OSR Free for All

 Old School (F)Ree-vival

    I'm not a part of the OSR community and I don't play OSR style games (yet!), but I still felt like this subset of the RPG hobby deserved its own post. Of course, I'll let people more qualified than me explain what the OSR even means and what sets these games apart from others in the industry. With this in mind, I won't try to explain much about the games and resources linked below, except to say that most of these aren't really quickstarts as presented for other games (with a couple exceptions, specific beats general). Some of the links will take you to full, free versions of the games, and others may take you to pay what you want web stores. I'm also including a couple of free, or nearly free, learn to play adventures designed specifically for the OSR style.

So, what is OSR?

State of the OSR - great panel discussion at the GaryCon convention in 2025, featuring various game designers and adventure writers in the OSR scene. Start here for a real peak into the community, directly from the people who live it every day.

What is the OSR? - discussion of what could define the OSR on Sly Flourish's one man RPG Talk Show (starts at the 24:55 mark). 

The Games

Cairn - "Cairn is an adventure game for one facilitator (the Warden) and at least one other player. Players act as hardened adventurers exploring a dark & mysterious Wood filled with strange folk, hidden treasure, and unspeakable monstrosities. Character generation is quick and random, adventures are tense and reward careful exploration, and combat is frantic and deadly."
Also, lots of good blogs from Yochai, the creator of Cairn, on this site.

Mythic Bastionland - "Take the Oath and venture into Mythic Bastionland, a tabletop RPG set in the imagined past of Into the Odd and Electric Bastionland , built on the same lightning fast, ultra-streamlined rules system.In Mythic Bastionland you begin as a young knight errant, seeking the glory to lead warbands, earn a place in court, and rule your own domain. Glory is found in hunting the Myths of this world, manifesting them into reality while protecting the Realm from their strange influence."
Free quickstart linked lower on the page, with further free resources.

Mausritter - "Take on the role of brave mice adventuring in a huge, dangerous world. Simple mechanics make it easy to learn and quick to play, and the setting offers a mix of whimsy and peril. Think tiny swords, lost magic, and terrifying creatures. Mausritter features a unique inventory system that uses physical item cards, making gear management tactile and intuitive. It's perfect for kids, newcomers, and seasoned players alike."

Mork Borg - "a pitch-black apocalyptic fantasy RPG about lost souls and fools seeking redemption, forgiveness or the last remaining riches in a bleak and dying world." This game has spawned a whole subset of Borg clones and spinoffs, which you can easily find with a little searching.

Perils & Princesses - not quite free quickstart - "Perils & Princesses is a fantasy role-playing game of gritty and pretty fairy tale adventure for 1–5 players and a Game Master. Steel your resolve, gather your grace and sharpen your wits, and you might just live…Happily Ever After."

Old-School Essentials - free basic rules - "Old-School Essentials is an award-winning role-playing game of fantastic adventure, monsters, and magic. Players delve into forbidden crypts and forsaken ruins, explore haunted forests and perilous mountain ranges, sail the high seas in search of lost lands, recover fabulous treasures, and unearth secrets of ancient magic."

Worlds Without Number - free edition - "Worlds Without Number is a fantasy role-playing game, one fully compatible with the hit sci-fi game Stars Without Number. It's built from the ground up to provide gritty, hard-edged adventure in the fathomless future of the Latter Earth, a fantastic realm of time-lost sorcery, savage foes, and barbaric splendor. The cold steel in the fists of your heroes and the half-understood sorcery in their tomes must suffice to overcome the monstrous remnants of ancient alien rulers and the present depredations of ruthless lords and hideous beasts alike. The riches of lost ages await in the subterranean Deeps that once held their kingdoms, and even the heavens above are not beyond the reach of the recklessly daring."

Stars Without Number - free edition - "Stars Without Number: Revised Edition is an old-school-inspired game of sci-fi adventure, one built from the ground up to encourage sandbox play and simplify a GM's job in providing it. Familiar mechanics are employed to forge new worlds and explore new possibilities, guidelines built on long experience used to help a group venture in wholly new directions."

Teaching Dungeons

    Much has been said about the quality of adventure and dungeon writing in the OSR scene, so it seems warranted to include a couple which were designed specifically to introduce and teach newcomers the ways of the OSR.

Tomb of the Serpent Kings - by Skerples, a well respected writer and designer in the scene. Free teaching dungeon, with lessons which could applied to many fantasy games.

Prison of the Hated Pretender - by Gus L - not quite free, but it was recommended as another great example and comes from one of the scene's longest running contributors.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts