I see people frequently ask whether they should buy the Classic, or Advanced Fantasy book. I always recommend buying the Advanced Fantasy Rules Tome. You can still run a classic B/X game out of that book, by omitting the advanced option of selecting both a race and a class, and only using the classic options. Best of both worlds
I think for the most part that is right. I do believe for those sure that they want to be minimalist, or to be 100% faithful to source material, the regular Rules Tome is a fantastic book.
@@mykediemart That was one of the reasons I wanted to do this video. I knew that I wanted everything, because I got the original box early on (before selling and rebuying it). But, I also knew, past me didn't have the budget for EVERYTHING, so a lot of my videos are aimed at my younger self, evaluating the whole line of a game and trying to convey what each part brings to the table. Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for this! I didn't grow up plaing dnd. I started playing the Swedish rpg Drakar och Demoner (that Free League is publishing a new edition of, Dragonbane), so I don't have the nostalgia. But after a few years of DMing 5e, I am finding more and more drawn to the osr style, and am really thinking about trying out OSE, so this guide was very helpful! Keep up the great work with the channel!
You are very welcome. I will say, Free League is pretty amazing. I have a few of their products and have never been disappointed. Likewise, you WILL NOT be disappointed with OSE. They have well crafted, expertly laid out, well designed games, that have stood the test of time. I would suggest picking up a PDF of the original Keep on the Borderlands if you want to get a feel for an old school adventure to see some early adventure design to play with OSE. Thanks for watching!
This looks so awesome. I'd love to get a boxed set of the advanced books. Thanks for the breakdown. Wish the cover art was better, but it's not a deal-breaker.
You are very welcome. The cover art is in that pseudo old school style, that mimics but doesn’t replicate… I am not a big fan of the cover either, but the internals of the books are worth the covers. Also, they made their product line incredibly confusing with their numerous entry points, but once you understand the method to the madness, it really is a great way to do it!
Necrotic Gnome is a small shop, so they have pretty phenomenal “hit” ratio on their products. Like you, I haven’t ever opened one and not been impressed.
Never got the obsession with small books in boxed sets. I have the tomes, which are great. I'd like all my RPG books to be digest-sized and preferably complete games in just one volume.
I agree for the most part… I even did a video last year about RPG’s in a single tome. I think there is some utility in the format that OSE does the boxed game, but the primary draw is the nostalgia factor for the boxed product they were based upon. That said, it was also very nice to hand the player the appropriate spell book and that be exactly what they needed.
Fair enough but there is something special about getting everything in a nice box. It keeps it all contained and also means there is usually an adventure included like B2: Keep on the Borderlands and sometimes either other accessories like dice. Also the box usually has nice art that illustrates the game and gets the imagination going. I just got a Moldvay basic boxset and I'm very happy with it.
@@BX-advocate I think that this is the biggest draw for most when it comes to the boxed set, the nostalgia value. All of those old TSR sets always had a nice box that opened like a present on Christmas morning. OSE doesn't come with an adventure in their boxed set, but they leave room to FIT one of their excellent adventures in there! Like I said above, I had to have the boxed sets, and glad I do, but generally I actually end up using the Rule Tomes. I DO however love the utility of being able to hand the player one super slim book that has EVERYTHING that they need in it.
Great overview, but these are prohibitively expensive and basically impossible to find outside of the US. Basic Fantasy 3rd edition does everything OSE does, for a fraction of the cost, and can easily be picked up from Amazon (for better or worse). The OSE adventures are next level though.
Sorry, I can’t speak to purchases outside the US. I do believe that the Necrotic Gnome headquarters is actually outside the US though, Exalted Funeral is only their US distributor. I actually had a stack of Basic Fantasy books. While they are a nice gift to the community (free pdfs), they aren’t nearly as true to the source material, the layout and production quality is much lower, and generally I feel like I would rather have the OSE PDF’s than the Basic Fantasy printed copies, and the PDF’s are available anywhere. Just my opinion, you of course have a different one.
@@GodzillasaurusJrit's because of the recent reprints, I got both boxes because they suddenly appeared in my go to store but they are out of stock again, also the gm screen is impossible to find. I've been looking for the advanced tomes too and I've only found them in the UK and I'm not in the mood for paying Brexit customs xD Where did you get your copies? Do they have the Tomes in stock? I'm in Spain btw
I absolutely adore OSE, and I think Dolmenwood is wonderfully well made, whimsical and every good adjective you can think of to praise it. But I realised I prefer American type fantasy (be it Lovecraft, Howard or Leiber) to English (be it Tolkien, Lewis, Carroll or Rowling), so... I'm going to not buy it unless I get a new group to play in (current group can't play nearly often enough to just add games, without subtracting something else). Time is precious, and I'd rather spend it with Conan than with Frodo.
Awesome last take away there! I prefer Conan, Solomon Kane, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, to Frodo and Gandalf as well! My only issue is, so few companies accurately depict Swords & Sorcery gameplay. For that, I have 2 options… I feel like with the Fantasy Companion, Lankhmar stuff, and the Solomon Kane material, Savage worlds is a good high adventure Conan style game. For a grittier Conan game, with some minimal tweaks for magic and gonzo toning, Dungeon Crawl Classics also fits the bill!
@@booksbricksandboards783 I agree about Lankhmar, but didn't know about Solomon Kane, and Savage Worlds is actually what we play now in both my groups (one medieval, one cyberpunk group currently).
Solomon Kane is another Robert E Howard, work, so the styling (especially of some of the foes) is going to be a little Conan-esque. Being that it is set in a loosely Puritan 1600’s (if I remember right) earth, it won’t be a perfect fit. But the tone is pretty good for a Conan fan.
Yeah, they had a line of Solomon Kane books for Savage Worlds. They lost the license so you can only buy second hand print copies, no PDF, no new. They are very solid, as long as you are good with minor conversion for SWADE rules.
So this product is just B/X or the BE of BECMI rewritten? I play BECMI. I started in 1987 and never left. I saw the other versions and the clones over the years and never found them to be any different to what I already had or what I could come up with myself. I still play it to this day (though I use my Rules Cyclopedia). Running a summer and winter campaign, each of which plays in Mystara and have been going for years. It sounds like the OSE adventures would be a 1:1 match. Is that correct? Also, do they make adventure modules like TSR or forced storybook campaigns like WoTC? I could always use more modules. Thanks for the help. Play what you love, love what you play. BECMI Forever! Long Live King Elmore!!
Close to correct! It is a 1:1 match for specifically the Moldvay/Cook BX. Main difference in that and BECMI seems to be the thief tables, which are more favorable at lower levels (they stretched them out in BECMI). Regarding the adventures, they are most similar to a Dungeon Crawl Classic in my mind, but of the two, much more like TSR. There is also an advanced addition that adds stuff from AD&D but in a BX style. Great game. Also, jealous of your BECMI campaign. Rules Cyclopedia is a masterpiece.
@@booksbricksandboards783 Thanks for the clarification, fast response, and of course, a great video. Have you ever made any videos about… Your thoughts and experiences from when WoTC bought D&D from TSR? And/Or Your thoughts and feelings about the changes in D&D over the last 40-50 years? My favorite D&D videos are from the veterans who can actually speak from experience. So many D&D TH-camrs weren’t even alive when I bought my Rules Cyclopedia let alone my red box set. I have a feeling you would do both topics justice being able to draw from personal experience. Thanks again BECMI Forever! Long Live King Elmore!! ps-if you find yourself ever visiting Put in Bay, Ohio hit me up. Perhaps I can get you into my game
Jeremy, No problem at all! Love talking games with grognards! I did a video on the different editions, but it was early on in my channel, and did not perform very well. I may revisit again in the future. I have played every edition other than OD&D. If you have an event come up close by, shoot me an email. I’m only about 4 hours from Cincy.
@@booksbricksandboards783 I don’t get off the island much. I am the vineyard manager for the winery here. The island is the key west of the north. Tons of tourists Memorial Day to Halloween. Nonstop events through the season from Jeep weekend to Pirate Fest to Christmas in July. If you get bored stop on up. I’d email this to you but as an old man, I don’t know where to find your address. Sorry it ended up in your comments section. BECMI Forever! Long Live King Elmore!!
Are there any good open-world settings for OSE? I know of Dolmenwood, but it is quite expensive and I think comes with its own game rules if I recall correctly. I'm looking more for the type of settings books that have been put out for 5e.
There very well could be some I’m not aware of. My suggestion if you are wanting a huge world at a good price, I would go to drive thru RPG and get some of the Print On Demand basic setting books for Mystara. Different books for each region of the “Known World” that are roughly analogous to the cultures of popular fantasy. Another option is to use a more generic layout, like I did with my Isle of Avalonia setting, leaving the fleshing out to happen more organically during play. Create several hooks and then see where the players go. If I haven’t shared that file with you, shoot me an email and I will send it your way. It’s basic, but it plays on Arthurian legend in a Tolkien setting.
@@destroso if you want a copy, just send an email to my booksbricksandboards@gmail.com account. It's free, just something I built and share with the community.
Check out God's of the Forbidden North. There's a great kickstarter for book 2 going on now. Book 1 is also available through that or drive thru rpg. It's all made for OSE!
So if I understand you if I wanted to get into this at a minimum I should get the Advanced Player's and Referee's books? That contains all the stuff from the Classic Rule's Tome but with all the extras from the Advance Line? Or do you need all three?
You are correct! Those two books have all the content from the Classic Rules Tome. I love Necrotic Gnome, and it is ironic that with layout being their strongest point, they have created such a confusing product line that I needed to make a video to explain how to buy it! 😂
@@booksbricksandboards783 I know right? I was looking at their store while listening to the video and became so confused! Thanks for the help. I definitely want to give this a try.
@@booksbricksandboards783 Hi sorry, complete noob as of today, and similar question: If i got the advanced Boxset, is there any reason I would need the basic boxset? I would start playing in a basic way but want to then, well, advance as me and the players get good at the system and game, down the line. Would the Advanced boxset cover that, or would i need both boxsets? Sorry for the stupid question, I think you may have already confirmed it but I'd like to check, in regard to the box set version. Thanks for the informative video!
@@davidcauley9400 Not a stupid question at all, Necrotic Gnome made this confusing because, their Advanced Rules Tomes have ALL THE RULES, but their Advanced Fantasy Boxed sets DO NOT have all the rules. If you go with the boxed set version, you will need both the classic and the advanced to use the advanced. If you get the Tome, you just need the Advanced Players and Advanced Referee Tome to have everything. Good question, sorry I didn't see your question sooner!
Thanks for the heads up, I have always had good luck there, but good to know. I have also purchased OSE books from Atomic Empire and House Rule Games, both with no problems, if you need an alternative.
Via a Kickstarter, or was it a purchase from a particular store? Necrotic Gnome doesn’t sell direct as far as I can tell. I ask because I’m looking at ordering from their main supplier
Other than the setting and adventure content, I generally prefer the retro clones to the original. Layout and clarity were not at the same level in the 80’s/90’s. The clones are also easier to introduce to new players.
My main is the BX 1981 Omnibus Rulebook (fan comp) printed out and put into a ring binder, with the OSE box set used at the table as a luxury reference for the players, while I keep the rules tome my side of the screen.
![เปิดบ้าน โคตรสวย ป๋องกพล รู้จักตั้งนาน เพิ่งรู้ว่ารวย!!! l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tmgCF_2HfYI/mqdefault.jpg)
I see people frequently ask whether they should buy the Classic, or Advanced Fantasy book. I always recommend buying the Advanced Fantasy Rules Tome. You can still run a classic B/X game out of that book, by omitting the advanced option of selecting both a race and a class, and only using the classic options. Best of both worlds
I think for the most part that is right. I do believe for those sure that they want to be minimalist, or to be 100% faithful to source material, the regular Rules Tome is a fantastic book.
agree, I wish I had know that before I bought both.
@@mykediemart That was one of the reasons I wanted to do this video. I knew that I wanted everything, because I got the original box early on (before selling and rebuying it). But, I also knew, past me didn't have the budget for EVERYTHING, so a lot of my videos are aimed at my younger self, evaluating the whole line of a game and trying to convey what each part brings to the table. Thanks for watching!
I bought the box set but I’m thinking of returning them for the 2 advance books, it’s too many books it feels like
From what I see there is no Advanced Fantasy Rules Tome. Only 1 players and 1 gm's. Am I missing something?
Thank you so much for this! I didn't grow up plaing dnd. I started playing the Swedish rpg Drakar och Demoner (that Free League is publishing a new edition of, Dragonbane), so I don't have the nostalgia. But after a few years of DMing 5e, I am finding more and more drawn to the osr style, and am really thinking about trying out OSE, so this guide was very helpful! Keep up the great work with the channel!
You are very welcome. I will say, Free League is pretty amazing. I have a few of their products and have never been disappointed. Likewise, you WILL NOT be disappointed with OSE. They have well crafted, expertly laid out, well designed games, that have stood the test of time. I would suggest picking up a PDF of the original Keep on the Borderlands if you want to get a feel for an old school adventure to see some early adventure design to play with OSE. Thanks for watching!
@@booksbricksandboards783 Thank you for the suggestion, will do that!
Yeah I kickstartered DragonBane! Cannot wait!
Thank you for the breakdown! I bought some of the stuff you mentioned and am eagerly awaiting their arrival. Can't wait to play!
You won’t be disappointed with OSE. Great stuff!
Buyer's Guide begins as 8:55
Thanks, I should have added that to the original video. Appreciate the watch!
This looks so awesome. I'd love to get a boxed set of the advanced books. Thanks for the breakdown. Wish the cover art was better, but it's not a deal-breaker.
You are very welcome. The cover art is in that pseudo old school style, that mimics but doesn’t replicate… I am not a big fan of the cover either, but the internals of the books are worth the covers. Also, they made their product line incredibly confusing with their numerous entry points, but once you understand the method to the madness, it really is a great way to do it!
Also I totally need the box set!
Which one? Lol. There are two! Bang for your buck the single book Classic Rules Tome is amazing. Best usability, probably the Classic OSE Boxed Set.
This is so useful and helpful! Thank you so much!
Very welcome.
Old school essentials is awesome
Yes it certainly is!
I love every product they have made. Even the wormskin zines are awesome.
Necrotic Gnome is a small shop, so they have pretty phenomenal “hit” ratio on their products. Like you, I haven’t ever opened one and not been impressed.
I'm beginer so i going more slowly learning with OSE basic classic fantasy!
Honestly, that Classic Rules Tome is a great value, and more than enough to enjoy for years.
Never got the obsession with small books in boxed sets. I have the tomes, which are great. I'd like all my RPG books to be digest-sized and preferably complete games in just one volume.
I agree for the most part… I even did a video last year about RPG’s in a single tome. I think there is some utility in the format that OSE does the boxed game, but the primary draw is the nostalgia factor for the boxed product they were based upon. That said, it was also very nice to hand the player the appropriate spell book and that be exactly what they needed.
Fair enough but there is something special about getting everything in a nice box. It keeps it all contained and also means there is usually an adventure included like B2: Keep on the Borderlands and sometimes either other accessories like dice. Also the box usually has nice art that illustrates the game and gets the imagination going. I just got a Moldvay basic boxset and I'm very happy with it.
@@BX-advocate I think that this is the biggest draw for most when it comes to the boxed set, the nostalgia value. All of those old TSR sets always had a nice box that opened like a present on Christmas morning. OSE doesn't come with an adventure in their boxed set, but they leave room to FIT one of their excellent adventures in there! Like I said above, I had to have the boxed sets, and glad I do, but generally I actually end up using the Rule Tomes. I DO however love the utility of being able to hand the player one super slim book that has EVERYTHING that they need in it.
Great overview, but these are prohibitively expensive and basically impossible to find outside of the US. Basic Fantasy 3rd edition does everything OSE does, for a fraction of the cost, and can easily be picked up from Amazon (for better or worse). The OSE adventures are next level though.
Sorry, I can’t speak to purchases outside the US. I do believe that the Necrotic Gnome headquarters is actually outside the US though, Exalted Funeral is only their US distributor. I actually had a stack of Basic Fantasy books. While they are a nice gift to the community (free pdfs), they aren’t nearly as true to the source material, the layout and production quality is much lower, and generally I feel like I would rather have the OSE PDF’s than the Basic Fantasy printed copies, and the PDF’s are available anywhere. Just my opinion, you of course have a different one.
Except that Boring Fantasy RPG is well, boring. Totally worth the price point if you're that desperate for sleep, however.
You get what you pay for.
I live in Europe, and I don't remember having any trouble getting OSE (I got the box, because I wanted separate books).
@@GodzillasaurusJrit's because of the recent reprints, I got both boxes because they suddenly appeared in my go to store but they are out of stock again, also the gm screen is impossible to find.
I've been looking for the advanced tomes too and I've only found them in the UK and I'm not in the mood for paying Brexit customs xD
Where did you get your copies? Do they have the Tomes in stock? I'm in Spain btw
I absolutely adore OSE, and I think Dolmenwood is wonderfully well made, whimsical and every good adjective you can think of to praise it. But I realised I prefer American type fantasy (be it Lovecraft, Howard or Leiber) to English (be it Tolkien, Lewis, Carroll or Rowling), so... I'm going to not buy it unless I get a new group to play in (current group can't play nearly often enough to just add games, without subtracting something else). Time is precious, and I'd rather spend it with Conan than with Frodo.
Awesome last take away there! I prefer Conan, Solomon Kane, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, to Frodo and Gandalf as well! My only issue is, so few companies accurately depict Swords & Sorcery gameplay. For that, I have 2 options… I feel like with the Fantasy Companion, Lankhmar stuff, and the Solomon Kane material, Savage worlds is a good high adventure Conan style game. For a grittier Conan game, with some minimal tweaks for magic and gonzo toning, Dungeon Crawl Classics also fits the bill!
@@booksbricksandboards783 I agree about Lankhmar, but didn't know about Solomon Kane, and Savage Worlds is actually what we play now in both my groups (one medieval, one cyberpunk group currently).
Solomon Kane is another Robert E Howard, work, so the styling (especially of some of the foes) is going to be a little Conan-esque. Being that it is set in a loosely Puritan 1600’s (if I remember right) earth, it won’t be a perfect fit. But the tone is pretty good for a Conan fan.
@@booksbricksandboards783Yeah, I've read the books by Howard, but I didn't know there was a Savage Worlds thing for it. Or maybe I misunderstood?
Yeah, they had a line of Solomon Kane books for Savage Worlds. They lost the license so you can only buy second hand print copies, no PDF, no new. They are very solid, as long as you are good with minor conversion for SWADE rules.
So this product is just B/X or the BE of BECMI rewritten?
I play BECMI. I started in 1987 and never left. I saw the other versions and the clones over the years and never found them to be any different to what I already had or what I could come up with myself. I still play it to this day (though I use my Rules Cyclopedia). Running a summer and winter campaign, each of which plays in Mystara and have been going for years. It sounds like the OSE adventures would be a 1:1 match. Is that correct?
Also, do they make adventure modules like TSR or forced storybook campaigns like WoTC? I could always use more modules.
Thanks for the help.
Play what you love, love what you play.
BECMI Forever!
Long Live King Elmore!!
Close to correct! It is a 1:1 match for specifically the Moldvay/Cook BX. Main difference in that and BECMI seems to be the thief tables, which are more favorable at lower levels (they stretched them out in BECMI). Regarding the adventures, they are most similar to a Dungeon Crawl Classic in my mind, but of the two, much more like TSR. There is also an advanced addition that adds stuff from AD&D but in a BX style. Great game. Also, jealous of your BECMI campaign. Rules Cyclopedia is a masterpiece.
@@booksbricksandboards783
Thanks for the clarification, fast response, and of course, a great video.
Have you ever made any videos about…
Your thoughts and experiences from when WoTC bought D&D from TSR?
And/Or
Your thoughts and feelings about the changes in D&D over the last 40-50 years?
My favorite D&D videos are from the veterans who can actually speak from experience. So many D&D TH-camrs weren’t even alive when I bought my Rules Cyclopedia let alone my red box set. I have a feeling you would do both topics justice being able to draw from personal experience.
Thanks again
BECMI Forever!
Long Live King Elmore!!
ps-if you find yourself ever visiting Put in Bay, Ohio hit me up. Perhaps I can get you into my game
Jeremy,
No problem at all! Love talking games with grognards! I did a video on the different editions, but it was early on in my channel, and did not perform very well. I may revisit again in the future. I have played every edition other than OD&D. If you have an event come up close by, shoot me an email. I’m only about 4 hours from Cincy.
@@booksbricksandboards783
I don’t get off the island much. I am the vineyard manager for the winery here. The island is the key west of the north. Tons of tourists Memorial Day to Halloween. Nonstop events through the season from Jeep weekend to Pirate Fest to Christmas in July. If you get bored stop on up.
I’d email this to you but as an old man, I don’t know where to find your address. Sorry it ended up in your comments section.
BECMI Forever!
Long Live King Elmore!!
@@jeremydurdil556 lol, no worries. It is at the beginning of each video. Booksbricksandboards@gmail.com
Are there any good open-world settings for OSE? I know of Dolmenwood, but it is quite expensive and I think comes with its own game rules if I recall correctly. I'm looking more for the type of settings books that have been put out for 5e.
There very well could be some I’m not aware of. My suggestion if you are wanting a huge world at a good price, I would go to drive thru RPG and get some of the Print On Demand basic setting books for Mystara. Different books for each region of the “Known World” that are roughly analogous to the cultures of popular fantasy. Another option is to use a more generic layout, like I did with my Isle of Avalonia setting, leaving the fleshing out to happen more organically during play. Create several hooks and then see where the players go. If I haven’t shared that file with you, shoot me an email and I will send it your way. It’s basic, but it plays on Arthurian legend in a Tolkien setting.
@@booksbricksandboards783 those are great suggestions, Mystara is great. Sandbox Generator would be a good option also
@@booksbricksandboards783 isle of Avalonia sounds like a great setting
@@destroso if you want a copy, just send an email to my booksbricksandboards@gmail.com account. It's free, just something I built and share with the community.
Check out God's of the Forbidden North. There's a great kickstarter for book 2 going on now. Book 1 is also available through that or drive thru rpg. It's all made for OSE!
So if I understand you if I wanted to get into this at a minimum I should get the Advanced Player's and Referee's books? That contains all the stuff from the Classic Rule's Tome but with all the extras from the Advance Line? Or do you need all three?
You are correct! Those two books have all the content from the Classic Rules Tome. I love Necrotic Gnome, and it is ironic that with layout being their strongest point, they have created such a confusing product line that I needed to make a video to explain how to buy it! 😂
@@booksbricksandboards783 I know right? I was looking at their store while listening to the video and became so confused! Thanks for the help. I definitely want to give this a try.
@@codemonkeyattack I think that you will be very happy with the game, won't regret a dime spent.
@@booksbricksandboards783 Hi sorry, complete noob as of today, and similar question: If i got the advanced Boxset, is there any reason I would need the basic boxset? I would start playing in a basic way but want to then, well, advance as me and the players get good at the system and game, down the line. Would the Advanced boxset cover that, or would i need both boxsets? Sorry for the stupid question, I think you may have already confirmed it but I'd like to check, in regard to the box set version. Thanks for the informative video!
@@davidcauley9400 Not a stupid question at all, Necrotic Gnome made this confusing because, their Advanced Rules Tomes have ALL THE RULES, but their Advanced Fantasy Boxed sets DO NOT have all the rules. If you go with the boxed set version, you will need both the classic and the advanced to use the advanced. If you get the Tome, you just need the Advanced Players and Advanced Referee Tome to have everything. Good question, sorry I didn't see your question sooner!
They shipped me damaged books and still haven’t responded to emails. Purchase with caution.
Thanks for the heads up, I have always had good luck there, but good to know. I have also purchased OSE books from Atomic Empire and House Rule Games, both with no problems, if you need an alternative.
Via a Kickstarter, or was it a purchase from a particular store? Necrotic Gnome doesn’t sell direct as far as I can tell. I ask because I’m looking at ordering from their main supplier
@@retro-orthodox it was direct from Exalted Funeral.
Just pirate old pdfs of TSR books and print them off, just don't give WOTC any money. Simple as.
Other than the setting and adventure content, I generally prefer the retro clones to the original. Layout and clarity were not at the same level in the 80’s/90’s. The clones are also easier to introduce to new players.
My main is the BX 1981 Omnibus Rulebook (fan comp) printed out and put into a ring binder, with the OSE box set used at the table as a luxury reference for the players, while I keep the rules tome my side of the screen.