Welcome to the Old School Renaissance General, the thread dedicated to TSR-era D&D, derived systems, and compatible content.Broadly, OSR games encourage a tonal and mechanical fidelity to Dungeons & Dragons as played in the game's first decade — less emphasis on linear adventures and overarching meta-plots and a greater emphasis on player agency.If you are new to the OSR, welcome! Ask us whatever you're curious about: we'll be happy to help you get started.>Troves, Resources, Blogs, etc:http://pastebin.com/9fzM6128>Need a starter dungeon? Here's a curated collection:https://archive.4plebs.org/tg/thread/94994969/#95006768>Previous thread:>>96548672>Thread Question:What's the most unexpected use of a MAGIC ITEM in your campaign? Either in terms of sheer effectiveness that opened your mind to new possibilities or utter retardedness and unforeseen (but perhaps foreseeable) consequences.
>What's an OSR?>Don't know how to get started?The friendly n00b guides can be found here:>n00b DM's Guide: >https://pastebin.com/EVvt6P0B n00b Player's Handbook: https://pastebin.com/XALkXkV0Want to contribute to the thread but don't know where to start? Use this table.>1. Make a spell>2. Make a monster>3. Make a dungeon special>4. Make a wilderness location>5. Make an urban set piece>6. Make a magic item>7. Make a class, race, or race-as-class>8. Make a 4-10 room lair.>9. Make a trap>10. Roll 2D10 and combine
An Anon has shared an awesome AzteCKS campaign report. Check it out!ttps://mega.nz/file/id51UZqa#9pZoBcVtOF3vssbZ4kON2WN9XAbGvSi-TStiB9nKTxY
>>96609896OSR noob players guide guy here. Away from home, but want to update it soon. Any critical additions or tweaks? I saw a suggestion to include Appendix N and I may just do that. Anything else?
>>96609887>What's the most unexpected use of a MAGIC ITEM in your campaign?Used an Instant Fortress to kill a dragon (and one of the other PCs on accident)
>>96609909So is this thing actually worth reading or is it just some autist who keeps reposting his own shit whenever a new thread pops up?
>>96610869>So is this thing actually worth readingOnly one way to know.>or is it just some autist who keeps reposting his own shitI'm the Anon who posted it, but I'm not the Anon who wrote it.
>>96610869I read the first couple chapters or whatever. It's pretty cool. Like any actual play or session report I don't see much value beyond entertainment though. I suppose it could be a decent source of inspiration. A lot of anons were very positive about it last week or whenever it was originally posted.
>>96611736In this case, monster design challenge.Which characteristics of lizards, snakes and turtles could fit reptile-like humanoid monsters, and which one fit better the actual animal/dire animal monster?Say snakeman that can spit poison, chameleonmen that can camouflage, crested lithe lizardman running on water...
>>96610533>Anything else?Did anyone suggest to you to reference the playing guide in the back of the AD&D PHB? I still think it's one of the best player-focused guides to adventure gaming ever written.
>>96612281Turtle men who know ninjitsu?
>>96610869Read it until you get bored. I think there's a lot to learn and take inspiration from, but it's not something you absolutely need to read all the way through.
>>96611736>"Lizards" is a paraphyletic groupIf we were on zoology forum you'd have a point but there's a world of difference between Monogolian basket weaving where lizards are scaly reptiles with legs and Linnaean taxonomy where "true lizard" has a meaning.
>>96610869Uhm, take a wild guess!
>>96610869It's good anon, and a fine reminder for the rest of us lazy fucks to start journaling our games and sharing them here. I'm currently DMing a non OSR game so fuck me but there are no excuses. Another unsung hero in this general in the BFRPG anon, who is currently on his 50th? session and whose players are starting to get into domain play, while actual no games faggots try to give him shit for his choice of game. Nah, we deserve the Fishfag.
>>96610533An Appendix N section sounds like a great idea.
>>96612817Yeah, I just wanted to explain that I was not being ignorant, just autistic, which is arguably worse, come to think of it.I was basically saying that apes are fishes, which is cladistically borderline tenable, but very retarded to say without qualification or explanation.Apologies, carry on.
I just made this dungeon with AD&D1e appendix A! Well sort of, I used an automated generator.I normally hate making maps but this was fun. I think it might be understocked? Also idk what some of these monsters should be.Key is as follows if anyone wants to use it:1. 250gp x level in chests + 750sp x lvl in sacks, guarded by Monster: Big Serpent 2. 250gp x lvl in chests + 1k sp loose, guarded by Monster: Flying Men3. Throne Room - empty4. Monster: Scouts from underwater civilization5. Monster: Undead - perhaps coming up from the next level down?6. Treasure (magic item) + trap (poison lock)A. 10' pit trapB. 25' deep chasmC. Trap door to next level downD. River
>>96613901>an automated generatorWhich?
>>96613901Hey that's a nice entrance to a dungeon! More of a lair at the moment though. Also: lol, your dungeon has a blue vagina
>>96610869eh I tried for a bit but I tapped out pretty quick
>>96610869Well worth reading through. It's got a bit of everything OSR-y about it
>>96613901So you didn't actually use appendix a, you just used some random generator. And that is barely a lair, let alone a dungeon level. Try again after your balls drop
>ACKS general is now a thingWell.This'll be interesting.
>>96616313show us your dungeon anon
>>96617182I have no idea why OP did what he didthat was pretty fucking dumb and obviously fakethe entire /osrg/ is slow, who did he think he was going to fool with that posting rate?and now anyone can point to it in the archives
>>96617346Given how the usual suspect turned up immediately with 'See, see, AI generated content, huehuehurhur' I strongly suspect it might just be him doing the usual but with a little more finesse so he can point to it any time he gets called a fishnigger in the future.
>>96617351wdym?
>>96617373How easy would it be for him to make a thread as he suggested doing here >>96615144Then immediately flood it with AI generated bullshit before immediately running it through an AI detector and going 'See, see, AI generated content, shills, I'm right, I'm right! brb, going to beat off in victory from here to eternity.'I'm just saying that the last ACKS general was in 2023 and suddenly our resident subhuman suggests one to shit all over ACKS only for it to immediately be filled with obvious spam.Main evidence I'd have is: who the fuck runs random stories they find on /tg/ through an AI detector within 30 seconds of them being posted?
>>96617346>>96617351>>96617404Maybe the reason those stories were never posted here is because those anons don't see ACKS as OSR content so not fitting of these threads.
>>96617404>Main evidence I'd have is>not actual evidenceanyone who suspects the text is AI generatedwhich anyone with 2 working braincells would in that specific casebut yeah maybe there is slight chance it's a falseflaghowever the acks-crowd was there trying to make it look like the AI-detector-anon was lying, so...
Is this going to be another /osrg/ which is just losers talking about ACKS?
>>96617470>however the acks-crowd was there trying to make it look like the AI-detector-anon was lyingOnly by checking his claims and stating their own detector didn't ping it.Which is a legit challenge because let's be honest; can you trust him?If so, can you trust him further than you could comfortably spit a rat?
>>96613910>>96616313Sorry, I couldn't get the link past the spam filter. To clarify: it isn't a random dungeon generator, it just removes the legwork of looking up results in the tables.https://whosemeasure.blogspot.com/2021/08/appendix-dungeon-generator.html?m=1
>Playing in friend's OSR game>He tells me to roll up multiple characters>They all get killed>Everyone else has a couple survive a few sessions and a few of them reach level 2>I can't get a single one to survive>Ask DM if I'm playing wrong or something?>He says that I've just gotten unlucky...How do I get "lucky"?
>>96617590How did your characters die, give us a blow by blow and I'll advise you as best as I can.
>>96609887Ain't no party like a Graz'zt party.
>>96613393You have manners and self-awareness that put mine to shame. Truly an elegan/tg/entleman of the highest standards.we now return to our scheduled programming.
>>96612745lol why not (yes I got it)
Rolled 5 (1d10)>>96609896Let's check it
>>96618701>5. Make an urban set pieceAlleyway that is only 5 ft wide but 35 ft long before angling 45 degrees to the right and continuing on for a further 40 ft. There are few who would wander this unnamed alley unarmed as it is dark even at noon on the summer solstice from the lines of clothes and linens above.In the alley there is an illegal casino, a small sewing shop, a shrine to some unknown deity with the head of a shrimp, two small eateries with one being of questionable foreign cuisine you've never heard of, and bookbinder who looks older than anyone you've ever seen.One of these locations is the front for the local thieves guild. Choose wrong and you'll be jumped.
>>96617563This is pretty neat, thanks.
>>96617590You playing in a mudcore game? Your party members might not be doing their jobs correctly, which is to keep you alive.
>Yoon-Suin arrivedLooks real nice, some odd rules material but very likeable. Think I'm going to run it with ACKS.>>96616313>angernigger once again trying to demoralize OC postersShit yourself to death.
>>96617563Note that the generator seems to deviate from the DMG in at least one major way: while the tables in App. A have the two points of entry "periodic check" and "space behind door", this generator only has the former. In other words, if you're looking behind a door you should roll on a table different than "periodic check".
>>96619155>Yoon-Suin arrived Nice. Awaiting mine and looking forward to a side-by-side comparison to the original.
>>96617590Maybe your risk taking and efforts are why they have characters that survived?Roll up a dwarf Thief / Fighter and play entirely defensively and see how that works out for your group.
>>96617590>Playing in friend's OSR gameThere's a few red flags in your report. Can you tell us more about this game? What system? Why is he making you roll multiple characters?
>>96617299i have plenty of times>>96619155>worthless newfag poster once again getting jerked off by anon>>96617590stop being a feckless driftwood of a player and make better choices
>>96620979>Why is he making you roll multiple charactersretard
>>96621157Yep, OP made it sound like the DM might be a kid who's bought into the OSR = lethality meme and is running the game like a the DCC funnel. Chances are the player is not the problem.
>>96621157>rolling multiple characters from the beginning>DM does not have prepped sheets on hand for the inevitable ngmi
>>96609896>>7. Make a class, race, or race-as-classI remade mongrelfolk in the style of 2e, namely the Ecology of the Mongrelmen article from Dragon 242, but with a lot more races from D&D and Pathfinder and Starfinder, and more in-depth rolling variations for body parts, but its pretty agnostic, any setting with lots of races could use this.>https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dXMU_i-AI_AHpuUDkDxNuVQV6VoF0yOjAxBEx45joTQ/edit?usp=sharing
>>96623850>2eoff-topic
>>96609887>What's the most unexpected use of a MAGIC ITEM in your campaign?dwarf cleric dies and is mince meat and his remains are in a bucket. Party fighter throws in ring of regeneration hoping it will revive him. We laughed.
>>96624133lol
>>96624096If you read it youd be like "oh nice OSR vibe"
>>96624266Unlikely.
Running my 2nd session of ACKS tomorrow. I feel like I'm gonna get sick of OSR now that I'm actually running it. It was easy to cope while playing by saying I wasn't the one running the game, I still enjoyed it of course but that was also while dreaming about running my own game. I'm never satisfied with my world, it's always better to just daydream about a nebulous dream campaign, than to actually run it, and it's always disappointing. I got 3 different dungeons and they had a great first session but I know I'm gonna run out of ideas and if they do get to domain play they'll either do jack shit or overmaster the rules and preplan everything between sessions.
Just curious how some people handle re-rolling. Players character died, others took his stuff. He joins the party with a new character If they gift him gold will that count as xp? Or do players just start with zero experience. They die alot especially in combat trying to make sure I'm not over killing them
>>96576654NTA you were responding to, I would just like to say the "Stonehell on the Borderlands" campaign concept sounds awesome and I'm really motivated to try and run it. I'm part of a small group who call themselves "OSR", but the only thing we've played that comes close is Shadowdark. After returning to the noob guides I've realised we're a bunch of posers. I am going to try and show them the the real deal by running some B/X. I don't think I'm going to tell them it isn't just B2, let them realise this isn't what they've heard about on their podcasts.
>>96625723This is an internal psychological problem. >there will never be optimal conditions >enjoy the time you have and the unexpected >3 dungeons is tons, don't prep more until the players start doing shit >players planning ahead is a feature not a bug Chill out a bit, it'll be okay.
>>96625741>If they gift him gold will that count as xpNo. Not treasure gained through adventure or dangerous activity. >Or do players just start with zero experience.Yes. They gain xp at a faster rate to catch up if the party is sufficiently high level, as xp is divided evenly, or they aren't sufficiently hard done by if the party is still low level. >trying to make sure I'm not over killing them how many players, player characters, adventures, levels and deaths?
>>96624266>OSR vibegross, anon
>>96625741>If they gift him gold will that count as xp?No. Only treasure conquered from dangerous places counts as XP.>Or do players just start with zero experience.Yes.>trying to make sure I'm not over killing themDon't. It's not your job as a DM to balance how often they get killed, it's their job as players to figure out when to run.
>>96625743Fantastic! Do post play reports.
>>96625956A lot of newbies underestimate how fast you'll catch up in levels. Due to the double XP for each successive level if you had someone just hit level 6 and someone who just had to reroll, by the time the level 6 is level 7, the level 1 would be level 6. Obviously it'll be different for different classes but the idea is the same. Of course the level 1 is going to have to be careful and play it chill for a couple of sessions but they should be leveling basically every haul.
>>96625723>I know I'm gonna run out of ideasWhat a damn shame there aren't 50 years of other people's modules to use!Well okay, there was a 30ish year gap in there when people were only pushing shit, but the point stands.
>>96624096>>2e>off-topiccompatible content
>>96625723Follow the Dao of Doris Day anon.Whatever will be will be, nothing is perfect, run as best as you can, expand the map a bit and figure out where things are and remember that while levelled encounters are weeniehut shit, monsters reacting to things that are known about in setting aren't.If they do jack shit once hitting domain and start sitting on their laurels getting fat and lazy, have the Orcish Kublah Khan notice their unprotected orifices are ripe for a firm poking.
Any news on the release date?
>>96609887Can't find a pdf of the Thunder Rift supplement for Blck Box D&D 1992
Are there Black Sword Hack and especially their zine Chaos Crier in the share thread? I don't find it.
>>96621187multiple chars is good fine and expected.the PLAYER and (You) are retards for now knowing why the DM had him roll multiple chars>>96623850this 2e dogshit is off-topic>>96624266and if youd kill yourself id be like "oh nice"
>>96628815>Thunder Rift supplement for Blck Box D&D 1992stupid pathetic fucking retard. took me three seconds to find it on google.
>>96625741"rerolling" do you mean making a new character? What do the fucking rules say about bringing in new characters?>>96628012off. topic.>>96628905OFF-TOPIC.
>>96629036>multiple chars is good fine and expectedIt depends: Multiple PCs to use separately in different parties and different sessions, sure. Multiple PCs in the same party, no.The fact that the DM is telling the players to roll multiple PCs makes me suspect that he's having them play them at the same time, because otherwise what's the point?
>>96629439not in the same party, but as backups ready to go in case of death. jfc you people are all idiots
>>96629443>as backups ready to go in case of deathIt takes five minutes to roll up a character, there's literally no need to pre-create any.
>>96629520No one said it's a "need", anf saving five minutes at the table is not insignificant. Why does having backup PCs offend your delicate sensibilities?
>>96629572Anon, we're talking past one another here. I have no problem with people pre-rolling multiple characters, but since it is basically pointless to do that*, and OP said he's playing "OSR" without specifying the system, I suspect that OP's DM might be having his players run multiple PCs at the same time. You presume that's not the case, but I'm not arguing against your presumption, I'm arguing against my suspicion.* About "saving five minutes at the table": No, no minutes are saved by prerolling additional characters: The player can create his new character without any DM involvement, so at the most it delays the arrival of a substitute PC by 5 minutes, and that's assuming it's a good idea to have a new character appear mid-expedition in the first place.
>>96628056>If they do jack shit once hitting domain and start sitting on their laurels getting fat and lazy, have the Orcish Kublah Khan notice their unprotected orifices are ripe for a firm poking.Exactly and that's the fun part but I'm worried they will jsut blindly attack such problems and get butthurt when they all die. Even already some of them don't want to show up for these sessions (part of a larger RPG group) because it's too stressful and triggers their anxiety. Fortunately large group so doesn't matter. But still.
>>96629876>Triggers their anxietyJesus, good luck man.If you want to guide them gently into the concepts of diplomacy, here's a situation to get them thinking with more than the tips of their swords:>A dragon sends a messenger to their town, 'politely' requesting tribute, in return for paying taxes in the form of cattle and fine art they will be able to call on its services once every four years to either protect their city or attack an enemy>Extra services cost virgins>Refusal, naturally, means facing the scaly bastard banditing on their peasants
>>96629876I mean if they don't enjoy it they don't enjoy it. When I first got my friends to start playing with me I explained how the style was different, some people were interested. Then the first session came around and one of the guys died twice in the first session, once to a random trap, and then another time when they TPK'd. After that he just said this type of game wasn't for him. Everyone else in the party kept playing and he stepped out. He's still a player in other games that I'm a part of, it's not the end of the world. I've got a range of players, some are all for the random deaths, some try to play it safe but enjoy the challenge, some play for a bit then take a break when it stops being fun and rejoin after a few sessions. I take feedback on what's going on but only on how the stuff I want to do turned out. If I was shooting for A and got B that feedback is valuable. If I was shooting for A, got A, but they wanted B, well too bad for them.>>96629931I do think teaching new players how to engage with the style is important. Just throwing players into a dungeon without giving them any idea of how the game works isn't going to result in a lot of players coming back. You don't throw an entire army at them early on, you get them involved in smaller skirmishes to teach them how to interact with it so they then later they can make good choices. If you don't do this you'll have your small cohort of players that are fine learning everything on their own, but you can expand the player base considerably by being deliberate in teaching them how to play.
