Welcome to the Old School Renaissance General, the thread dedicated to first-decade, Gygaxian D&D, its faithful modern clones, and content created for use with them. Later editions (2e and newer) should be discussed elsewhere.Broadly, OSR games encourage a tonal and mechanical fidelity to Dungeons & Dragons played as intended by its creators from 1974 to 1983 — less emphasis on linear adventures and overarching metaplots 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. We also have two excellent beginner guides created by Anons with feedback from the thread that you can check for help:>n00b DM's Guidehttps://pastebin.com/EVvt6P0B>n00b Player's Handbookhttps://pastebin.com/XALkXkV0>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:>>97568691>Thread Question:Is there any OSR-related material being released in 2026 that you are looking forward to?
>>97600170>Is there any OSR-related material being released in 2026 that you are looking forward to?Melan's refereeing guide is my top item.
>>97600170>Is there any OSR-related material being released in 2026 that you are looking forward to?Dark Sun.
>fag OPNo thanks.
>>97600170>TQPic related from E.M.D.T. ULTRAREALITY PUBLISHING. Might go ahead and get Castle Xyntillan with it just to have an easy pickup dungeon but I think that's more a cool idea in my head than a thing that will actually come up much.
>>97600196>refereeing guideJAMES WHERE IS IT YOU FAT FUCK
>>97600170All of Melan's stuff, Before All Others, as well as the new OSE and OSRIC books that I'm looking forward to disliking and throwing a bitch fit about.
>>97600170Melan's guide, as stated. Also, I don't care about OSRIC 3 (though I'm glad it's out there), but I really want the initial wave of adventures for it, since the authors are all top-tier.
>>97600323KekHe must've released literally a hundred books since that was supposed to come out and it's still vaporware.
>>97600301Wasn't that already released in 2025?>>97600998>I really want the initial wave of adventures for it, since the authors are all top-tier.What's the roster? I haven't seen anything about this.
>>97601106>What's the roster?I'll see if I can dig it up again: I can't remember if it was a kickstarter update or a casual discord post or what.
>>97601134Thanks, pal!
>>97601106>>97601134Quicker than I thought. Here's the blurbs:Curse of the Crooked Tower. A leaning tower outside the abandoned town of Finsburg once housed a Cult of Asmodeus. Now, something in the tower has reawakened, and the characters are tasked with investigating! This challenging adventure by Steve ("Zherbus") O’Connell is designed for 5-6 first-level adventurers run by veteran players. For inexperienced players, the adventure is best played with second level characters.Whispers of the Death God. Ancient snake-people, an evil order of knighthood, and the sinister whisperings of a death god. This adventure is an assault on a mountain fortress that harbors a multitude of secrets. Written by Gábor ("Chomy") Csomós, Whispers of the Death God is designed for 4-6 player characters, level 7-9.Fortress Tomb of the Ice Lich. At Grathen Rift, the Ice Lich Vathudnar built a great fortress-tomb, populating the frozen ice-halls with his servants before sending his spirit out into the planes and strange dimensions beyond the material world. Thus far, no adventurers have dared to assault this legendary fortress ... until now. This epic adventure by G. ("Hawk") Hawkins is recommended for groups of 5-8 characters of level 8-10, or 4-6 characters of levels 9-12.
>>97601152Huh! Out of those three I only recognize Chomy, but it's true that he's good.
>>97600196Oh, also I forgot because he's only mentioned it in an aside and it's not clear it will even come out this year, but I want the Fomalhaut box set bad, too.
>>97599429>>97599088>>97598373I am serious here check the books
ACKS2 question. Does moving at combat speed increase the odds of a random encounter.
>>97603158dude stfu youre a stupid newfag lmao
>>97603287it means you are always surprised and always trigger traps iirc
>>97603158I'm pretty sure they just changed it on purpose, tb h. I get what you're saying, that it's a mistake in the math, but Basic also extends the Dwarf's level cap by a lot, for example. They just reworked it.
>>97603466We don't have a thief anyway
>>97603681lmao fucking nogames retard, thats irrelevant
>>97603681Hire one, goddammit!
>>97600170Any tips for running solo games? I wanna learn to run better games for my group.
>>97603936have you done any research yet or are you just begging to be spoonfed?https://archive.4plebs.org/tg/search/text/tips%20for%20solo/
>>97603936Scarlet Heroes has a solid set of tables and procedures for solo and 1 player games. It does an odd modification of HD to HP for a very >conan book cover vibe but I don't mind that. Worth taking a look at.
>>97601106>Wasn't that already released in 2025?
>>97604719I'm pretty sure that implies it's soon to be restocked. It would be very mysterious if EMDT 95 isn't out when EMDT 96-102 are all released, wouldn't it?That being said, I must correct myself and state it was apparently released in 2024:>https://beyondfomalhaut.blogspot.com/2024/07/modulezine-khosura-king-of-wastelands.htmlStill, I hope it comes back in stock soon so you can pick up your copy!
>>97600230How can Dark Sun even be made in 2026.
>>97604972Goodman games adjusts all stats and rereleases for 5E and DCC
>>97603884There were none in the town we started in. We are on our way to a bigger town to sell a wand we got from a random encounter so hopefully there are some and the other party members hire them.
>>97603681>>97605219still irrelevant to traps RE: moving at combat stupid, moron
>>97605880Well anon, if you don't have a thief your options for traps are to advance a 10 foot pole checking a single square per turn or throwing caution to the wind to actually make good progress and get less random encounters for the distance covered hoping the traps don't fuck you up too bad along the way.
Can those of you playing with smaller groups tell me your experience with retainers? How heavily do you or your players use them? What do you use them for? Will they wear wigs? When will they wear wigs?
>>97606012HEY RETARDYou asked about consequences of moving at combat speed in dungeons.I told you that you will ALWAYS trigger traps when you move past them, which is completely unconncected to having a thief/searching for traps. >advance a 10 foot pole checking a single square per turnfucking retard doesnt know how the game works>>97606029Retainers are NOT implied, they are EXPECTED. A party should have around ten member in combat capable roles, and extras members for porters/light/etc.>What do you use them for? Will they wear wigs? When will they wear wigs?Oh, so youre just a retarded troll?
>>97605880>>97606227What are you so mad about? Is this the fishnigger trying to false-flag the thread as being abrasive and offputting again?
>>97606029My players use fewer henchmen than they probably should, because they don't want to split the take too much. There are three of them and a few non-henchman retainers such as porters, a linkboy and some guards to watch the horses outside the dungeon.
>>97606227>Oh, so youre just a retarded troll?Take a chill pill! Just injecting a little fun
>>97606271>why are you irritated at a nogames newfag not able to grasp the simple answer he was given?>>97606300>I was merely pretending to be a bad-faith troll!
>>97606309>a bad-faith troll!I legitimately don't understand what you're mad about. I was asking a real question about retainers as someone new to the rulebooks, and made a little reference to a well known video I'd just watched. Ah well!>>97606271Do you feel like you have to compensate as a DM for them using fewer henchmen than they should, or do they end up compensating in their playstyle?
>>97606424>Do you feel like you have to compensate as a DM for them using fewer henchmen than they should, or do they end up compensating in their playstyle?what the fuck does this even mean
>>97604704>Scarlet Heroesthe HD-for-HP thing is a pretty clever hack. as is damage 'spilling over' to other enemies, you're right that it's very Conan.but i don't get why he went for the weird damage system. i would really prefer it if the number you rolled was the actual damage dealt. it also means you can successfully hit with your 1d4 dagger, but there's a 1-in-4 chance you won't deal any damage. what is this, Morrowind?
>>97606437Sorry, that was meant for>>97606288
>>97606437It's probably asking if DM nerfs the dungeon so party has easier traps and monsters or if players act like pussies and repeatedly run away from danger.>>97606672Even though it was meant to be on a different post but you could have clarified for the anon who asked. It's not a very clear question and it could do with an explanation like the one I suggested that took just a few seconds to make.
>Is there any OSR-related material being released in 2026 that you are looking forward to?Shadowdark Western Reaches Campaign setting book! I wanna see how Kelsey combined all 6 of the cursed scrolls
>>97604972They reprint the 4E book including the part where they said slavery is bad. Go do something about it hero.But with 5E stats.
>>97606464I’ve been using Scarlet Hero for Greyhawk modules. But I switched from AD&D to OSE Advanced after one session.The solo rules work well but are murder for dual or multiclass characters. Defying Death has done the most damage to me because of how many dice get rolled every time my character wanders into a Save or Die situation.
>>97606672okay, BUT WHAT DID YOU MEAN
>>97607142this guy >>97606743 nailed it.
>>97606424>Do you feel like you have to compensate as a DM for them using fewer henchmen than they should, or do they end up compensating in their playstyle?The second if anything; I certainly don't modulate the dungeon challenges to the specifics of the party (unless I were to realize I'd inadvertently made a grotesquely unfair meatgrinder; then I probably would, but in that case it's less about the specific party composition). That said, I don't feel like they really compensate deliberately and actively either; the result is just that they'll be chewed up and have to retreat sooner than they otherwise would have.
>>97607163Well then the answer should be an obvious "no"
>>97603465fagit>>97603537It happened between Moldvay and Cook/Marsh
>>97606029>wigsI've got nothing.>>97603287Doesn't increase odds. Does mean younare always suprised. Not sure whete other anon got the always triggering traps though. If someone has a page number for that I'd appreciate it.
>>97604897Rereleaed is still released and I understand want to be pedantically correct but you won't be.
