventure, you break the whole system and disadvantage all the other players at the table. 5E has this internal consistent balance it needs to maintain, and it is a false idol since the CR system is broken anyway. 

Two games do character design right: GURPS and Savage Worlds.

With DCC, you are back in 1975 with games like Tunnels & Trolls. Everything is adjustable on the fly. Watch me replace a character's Lucky Roll and Luck ability score in the middle of an adventure, just because something strange happened! Watch me reward a character with +2 DEX because of a dangerous tightrope walk over lava, failure on certain death, zero Luck remaining, and a critical success. Want to bargain with Death and survive this inevitable fate? Take a critical injury and lose a few ability score points.

Everything is on the table.

Don't play DCC like 5E. The 5E game can't hurt you here. I know 5E is a controlling system that never lets you be you, never respects your feelings, strictly controls your actions, never gives you anything nice, and wants to control your future life, but you don't have to live like that anymore.

Yes, I run a 5E blog. But even I need to cut free and breathe every so often. 5E's biggest flaw is that it wants to control your life, and the only way to break free is by breaking the game with multiclassing. It is a stuffy, controlling, and over-written set of rules. It is fun at times, but very strict in advancement and granting any power.

DCC is an excellent replacement for D&D 3.5E. It plays the same, has fewer rules, and goes gonzo in the places where I want it to. I look back at what I wanted from 3.5E, and it is fast combat, increasing character power, corruption systems, unpredictable magic, customization, a lightweight skill system, less crunch, and characters who bring fun to the table.

DCC has all that.

Tunnels & Trolls

Tunnels & Trolls is the first RPG, and the oldest of the old school. The IP has been passed around to a few companies, which is unfortunate, and the hardcover Deluxe Edition is now out of print; however, it is still available in PDF format on DriveThruRPG.

I wish they would make this available via POD.

And I wish I knew what was happening around the new version. If one is created, I hope it stays true to the spirit and design of the original game, since that is where this system's charm originates.

If you can get the PDF printed and bound, that is a good second choice to an actual hardcover. It is not like the game is all that complicated that you need a hardcover, as most of the time you are just using the book to reference spells.

There have been rumors of a new version, and we have not heard much, though the game's creator has forked the system with the Monsters! Monsters! Game. There is also The Lair of the Leopard Empresses RPG (TLLE), which is a M!M! variant that continues the original sword & sorcery rules in a new setting. TLLE contains numerous rule clarifications for all systems and serves as a comprehensive reference for Deluxe and later editions. The overpainted AI art is sometimes strange, but it works. The savage, Conan-style Mayan meets savage lands-style setting is unique.

Monsters! Monsters! is like a reverse T & T where you play as Monsters. They have an updated 2.7 Edition on DTRPG, but you can't get a physical copy of this version (only an earlier one). I like this game, and I would either like it in print or a 3.0 version.

M!M! is a fun game, especially if you play adventurous parties of monsters who must overcome their weaknesses and solve problems creatively. How does a blob, a skeleton, a giant slug, and a yeti free a captured princess from a town? Do they dress up as humans? Sneak in at night? Especially when the city is filled with bored adventurers who would kill any monster on sight? The RP is often hilarious when combined with players trying to use their monster abilities creatively against self-important and egotistical adventurer types.

There is no open license around any of these systems, and the rights to use them must be granted by the publisher. I hope that any future version of these rules and games is released under an open license.

Humans! Humans! is the other side of the coin from Monsters! Monsters! You play as humans against the monsters. This is also not available in print. If this all confuses you, I don't blame you for sticking with T&T. They need to combine both games into one book and clean up the rules and presentation.

Yes, part of that image is the ADAD cover. I like it on both books.

TLLE is the most serious game with the hardest hitting setting, while M!M! and H!H! are a bit more tongue-in-cheek, but that matches the original T&T style. If you fall more on the silly side, go with the M!M! and H!H! games. More on the serious side with rules clarifications? Go with TLLE.

How did we get to covering four games? Ah, we are talking Tunnels & Trolls. This is a beer & pretzels RPG where you have characters and monsters throwing a bucketful of six-sided dice to determine the results of a combat round. The more you have and the higher your modifiers, the more damage you do. Spells take from a wizardry score (like mana). You can stunt and make saving rolls from your abilities. All of the games listed use a similar system, with TLLE being the closest to epic fantasy.

The system is elegant, unbalanced, fast, crazy, and fun. Some fights are not fair, while others are blowouts. Your ability scores and level are always edging upward, and no ability score is fixed; they can change at any time during an adventure due to "stuff happening."

We stuck with T&T (the 5.5 version) as a system throughout the 1980s and 1990s; it is solid, fun, and supports a crazily unbalanced level of high-level play. There are also many classic T&T solo-play adventures written for the 5.5 system (and that is still available in PDF). Party combat is easy; everyone combines their rolls and compares them to the enemy side's total.

Learn how to add six-sided dice quickly is all I have to say, or use a die roller.

I still like T&T, and TLLE looks like a worthy successor if we never see another printed version of the game. This is a solid game, old-school to the max, and a worthy play if you are into classic dungeon gaming.