DungeonCraft Reviews Old School Essentials (Ep. 188)

[@Elric54]

One thing not mentioned is that Moldvay rules (especially organized like in OSE), are perfects for hacking/modding/housrule. Do you want negative HP? No problem, add the rule. How about advantage/disadvantage? -No problem, add it. It's such a light system, that you can decorate it with whatever rules you want.

[@Baulderstone1]

I think this is the key reason why B/X is the most popular version of D&D in the old school scene. It's the basic bones of D&D, presented in a clear fashion. You can layer on parts from other editions or of your own creation with ease.

[@-o-dq7nd]

My daughter wanted an illusionist elf. Easy I just said okay your elf can choose from the illusionist spell list instead of the magic user spell list from Advanced OSE rules.

[@markfaulkner8191]

Agreed! I find it easy to cherry pick ideas from other games and use them in BX. With a game like 5e which is systemically broken, not so much.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

You are correct! That comment is perfect. If I had money, I’d hire you to write for the show.

[@Elric54]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 Thanks Prof, you flatter me! I think your hot takes are perfect as-is. We need more kick-in-the-door, unapologetic opinion these days.

[@revylokesh1783]

OSE (with or without the "Advanced" stuff) is the single best edition of D&D and nothing will change my mind about that. I wish Necrotic Gnome nothing but success going forward, not the least because the upcoming _Dolmenwood_ campaign setting will be fucking awesome.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

I am so looking forward to the Dolmenwood Kickstarter when it hits. Hopped on that Patreon as soon as I knew about it.

[@NefariousKoel]

Old School Essentials has the new consolidated 'Advanced' edition arriving soon, in physical form, from their last Kickstarter. Just FYI for those looking to pick it up. There was some delay due to a lag in printing of one item, but the KS is supposed to be delivered in the next couple months. So the new stuff should be available about that time or shortly afterward.

[@dsan05]

Can't wait for my delivery!

[@jimzecca3961]

@@dsan05 Me too. Glad to be using the PDFs already from backing the KS but really want my physical books.

[@SamBalducci]

I am hoping the 5 book comes back into stock. I am not happy with the single volume. I find it a PITA to use because of how it opens and the smaller A5 form factor.

[@dsan05]

@@SamBalducci I'm going to end up with both, as I already have the 5 books + the 2 Advanced options )and my Advanced Tome is coming soon). The boxed set is pretty good, as you'll mainly just end up using a couple of them anyway. Hope they have all the options available!

[@NefariousKoel]

@@SamBalducci - I was under the impression that the earlier set of 5 smaller books was also digest size. The upcoming new edition just combining them, along with the latter add-ons, into a pair of thicker (still digest sized) books. They had a KS option for just getting the new content in thinner books to match those earlier ones some people already own, and those are also digest (A5) size.

[@nicklarocco4178]

OSE is one of the best, in terms of editing and layout, games ever published. Gavin Norman by himself does more than entire teams, like WotC or Paizo, to make the rules easy to understand and find. Having spells in their own book is great too. Just have the cleric and magic-user (not wizard) sit next to each other and hand them the book.

[@danmorgan3685]

One advantage Norman has is he's dealing with a simpler rule set. So much has been layered on over the years and I really don't think it adds much. Hell, 5e doesn't even properly fix the issues I've had with D&D over the years. They did try to address things like AC only being increased by armor or the hyper abstract hit points. However, they did it by adding rules because they were prisoners to an existing rule set.

[@nicklarocco4178]

@@danmorgan3685 at the same time these are teams. Gavin is one man. The ruleset may be simpler, but WotC has, last I checked more than a few more employees than that. If you pick up any 5e book you'll see the layout is horrible. There's no thought given to page spreads, except in a few places, and certainly no one seemed to care about things like table usability.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Mr. Norman has done a perfect job here, for sure.

[@markfaulkner8191]

Gavin is a brilliant organizational writer. More so, his passion for the original shines though. And his word craft is pure genius! It is efficient, engaging, and crystal clear.

[@zachreuter2117]

I love when you go over old-school stuff and other games, it is criminal that you don't have more exposure because I try to incorporate the classic themes of older editions into 5e, your videos are invaluable and are such an inspiration

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks, Zach. You can give me exposure by sharing. Thanks for the kind words!

[@NefariousKoel]

You might want to check out 'Low Fantasy Gaming' for a mix of 5e and OSR sensibilities. Seems to be somewhere in between, with a bit more sword & sorcery pulp feel.

[@MattisCarlgren]

Love the cover: that wizard riding the rainbow with an apathetic expression saying "I do this all the time, I give no fuck"

[@Hiddenronin]

When I ran 5e before moving over to OSE I used to apply a level of exhaustion at 0hp. That really starts to add up!

[@DinkiDoggo]

I'm doing the same right now. I also made long rests 24 hours, really inspires them to not throw themselves at enemies until they win.

[@klfdqjmqboiklnkq]

Me too. Exhaustion is undervalued. I also did away with feats, exotic pc races, multiclassing and balanced encounters. Some skill checks should be made secretly by the dm instead of players. Divine casters should stick to alignment etc. All this helps but eventually 1st/2nd is just more memorable. Encounters and monster reactions turn into chases/pursuits and negotiations more often than into combat. I took the best of 5th ed -advantage, disadvantage and flexible spellcasting - and added it to 1st/2nd ed.

[@petegiant]

That can become a drag rather than simply rolling a new character and joining the party.

[@davidjcro]

OSE is the backbone of my group's D&D ruleset. We've added a few 1e things with Advanced Fantasy, and few 5e things. So easy to pick up and play with kids.

[@stevenfoster5217]

This is the epitome of a RPG book. The layout is a OCD's dream. Every game company should use this as a template on how to.

[@TheConfessor]

OSE is my single favorite retroclone out there on the market. It's clear, concise, and designed with active playability in mind. It's truly a work of are and the best incarnation of B/X to exist thus far, including the original B/X.

[@irishthump73]

Ain’t no school like old school! Great review, Professor....

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

True that.

[@deadlyDM]

"Back in my day it was called B/X Essentials." < shakes +1 stick > Great review. Love Necrotic Gnome and everything Gavin has released. Looking forward to Dolmenwood!!

[@bjhale]

For those who don't know, the man behind OSE, Gavin Norman, is also behind one of the best settings out there, Dolmenwood. He has been releasing samples of the upcoming book on the Necrotic Gnome Patreon and y'all should check it out.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

Just hopped on there recently. Very much looking forward to the Kickstarter whenever it happens!

[@Billchu13]

Old School Renaissance! I ran MacDeath last weekend for a charity game, and it went well!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Awesome!

[@markfaulkner8191]

This has become my favorite game book ever!

[@michaelmurtaugh370]

Loved this review OSE looks better than anything we had in the 1980’s. We are not at zero hit points yet so let’s keep fighting 👍 You are a true hero good luck in your fight for good health 👍 may you be blessed with many years of good health 👍 Keep rolling 20🙏

[@drewadams6667]

Had to watch this twice to absorb the info , thank you , this is on the birthday list.

[@briand5979]

Thank you for reviewing this. I'm a huge fan of OSE. I'll be running a session Zero tomorrow. First time my group has gotten together in over a year. I discovered your channel at some point during the lock down. I appreciate it. You really helped to keep my gaming itch scratched.

[@ivanrichmond3524]

Good video! Thanks for the review. You may have tipped me to buy it. Sounds really solid. One correction. Elves are not at 1/2 level in Moldvay/Cook. It's true that they're 1/2 XP, but XP goes up exponentially for all characters. So, an Elf needs the same XP for 2nd level as a Fighter does for 3rd. If the Fighter were 6th level (32,000 XP), an Elf with the same XP would be 5th (also 32,000 XP). So, Elves lag roughly 1 level behind. A lot of us thought Elves were overpowered, for that reason. It is true that they cap at 10th level, but that's the only disadvantage that I can see. Several House Rules that might fix this: 1. Scrap Elf XP. Give them some other class's XP (maybe Dwarf). Declare that whatever level they are, they operate as a Fighter and a Magic User of 1/2 level each, rounded down. Don't let them even cast spells until 2nd Level (1/2 rounded down is 0, so they'd have to wait for 2). 2. Let them cast Druid spells instead, bringing Druid spells in from either BECMI or AD&D 1e. Let them use the Magic User casting chart for this. This always made more sense to me. 3. Bring in the rule from 2e that you can't cast spells while in armor. That makes it so that they can't run around in platemail casting fireballs and lightning bolts (which is what everyone I knew who played B/X complained about). They can wear armor, they just can't cast spells if they do. If they want to cast spells, they have to take the risk. 4. Eliminate the Magic User spell casting and have them use the Dwarf XP chart. They'd basically be a Fighter variant. Maybe even let them have d8 for HD if you do this. Or, maybe say they can cast 1 1st level spell once per day, to give them the sense of being magical by nature, but that's it. As for Magic Users being low powered, that didn't bother me when I played B/X, except for one thing. Magic Users in old school are basically just super move characters, particularly at low levels. 1st level Magic Users are almost worthless except for that 1 Sleep spell. I let them use Detect Magic, Read Magic, and an Analyze Magic skill, starting at 1st level, sort of like a Thief Ability. The idea is that Magic Users can always analyze magical everything (magic items, magic portals, magic traps, etc.) They're magic experts. I'll also throw in a familiar and maybe non-magical alchemy and astrology skills as well. That gives them neat things they can do at low levels. I might also just let them cast Cantrips on a skill roll like this as well (old-school Cantrips, not WotC ones... meaning that they're nigh-useless little, tiny things that they can try to do). I've been playing since 1982 and in all that time I've found that what players want most is to be able to contribute to the party. My main issue is not that Magic Users are underpowered (never use melee attacks... you'll die!), but rather that they can't contribute often enough. I actually like this solution even better than WotC's. 0th Level spells don't do it for me, but the idea that there are always some really basic things that Magic Users can do to help them contribute to the party in other ways than finally casting that 1 1st level spell. OSE sounds great, though, if it has more d20 System type stuff.

[@robertwarren4734]

Late add here, but thought to mention that the Advanced Fantasy books (Genre; Spells for druids and illusionists; Treasure; and Monsters) are now available at Exalted Funeral. The individual books sold out in literally half-an-hour yesterday, 1SEP, but the 2-vol set of Players/Referees rules that incorporates both the "Classic" and "Advanced" fantasy are still available. The 1-vol "Classic Fantasy Rules Tome" (see @7:45) is likewise available.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Cool. Thanks for sharing, Warren!

[@robertwarren4734]

Btw, if it would help some readers, what follows is my take on the distinction between "Classic Fantasy" and "Advanced Fantasy" as far as OSE is concerned. "Classic Fantasy" OSE = B/X Moldvay/Cook. The "Advanced Fantasy" supplementation is a sort of filtration of AD&D such that those concepts and elements from AD&D that are compatible with B/X "balance" and playstyle are incorporated. Sort of a B/X+ if you will. "Advanced Fantasy" is not and was not intended to be a 'faithful recapitulation' of the entirety of AD&D.

[@rdmsh]

Supported the Advanced Rules Kickstarter and proud to get my name in the proof-reader section

[@ken.droid-the-unique]

And, once again, you prove why I love your channel. An honest-to-goodness meaningful review of a game without focusing on fonts and layout. Thank you, Prof. DM!

[@TheArcturusProject]

I never thought anyone could rival Matt coleville, but once I was through with all his, I kept coming back to your videos. I realized that he delves more into story, drama, and presentation, you tend to analyze gameplay mechanics and how they make a game feel. You guys are like two sides of a coin.

[@Acmegamer]

Love Matt's videos but he's kinda exhausting because he talks so fast. I keep wanting to ask him to slow down just a little bit. I always feel a bit mentally exhausted after each of his videos and it takes me a bit of time to absorb what he was talking about. Great point on the two sides of the same coin btw.

[@TheodoreMinick]

If you **really** want to see the opposite side of the coin from Prof DM, check out Guy Sclanders (How to be a great GM). He tries to keep things system agnostic, and focuses almost entirely on drama and story. He also relies heavily (a little too heavily, IMO) on rule 0. If the rules get in the way of the story he wants, he just ignores that rule. (This includes the rules regarding PC death.)

[@rriosl]

I follow Matt Colville and put one or two of his tips in my games, but the help of PDM has been far superior to me. I realized what kind of game I wanted to run after seeing one of the game streams of Colville and his crew, while his advice was great and exiting the gameplay, particularly combat was tedious. I saw one of the combats of his table and to be honest it was disappointing. His players with a bored expression in their faces describing the character actions at a really slow pace... boring. While thanks at the advice of PDM my combats are now fast, cinematic and full of danger, magic is dangerous and my player fight quick as lightning since I put timers in their turns, and the best part... they love it.

[@gobzdzilla]

Never been a huge fan of Matt. Professor is my jam though.

[@mithren86]

@@Acmegamer lol, I listen to him at 2 X speed as find ppl talk so slow 🤣

[@catfishcave379]

I fondly remember having countless characters die back in those days. Getting to lvl 5 or 6 was quite the achievement (all praise Redster Firebarben). I think once we had a high lvl magic-user npc (10?) That managed to resuscitate a cleric with the help of potions, spells, charms and divine intervention; all at great cost to the other players (sort of a mini adventure in itself). The cleric lost half his lvls and could never advance again but received other bonuses I think. (Well… it was 40 yrs ago…) Zero HP = Death is the natural order of things; I don’t think I could play “safe space” versions. All hail Deathbringer!! Oh, and maybe we’ll put out some kibble for the Professor…

[@swiggityswootin3562]

Hey Professor DM, I've been binging your channel a lot lately. You've helped me change the way I think about DnD, and have me eager to start running games again. I've noticed you've mentioned Darkest Dungeon a few times as I've watched your videos. It's one of my favorite games of all time, and I'd love to hear more about it from the perspective of a seasoned DM like yourself. Thanks for all the great advice and tutorials!

[@ericsetterberg1369]

One thing that I do when I run 5E is that if characters go to 0hp in a fight they are badly hurt and even if you healed to positive they cannot do anything until after a while of resting after the combat. Eliminates the down and up again that the eminent professor mentioned.

[@klinktastic]

Seems reasonable and far more realistic.

[@GoblinLord]

what I find cool looking back is that Bladesinger in 5e is an Elven subclass and back in OSRs Elves were just all bladesingers

[@activegraves71]

Literally got OSE yesterday after being inspired by you to design a deadlier, more old school style campaign. Now my favourite D&D KZbinr is doing a review on said game! Thanks PDM for all that you do (and you too Deathbringer)

[@nebelung_m]

I'm bringing a party from 5E to OSE and I'm really glad they have so many great optinal rules to make that transition easier.

[@charles_pensamentocritico]

A hello from Curitiba, Brazil!

[@antytrend]

Ooph, hope the rules are easier to understand than they are to buy…

[@Turglayfopa]

I did my last session with some of your methods and it was so smooth and easy. Have my own bone road, which I simply call "The Road". Fences with some space between symbolize squares. Made a couple of d100 tables and that makes improv so easy. A rat gave the players a magic berry. They later feed that berry to captured kobold and the eyes start to glow and they freak out. I ditched the 6 attributes for NPCs. AC, HP and damage are all I need. As well as DC for the area. I'm contemplating doing magic different too. It's wrong for lvl 1 characters to have access to all spells. Spells should be treasure that can be found in a dungeon or earned through a quest. Keep up the good work PDM. You're the real deal.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for your kind words. I agree with you on spells. They should be wizard treasure.

[@Goshin65]

I started on B/X like you, and have been playing Basic Fantasy which is pretty much B/X with ascending AC. OSE sounds great to me. I hope the new package attracts some younger gamers to see what old-school was all about, and they come to understand that the answer to a problem isn't always on your character sheet.

[@GiancarloVolpe]

I really love the idea of a “just the facts” formatted rule book. Although flavor text is fun during an initial read through, when gaming I mostly need to quickly look up charts or double check stats. It makes me wish all RPGs offered shortened books as an option. The art is still cool and a must have though!

[@HouseDM]

Even if you don't run OSE, grabbing that book and reading it will help you become a better Dungeon Master.

[@yohahn12]

I really don't agree with this at all. It's an amazing *reference* book, nothing on the market comes close. But it really doesn't even attempt to teach you how to play. It refers the reader to OSR primers for that. I think this suits the books intent, but is objectively a weak point if you're not already an experienced GM/player. I would never direct someone to OSE for guides or tips on how to run a game.

[@Fhuul]

That's exactly the one thing OSE doesn't do. It's almost perfect reference book which has basically no information how to actually run the game besides the dungeon/wilderness play sequences.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

@@Fhuul those two things are very helpful, though maybe not worth the cost of the book? I'm reading through and am definitely feeling the lack of guidance as someone new to OSR, but those two rulesets are definitely getting picked up and put in my 5e games.

[@felipeuseche332]

OSE is truly a game changer. Some german guy said innovation is a tiger leap to the past, and certainly this fits into that. No noise. No non-sense. No nostalgia for its own sake, but the polished treatment B/X deserved as the rough rock it was.

[@INCIESSE]

It should be said that the "Advanced Fantasy" tomes are in production right now and they compile the extra advanced fantasy material into a dmg tome and a player tome along with the previous material so if you want to get this system id go with that option first. There is also talk about a new boxed set including all the material as well but i dont know much on that yet.

[@NefariousKoel]

Yeah, this should be highlighted for those looking to get it. The new edition is supposed to be shipping out in the next couple months, and has all the later-released content consolidated.

[@torenatkinson5708]

I was gifted the black collected hardcover and ran a few sessions. Looking forward to more!

[@apotheosis21]

I came across OSE a few months ago, and I absolutely LOVE it. It scratches a different itch than 5e, but it's more streamlined, fast paced and choices feel like they matter because death is always on the line.

[@euansmith3699]

6:08 Are those eyeballs in a vat; or the tentacles of a pet octopoid?

[@ebrim5013]

OSE is my jam. I’ve spent a lot of the last nearly two years trying to find “my game”, with OSE, I have. Easy as that. I think most people’s OSE games are different at the table and that’s fantastic, it’s an excellent base.

[@AgranakStudios]

One of the best, most concise, and clear systems and presentation ever. I have the Rules Tome and am about to play a campaign with the system. I've played 1st, 2nd, 3.5, pathfinder and 5e...anxious to get this out on the table.

[@nrais76]

Actually, I only recently discovered, Rogue probably isn't a euphemism. Although I'm sure they went that way to be a little more PC with the class title, but reading through my print copy of the Rules Cyclopedia (I decided what the heck and bought it P.O.D. recently since I couldn't have it 30 years ago when I asked my mom for it), high level Thief characters that opt not to found a guild (in similar fashion to the way most classes are given choices at high levels to go down a land-owning path or wandering path, and oftentimes other options) are called Rogues.

[@markdowse3572]

Hi Professor, Your Aussie mate here! (Was out of internet 'range' for all of April - now playing catch-up.... 😲) As a player who cut his teeth on first edition (3d6 per ability, no swapping etc) I love the look of the Old School Essentials. 👍😃 Maybe newer Players will appreciate later versions of the game on seeing the OSE...... I live in hope. 😉 M 🦘🏏😎

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

I think players are finding it. This version just sold out! (one can still purchase the rules tome version).

[@markdowse3572]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 Ah, mate, that's awesome!! I hope it's not just people of my age buying it. Ha ha ha ha Gee, might there be an OSE-based video game in the pipeline, I wonder? 🤔

[@jedward8360]

I've been looking forward to this review for a while now!

[@georgewilson2575]

A friend of mine recently gifted me the single volume version of OSE. It was a very interesting read, and for those who do not have access to the Holmes/Moldvay/Mentzer editions of D&D, this is a more than adequate substitute. In fact I would highly recommend it to those folks. I, however, will stick with the originals since I still have them from when I was a kid and see nothing in OSE that is a significant improvement on them. I would add that at least in the volume I have, the AC's are still in the descending format. The ascending format is offered as an optional rule and both AC's are listed for the monsters in the book. Both AC's are also offered when it comes to the characters' armor as well. There are a number of other optional rules included, that will be familiar to older players. As for the books themselves, they are well done. The bindings are solid. The single volume edition I have has two silk bookmarks in it which are very handy, and as Dan pointed out, there is a lot of old school feeling artwork throughout.

[@thereluctanthireling]

Agreed, OSE Is a fantastic product. Good luck getting a copy of that boxed set though haha.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

They're likely doing another Kickstarter at some point for that, but I just picked up the single volume time and a player's book for my players...not quite as cool, but still. Also looking forward to the advanced set!

[@AminWT]

Pure gold, both the game and the review

[@yvindheilo229]

OSE is the definitive D&D edition. All the other editions feels like eating chocolate with the wrapping still on.

[@MatthewFenn1517]

Also check out Old School Essentials' "Advanced Fantasy" line of books recently released. They contain adaptations of AD&D 1e classes, monsters, treasures. They include the option to have race and class. They include Druids and Illusionists. If you want to play B/X D&D but want a.tad bit more, I highly recommend the Advanced Fantasy books. Think of it as 1e Lite. (Although it isn't AD&D, it's B/X with some AD&D options). With Advanced Fantasy you could play any classic module from 1st edition with ease. (Like T1-4 the Temple of Elemental Evil.)

[@GuruNino]

Fantastic! I always played as the elf or cleric in the original version of the game. I definitely have to add this to my collection.

[@johnharrison2086]

The layout is the best I have seen since the Mentzer Box Sets. The faithfulness to the source material is a big selling point. Highly recommended 🙂

[@jimmybrook7119]

Thanks professor. I got my copy recently on Runehammers recommendation. Glad I did, but yeah, thieves skills annoy me. Ran a session, new and old players, and it was fun. Lack of class abilities made them very creative (and very cautious).

[@marcoantoniosalazarmatamor9496]

I really, really need to buy this game. Thanks for the review.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

Picked this up and really want to run a short adventure for my group and see how they like it.

[@JonathanQiao]

It seems clear and concise. I like it but I am not so sure my players will like it. This seems like a good way to get someone into the game without having to be overwhelmed by all of the options 5e gives. I am sure my players would complain about the lack of options but I would argue all of the extra options you get in 5e are primarily cosmetic modifications that mostly gives the illusion of utility benefits and what utility benefits there may be are not often used effectively since when the characters have so many different features the players tend to not use them all because they forget or just focus on specific ones.

[@SB-ho1zo]

This and lotfp are my way to go oldschool.

[@-o-dq7nd]

I like LOTFP skll system for rogues. I use that instead.

[@Tomastyr]

Now on print through kickstarter! I already bought mine... in one week ends!!

[@NMahon]

Basic Fantasy Roleplaying is awesome as well, only costs 5 quid and the pdf is free! I'd encourage everyone to check it out and that price theres no excuse not to ;)

[@benbattiste1041]

I do enjoy Basic Fantasy but the separation of race and class bothers me. It essentially becomes four classes and some window dressing.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

I have to check it out for sure.

[@samchafin4623]

I don't love a lot of things about OSE, but I appreciate that the books are well laid out, and well made. Maybe the best things about these old rules is that they're spare enough to make hacking them REALLY easy.

[@therealsokratis]

Nice. I've been hankering to play some BX style games!

[@RogueScholarMDC]

I can't express how much I love this. I'll definitely be picking this up now that I know it exists.

[@cunningwarrior1827]

Old School Essentials is my new favorite rule set. Being a little older than you, Moldvay was was my second rule set and the one I really got into. Old School Essentials is easy to read and, to me anyways, easy to comprehend. By the way, THACO was easy to understand, and there was a chart. One of the best things about Old School Essentials is the cost. It goes on sale regularly at DriveTbruRPG if you are patient enough, so you can buy what you can afford at the time and pick up the rest later. I think I bought pdf"s of all of the books you showed for under $12. If Civid ever ends, this will be the rule set that drives the new campaign! 👻

[@Goblinerd]

4:39 That is inaccurate. MU have 1 spell per level up to 6th level. After that, it increases. For example, at 7th level they have 8 spells, at 8th level they have 10, and at 9th level they have 12, etc.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

You are correct. Thanks!

[@daviddamasceno6063]

Having weaker characters means they'll try their best to stay out of combat and really fear the monsters. A weaker magic user class means that not many players will be inclined to play as a magic user, making magic rare and special. Elves taking longer to level up reflects the fact that they live long lives and can take their time, they don't need to be hasty and greedy as humans. This game is a great example of how rules can be used to create the tone and setting of the world.

[@russellfishes]

I need to get this. The book looks beautiful.

[@BlackJar72]

Actually, when the elf is on 3rd level most of the party will be on 4th, though the thief may be on 5th a lot of that time. I run BECMI, but without all the optional rules from the later sets and basically keep it close to a BX model and style of play; I like the idea of OSE.

[@CarlosRodriguez-dd4sb]

Excellent review on a terrific product. It's a toss-up to use this or Deathbringer. I purchased the all in one tome and it is fantastic. I also have to commend Necrotic Gnome for superb customer service.

[@newwestrevolver]

Does OSE address how to resolve things like non-thieves attempting to hide or move silently? Or, more generally, how do old school games resolve actions modern games would use a skill system for?

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

I have this question too. I would ask on r/osr .

[@VosperCDN]

Picked up the 5 books in PDF, then the Rules Tome in hardcopy .. now waiting on fulfillment from the last KS - guess one could say I like this set of rules.

[@Acmegamer]

Great review. Hopefully they get the re-print of the boxed set because I was eying that one hard. :)

[@FHangya]

I think this is an awesome video about OSR content. Great stuff ^^

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank you!

[@StarrL0rd89]

Have you done a video on Dungeon Crawl Classics yet.

[@jarrettperdue3328]

OSE is indeed pretty, if you can get your hands on it, but I've got 40 years of muscle memory with B/X ... that makes Moldvay more efficient for me!

[@hubbarjs]

Ha. I pre-date THACO, rely on the actuary tables in the DMG. I really like OSE - you should consider reviewing some of Gavin's modules - Hole in the Oak, Winter's Daughter, etc. He is taking similar principles re: streamlining and clarity and applying them to modules. They are super fast and easy to run as a DM and have tons of cool stuff for players.

[@keithkannenberg7414]

Same here. Page 74 of my copy of the DMG is super ratty because I was constantly turning to it for hit tables.

[@brucegrossman3531]

OSE is my favorite OSR. So glad I was able to get the box a few years ago.

[@28mmRPG]

2:05 lol... when I first tried to learn the rules of "roleplaying" it was 1978. I bought the GAMMAWORLD box set as it interested me more than the Holmes D&D box set. As a player of Avalon Hill Bookcase games, I found the rules in these books confusing as they were not written out in sections/subsections like Avalon hill does. We learned "roleplaying" from a friend's older brother, who went to a convention in Vancouver the year before and was shown how to play Dungeons & Dragons, so then he passed the "how-to" to us.

[@qsviewsrpgs4571]

Seems like a solid product with much to offer, thanks for the breakdown.

[@Aragura]

Awesome, succinct and accurate as always. I love OSE and can't wait to game live again in the future with my UDT. Always with the last word Deathbringer. Cookie for the metric.

[@ballisticus1]

Death saves are the equivalent of flag football. That elicited a hearty chuckle. On a side note, I've always thought that if you play with death saves/negative HP, then there needs to be a mechanical death spiral. -1 to all actions cumulatively at 50%, 33%, and 25% hp

[@davezenz]

Have you checked out the Advanced Old School Essentials that introduces some of the classic classes from AD&D? Curious if that is worth a look

[@BanditsKeep]

I agree about the layout etc but I must say with that comes the loss of flavor, I have both versions of OSE, I think they are great reference material, but I always pick up my original BX books to play. Maybe it’s nostalgia, but I can say several places in OSE that I feel the wording is actually more confusing to new players - in condensing the rules there seems to have been an assumption that the players have some RPG background and really even some OSR background. So for my money I’d spend $5 to get the BX pdf to absorb the flavor of old school and then grab these beautiful books for quick reference. Great episode as always.

[@danielboggs2013]

Thaco was a "new" idea that came around in the mid '80s and a lot of us never used it. We always just used the chart. Much easier to look at a chart than try to do math in the middle of combat.

[@Carbide-1]

Very exciting development! Thanks PDM 😎

[@bryanswift6301]

I'll have to see about picking up a copy of it.

[@swaghauler8334]

"I learned to play on these rules..." I still like you even though you were late to the D&D party. I started with the Holmes "blue box" edition, complete with the little cardboard chits that you'd put in a plastic Solo cup to draw numbers from. It took me a year to find those cool plastic polyhedral dice that were advertised in that blue box!

[@roberttschaefer]

“Rogue” is not a euphemism, it is a broad description of a player skillset wherein one option is to play a thief as a subclass and profession. A Rogue can also be a lawful good, rapier-wielding noble; a chaotic good acrobat; a neutral swashbuckler; an evil spell-casting trickster, etc. a “thief” subclass still exists in the game.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for writing. I know what "rogue" means now. But it started because mothers complained. I know because I wrote for the 2nd ed.

[@roberttschaefer]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 - I am impressed to learn that mothers in 1980 overlooked the obvious Satanism going on in the suburban basement, and instead drew the line at roleplaying a thief. 😉

[@Dabeef64]

my first experience with D&D was the Blue Box. I think it had two booklets inside & a small handful of classes & races. It didn't even have dice. You had these little paper things you cut out & put in a styrofoam cup or something & then pull a number out. It may have been an older version since AD&D was available but I was I think, 16 or 17 & couldn't afford to buy the hardbound books.

[@benbattiste1041]

Holmes Basic, where I started too.

[@justinguyer7474]

Love it. I still DM a 1-2E-Homebrew game with all original books that I've had for thirty years. I guess that I'm an old Gronard. Thac0 and descending AC seem less confusing to me than the way things are done in the newer editions. Probably just what I'm used to. It's really the same math though, just backwards. Subtraction is just addition with negative numbers.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

I was surprised how simple THAC0 actually was... I had heard horror stories, but it's really just THAC0 - armor class = target number.

[@m_d1905]

I've been wanting this set. I kinda like the all in one book idea too.

[@michaelarnett2197]

I watch every video that you release and I have to say that I love them all. Professor dungeon master you are the best and I would love to set in on one of your games. Keep up the great work!

[@rickeymariu1]

Huge fan of the modern OSR

[@dirigoallagash3464]

So tempted by this. So many RPGs, so little time.

[@aaronsomerville2124]

OSE is a model of clarity, simplicity and usability. Possibly the best version of the game ever published.

[@Sebbaasdungeon]

Sadly the black box is currently sold out. Though Necrotic Gnome is planning a Kickstarter for a reprint at the end of the year.

[@Elric54]

Kickstarter is being delivered. They will have complete tomes stocked retail soon.

[@Sebbaasdungeon]

@@Elric54 That means I missed the Kickstarter. :facepalm: Thanks for the info.

[@adrianwebster6923]

@@Elric54 Are you sure that is for the OSE box set? The most recent box set I am aware of was for the Advanced ruleset. I think the ose kickstarter is still to come.

[@vZwicky]

Complete Rules Tomes are in stock now at Exalted Funeral, and maybe other places. The Kickstarter that's about to fulfill is for the print volumes of OSE Advanced Fantasy (pdfs already available at Drivethru). The Kickstarter for reprints of the box set is supposed to happen later this year.

[@antieverything1]

I'd love to see some of these OSR systems compared head-to-head in a video.

[@erikriggiola6780]

I started D&D in 1983 with ye old AD&D and the boxed Basic Set. I fell in love with the game and within a few years of feverish and fervent gaming started changing and modifying the game. In truth I had a lot of issues with original and early D&D as written and I'm never going back to that. It's not how I want to play. It's great that this high quality version is available so people can experience the original and also gain some perspective on where the game has come from and it's evolution over the years. For me though, been there and done that and I've had my fill.

[@EvanDuly]

Curious what your preferred system of play is now then?

[@erikriggiola6780]

@@EvanDuly Plenty. Star Wars rpg using the Genesys(I think that's the system nane)system is my favorite. I think 5E may be the best iteration of D&D thus far and 4E for more miniature and tactical based D&D. 2D20 system for Conan and John Carter is pretty good. I also like the FATE system, Vampire 5e and Werewolf 20. Vaesen looks interesting but I've not had a chance to try it.

[@GoblinLord]

I'm really glad they built in ascending ac because while thac0 isn't super complicated for dms, it's definitely counter intuitive that for half of the game high numbers are better (stats, hp, etc) and then suddenly low numbers are also better (weapon stats, armor) (at least for players it is)

[@bongov1723]

Good stuff. Thanks, Professor.

[@chrisragner3882]

I am getting more enthusiastic about returning to the old days through OSR. Looking at all the reviews of so many I am leaning heavily to OSE. I will most likely purchase the new box set with the advanced material and compare it to my original TSR material. As I have been using 5e, I would like to see how I can transition my players to a game that gives us that feel for what we once enjoyed.