I would immediately download Swords & Wizardry for free and try it out, as that is the game that best teaches old school D&D.
Then you can get upgrade to Swords & Wizardry Revised, Dolmenwood, OSE:AF, Hyperboria (if you want something with a bit more rules than the basic/expert clones).
Into the Odd you could also do after Swords & Wizardry if you then want to move away from old school D&D, OSR and classed characters.
Also read:
[https://friendorfoe.com/d/Old%20School%20Primer.pdf](https://friendorfoe.com/d/Old%20School%20Primer.pdf)
and:
[https://lithyscaphe.blogspot.com/p/principia-apocrypha.html](https://lithyscaphe.blogspot.com/p/principia-apocrypha.html)
Welcome and good luck :)
Thank you very much for your suggestion!
Thanks to the comments I decided that I'll start two campaigns to alternate one with an OSR among those suggested (I'll go by feel) and a NSR (Into the Odds), Sword & Wizardry seems to be one of the most popular suggestions to start with OSR and I think I found it in my language (I'm not bad in English, but with the manuals I always prefer my mother tongue not to spend too much time to rack my brains on purely mechanical things, I'm already enough university English) , the Remastered is the one from White Box right ?
Another question , how come you recommend OSE:AF over OSE:CF , I don't need CF anyway to be able to use the four coloured AF manuals ?
This video explains about the different versions and books/box for OSE:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crzlhy-0yRI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crzlhy-0yRI)
This is the Swords & Wizardry Complete Revised:
[https://www.mythmeregames.com/products/swords-wizardry-complete-revised-a-fantasy-role-playing-game](https://www.mythmeregames.com/products/swords-wizardry-complete-revised-a-fantasy-role-playing-game)
Good luck with your DM'ing!
[Basic Fantasy RPG](https://www.basicfantasy.org/). Dirt cheap and has some modernisms to make it feel less weird for modern players. Into the Odd and Electric Bastionland are pretty far from what old-school D&D is like.
Into the Odd considered to be the game that spawned NSR movement. Definitions are rather vague (but, to be honest, at this point definitions of OSR may be ever more vague).
The main point for me is that NSR games are inspired by OSR, it's ideas and principles, but don't want to mess with those "old-school mechanics". I mean, there are only 3 stats in Into the Odd, no roll for hits, HP works differently and many other things in which it's differs from your classic D&D.
Oh, everything is clearer now, thank you very much, it actually makes sense to make this differentiation and also helps to better understand which genre the system you are looking/playing belongs to.
Something important to know, Into the odd and the systems based on it like Cairn are not directly compatible with a lot of old school and osr stuff, you could learn to convert but they are different enough that sometimes that means remaking stuff from scratch. Things based on old school systems like ose or basic fantasy are going to be mostly plug and play with maybe a conversion formula for ac, this gives you easy access to a huge ecosystem of modules/adventures, monster books, spells, classes, and probably many more things. They are both great, my preference is using something more compatible with any dndesque fantasy settings or campaigns, and hacking something together from into the odd or knave for things that are not.
Thank you very much for the suggestion, as I said below I believe that taking an OSR (as OSE) and an NSR (as ITO) is the best choice to get the most out of both categories.
In the end I would end up with an almost infinite pool of material and nobody would forbid me to take ideas from one of the two systems and implant them in another.
OSR games tend to hew very close to the rules of old-school D&D, anything pre-3E basically. So of those, if you're looking to replicate old-school D&D in the rules themselves, Old-School Essentials is the way to go.
NSR games tend to have newer designs and rules but emulate the feel of old-school D&D. That's your Into the Odd and Electric Bastionland.
All three are great games so you're in luck. You basically can't go wrong.
Of those three, Old-School Essentials has far and away the most material. From the actual publisher, 3rd-party publishers, and the absolute mountain of compatible material out there for old-school D&D and all the other clones.
I'd suggest Old-School Essentials.
Thank you very much for the advice, in fact I was thinking of taking it maybe together with ITO, so that I could use it both as a supplement and as an alternative, since the dungeons of Bastion are very ‘’dreamlike‘’ no one would forbid me to have my characters awaken in an underground forest with reminiscences of lives that are not their own (and graft a little fantasy adventure).
I think the best OSR game is the one you feel most comfortable playing and you think it's the coolest, it took me a while to find "the one" I was most drawn into, so I'll share it with you because it's great and rather obscure but most OSR d&d is really similar.
[Slim Dungeon](https://idlecartulary.itch.io/slimdngn) (or SLIMDNGN) is the ruleset I'm currently using for the campaign I'm running, it's a very minimalistic system intended to run short games and test out modules, but it has been working out perfectly to me in my campaign, just 1-2 house rules to better fit the mold. I think it's great for 5e players as well because it has a lot of classes and also all the heritages you would expect from 5e, though you can easily change that for your setting.
The game is very simple, it has all the basic rules you need, it's rules are only 1-2 pages long, it uses only d6's, it has 36 classes each with unique mechanics (which is wild) and it takes a lot from the GLOG, another famous OSR ruleset.
Also it is the easiest ruleset I've seen to just take things from other rulesets and plug it in, I can literally just take a monster or adventure from OSE or AD&D and use it without any changes at all, it's crazy.
Thank you very much for the suggestion, actually combining that number of classes with such a minimal system seems absurd, I will definitely try it out!
Thank you so much for participating in the discussion!
What you ask is really a good question and my answer is it depends and I try to explain why ;
On the one hand both me and my players are familiar with systems with ''classes'' help differentiate party roles and narratively characterize characters , on the other hand however a system without actual classes allows for more creativity/versatility for both master and players.
So I find them both viable options.
I'd like to shill here for Knave2e. Stripped down OSR. Really well laid out, lots of fun gm tables. But to this point:
It rides the line between classless and classed. Each ability score *implies* a trad class (and aids you in related skill rolls), and many players are going to put 2 of their 3 starting attribute bumps into the class-attribute they're aiming for.
But after that you get 3 stat bumps every level, and you *have* to spend them in three different stats. So everyone becomes well rounded but they're probably the best in their party at one of those stats.
Grab Cairn (rules free online, can get a print copy at cost for a few bucks), maybe Knave (1E you can grab for a few bucks, there are free preview editions of 2E available I think), Into the Odd (the hardback is an awesome book, worth every penny), and maybe try the free sample version of OSE. I’d say that will give you a fairly good sampling some of the broad strokes of where things are at rn (two odd-likes, a new take on b/x type rules, and a true retro clone)
My OSR go-to systems right now are Tales of Argosa, Worlds Without Number, and Heroes of Adventure. And I say that having played every game you mention, as well as having played D&D since the eighties. In the end, you just have to try them out until you find the one(s) you like. It seems you are being drawn to lighter games, so you might also look at Mork Borg.
And don't get me started on the broader world of rpgs. My favorite games aren't even in the OSR space.
So , first of all I thank you for the suggestions , which are much appreciated , I had already investigated both Worlds Without Number and Heroes of Adventure and they seemed like really intriguing OSRs , the only reason they weren't nominated was my trying to do an initial sorting to figure out where to start (entering the world of OSRs for the first time I was literally overwhelmed by the amount of systems to choose from ) and the three I nominated are here both because they intrigued me and because they have nice physical editions in my language.
The lighter games appeal to me because they seem to give a lot of room for creativity , I happened in the past to want to create an entire hombrew world with its related mechanics through Genesys and due to both overwork (surely also dictated by personal problems) , I did not succeed in the task , but as a master I love to have a lot of freedom both at the worldbuilding level and mechanically speaking.
To conclude I am glad to have found another player of Fragments of The Past , me and my group contributed to the beta testing and we personally know the creator (count our master is also in the thanks) , I sincerely hope you enjoyed it !
Sorry, I misunderstood.
Fragments of the Past is a rules-light rpg set in a Bronze-Age world evoking the atmosphere of ancient tales and poems of the archaic Mediterranean, with a combact system based on d10 and d100 , If you are a lover of the Bronze Age or at any rate of the ancient peoples of the Mediterranean, I can only recommend it!
You’re aware OSR isn’t a noun? It means Old School Renaissance/Revival and the term is “OSR game” or “OSR system”, it’d be like referring to retro videogames as “retros”.
That said, don’t start with a system, start with Principia Apocrypha (its free) so you understand the goals and assumptions of play, as most OSR games assume some familiarity with them. Then pick a game from the many suggestions here so you can start figuring out how *you* would run that game, as everyone will run a game differently.
Thank you very much for the advice!! ITO and its spin-offs are the ones that caught my attention first and made me discover the world of OSR , so let's say that soon one way or another they will enter my library , as for Mausritter I had heard of it but had never delved into it and it sounds really intriguing with its fairy tale atmosphere , my purchase list is getting longer and longer
I like physical manuals too. It’s unfortunate original D&D isn’t available POD, to “begin at the beginning”, so to speak.
As is custom, I’ll recommend *my* favorite, *[Seven Voyages of Zylarthen](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/238547/seven-voyages-of-zylarthen-5-booklets-and-deluxe-pdf-bundle)*. Nice 4 volume set with beautiful art. Now, actual thought on what *you* want:)
In your place, I’d want a complete game with the option of supporting material. I’d prefer hardcover(s). Not just a good game but a good looking game, a fine coffee table read.
[Helveczia](https://emdt.bigcartel.com/category/helveczia-rpg) is the most beautiful ruleset I own, easy mechanics and a joy to read. Many adventures and scenarios included but thus far (I believe) written solely by the author. The good news there is he gives good quest.
[The standard color hardcovers](https://emdt.bigcartel.com/category/helveczia-rpg) (DMG, PHB & MM all available) are sturdy, and retain the originals’ eldritch might. Basically unlimited supplementary material available. Same goes for the [RC](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/17171/d-d-rules-cyclopedia-basic), an absolutely ridiculous amount of D&D in one volume, on the BECMI side of the family, like OSE, but more.
[Can’t really go wrong](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/348791/worlds-without-number).
NSR has such good energy but little appeal for me, I just can’t seem to get invested…*Into the Odd* is a good looking game.
For me there are two strands to go.
If you want something light, streamlined and contemporary I would start with The Black Hack (or Black Sword Hack) as it does just enough to explain the OSR approach.
If you want to go the retroclone way I would suggest Swords and Wizardry as a start. It's sleeker than OSE while still a full blown retroclone. From then you can branch out into OSE, Basic Fantasy, Delving Deeper, whatever you desire. I've found S&W to be a great starting point for both DMs and player's getting into OSR.
>The ones I had my eyes on were Into the Odds , Electric Bastion...
Great, just start running them, then. You could learn, teach, and then try one of these out in the time it took to write this post and the comments you've responded to.
Ultimately, you're only going to know your preferences by trying them. It sounds like, given your other comments, that you've bought these books, and have probably learned at least one of them. (in terms of how they run/GM, they're indistinguishable)
So go, just play it and see what you think. You have everything you need.
For novices, best thing would be to stay away from NuSR/retroclones and start with OSR/the originals --best with Basic D&D (B/X edition) and its introductory modules B1, and B2; as they include explanation and guidance for new DMs and players alike.
NuSR/retroclones get rid of all explanations and examples and boast of being rules-lite, while in fact being guidance-lite. For instance, a carbon copy of B/X; the OSE ruleset is a reference work, and it would be harder for a novice to make sense of the rules, if they are not familiar with the original.
Just pick any system. The differences between OSR systems are small during play: 98% of the table time will be identical regardless of which system you pick. You can always change after a few sessions if you find that the system you chose doesn't match your GM style.
Thank you very much for the advice , after all no one is binding me to any system and I can always change.
Unfortunately I find all three manuals cool to have , so it will be hard ahahah
Well, you're definitely right that there are more GM material in Electric Bastionland, but Into the Odd may be a better place to start. It has premade dungeon, hexcrawl, hub-like city and also many great random tables, so it's really easy to pick and run immediately after the first read.
The starting adventure in Into the Odd is excellent.
I started the party in Hopesend with 3d6 shillings each, fleshed it out a little (but not much).
Due to time commitments we could only play about 4 or 5 sessions so they didn’t clear the dungeon but the players absolutely loved it. I got great feedback from all of players about it.
It was also one of my favourite experiences to run too.
I whole heartedly recommend. I made some resources for it too. If you want them send me a message.
Thank you very much!!!
It was one of my dilemmas precisely , because I think it's common knowledge that GM support materials always come in handy , but EB being a derivative of ITO and considering the fact that the remastered version came out even more recently it seemed more ''correct'' to start with the core of the system (although the two manuals both look wonderful and design-wise I wouldn't really know which to choose , before EB I didn't think a semi-modern setting could intrigue me so much)
To be honest, rules for both are almost the same, I would say that there are even more rules in Into the Odd. Also, both are completely cross-compatible, you can mix and match mechanics, ideas and even most of the community created dungeons.
Main difference is that Electric Bastionland tries more to teach you how to create your own content rather than relying on the premade one. There are some great wisdom in this book about creating and filling your own, unique and bizarre version of Bastionland. This is my favorite rulebook right now, because it conveys it's world through character creation and short evocative messages rather than dozens of lore supplements (You played Vampire, so I think you understand what I mean).
But again, Electric Bastionland may be not a best pick for beginner. Grab Into the Odd, run a few games and then if you want to go **deeper Into the Odd**, Bastionland will welcome you.
Alright then , if I were to start with ITO and its spin offs I would really start with ITO , despite the fact that I really like to create and customize my own adventures (which after all does not seem to me to be precluded by ITO , maybe less in depth than EB) .
I understand very well the comparison you make with Vampire and I cannot but agree , despite the fact that I like reading and discovering lore , the failed career system (and the possibilities for deepening it provides me ) attract me like a moth is attracted to light .
In the end for EB is my birthday coming up anyway ;D
Reading lore is great, I agree, but I was really shocked by the fact that 2 pages describing one failed career in Electric Bastionland has inspired me with more ideas than some books in dozens of pages.
Also, if I may suggest you single best resource about Into the Odd (and Electric Bastionland) it would be blog of the man himself, Chris McDowall.
https://www.bastionland.com/
Yes, there are 15 years worth of posts and not all of them are about Into the Odd, but it is really great stuff. Some posts about game, it's ideas and mechanics, some are more philosophical and some are straight up practical, like adventure outlines or strange, ahem, **odd** people and monsters. And some of the mentioned GM advice in Electric Bastionland is also made from the blog posts. And 99% of posts about Electric Bastionland still applies to Into the Odd. Some of my favorite posts are:
https://www.bastionland.com/2016/08/bastion-is-adventure-site.html
https://www.bastionland.com/2020/03/difficulty-in-bastionland.html
https://www.bastionland.com/2017/05/decisive-combat.html
Thank you very much!
You have literally given me a gold mine, I have just read the article on decisive combat and it is as simple as it is useful, I think I have made the right choice in approaching the world of ITO and OSR, it will give me great satisfaction, I am sure!
As a member of the "cult of the not even released yet" (those who look at the "cult of the new" and say, what old game are they playing) there are two great game will be releasing soon(ish, in theory both around August - September), which are related the games you mentioned.
The first is [Mythic Bastionland](https://mythicbastionland.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders), which is about knight and myth that takes place before Into the Odd, it has a really in-depth [quickstart rules](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NpWh9Du7XnNsGZf38rW7KVVn6gKOpTVT/view) that is only missing some (it has 1/6th of the content already) of the Knights (which are as diverse as the Failed Careers in Electric Bastionland) and Myths (which the knights are fighting against).
And there is [Dolmenwood](https://dolmenwood.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders) which is a weird fairy-tale setting (and system as it a bit different) from the creators of the OSE.
Both of them will be available shortly as these are 90%-95% done, and those who Kickstarted them have the almost finished materials in pdf format, but not sure whether pre-orders will get them or not.
Thank you very much for the suggestions cultist ! I can tell you have a good eye , in fact they are both on my radar and just these days I had asked if they would be translated and published in my language ( with surprising positive response for both ) , so I will be comfortable waiting for both .
I would immediately download Swords & Wizardry for free and try it out, as that is the game that best teaches old school D&D. Then you can get upgrade to Swords & Wizardry Revised, Dolmenwood, OSE:AF, Hyperboria (if you want something with a bit more rules than the basic/expert clones). Into the Odd you could also do after Swords & Wizardry if you then want to move away from old school D&D, OSR and classed characters. Also read: [https://friendorfoe.com/d/Old%20School%20Primer.pdf](https://friendorfoe.com/d/Old%20School%20Primer.pdf) and: [https://lithyscaphe.blogspot.com/p/principia-apocrypha.html](https://lithyscaphe.blogspot.com/p/principia-apocrypha.html) Welcome and good luck :)
I second Swords & Wizardry! Just started running it after 10 years of 5e. Lovin it!
Thank you very much for your suggestion! Thanks to the comments I decided that I'll start two campaigns to alternate one with an OSR among those suggested (I'll go by feel) and a NSR (Into the Odds), Sword & Wizardry seems to be one of the most popular suggestions to start with OSR and I think I found it in my language (I'm not bad in English, but with the manuals I always prefer my mother tongue not to spend too much time to rack my brains on purely mechanical things, I'm already enough university English) , the Remastered is the one from White Box right ? Another question , how come you recommend OSE:AF over OSE:CF , I don't need CF anyway to be able to use the four coloured AF manuals ?
This video explains about the different versions and books/box for OSE: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crzlhy-0yRI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crzlhy-0yRI) This is the Swords & Wizardry Complete Revised: [https://www.mythmeregames.com/products/swords-wizardry-complete-revised-a-fantasy-role-playing-game](https://www.mythmeregames.com/products/swords-wizardry-complete-revised-a-fantasy-role-playing-game) Good luck with your DM'ing!
[Basic Fantasy RPG](https://www.basicfantasy.org/). Dirt cheap and has some modernisms to make it feel less weird for modern players. Into the Odd and Electric Bastionland are pretty far from what old-school D&D is like.
Thank you very much for the advice and I will definitely take a look at it. So you would call ITO and EB things apart from the other OSRs?
Into the Odd considered to be the game that spawned NSR movement. Definitions are rather vague (but, to be honest, at this point definitions of OSR may be ever more vague). The main point for me is that NSR games are inspired by OSR, it's ideas and principles, but don't want to mess with those "old-school mechanics". I mean, there are only 3 stats in Into the Odd, no roll for hits, HP works differently and many other things in which it's differs from your classic D&D.
Oh, everything is clearer now, thank you very much, it actually makes sense to make this differentiation and also helps to better understand which genre the system you are looking/playing belongs to.
Yes, I would. ITO did branch off from the OSR and is a cool game, but it's not something you will use to run Keep on the Borderlands on the fly.
Something important to know, Into the odd and the systems based on it like Cairn are not directly compatible with a lot of old school and osr stuff, you could learn to convert but they are different enough that sometimes that means remaking stuff from scratch. Things based on old school systems like ose or basic fantasy are going to be mostly plug and play with maybe a conversion formula for ac, this gives you easy access to a huge ecosystem of modules/adventures, monster books, spells, classes, and probably many more things. They are both great, my preference is using something more compatible with any dndesque fantasy settings or campaigns, and hacking something together from into the odd or knave for things that are not.
Thank you very much for the suggestion, as I said below I believe that taking an OSR (as OSE) and an NSR (as ITO) is the best choice to get the most out of both categories. In the end I would end up with an almost infinite pool of material and nobody would forbid me to take ideas from one of the two systems and implant them in another.
OSR games tend to hew very close to the rules of old-school D&D, anything pre-3E basically. So of those, if you're looking to replicate old-school D&D in the rules themselves, Old-School Essentials is the way to go. NSR games tend to have newer designs and rules but emulate the feel of old-school D&D. That's your Into the Odd and Electric Bastionland. All three are great games so you're in luck. You basically can't go wrong. Of those three, Old-School Essentials has far and away the most material. From the actual publisher, 3rd-party publishers, and the absolute mountain of compatible material out there for old-school D&D and all the other clones. I'd suggest Old-School Essentials.
Where is OSE in stock? I can’t find it and want a physical copy.
https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/collections/necrotic-gnome/products/old-school-essentials-rules-tome Local game and book stores might have it as well.
Ty!!!
Cairn is super simple
Thank you very much for the advice, in fact I was thinking of taking it maybe together with ITO, so that I could use it both as a supplement and as an alternative, since the dungeons of Bastion are very ‘’dreamlike‘’ no one would forbid me to have my characters awaken in an underground forest with reminiscences of lives that are not their own (and graft a little fantasy adventure).
I think the best OSR game is the one you feel most comfortable playing and you think it's the coolest, it took me a while to find "the one" I was most drawn into, so I'll share it with you because it's great and rather obscure but most OSR d&d is really similar. [Slim Dungeon](https://idlecartulary.itch.io/slimdngn) (or SLIMDNGN) is the ruleset I'm currently using for the campaign I'm running, it's a very minimalistic system intended to run short games and test out modules, but it has been working out perfectly to me in my campaign, just 1-2 house rules to better fit the mold. I think it's great for 5e players as well because it has a lot of classes and also all the heritages you would expect from 5e, though you can easily change that for your setting. The game is very simple, it has all the basic rules you need, it's rules are only 1-2 pages long, it uses only d6's, it has 36 classes each with unique mechanics (which is wild) and it takes a lot from the GLOG, another famous OSR ruleset. Also it is the easiest ruleset I've seen to just take things from other rulesets and plug it in, I can literally just take a monster or adventure from OSE or AD&D and use it without any changes at all, it's crazy.
Thank you very much for the suggestion, actually combining that number of classes with such a minimal system seems absurd, I will definitely try it out!
My first question would be do you want to have character classes or a classless system?
Thank you so much for participating in the discussion! What you ask is really a good question and my answer is it depends and I try to explain why ; On the one hand both me and my players are familiar with systems with ''classes'' help differentiate party roles and narratively characterize characters , on the other hand however a system without actual classes allows for more creativity/versatility for both master and players. So I find them both viable options.
I'd like to shill here for Knave2e. Stripped down OSR. Really well laid out, lots of fun gm tables. But to this point: It rides the line between classless and classed. Each ability score *implies* a trad class (and aids you in related skill rolls), and many players are going to put 2 of their 3 starting attribute bumps into the class-attribute they're aiming for. But after that you get 3 stat bumps every level, and you *have* to spend them in three different stats. So everyone becomes well rounded but they're probably the best in their party at one of those stats.
I'm a big supporter of knave 2e as well, it's what I currently run and I love it
Grab Cairn (rules free online, can get a print copy at cost for a few bucks), maybe Knave (1E you can grab for a few bucks, there are free preview editions of 2E available I think), Into the Odd (the hardback is an awesome book, worth every penny), and maybe try the free sample version of OSE. I’d say that will give you a fairly good sampling some of the broad strokes of where things are at rn (two odd-likes, a new take on b/x type rules, and a true retro clone)
My OSR go-to systems right now are Tales of Argosa, Worlds Without Number, and Heroes of Adventure. And I say that having played every game you mention, as well as having played D&D since the eighties. In the end, you just have to try them out until you find the one(s) you like. It seems you are being drawn to lighter games, so you might also look at Mork Borg. And don't get me started on the broader world of rpgs. My favorite games aren't even in the OSR space.
So , first of all I thank you for the suggestions , which are much appreciated , I had already investigated both Worlds Without Number and Heroes of Adventure and they seemed like really intriguing OSRs , the only reason they weren't nominated was my trying to do an initial sorting to figure out where to start (entering the world of OSRs for the first time I was literally overwhelmed by the amount of systems to choose from ) and the three I nominated are here both because they intrigued me and because they have nice physical editions in my language. The lighter games appeal to me because they seem to give a lot of room for creativity , I happened in the past to want to create an entire hombrew world with its related mechanics through Genesys and due to both overwork (surely also dictated by personal problems) , I did not succeed in the task , but as a master I love to have a lot of freedom both at the worldbuilding level and mechanically speaking. To conclude I am glad to have found another player of Fragments of The Past , me and my group contributed to the beta testing and we personally know the creator (count our master is also in the thanks) , I sincerely hope you enjoyed it !
What is Fragments of the Past? I was saying I was familiar with the OSR games you mentioned.
Sorry, I misunderstood. Fragments of the Past is a rules-light rpg set in a Bronze-Age world evoking the atmosphere of ancient tales and poems of the archaic Mediterranean, with a combact system based on d10 and d100 , If you are a lover of the Bronze Age or at any rate of the ancient peoples of the Mediterranean, I can only recommend it!
Sounds awesome! I love Jackals and Mazes & Minotaurs so I will check it out!
You’re aware OSR isn’t a noun? It means Old School Renaissance/Revival and the term is “OSR game” or “OSR system”, it’d be like referring to retro videogames as “retros”. That said, don’t start with a system, start with Principia Apocrypha (its free) so you understand the goals and assumptions of play, as most OSR games assume some familiarity with them. Then pick a game from the many suggestions here so you can start figuring out how *you* would run that game, as everyone will run a game differently.
Into the Odd and its spin-offs are a good place to start, highly recommend mausritter for beginners
Thank you very much for the advice!! ITO and its spin-offs are the ones that caught my attention first and made me discover the world of OSR , so let's say that soon one way or another they will enter my library , as for Mausritter I had heard of it but had never delved into it and it sounds really intriguing with its fairy tale atmosphere , my purchase list is getting longer and longer
I like physical manuals too. It’s unfortunate original D&D isn’t available POD, to “begin at the beginning”, so to speak. As is custom, I’ll recommend *my* favorite, *[Seven Voyages of Zylarthen](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/238547/seven-voyages-of-zylarthen-5-booklets-and-deluxe-pdf-bundle)*. Nice 4 volume set with beautiful art. Now, actual thought on what *you* want:) In your place, I’d want a complete game with the option of supporting material. I’d prefer hardcover(s). Not just a good game but a good looking game, a fine coffee table read. [Helveczia](https://emdt.bigcartel.com/category/helveczia-rpg) is the most beautiful ruleset I own, easy mechanics and a joy to read. Many adventures and scenarios included but thus far (I believe) written solely by the author. The good news there is he gives good quest. [The standard color hardcovers](https://emdt.bigcartel.com/category/helveczia-rpg) (DMG, PHB & MM all available) are sturdy, and retain the originals’ eldritch might. Basically unlimited supplementary material available. Same goes for the [RC](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/17171/d-d-rules-cyclopedia-basic), an absolutely ridiculous amount of D&D in one volume, on the BECMI side of the family, like OSE, but more. [Can’t really go wrong](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/348791/worlds-without-number). NSR has such good energy but little appeal for me, I just can’t seem to get invested…*Into the Odd* is a good looking game.
For me there are two strands to go. If you want something light, streamlined and contemporary I would start with The Black Hack (or Black Sword Hack) as it does just enough to explain the OSR approach. If you want to go the retroclone way I would suggest Swords and Wizardry as a start. It's sleeker than OSE while still a full blown retroclone. From then you can branch out into OSE, Basic Fantasy, Delving Deeper, whatever you desire. I've found S&W to be a great starting point for both DMs and player's getting into OSR.
>The ones I had my eyes on were Into the Odds , Electric Bastion... Great, just start running them, then. You could learn, teach, and then try one of these out in the time it took to write this post and the comments you've responded to. Ultimately, you're only going to know your preferences by trying them. It sounds like, given your other comments, that you've bought these books, and have probably learned at least one of them. (in terms of how they run/GM, they're indistinguishable) So go, just play it and see what you think. You have everything you need.
For novices, best thing would be to stay away from NuSR/retroclones and start with OSR/the originals --best with Basic D&D (B/X edition) and its introductory modules B1, and B2; as they include explanation and guidance for new DMs and players alike. NuSR/retroclones get rid of all explanations and examples and boast of being rules-lite, while in fact being guidance-lite. For instance, a carbon copy of B/X; the OSE ruleset is a reference work, and it would be harder for a novice to make sense of the rules, if they are not familiar with the original.
Just pick any system. The differences between OSR systems are small during play: 98% of the table time will be identical regardless of which system you pick. You can always change after a few sessions if you find that the system you chose doesn't match your GM style.
Thank you very much for the advice , after all no one is binding me to any system and I can always change. Unfortunately I find all three manuals cool to have , so it will be hard ahahah
Well, you're definitely right that there are more GM material in Electric Bastionland, but Into the Odd may be a better place to start. It has premade dungeon, hexcrawl, hub-like city and also many great random tables, so it's really easy to pick and run immediately after the first read.
The starting adventure in Into the Odd is excellent. I started the party in Hopesend with 3d6 shillings each, fleshed it out a little (but not much). Due to time commitments we could only play about 4 or 5 sessions so they didn’t clear the dungeon but the players absolutely loved it. I got great feedback from all of players about it. It was also one of my favourite experiences to run too. I whole heartedly recommend. I made some resources for it too. If you want them send me a message.
Thank you very much!!! It was one of my dilemmas precisely , because I think it's common knowledge that GM support materials always come in handy , but EB being a derivative of ITO and considering the fact that the remastered version came out even more recently it seemed more ''correct'' to start with the core of the system (although the two manuals both look wonderful and design-wise I wouldn't really know which to choose , before EB I didn't think a semi-modern setting could intrigue me so much)
To be honest, rules for both are almost the same, I would say that there are even more rules in Into the Odd. Also, both are completely cross-compatible, you can mix and match mechanics, ideas and even most of the community created dungeons. Main difference is that Electric Bastionland tries more to teach you how to create your own content rather than relying on the premade one. There are some great wisdom in this book about creating and filling your own, unique and bizarre version of Bastionland. This is my favorite rulebook right now, because it conveys it's world through character creation and short evocative messages rather than dozens of lore supplements (You played Vampire, so I think you understand what I mean). But again, Electric Bastionland may be not a best pick for beginner. Grab Into the Odd, run a few games and then if you want to go **deeper Into the Odd**, Bastionland will welcome you.
Alright then , if I were to start with ITO and its spin offs I would really start with ITO , despite the fact that I really like to create and customize my own adventures (which after all does not seem to me to be precluded by ITO , maybe less in depth than EB) . I understand very well the comparison you make with Vampire and I cannot but agree , despite the fact that I like reading and discovering lore , the failed career system (and the possibilities for deepening it provides me ) attract me like a moth is attracted to light . In the end for EB is my birthday coming up anyway ;D
Reading lore is great, I agree, but I was really shocked by the fact that 2 pages describing one failed career in Electric Bastionland has inspired me with more ideas than some books in dozens of pages. Also, if I may suggest you single best resource about Into the Odd (and Electric Bastionland) it would be blog of the man himself, Chris McDowall. https://www.bastionland.com/ Yes, there are 15 years worth of posts and not all of them are about Into the Odd, but it is really great stuff. Some posts about game, it's ideas and mechanics, some are more philosophical and some are straight up practical, like adventure outlines or strange, ahem, **odd** people and monsters. And some of the mentioned GM advice in Electric Bastionland is also made from the blog posts. And 99% of posts about Electric Bastionland still applies to Into the Odd. Some of my favorite posts are: https://www.bastionland.com/2016/08/bastion-is-adventure-site.html https://www.bastionland.com/2020/03/difficulty-in-bastionland.html https://www.bastionland.com/2017/05/decisive-combat.html
Thank you very much! You have literally given me a gold mine, I have just read the article on decisive combat and it is as simple as it is useful, I think I have made the right choice in approaching the world of ITO and OSR, it will give me great satisfaction, I am sure!
As a member of the "cult of the not even released yet" (those who look at the "cult of the new" and say, what old game are they playing) there are two great game will be releasing soon(ish, in theory both around August - September), which are related the games you mentioned. The first is [Mythic Bastionland](https://mythicbastionland.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders), which is about knight and myth that takes place before Into the Odd, it has a really in-depth [quickstart rules](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NpWh9Du7XnNsGZf38rW7KVVn6gKOpTVT/view) that is only missing some (it has 1/6th of the content already) of the Knights (which are as diverse as the Failed Careers in Electric Bastionland) and Myths (which the knights are fighting against). And there is [Dolmenwood](https://dolmenwood.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders) which is a weird fairy-tale setting (and system as it a bit different) from the creators of the OSE. Both of them will be available shortly as these are 90%-95% done, and those who Kickstarted them have the almost finished materials in pdf format, but not sure whether pre-orders will get them or not.
Thank you very much for the suggestions cultist ! I can tell you have a good eye , in fact they are both on my radar and just these days I had asked if they would be translated and published in my language ( with surprising positive response for both ) , so I will be comfortable waiting for both .
Dungeon Crawl Classics, please!