Iron Falcon is a little spendier, but Gonnerman deserves to sell more copies. (and Whitebox benefits from a couple of supplements. Like Original edition campaign. The whitebox Omnibus and the unearthed trove.
Just wanted to drop a quick line to let you know how much I enjoy the channel. Been following you for a few months now, and always find your reviews and discussions very well rounded and informative.
For a Dungeon Master, the Classic Rules Tome is an absolute treasure. It's so compact, you can just have it on your desk at all times when you're prepping or writing, and everything is there. And so easy to take with you when you go to games outside your lair. My full box set hasn't seen much use, but for spellcasters the little books are nice! I recently started using the advanced books (Player & Referee tome, sadly split in two books!), and they bring a lot of player character variety and especially monster variety. The Advanced Referee Tome is my go-to monster manual when prepping games & writing, it has lots of classic AD&D beasties missing from Classic. My recommendation if you're on a budget. 1st priority: Classic Rules Tome. 2nd priority: Advanced Referee Tome (for more monsters & treasures). 3rd priority: extra Magic-User / Cleric spells book for the table, OR Advanced Player's Tome for more character options & new spells. P.S. while the advanced player + referee tomes cover everything, they are heavy and due to the page count its harder to find some things. I still love the classic tome because it has most of what i want, and it's easy to use at the table.
I have been loving OSE since getting into it. (I blame you, Questing Beast, you and Professor Dungeon Master!). I think for someone just getting into it, the Basic Rules Tome is the perfect option, everything in one compact, well laid out book. The Advanced options can always be added in later. I wasn't as thrilled with the Advanced books - I like them as far as they go but they didn't impress me like the Basic Book did. Start simple - then decide if you want to add more.
I cut my teeth on the old BECMI boxed sets back in the day, so I did that recent Kickstarter, but man did I have questions. Questions you answered succinctly and man to I appreciate that. Thanks! Love this channel!
Thanks for this much needed video. I bought the Classic Fantasy Rules tome--not knowing all of this info. Although I'm pleased with my purchase and not regretting it. I may get the Advanced Fantasy books at some point, but I'm pretty happy with Hyperborea 3e so far in terms of 1e clones.
Found this (and your review) really helpful. Ended up picking up the Advanced Fantasy tomes and love 'em to death. Probably the cleanest rpg book I've read, designed to be referenced and used above anything else, which is cool. Now I just need to convince some folks to play with me!
Cool video. I wish someone would do a sort of diagram showing which rules from Basic, AD&D and 3.5 D&D have been ported to which OSR rule set. Also... I wish they made larger books, something about the size of the Rules Cyclopedia would be nice.
Me neither. They don't seem to understand that the "power creep" in 5e is its biggest problem UNTIL they play OSR. FIVE TORCHES DEEP is a really good blend of OSR and 5e for those who want a blend of systems.
I haven't watched the video yet, to get Questing Beast's opinion on the books. I've been asked this question more than a few times, and my answer is go for the 'Advanced Fantasy' player's tome and referee's tome. You get the classic B/X game, and you get the advanced options in the same book. You can run either. Easy choice!
I wish this video was out a few months ago when I was first buying OSE. It took me forever to know the two advance books covered everything. Though I still backed the whole kick starter. Gotta catcher all.
AWESOME - thanks for breaking it down in an understandable way. It seemed a bit daunting with the various names & boxed sets and you've revealed to me the secrets to understand it.
This was so helpful thank you! I've been waiting ever since I found your channel earlier this year to get my own Box Sets! Can't wait to get to these after Mork Borg.
I went all in on the box sets in the last KS because I wasn't sure which to get. But now I'm glad I did, as having both classic and advanced rulesets affords the most flexibility. Thanks!
We've been big fans of OSE, in part because we play via VTT, and it simply has better VTT support than any of the others. And since their VTT is becoming official and will be adding Advanced Fantasy content, the competition is not getting tighter. Also, it's easily modifiable B/X that's laid out incredibly well.
Thanks for breaking this down. I got the OSE Advanced Player's Manual and Referee's manual as part of a humble bundle and wasn't sure what to do with them. OSE
Here in the last few years, counselors and other psychology-related professionals have gotten interested in using D&D as a context for group therapy or teaching social skills to children with autism. As a behavior analyst who enjoys Wizardry more than the latest Final Fantasy, I was frustrated by how this movement within the profession seems to encourage the 5e mindset of indulging identitarian power fantasies (which I think is an unhealthy model for young people). But when I got my first taste of OSR design philosophy by reading OSE's The Incandescent Grottoes, suddenly I knew what was possible! I've been running a social skills group for almost two months now--yes, I essentially get PAID by insurance to referee D&D!--and the old-school mentality offers so much more opportunity to test and stimulate young people's critical thinking skills, their social cognition, their teamwork, than does your standard on-rails, plot-driven tabletop RPG scenario. Gavin Norman designs dungeons that ooze with mystery and that make it effortless to find moments of humor to hook patients. And as a professional, I have _never_ experienced a method of doing social-skills therapy before that had patients this eager to come back week after week. The kids can't stop raving about the experience to their parents! But I have to thank this channel, as it's been part of guiding and reassuring me how to referee my group. If it hadn't been for Ben's advice about how to conduct OSR dungeon crawls, I probably never would have had the guts to pitch the whole idea to my employers.
Hey Questing Beast! I've watched your OSR content for awhile and just wanted to say how much I appreciate you taking the time to review and go over these kinds of materials! I've gotten into the OSE art and got the adventures and rulebooks! As a DM I also find it really useful to see how your group plays OSE and how to Referee it and see the differences IRT compared with 5E. You make great stuff! Please keep it up!
So I know this is 6 months after the video was posted but I am at a crux...I appreciate 1st Edition AD&D over Basic and Expert. Should I just get a 1st Edition clone off Drivethru or would Advanced OSE be a better choice? Hopefully someone can answer.
Any of these similar to, integrating, or based on BECMI D&D? I remember loving the Basic-Expert-Companion-Master-Immortal progression, made for awesome mid and later gaming options, with adventures changing in focus as characters grow in power.
If i could find a physical edition to buy. I have all the pdf's from the recent humble bundle(which may still be available at time of writing this) but I want a hardback copy so badly......
@@QuestingBeast Actually got to thank you, everywhere i had seen recently only had "notify me when available" but you hooked it up with links, got my books ordered. Appreciated!
I wish they could combine the advanced fantasy book into a single, chunky tome, nothing against the current format but I would love to have everything packed together in a single book, besides, it wouldn't even be that big, about 500 or so pages is a lot sure but hardly unheard of.
It’s worth emphasizing that the Advanced Expansion boxed set doesn’t contain the core rules of play, hence “Expansion.” It’s designed to be used in conjunction with the Classic boxed set.
Ive been thinking of mashing OSE and Knave together but still figuring out how to do it. Mostly want to use Knave's ability scores (wisdom for ranged, int for all spells?), Knave's slot based encumbrance, and mostly OSE. Has anyone else done anything like this?
Video Idea: What is the 'Nu-OSR'? Similar to this one, you could explain all the different 'Nu-OSR' games like Into the Odd, Knave, Cairn, Maze rats, Electric Basitanland etc, and how they all relate to each other and what the differences are. It's a worse problem than B/X imo! ty
Yes. Together, those two tomes includes all the rules you need for an enhanced B/X gameplay. You won't need the Classic Fantasy as the Advanced Fantasy books cover all that material.
Would you say Advanced Fantasy is a fairly faithful clone of AD&D 1st edition...in the way Classic Fantasy is a clone of BX or is it kind of it's own newish thing?
No it's not (confusingly), it's actually AD&D stuff "ported into BX" so to speak. Classes, magic items, monsters, some "optional rules" (like throwing in separate race/class, more variety in combat maneuvers etc) from AD&D but written to be compatible and balanced with the basic rules (so you could have an "advanced druid" in the same party as a "classic wizard" and they _should_ be comparable at least in theory)
Would you suggest OSE to someone (me) who is looking for a system where character progression is more focused on getting new and better gear rather than waiting to level up?
Just get the actual Moldvey and Cook books. Work a little harder, study it and earn your knowledge. The box set of OSE is more expensive than the 2 original books.
Does it still have the problematic issue of women not able to be as strong as men? Are arcane spellcasters still starting with 2 to 3 hp and can only cast 1 spell per day?
That's why I love Basic Fantasy RPG. You get one book for a handful of bucks and you're basically set. Then there's tons of great free content online (the rules themselves are free too in pdf-form). The layout might not be as good as OSE, but it feels a lot less dry and clinical in my opinion.
I feel like the titles of all of these books and version becomes a kind of jargon - an insider's language, difficult to understand by the uninitiated. Not ideal for bringing in new players.
That's a good one too, but the organization could be better. For example, the saving throws are hidden in a different part of the book than the character creation.
This is obnoxiously complicated and has frankly turned me off of OSE completely. The boxed set I bought previously I now out of date? There's ANOTHER boxed set? And maybe another coming later? Gimme a break! The fact that this video even had to be made is a big problem
Previous set is not out-of-date: there has been some reorganization of materials (which one can see via the released PDF's), but no change of content (some tables have changed or been reorganized). So whilst one could not have a direct page-to-page correspondence between the older booklets and the new boxed sets, the material content is entirely the same.
OSE splits up rules so folks who don't want the Advanced stuff, including the advanced monsters, can play the way they like. If people want the full package, it's two books --Advanced Fantasy Player and Referee tomes. They also sell fancier versions, because nerds like to spend money. But none of these are rules changes.
![เป็นไปได้ไหม - WanMai [Performance Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Eh5hItD4Mr0/mqdefault.jpg)
Old-School Essentials PDFs: bit.ly/OSEPDF
Classic Fantasy Rules Tome: bit.ly/CFRTPrint
Classic Game Set: bit.ly/ClassicBoxedSet
Classic Fantasy Player's Rules Tome: bit.ly/CFPRTPrint
Advanced Fantasy Player's Tome: bit.ly/AFPTPrint
Advanced Fantasy Referee's Tome: bit.ly/AFRTPrint
Advanced Expansion Set: bit.ly/AdvancedBoxedSet
That's why I'm in love with "White Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game", it's just one book with one version of the rules :)
Iron Falcon is a little spendier, but Gonnerman deserves to sell more copies. (and Whitebox benefits from a couple of supplements. Like Original edition campaign. The whitebox Omnibus and the unearthed trove.
You do realize that it's a offshoot of Swords & Wizardry: White Box, right?
@@KthulhuXxx rude phrasing
You can always expand if you want with swords and wizardry Complete.
It's also dirt cheap. I just love my copy as it's so much old school goodness for so little money. I like me money.
THANK the GODS you made this video. I've never been clear about the differences until now.
Very timely. I was on necrotic gnome's store page yesterday and gave up out of confusion over which to buy.
I feel like NG should post this video at the top of their store!
Just wanted to drop a quick line to let you know how much I enjoy the channel. Been following you for a few months now, and always find your reviews and discussions very well rounded and informative.
Thanks Brian!
Ditto, glad I found you! 😎
The Basic Tome served me very well starting out, and adding the advanced material later is very easy.
For a Dungeon Master, the Classic Rules Tome is an absolute treasure. It's so compact, you can just have it on your desk at all times when you're prepping or writing, and everything is there. And so easy to take with you when you go to games outside your lair.
My full box set hasn't seen much use, but for spellcasters the little books are nice!
I recently started using the advanced books (Player & Referee tome, sadly split in two books!), and they bring a lot of player character variety and especially monster variety. The Advanced Referee Tome is my go-to monster manual when prepping games & writing, it has lots of classic AD&D beasties missing from Classic.
My recommendation if you're on a budget. 1st priority: Classic Rules Tome. 2nd priority: Advanced Referee Tome (for more monsters & treasures). 3rd priority: extra Magic-User / Cleric spells book for the table, OR Advanced Player's Tome for more character options & new spells.
P.S. while the advanced player + referee tomes cover everything, they are heavy and due to the page count its harder to find some things. I still love the classic tome because it has most of what i want, and it's easy to use at the table.
I can't wait for my boxed sets to get here from the last KS. Really looking forward to enjoying the wackiness of the OSR.
I have been loving OSE since getting into it. (I blame you, Questing Beast, you and Professor Dungeon Master!). I think for someone just getting into it, the Basic Rules Tome is the perfect option, everything in one compact, well laid out book. The Advanced options can always be added in later. I wasn't as thrilled with the Advanced books - I like them as far as they go but they didn't impress me like the Basic Book did. Start simple - then decide if you want to add more.
I really like your channel, Merlins....... 🎉
V
I'm looking into rpgs after decades away. This looks fantastic. Thank you for the information.
They should do OSE One to make it more clear!
I love my classic tome. Of course I had to get the Advanced Fantasy tomes too. The trifecta of awesome!
I cut my teeth on the old BECMI boxed sets back in the day, so I did that recent Kickstarter, but man did I have questions. Questions you answered succinctly and man to I appreciate that. Thanks! Love this channel!
I just picked up the 2 advanced tomes (Players tome and Referee) they cover all the bases and the modularity can scale the game play and way I want
I never heard of OSE. It’s fascinating!
Thanks for this much needed video. I bought the Classic Fantasy Rules tome--not knowing all of this info. Although I'm pleased with my purchase and not regretting it. I may get the Advanced Fantasy books at some point, but I'm pretty happy with Hyperborea 3e so far in terms of 1e clones.
Interested in a more gritty and darker flavor than “Avengers” like heroes who never die. Appreciate your insights
Found this (and your review) really helpful. Ended up picking up the Advanced Fantasy tomes and love 'em to death. Probably the cleanest rpg book I've read, designed to be referenced and used above anything else, which is cool. Now I just need to convince some folks to play with me!
Cool video.
I wish someone would do a sort of diagram showing which rules from Basic, AD&D and 3.5 D&D have been ported to which OSR rule set.
Also... I wish they made larger books, something about the size of the Rules Cyclopedia would be nice.
I've never introduced a 5E only player to OSE (in all flavors) who didn't want to abandon 5E after a few sessions of OSE
Me neither. They don't seem to understand that the "power creep" in 5e is its biggest problem UNTIL they play OSR. FIVE TORCHES DEEP is a really good blend of OSR and 5e for those who want a blend of systems.
I haven't watched the video yet, to get Questing Beast's opinion on the books. I've been asked this question more than a few times, and my answer is go for the 'Advanced Fantasy' player's tome and referee's tome. You get the classic B/X game, and you get the advanced options in the same book. You can run either. Easy choice!
I wish this video was out a few months ago when I was first buying OSE. It took me forever to know the two advance books covered everything. Though I still backed the whole kick starter. Gotta catcher all.
This was so much needed. Thank you!
My group already basically plays a hybrid game of B/X and AD&D 1e, so we sort of already are playing OSE Advanced Fantasy, in a way. ;-)
AWESOME - thanks for breaking it down in an understandable way.
It seemed a bit daunting with the various names & boxed sets and you've revealed to me the secrets to understand it.
I backed both boxsets I am getting excited for october
Great Video!! I have been SO impressed with the OSE Rules organization and layout!! It's like the fog parted and the sun came out!
This was so helpful thank you!
I've been waiting ever since I found your channel earlier this year to get my own Box Sets! Can't wait to get to these after Mork Borg.
I went all in on the box sets in the last KS because I wasn't sure which to get. But now I'm glad I did, as having both classic and advanced rulesets affords the most flexibility. Thanks!
The correct answer is ALL OF THEM! I expect my check is in the mail Necrotic Gnome.
As nice as OSE is, I really miss the old BX Essentials books. (If anyone has those old zines hmu)
I missed the Kickstarter for the newer boxes sets, waiting excitedly to purchase when it comes out
We've been big fans of OSE, in part because we play via VTT, and it simply has better VTT support than any of the others. And since their VTT is becoming official and will be adding Advanced Fantasy content, the competition is not getting tighter. Also, it's easily modifiable B/X that's laid out incredibly well.
Lol I swear you read my mind!!! I think OSE is the system I want to go with before I GLOG it up so thanks for posting this!!
Thanks for breaking this down. I got the OSE Advanced Player's Manual and Referee's manual as part of a humble bundle and wasn't sure what to do with them. OSE
Great vid! Thanks for clearing that up!
Download D&D Rules Cyclopedia. Just this book (pdf).
I can't wait for my boxes to get here!
Here in the last few years, counselors and other psychology-related professionals have gotten interested in using D&D as a context for group therapy or teaching social skills to children with autism. As a behavior analyst who enjoys Wizardry more than the latest Final Fantasy, I was frustrated by how this movement within the profession seems to encourage the 5e mindset of indulging identitarian power fantasies (which I think is an unhealthy model for young people). But when I got my first taste of OSR design philosophy by reading OSE's The Incandescent Grottoes, suddenly I knew what was possible! I've been running a social skills group for almost two months now--yes, I essentially get PAID by insurance to referee D&D!--and the old-school mentality offers so much more opportunity to test and stimulate young people's critical thinking skills, their social cognition, their teamwork, than does your standard on-rails, plot-driven tabletop RPG scenario. Gavin Norman designs dungeons that ooze with mystery and that make it effortless to find moments of humor to hook patients. And as a professional, I have _never_ experienced a method of doing social-skills therapy before that had patients this eager to come back week after week. The kids can't stop raving about the experience to their parents!
But I have to thank this channel, as it's been part of guiding and reassuring me how to referee my group. If it hadn't been for Ben's advice about how to conduct OSR dungeon crawls, I probably never would have had the guts to pitch the whole idea to my employers.
REALLY appreciate this! Thanks!!
Hey Ben,
Any opinion on Castles and Crusades?
Just curious.
This is a really helpful video. Thank you!
I got the basic tome, but pre-ordered the advanced box for the modularity.
Very helpful, thanks!
I should have gotten the Classic Fantasy Humble Bundle when I had the chance.
Good question. Better try BECMI.
Hey Questing Beast! I've watched your OSR content for awhile and just wanted to say how much I appreciate you taking the time to review and go over these kinds of materials! I've gotten into the OSE art and got the adventures and rulebooks! As a DM I also find it really useful to see how your group plays OSE and how to Referee it and see the differences IRT compared with 5E. You make great stuff! Please keep it up!
Great stuff friend 👏 👍
So I know this is 6 months after the video was posted but I am at a crux...I appreciate 1st Edition AD&D over Basic and Expert. Should I just get a 1st Edition clone off Drivethru or would Advanced OSE be a better choice? Hopefully someone can answer.
Any of these similar to, integrating, or based on BECMI D&D?
I remember loving the Basic-Expert-Companion-Master-Immortal progression, made for awesome mid and later gaming options, with adventures changing in focus as characters grow in power.
Thank you!
Convinced my party to play OSE :-) I'm so happy.
If i could find a physical edition to buy. I have all the pdf's from the recent humble bundle(which may still be available at time of writing this) but I want a hardback copy so badly......
Aren't they fully available from Exalted Funeral?
Check the links in the video description
@@QuestingBeast Actually got to thank you, everywhere i had seen recently only had "notify me when available" but you hooked it up with links, got my books ordered. Appreciated!
Ben, do you have a favorite or do you use all of them based on your needs or mood?
I usually use the two big Advanced Fantasy tomes, since it has the most options. Then I just pick what I want out of that.
I hope Gavin add the other spells, monsters and items from Advanced AD&D
I wish they could combine the advanced fantasy book into a single, chunky tome, nothing against the current format but I would love to have everything packed together in a single book, besides, it wouldn't even be that big, about 500 or so pages is a lot sure but hardly unheard of.
It’s worth emphasizing that the Advanced Expansion boxed set doesn’t contain the core rules of play, hence “Expansion.” It’s designed to be used in conjunction with the Classic boxed set.
Ive been thinking of mashing OSE and Knave together but still figuring out how to do it. Mostly want to use Knave's ability scores (wisdom for ranged, int for all spells?), Knave's slot based encumbrance, and mostly OSE.
Has anyone else done anything like this?
The one I got with Humble Bundle where I got a bunch of pdfs for half the price as a hardcover TRPG book
cheers mate
Video Idea: What is the 'Nu-OSR'?
Similar to this one, you could explain all the different 'Nu-OSR' games like Into the Odd, Knave, Cairn, Maze rats, Electric Basitanland etc, and how they all relate to each other and what the differences are.
It's a worse problem than B/X imo!
ty
“Return the map!”
Do the AF Players Tome and AF Referee's Tome together comprise a standalone ruleset?
Yes. Together, those two tomes includes all the rules you need for an enhanced B/X gameplay. You won't need the Classic Fantasy as the Advanced Fantasy books cover all that material.
Old school essential vs basic fantasy? Pro and cons of each?
Is this a good replacement for the BECMI books?
Would you say Advanced Fantasy is a fairly faithful clone of AD&D 1st edition...in the way Classic Fantasy is a clone of BX or is it kind of it's own newish thing?
It's not a clone of AD&D, it takes AD&D material and adapts it so that it fits with B/X. If you want an AD&D clone you might look at OSRIC
No it's not (confusingly), it's actually AD&D stuff "ported into BX" so to speak. Classes, magic items, monsters, some "optional rules" (like throwing in separate race/class, more variety in combat maneuvers etc) from AD&D but written to be compatible and balanced with the basic rules (so you could have an "advanced druid" in the same party as a "classic wizard" and they _should_ be comparable at least in theory)
Would you suggest OSE to someone (me) who is looking for a system where character progression is more focused on getting new and better gear rather than waiting to level up?
Awesome!
Great information! Is it just me or was the audio slightly out of sync?
Please make a video about EZD6.
Please make a review about EZD6!
Classic/lamentations of the flame princess is the most way to go, but advanced fantasy edition has its appeal
I am now questioning what I backed in the recent KS; I may have made some mistakes o.o
Man this video would have been great a video a month ago when I was trying to figure out which OSE to buy LOL
Just get the actual Moldvey and Cook books. Work a little harder, study it and earn your knowledge. The box set of OSE is more expensive than the 2 original books.
I bought the 2 boxed sets but I’m finding them to be too much
The covers of these books are wonderfully weird.
What do you mean? All of them, of course.
If you get the Advanced Ref and Players Tomes, do you still need the Classic Rules Tome?
No, they already contain the Classic Rules. The Advanced Rules are marked as optional in the books
Advanced Labyrinth Lord is a better option than Advanced OSE. Different design goals.
Hard to beat LotFP. One slim book.
Does it still have the problematic issue of women not able to be as strong as men? Are arcane spellcasters still starting with 2 to 3 hp and can only cast 1 spell per day?
I’ve read the books fairly extensively and afaik there’s no mention of gender anywhere in them.
That was the advance dnd, gary gygax didnt create the basic and expert sets.
Or just buy into the Odd and be set.
The answer is Dungeon Crawl Classics.
"Which kind of apple should I buy?"
_"Blood oranges"_
i'm gonna be honest, this video didn't clarify anything for me. i still don't know what i need.
That's why I love Basic Fantasy RPG. You get one book for a handful of bucks and you're basically set. Then there's tons of great free
content online (the rules themselves are free too in pdf-form). The layout might not be as good as OSE, but it feels a lot less dry and clinical in my opinion.
I feel like the titles of all of these books and version becomes a kind of jargon - an insider's language, difficult to understand by the uninitiated. Not ideal for bringing in new players.
None: Just get Basic Fantasy RPG. my two coppers
That's a good one too, but the organization could be better. For example, the saving throws are hidden in a different part of the book than the character creation.
@@QuestingBeast totally valid point. I'd have thought that they'd do a basic reorganize in their SRD, but no.
None of them.
This is obnoxiously complicated and has frankly turned me off of OSE completely. The boxed set I bought previously I now out of date? There's ANOTHER boxed set? And maybe another coming later? Gimme a break! The fact that this video even had to be made is a big problem
Previous boxed sets should not be out of date. The classic boxed set always has the same content as far as I know.
Previous set is not out-of-date: there has been some reorganization of materials (which one can see via the released PDF's), but no change of content (some tables have changed or been reorganized). So whilst one could not have a direct page-to-page correspondence between the older booklets and the new boxed sets, the material content is entirely the same.
OSE splits up rules so folks who don't want the Advanced stuff, including the advanced monsters, can play the way they like. If people want the full package, it's two books --Advanced Fantasy Player and Referee tomes. They also sell fancier versions, because nerds like to spend money. But none of these are rules changes.
Sure, I realize it's all the same info but the constant repackaging sucks
Hey Questing Beast, are you related to Chris Gore?
Here you can see/hear him : watch?v=4BgCa64OA4Q
Nope