OSR Review: B/X Essentials

This week I take a look at another OSR Ruleset: B/X Essentials. Moldvay/ Cook has never been this easy to play! Check it out!
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Nectrotic Gnome Webpage: necrotic-gnome-productions.blo...
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B/X Essentials at DrivethruRPG: www.drivethrurpg.com/product/...
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My Patreon Page: / captcorajus

[@BTsMusicChannel]

B/X Essentials "isn't a a rule set to learn on; [it] is a rule set to use during play." YES!!! WE NEED THIS SORT OF THING!!!!! I have recently been play-testing Basic Fantasy RPG with a friend and overall, I like it. I like the wide-open simplicity of the Basic/Expert D&D classes and races combined with some improvements upon the original rule set (such as separation of race & class and the more modern post-THACO combat system). The encounters are far more engaging because the characters are so weak (compared to the WOTC variants of D&D) so the players must play smartly -- any mistake could be fatal. For one of the play tests, I ran a very intense encounter vs. goblin caravan raiders that gave me an extremely emotional experience when, during a "Blackhawk Down"-like moment in which goblins were surrounding a disabled carriage and killing the occupants (who were party members or the merchants they were supposed to find), I paused and said (somewhat sadly), "Oh my god, this is brutal." In the end, the encounter was a lose-lose -- neither the party nor the goblins accomplished their objectives, and both sides suffered heavy losses. But I have to say that Basic Fantasy RPG has so much potential for an other-than-routine D&D experience. That said, Gonnerman's core rule book is very hard to use at the table and I find myself making little PowerPoint slides so I can follow various game-mechanic processes without having to thumb back and forth to the pages where they are all spread out. This B/X Essentials model seems superior in that realm, but Gonnerman (or someone else) could certainly add to Basic Fantasy RPG rules by coming up with similar process-based presentation rule supplement. Maybe I will do it at some point and run it by Chris -- unless B/X Essentials does the trick, as you suggest it could. :D P. S. I love that the spells are in a separate B/X Essentials book!! I recommend not letting the players have or use that book!!! In my opinion, Gygax was right when he said that the players should not know things in the DM Guide. But I think he went wrong when he included the spells in the Player's Handbook -- when the magic is known by the players, the mystery of magic is diminished which steals from the fantasy. If you keep spells separate and let the DM reveal spells to the players as they learn them (e.g., a piece of paper with the fluff and stats, esp. if in a fantastical presentation as if it were a scroll or page in a grimoire), players get more excitement and less power gaming possible. Magic needs to evoke mystery, awe, and fear in a fantasy world. Gygax should have listened more carefully to Lovecraft's idea that the source of fear is in the "unknown." Thanks Captain!!!

[@HowtoRPG]

Looking forward to your next video.

[@RobbiGraves]

Excellent and insightful review of one of my favourite rulesets!

[@unacceptableviews1505]

Another great video sir.Keep up the good work.I never looked at these before so its nice to see something I wasn't aware of.Cheers from Canada.

[@Se7enBeatleofDoom]

World of Darkness fans have been printing out the rule summaries booklet back in the 90s.

[@tinfoilhat6343]

Capt speaks and my knowledge of osr expands. 👍

[@mlfetlesjdrenbref1306]

Thanks for this video! Great as always.

[@user-ci1wg5gh2t]

Great review Cap!

[@vZwicky]

Thanks for covering these. Great review as always. It might have tipped my hand to purchasing the set if I hadn't already done so :) The pdfs are nice but, for practicality at the table, the print versions will be where this set will shine! One small quibble: This set is thorough and can very much serve as a stand alone ruleset. Though I agree it's not ideal for newbie players. In a future where I hopefully have time and players to run this system, I would like to have at least the Moldvay Basic book available for neophytes who are learning the ropes.

[@johnharvath6966]

Marvel, America, Corajus. Only one is a true super hero!! Awesome as always. Thank you Cap.

[@munderpool]

Dolmenwood is awesome and I think Questingbeast has videos discussing the rules'

[@captcorajus]

Yeah, I really like it myself.

[@MrRourk]

The Dolmenwood drops into the Midderlands Expanded as Ireland...this makes a pretty big playing world.

[@AAron-gr3jk]

thank you capt!

[@Sesheyan101]

Once again I love your reviews, I like to hear honest reviews giving the plus and minus to a product. And I know real developers appreciate that as well, nothing worse then having someone blow smoke up your bum singing praises and have all the fans pointing out the things that should have been caught.

[@captcorajus]

Gavin said he was happy with my review, and I think he already knows the weaknesses as he's already addressing them with the kickstarter. I already said I would be an enthusiastic backer. :)

[@thagomizer4711]

I’ve been tempted to buy these booklets for a while now, and I might start periodically picking them up thanks to you! I’m not terribly familiar with B/X rules, but I have used the BECMI rules several times, so I don’t think I should have much issue using these for play with a B/X group. Also, are you at all familiar with the Swords & Wizardry series of OD&D clones from Frog God Games? I have been using them with a group recently and I we have had a blast with how fast the game plays!

[@vZwicky]

I'd dare to venture that anyone who has played any version of D&D would have an easy time using this set. If you've played BECMI, you've already got your foot in the door of the wheelhouse.

[@RPGmodsFan]

Captcorajus, You are an arcane of knowledge when comes to D&D and RPGs. p.s. Was Nectrotic Gnome commissioned by WOTC to publish B/X Essentials, or did they obtain a license from WOTC?

[@vfults]

B/X Essentials is published under the Open Gaming License.

[@RPGmodsFan]

p.s. D&D Rules Cycolopedia?

[@captcorajus]

Back in 2001 when WOTC released 3.0 they also released the Open Gaming Licence which allowed 3rd party companies to produce products for Dungeons and Dragons. All your OSR rule sets such as Labyrinth Lord, Basic Fantasy, and D&D Derivatives like Pathfinder are using this license. The Rules Cycolopedia is NOT based off Moldvay/ Cook, but the Frank Menzter re-edit from 1985, Which is Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, and Immortal (BECMI). The rules differences between the two sets is minor, though Moldvay/ Cook stops at level 14, and BECMI goes to level 36.

[@RPGmodsFan]

@@captcorajus Thanks. Sad to see the split between D&D and AD&D (during the TSR era) arise due to a Royalties Contract (between Dave and Gary) that...

[@conflictmagazine]

For the Cyclopedia you'd be looking for Dark Dungeons. The website seems to be gone but it is available from drivethru rpg as a PWYW pdf download. There were two other versions released but they have changed or disappeared over the years. There's a great clone page to start looking here: taxidermicowlbear.weebly.com/dd-retroclones.html

[@jctxcboy36]

Sorry for the repetitive questions....not sure where to grab these OSR sourcebooks....where can we grab this one. Found it on Ebay but it is very expensive on Ebay.

[@petejones284]

You can also get a no art version for free.

[@freddaniel5099]

Sounds like Neurotic Gnome may need to do an "intro to RPG" book. A single book just for newbies would be very pared down, but it would separate such material from the rest of the books, material that experienced players would bypass anyway.

[@gavinruetten9988]

Can you do a review over the A1-4 slavelord modules?

[@captcorajus]

That's definitely on the agenda.

[@AAron-gr3jk]

more of this OSR!

[@captcorajus]

I'm waiting on the KS as we speak. As soon as I have it, there'll be a review.

[@bobsyouryouknowthething6751]

How familiar are you with the Myth Drannor box set?

[@captcorajus]

Pretty familiar. Its been on my shelf for a few decades. :)

[@thenachomancandysavage4074]

Any plans on more osr reviews ?

[@captcorajus]

Always. Lamendations of the Flame Princess is probably next OSR Ruleset review.

[@thenachomancandysavage4074]

@@captcorajus Sweet I'll be looking forward to that.

[@Johnny_Nitro]

3rd! Sweet

[@hambinger]

My gripe with ALL OSR games is THAC0 style combat rules. I started on those, but I still find them almost all unplayable... is there a Moldvay style game that does not require training in slide-rule style combat?

[@captcorajus]

Basic Fantasy.

[@toddzilla1236]

yep. We just finished up our first long term bfrpg campaign! First time I've enjoyed DMing in a while, hehe. BFRPG is not perfect, but it's damn close for folks wanting to go back or to try os style for the first time. Great online community, forums. And everything is free! I still went ahead and bought as much as I could to help the cause. It's not hard to buy 10 books for $5 and give half away to newbies just starting. Also an easy game to make kid friendly. Supremely adaptable. I'd really recommend everyone interested in an OSR game to check out Basic Fantasy Roleplaying.

[@toddzilla1236]

Oh, not to hijack the thread, with BFRPG stuff, I do like B/X Essen you are describing and will get it too! Thx!

[@hakdov6496]

Swords & Wizardry has it both ways

[@gavinnorman6148]

The revised edition of the game (coming to Kickstarter in a few months) includes the option for Ascending AC.

[@MrRourk]

There is a free no art version of BX Advanced

[@AeonVoom]

Curse youtube and your nonfunctioning bell.

[@captcorajus]

Glad you found it!!

[@lostsanityreturned]

I disagree that it isn't ideal for novices reading the rules. I found it to be wayyyyyyyy quicker to talk new players through and explain to a friend than going through the original B/X rulebooks.

[@pjm3005]

this channel seems dead. unsubbed.

[@captcorajus]

Sorry to see you go! I'm releasing a new video tomorrow. :)