Stars, Cities, Worlds ...Without Number

Among the plethora of 3d6 down-the-line old-school games, three are versatile powerhouses: the Stars Without Number, Worlds Without Number, and Cities Without Number systems—all masterpieces crafted by Kevin Crawford. These games, akin to 'rules-light' versions of a B/X-style game, serve as expansive toolkits for creating diverse worlds, missions, factions, and adventures, sparking endless possibilities for your gaming experience.

Are these "gonzo crawl" style games?

More yes than no.

Yes, you can "crawl" through the worlds, universes, and cities the generators in these games create. Gonzo is a mindset where things are more fantastical and less concerned with realistic simulation. If a character trains a pterodactyl as a mount, that happens in Gonzo games. This sort of fantastical world is exemplified by Dungeon Crawl Classics.

DCC lacks world generation since it embraces the "module style" of play, some of which have world generation systems. There is no one way to play DCC, and the randomness applies more to characters and magic than it does to worlds. Though it can, it is either using another system, a module, or making your own generators.

Of all the games here, Old School Essentials is likely the least gonzo when played strictly as a rules simulator of old-school gaming. However, the power is in your hands. The more fantastical you make this game, and the more random tables you use, the more you shape it into a gonzo play style. The cover art and much of the interior art also reflect the gonzo style, inviting you to unleash your creativity and make the game your own.

Shadowdark edges into the "random" with level rewards and tables, making it more gonzo. The "Without Number" games are less gonzo in design but far more gonzo when you begin using the tables and interpreting the results. Shadowdark does a good job balancing realism with gonzo play, and it is a game that "is what you make of it."

Worlds Without Number is the fantasy game in the series, and how "gonzo" this gets depends on how you see the world and use the charts. You could play this 100% seriously and dramatically, turning this into a hardcore survival and exploration game. You can adopt a more fantastical mindset and mix science-fantasy into the world with unique sites of ancient magics and technology. Like OSE, how gonzo this game gets depends on your outlook and refereeing.

Combine Worlds Without Number with the Stars game, and you have a fantastic Numenera or Gamma World setting.

I have seen people own OSE, play this "by the book" like a 5E, and say the game is nothing special. You need to read up on old-school gaming to "get" this game; as it is, the system is more a reference work than a game that trains you to play. It is a fantastic reference work, and once you combine it with the training books mentioned in the game (sidebar links), it becomes an old-school powerhouse.

Cities Without Number is the same; it can be played like a hard-science Cyberpunk or a gonzo "hackers and magic" Shadowrun (combined with the Worlds game). The Shadowrun universe was always more gonzo than Cyberpunk. This book does a "better Shadowrun than Shadowrun" in a simple, B/X-style framework, with all your favorite monsters and spells appearing.

The Without Number games belong here. While there isn't as much "character randomness" as in DCC or Shadowdark, the rules are a simple B/X-style d20 combat system paired with a 2d6 skill system and plenty of character options to choose from as you level up. Like OSE, this rules framework embraces old-school play, either gonzo or more based on realism.

These generators are where they are "gonzo"; in each game, you can hex-crawl through a random universe, and that genre and style of play are 100% gonzo and fantastical.