Free D&D that's Better than Dungeons & Dragons
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ค. 2024
- As far as WotC is concerned, D&D is an "undermonetized" money mill, and while they pretend to care about the players, they have proven over and over again that you are nothing but a wallet to them.
Well, I have good news for you... You can play BETTER D&D for free. That's right...
100% free!
All of the games I feature in this video are FREE.
Even the honorable mentions have free basic versions available for download.
Swords & Wizardry
www.drivethrurpg.com/product/...
Blueholme Prentice Rules (Basic Rules Only for Free)
www.drivethrurpg.com/product/...
Osric
osricrpg.com/files/osric_core...
My free OSRIC PH will save you some ink if you want a few copies to throw out on the table without DM specific information on it...
drive.google.com/file/d/1AFKK...
Basic Fantasy
www.basicfantasy.org/download...
Old School Essentials (Basic Rules Only for Free)
necroticgnome.com/products/ol...
Dungeon Crawl Classics (Basic Rules Only for Free. Requires special dice.)
goodman-games.com/store/wp-co...
Castles and Crusades
www.trolllord.com/tlgstore/#!...
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THE 1000 subscriber Giveaway is close, peeps! If you want a shot at a free softcover copy of the OSRIC RPG you need to make your profile public before I hit 100 subs! Last I checked I was only 25 away!
If you don't want your real profile to be public, you can always set up a public alt and subscribe with that.
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My Tuesday Night 2E "Leaving Home" campaign has only one slot left. If you want to join, sign up now!
startplaying.games/gm/grumpyo...
You missed the session 0, but I'll open the server an hour early so you can set up a new character. My availability will be intermittent until the game starts, though. My wife is working late this week, so I'll be on dad duty until his 9pm bedtime. If you want to talk about the game, DM me on StartPlaying and we can set up a meet on discord.
Basic Fantasy, Swords and Wizardry, and OSRIC are each goo choices, completely free and have tons of support. The other ones you list are good too.
I'm one of the players --- The game was so much fun and I would highly recommend anyone snaps up that last slot while it's open!
It really was a hoot! Thanks Juliette!
Before the DMG made it to print, the combat tables and other excerpts appeared in The Dragon magazine for reference. They really were the good old days. Can’t argue with your comments on OSRIC, Basic Fantasy, or the Rules Cyclopedia.
I remember the first time I saw the AD&D combat matrixes. It was in the classic orange AD&D DM Screen, which we got a hold of LONG before we ever saw a DMG.
Even when, on the rare occasion I ran 5e, I always went back to the 1e adnd dmg for inspiration and guidence. I rarely used the 5e dmg.
I won't say I never looked at the 5E DMG, but the 1E book still got a lot more wear and tear.
I mentioned that in a FB D&D group that if you can learn to run and play D&D using a 50 page booklet from a boxed set then the 5E DMG is superfluous. If you've ever DM'd before for any prior edition, you don't need a new DMG. Oh man, I got SO MUCH flack! LOL!
Seriously, the only thing I use the 5E DMG for is to see the details on how the latest edition has changed magic item mechanics. That's it.
I used the gems and jewelry (or "art items") tables for a while, but they tend to produce altogether too many duplicate results.
@@grumpyoldgrognard9561 that was always my "beef" with those tables. "Look, another 100gp necklace. Yawn..."
If you want it to actually FEEL like a treasure then you need to put in the effort to doctor it up. "You find a braided silver chain with a silver star pendant set with a small crystal at the center. The back of the pendant has an H monogram. You figure it's worth about 100gp."
And if you're doctoring it up then what do you need a table for? Heck, I'd rather have a table that generates a description and then let me as the DM set a value to it.
Which is exactly what made the 1E tables better. The tables would give you a super vague description of the result, and the dm would fill in the deets. The DMG description might be "silver jewelry with gems" and give a value. It was up to the DM to describe it as a "large silver jewelry box inlaid with gems and decorated with an elegant floral filigree."
No plan survives contact with the party.
Is that good or bad? Also, is it really true of all systems.
Just an observation. The DM will make the outcome good or bad depending on their reaction to the party going off into the weeds/off the rails.
It's absolutely a good thing. If I wanted to write a novel, I'd do it. This is D&D. The players are SUPPOSED to take control of their own stories.
@@agsilverradio2225 It means the system is working as intended; D&D is more of a historical simulation of a living world than a story game.
Or to put it in simpler terms, in real life, shit happens.
Go Basic Fantasy!!!! B/X with a nod to modernity. And tons of free supplements and adventures!
I couldn't possibly agree more. WotC is cutting their wrists deep with this idiotic monetization push. People are slowly realizing that rules are free, and that they can get their games for free and spend their money on things like minis, terrain, and rent instead.
Just found you and already love what you're doing -- thanks much!!!
Thank YOU for watching!
DCC is awesome. I am part of the Goodman Road Crew and ran games for a group of old timers until the lamentable loss of two players. I’m trying to convince myself to start running again but find it really emotional to even think about. One of them learned to play D&D from a member of Dave Arneson’s gaming group. He was my best friend and DM for well over 25 years before I started running DCC. I’m having a hard time typing this and I’m not sure why I’m even telling random people on the internet but I just wanted to leave some kind of tribute somewhere in the ether where like minded folks might give a shit. Rest in peace Dana Jay 😭. Sorry to bum people out, but he was as grumpy a grognard as any and a great DM. He really enjoyed being a player in DCC/MCC. Apologies again.
My sincerest condolences. Your love for him is obvious, and I assure you, you will be reunited when your time comes. I will pray for both of you in the meantime.
I would ask you to consider the possibility that perhaps your friend would prefer you not waste what precious time you have left in the world in mourning, and instead share your gifts (and by extension, his) with the next generation that they, too, might pass them on.
I'll see you in the next life, also. Unless we bump into each other at a GaryCon first.
@@grumpyoldgrognard9561 Thanks, it means a lot to me. I will take your advice I think. All the best to you and yours.
Great video! Glad to hear you are making money with your game as well! Been looking at a lot of OSR stuff recently too!
Tradition becomes tradition for a damn good reason.
I played BECMI D&D years ago, but I eventually left it behind because there were a number of game mechanics that I didn't care for (HP, Vancian magic, etc). A couple of years ago, I had a nostalgia-driven urge to play again and dug out my old Rules Cyclopedia, but found I just couldn't get into it.
I was eventually pointed toward Old School Essentials and really liked it (but still had to work out my own magic system) and then later started hearing about DCC, which I haven't picked up yet. I was on the verge of getting it until I read the quickstart for Shadowdark, which I have backed on Kickstarter.
I'm glad there are so many great options now, though. I loved D&D at the time, but now I know there are many superior options (at least for me).
I do not share the community excitement over Shadowdark. I got as far as the races when I realized there was going to be a lot of balance problems in it. I think we might be looking at a 5E style superhero fantasy with an OSR coat of paint. I hope I'm wrong.
@@grumpyoldgrognard9561 we'll see. I liked it enough to take a chance. I haven't done a very deep read yet, so I am not sure about the balance issue, but I do know that the author stated that perfect balance wasn't a design goal as, in her view, that led to all characters feeling largely the same.
I also like ICRPG and that *definitely* doesn't concern itself with balance. I often scratch my head at how powers swing wildly from cosmetic to god-tier.
I am probably less concerned about it than most since these days I am largely forced to play solo, having moved from my home city, losing my group.
I think what really irked me was "halflings can go invisible."
Wait... What? Who needs a stinkin' ring? This prompted me to look more closely at the other races. Dwarves get advantage on HP rolls? Goblins can't be surprised? At all? EVER? Ok then... Let's take a closer look at these talents...
It looks to me like the players in this game are going to be way OP. To me it feels a lot like 5E with black and white illustrations.
Like I said... I hope I'm wrong.
The art really is fantastic.
@Grumpy Old Grognard yeah, the invisibility is an odd one. For me personally, I view it as them becoming "effectively invisible" provided they 1) have somewhere viable to hide and 2) aren't trying to vanish in front of someone's eyes.
So why call it invisibility and not hiding? Perhaps to indicate they hide so well there is no chance of finding them.
Someone asked about this in her AMA, but there was no response.
EDIT: Just going to add that most of the people I have spoken to about this also feel it's "super adep at hiding" more than anything else. I'm curious what Kelsey will say if she responds.
Except the rules don't say that. They don't offer any conditionals at all.
No. I am very dubious about the game, but again... All I have seen is the free version, which I assume is a beta, so I will reserve final judgment until I see the finished product.
Thank you for the video! Always love your content!
Thanks! That really makes my day!
Just discovered your channel and it's awesome! As a new DM I will take your advice and read the DMG1e. What are your thoughts on the newer retro clones having the option of using ascending AC?
I approve wholeheartedly. I am the first to admit that ascending AC is a better game mechanic. My frpg of choice is NOT an older edition of D&D. It's C&C. Castles & Crusades is a thoroughly modern ruleset that runs like an OSR game. Best rules on the market. Very near perfect for my play style.
@grumpyoldgrognard9561 thanks for the reply,I heard good things about C&C,I will check it out. I run B/X, but use OSE as a reference, especially for the layout and ascending AC.
Quibble: We're already in the 5.5E era and we have been since the design pivot away from XP and racial bonuses and toward milestones and grey balls of shapeless goo (Tasha's and Mordenkainen's core rule updates are 5.5E).
It's not coming, it's already here.
Granted. Each new supplement almost feels like a new edition.
Congrats on your game going well - old school is best !
As an 80s BECMI/1e AD&D former teen I've fallen in love with Basic Fantasy RPG/OSRIC and S&W/White Box FMAG - have all these in physical book form and still love my Rules Cyclopedia PoD - thanks for this video. I started getting into 2e AD&D around time I settled down with a family and moved away from the hobby - stupidly selling off my OG books.
Ugh. Sorry. I lost my originals, including an OD&D box set and a #1 Dragon Magazine, in a bad breakup.
Life happens. And it's usually expensive.
I started out with BX and the RC. I still have all my old books and most of the old gazetteers. I've played 2e and 3/3.5 and read a couple of the 5e adventure books. I didn't like what I saw. I just started playing C&C a couple of weeks ago and really like that system so far.
C&C is an organic evolution of the original rules. It has not really changed in almost 20 years now, so I am very comfortable in calling it an almost perfectly optimized rule set for D&D.
I had the 1st edition DMs guide memorized at one point, I could name what page various rules were on and the paragraph. I started D&D in 1979.
You're a true scholar of the game. I can find what I want when I need it, but I still need to refer to it in-game.
@@grumpyoldgrognard9561 I have never read the 3rd, 3.5, 4th, or 5th edition DM guide though, lol. Not interested in those games.
I have. You're not missing much.
Although basic D&D was out when I first got into the game I jumped right into AD&D when my local game shop owner explained all the rules to me. This was back in 1980 when my mom bought me the rules. Later I switch to RuneQuest 2nd ed. and love both these systems very much. I think we are now entering a new renaissance in our hobby because of the nameless company that messed things up.
Basic Fantasy: 4th edition now (very good), at £6.25 here in the UK. Labyrinth Lord: also very good, with Advanced Edition.
I'd love to hear more about how you manage mass combat. As far as D&D mass combat goes, I've tried Battle Systems and several other forms---in my experience, high level magic is game breaking at domain level play.
Here's what I mean. There are spell combinations that are army ending. Just as one example: improved invisibility, project image, wall of fire cast in a ring around the projected image, polymorph self into a quickling, and haste. That's a movement of 192 inches--twice the distance across an 8ft table, with a wall of fire doing 2-12+1 per level of the caster, on an invisible projected image that cannot be harmed. Any 1st-3rd HD or level creatures in that magic user's path are pretty much hosed in the first movement phase. This is just one of many combinations I've had players use in the past.
And then it's no longer the epic event we are all looking for.
Currently, I force retirement anywhere between 9th and 12th level. In mass combat situations I focus the spotlight on the characters and run their scenerio like a normal D&D combat, and depending on their success or failure, that's influences the battle near them, and so I narrate the action and don't worry about rolling for unit sized elements. 9th-12th level characters are still pretty manageable. When you get much above that--say 13th where characters have 7th level spells---it's into game breaking territory.
This is something I've struggled with for a long time. So any insights you have into this---I'm very open to it.
Yeah... Wizards can be a real hassle on the battlefield. It's important to remember that the generals of the setting will be trained to deal with this, so they are not obligated to march foolishly into spell range in tightly packed closed formations. They are more than justified in keeping their troops in skirmish formation and relying on long range weapons as soon as they realize the enemy has a high level spellcaster. And even the highest-level wizards can only cast so many fireballs. Sometimes you have to sacrifice some pawns to reach the bishop.
As a rule, though, they best way to counter enemy heroes on the battlefield is with heroes of your own.
I’m so happy to hear this Grumpy. Congrats on the game. Sorry I can’t join you.
Me, too!
WotC said they weren't making a new 6.0 system and what they real meant is they are doing away with the system label and just calling everything forward D&D without a version number regardless of how much the rules change. I personally could care less, I don't hate hate hate 5e, its fine, whatever what I really hate from them is the settings rewrites and system flavor (I prefer Swords and Sorcery and Tolkien not Kawaii Anima foxes and teiflings) Idon't use it but it's got a select few things I actually do like but those rules mostly predated 5e and were folded into to 5e.. I play OSR usually Old School Essentials and I'm getting Shadowdark which I bought through the kickstarter (I already have the latest prerelease beta and I like it though I'm rewriting it for my own use, mostly adding some 5e hardcore rules and some DCC stuff like mighty deeds and adding a corruption mechanic but it's still pretty close to the general framework of the B/X rules with some AD&D flavor and modernisation sprinkled in.. I never bought into 5e except the Players Handbook, that's enough and I don't need WotC.. I also like Lamantation of the Flame Princess for flavor, there are plenty of games out there right now and most of the B/X retros are better than anything WotC makes
Agree. The ONLY unique 5E mechanic worth its weight in salt is spell slots. All of its other worthwhile "innovations" were cribbed from better games.
Great content as usual, thanks.
I'm really glad you enjoyed it!
Good video. Audio is a bit low for me. Basic Fantasy RPG is good stuff. I've also read Blue Holmes and D&D Basic. Those are both excellent. Osric is too dense for me, it's got too much stuff I don't care about.
did you record the videos? we would love to watch them
No. I'm a Dungeon Master, not an actor. My job is to entertain the players, not an audience. I can't imagine even trying something like a livestream.
Other clones which are free on PDF = for 0D&D there is White Box Fantastic Medieval Aventure Game, or Iron Falcon (also by Chris Gonnerman of Basic Fantasy fame). For AD&D 2nd edition, there's For Gold & Glory. For Rules Cyclopedia, there's Dark Dungeons. Basic Fantasy is a great option for a B/X style game and Swords & Wizardry Complete is great too (although currently out of print and awaiting a revised edition, now Matt Finch has left Frog God Games and set up Mythmere Games)
I adore White Box. You can probably see it on the shelf behind me. Players wanting to try it need to understand that it only clones the most basic version of the game, while S&W includes the rules from the Greyhawk, Blackmoor, and Eldrich Wizardry supplements. But it's a great game!
@@grumpyoldgrognard9561 currently running a Whitebox campaign myself. It's so easy to run and makes the players use their brains, rather than their character sheets, to solve problems. Probably going to run a S&W Complete campaign after, set in Frog God's 'Lost Lands' setting (which I love)
Quick question, if I use AAC and OSE will i still be keeping the spirit of the OSR?
I'm not really the arbitrator of who is and isn't keeping the "true" spirit of the OSR. In fact, I'm pretty sure that most of the people who would claim that authority would cast me out as a heretic.
But IMHO, yes. When you play Old School Essentials you are playing a ruleset that is based directly on classic D&D.
But, more importantly, I don't think the "spirit of the OSR" has anything to do with which ruleset you use. It's got much more to do with the style, the philosophy, behind your game. Are you a storyteller, or are you an arbiter of the rules allowing player choice and random chance to drive the story? Is player death an exception? Or is it a real and plausible threat? What is the relationship between starting characters and the world around them? Is domain level play a part of your game?
You can make 5E an OSR platform with a few tweaks. Or... at least you could if the system wasn't so broken.
"If you haven't read the 1e DMG, you are not a Dungeon Master."
Hurtful? Maybe to some people, but I'd say that's fair enough. The "Master" part of the title implies an understanding of the game and mastery of how to conduct a campaign. As of yet, I have none of these qualities.
I am however, a gaming history enthusiast. The first RPG book I ever got really into was Dungeon Crawl Classics. Something about it spoke to me in a way that modern D&D never did.
Now, I'm enthralled with both White Box and Blueholme, and I hope to one day run a campaign using a combination of these systems, with some aspects of Chainmail mixed in.
Unfortunately, I don't have much experience running a game for a group. A majority of my experience comes from running a solo game, so I have a decent understanding of the mechanics. I just haven't yet gotten my flow with presenting the world to my players yet. I'm very interested in learning how an old grognard runs an old-school game.
My advice is to start small. One dungeon. Run it narratively. Don't worry about voicing characters, presenting fancy mini battles, and such. You're not Matt Mercer, and you don't need to be. The game is fun. Have faith in that. All you have to do is fairly arbitrate the rules the same way you do when you play solo. Your players will have fun because the game is fun. Down the road, you can expand your campaign and hone your skills, but everything you add is just gravy.
Your game will improve slowly over time, but never forget...
D&D is fun even without any bells and/or whistles.
You might like that new game on kickstarter, "Shadowdark". I bought four basic fantasy books, but the thief skill rolls were kinda klunky and finding a trap or noticing and searching for things got a little confusing.
Shadowdark is a old school like with better rules
I, personally, do not share the general community's enthusiasm for Shadowdark. The art looks wonderful, but the rules themselves look like a pretty standard issue modern superhero power fantasy with a thin OSR patina. I will, of course, wait for the final game to be released before I render a final judgement, but I am singularly unimpressed by the rules that have been released, thus far.
This is the equivalent to indie videogames compared to AAA ones. Passionate vs corporate.
Comics, too. Pretty much everything that goes mainstream gets dumbed down and turned to flavorless mush by corporations trying to cash in on something they don't understand.
@@grumpyoldgrognard9561 very true. I don't look much at comics, but I picked up Shadiversity's "Shadow of the Conqueror". A few things in the story should have been fleshed out, but I found the world building (from where they live to how "magic" works) very solid and interesting.
Also, Razorfist "the long moonlight" shows a fantasy world, but with a "noir" vibe to it that I found very appealing.
Regarding comics, I know Eric July's, but I am not big on them unfortunately.
DCC is my current favorite and I run a homebrew version of that for any fantasy games I run.
I love 2e. That's my favorite version growing up from B/X, 1e, & 2e. But knowing what i know now about 5e, DCC, & others, I’d only play with house rules that incorporate the best of modern gaming mechanics, just not going as far as 5e. 5e has good ideas that go way too far & make the game superpowered.
But I’ve just bought the full Castles & Crusades set. It still doesn’t have enough for fighters to do & has a few other quirks I’ll rework with house rules, but it's a great rule set.
I stated playing D&D with the original Red Box, after that I played AD&D 2ed, D&D 3ed and 3.5. I really like D&D 5e. I think it's an improvement over the previous editions.
To each their own. Personally I find 5E to be a relentlessly mediocre game system for more reasons than I was able to stuff into a one-hour video...
th-cam.com/video/QBYIc43ZmRk/w-d-xo.html
@@grumpyoldgrognard9561 5e isn't perfect, but I don't miss all the tables you had to go though in old editions, the strange level caps or THAC0
I'm pretty sure you've never really tried old school D&D, because THAC0 is literally just subtraction. But OK.
@@grumpyoldgrognard9561 You would be wrong then. I don't every think that THAC0 was a thing in the first D&D I played.
THAC0 was a little more than just subtraction. THAC0 was the number you had to roll to hit AC 0 and then you calculated what AC you hit from that.
Do you seriously think that THAC0 was a better system for determining that the current system in 5e?
THAC0 minus AC equals number needed to hit.
Simple subtraction. Nothing more.
I see ZERO difference in subtracting thaco and adding a BTH to an AC.
From now on, I’m going to call attic dialects of the common tongue “high gygaxian”
LoL earned.
Good for you and your players.
I am blessed. I have been running open games since the early '90s, and you can count on one hand the number of problem players I have had to deal with.
Folk Dungeons & Dragons! Great video! For a great 0E clone, try Delving Deeper and it's free!
I have it, but the truth is, I haven't read it. I will give it a look tonight.
Watching this I remembered buying "Master of the Game" when I was a child. I just looked it up online and it's.... Pricey... now!
Yup. A hundred buck or more. Good read, although now that I aged into my role a bit, I feel free to take it as more "good advice" than the wisdom of the ages. I've been a DM far longer than Gygax was when he wrote it, at this point.
C&C is absolutely great.
It's my fRPG of choice. Nothing else comes close.
Also, the next edition of Chris Gonnerman's Basic Fantasy RPG is going Creative Commons license for its next published edition - 4th ed.
It hardly matters. WotC hasn't really given anyone anything they didn't already have by putting the 5E rules in Creative Commons. You can bet their own lawyers have told them as much or they wouldn't have thrown in the towel. They'd have made the OGL 1.0a into an irrevocable OGL 1.01b and continued the farcical pretense that a game was something you can copywrite.
@@grumpyoldgrognard9561 It's ok anyway. I like BFRPG and it's flexibility
One game that is free and is awesome is Cairn. It’s not D&D compatible but you can convert the monsters really easily. It’s great because you can read the rules in 10min and create a character in 5 min. The most distinctive feature is that there is no “roll to hit” but you always hit.
I'll check it out!
As a pedantic mathematician that likes to create accurate consistency based on stats, when determining saving throws or probability, I don't appreciate the weird percentile 18 (01-00) system of Strength for exclusively Fighters in ADnD and probably OSRIC too nor do I appreciate the d20 system of exclusive integers when determining stat bonuses in basic. What makes way more sense to me is to use a decimal variant (putting in another decimal) for the d20 system with this basic formula: (Stat - 10) divided by 2. I'd rather play d20.00 "decimal variant" (d20 + d10 for rolls between 0.1 and 20.0). Do you ever craft a homebrew like that?
No. As a rule I tweak around the edges. The domino effect of messing with attribute stats can be real game breakers (just ask the 5E designers about that). If you want that kind of control over individual stats, perhaps you should look into a percentile-based system? Rolemaster (or as it's critics like to call it, "chartmaster") is a great system.
I think B/X is different than BECMI. The Moldvay/Cook versus later revisions in the box sets from the 80s.
The play is different, as B/X does not include the scores of optional rules that are included in the Companion, Master, and Immortal rules... but the same Basic and Expert books form the backbone of the system, regardless of what you call it.
Dunno if I’m lucky, but here goes. Thanks for the information about the free alternatives to dnd dude.
Good luck!
@Grumpy Old Grognard re: your comment "Rolemaster (or as it's critics like to call it, "chartmaster") is a great system". Do you have some favored game mechanic or battle system, especially for guerilla warfare in the wilderness you want to share? Surprise and initiative in combat (if you really want to go verisimilitude) makes extraordinary difference in Wilderness settings strategy. I have some experience hiking in adverse terrain and know that as a fact. What really got me puzzled curious about fine details of stat modifiers (penalty/bonus) was considering the best probability of initiative and passive perception in rough Terrain Wilderness settings. 5e makes initiative modifier exclusively dexterity, and "passive perception" exclusively Wisdom. I think initiative or determining surprise moving through the woods is a combination of (Wis/Dex/Int/ and to some degree Constitution) and of course whether or not the characters & adversaries are familiar with the wilderness .
Interesting question.
There is no good game mechanic for determining surprise/initiative under the conditions you're talking about. No simple roll/modifiers can possibly allow for all the variables present. What you need is a good referee capable of making a fair ruling, not a rule.
@@grumpyoldgrognard9561 re: "no good game mechanic for all variable's" food for thought. Yeah I agree obviously we can't account for a lot of things IRL for a game of an imaginary world. Where's the fun and the time for that? but I guess my point is you probably understand how the passion of the hobby for some is that sometimes its human nature to find relief from worry by perceiving, account for, and preparing for all plausible and possible dangers in a fictional world. Mind puzzle exercises listing all plausiblities & possiblities of adverse situations, travel and encounters seems strongly part of the human experience. Some of us are accountants and auditors for these things by nature and RPG is sometimes a creative outlet for that. Some people suffer from OCD and PTSD hypergilent mental problems in excess, and that's where RPG can be therapeutical. It's a nerdy "on the spectrum" activity for some. I strongly believe 1 of the reason why Gary Gygax could make such detailed lists of plausibilities or possibilities in imaginary worlds was due to hereditary ancestry in the careful astute planning living and surviving in the Swiss Alps.
No mention of Worlds without Number? List gets an incomplete
Good call.
I have never played it. It doesn't have an attending mass combat system, so it gets, as you say, an "incomplete" from me but I have read it and it's an excellent system. Players looking for a strong RPG system who are not interested in domain level play should give it a look:
www.drivethrurpg.com/product/348809/Worlds-Without-Number-Free-Edition
Glad World's without Number got a mention. It's a great system, that never gets attention commensurate with its quality.
Hello¡! I'm a old school player from 82 first and second edition till 2002 in 99 when we found Rollmaster, which is way better like osric¡! Thank you for your content and keeping me grounded to rpg gaming it is "We the People" the community that keep the game alive not wotc or capitalist¡!
Nice to meet you!
@@grumpyoldgrognard9561 I can't believe how fast rpg has grown I wish my best friends were here to see it¡! Theater of the mind is priceless¡! Have a great day and role high¡!
Your petvpeeve with 5e (was too many "roll" playing instead of "roles playing")? I agree some feats & actions don't need rolls they need declaration of a roles. I agree that often the DM simply states how possible some activity PC wants to attempt is perceived by PC and after the character commits is either automatically declared successful or failure by the DM to some degree. I do appreciate the way 5e listed 18 basic actions with some relativity of what the success might be with main stats listed as a suggestion, even though these features should NOT necessarily have 1 ability stat modifier. I'm not sure that's a feature in ADnD 1e . Acrobatics (Dex),Animal Handling (Wis),Arcana (Int),Athletics (Str),Deception (Cha)
History (Int), Insight (Wis), Intimidation (Cha), Investigation (Int), Medicine (Wis)
Nature (Int), Perception (Wis), Performance (Cha), Persuasion (Cha), Religion (Int), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis). ("Passive Perception" could be any combination of intelligence, wisdom, dexterity, and charisma)
Initiative bonus/penalty too depends on situations.
I'm afraid my problems with 5E run much deeper than that, but yes... Players trying to roll their way out of problems instead of using their critical thinking skills to actually SOLVE them is a HUGE pet peeve.
If you would like a more thorough listing of my issues with 5E, I do have a video that discusses it in length.
But this is by no means an exhaustive discussion of the issue. The entire 5E system is hopelessly broken, and it gets worse with every supplement they publish. My advice for 5E DMs is to use the basic SRD game ONLY and wrap your campaigns up before they hit 10th level and the cracks in the rules become gaping chasms that will eventually swallow the entire campaign, whole.
rules cyclopedia is excellent if interested in BECMI
troll lord games is a company i can stand behind. Hasbro and WoTc can kick rocks!!!
I'm a huge fan of the Rules Cyclopedia, but it is actual D&D. That's why all it gets is an honorable mention out of this particular video.
Basic Fantasy: very good. There is also Labyrinth Lord.
Agree. I've bought both. I bought a bunch of Basic Fantasy stuff during WotC's ogl scam.
You were surprised that they lied?!
Frankly... Yes. They lost a lot of trust with the OGL debacle. They are allegedly trying to rebuild it. They could have easily kept their word and then stealth changed the rules. Instead they are choosing to tell another obvious, public lie.
At some point, the incompetence of Hasbro's executive leadership will stop surprising me, but I really didn't see them leaping into "same old shit" mode this quickly.
How are any of these clones better than the originals?
They are:
1. Better written.
2. Better organized.
3. Free.
You darn LARP'ers get off my Lawn!
I kid as I'm also a grumpy old grognard gamer now.
What's a LARPer? ;-)
The drama club majors back in school are the kinds of kids that 'Live Action Role Play'.
Hmmm. I was in drama club. Nobody invited me.
@@grumpyoldgrognard9561 :'-(
According to you I am not a DM, I guess I only ever was a GM X3
When someone tells you who they are, believe them: Like when a billion dollar, multi-national corporation tells you that they are a gang of greedy, bloodsucking, bastards. I think the word I used to describe myself was "pompous ass?"
But yes. I meant what a said. I don't believe you can be a real DM if you haven't read the most important historical document on the subject ever written.
I started with D&D5E, and (now adays) am *well aware* of it's flaws, (well at least some of them,) and *do* want to try other systems; but I'm still sceptical about clasic of D&D. (partially because some grognards will insulting the modern players instead of trying to sell them on older systems; which makes most people defensive.)
...
Like, I respect Gary Gugax for popularising TTRPGs, but from what I've heard, I would *not* want him as a GM.
...
Domain level play is certainly somthing I want to try to steal from clasic D&D thoguh.
I DM'd 5E for 2 years. This puts me in the unique position of actually having an informed opinion on the subject. OD&D, AD&D, B/X, and 3.5E are ALL superior systems to 5E. IMO that's inarguable. 5E is a broken system.
Castles & Crusades is superior to all of them.
Gary was dealing with what were essentially the original power gamers of the hobby trying to break his games, of which he was running multiple at once.
Similar experience to GoG here.
I've run every version of D&D since 2E and played all of them going back to B/X. 5E doesn't even make a top 5 list for versions of D&D to DM. Frankly, it is *painful* to do basic design work for 5E -- like homework and not like play or art.
Even better than any of the older versions, modern retroclones have better rules organization and include things like ascending armor class, and the new school indie scene is constantly pumping out games that are featherlight to run and built for fun.
Like, 5E is fine, I play it 2-3 times/week, but only because it's the easiest game to find a local group for. The best game of the week is my OSE game, consistently.
@@grumpyoldgrognard9561 Holdup; Defign "all of them?"
All editions of the D&D brand?
All D20 systems based off it?
The entirety of all TTRPGs?
@@robintst Yeah, I guess that makes sense.
I can’t stand the interjection of “woke” in modern games. Screw them, they won’t get my money. Stick with old school.
At the risk of losing a viewer... I, personally, don't have a problem with woke. Woke is good.
I have a problem with insanity.
Believing that forcing young girls to share bathrooms and locker rooms with biological males is social justice? That's insanity.