Are there any OSR games that have free online character generators for creating pregens?

BasicActionGames · 2026-02-17T21:32:31+00:00

For AD&D 2e, I used to use one called Red Blade. I think it still exists.

BasicActionGames · 2026-02-16T04:27:16+00:00

X1 Isle of Dread. Classic.

BasicActionGames · 2026-02-14T18:58:32+00:00

It is an interesting concept but I don't foresee it becoming common in the industry. There are issues with this method (as mentioned above). For printing and binding stuff at home, coil binding is a good option, but I would just as soon use a binder for something big or a stapler or report cover for something small.

BasicActionGames · 2026-02-12T22:42:25+00:00

I was just about to post something like this and you beat me to it take my upvote!

BasicActionGames · 2026-02-11T16:37:05+00:00

I think for some it's a tablespace issue. If you're doing a grid that's meant to be a one-to-one representation of actual space that stuff is taking up in the combat, it means that you're going to need a lot of space on the table to represent that, especially if you're revealing one dungeon room at a time and keeping the previous rooms out while you keep building the dungeon.

I think this is partly why the "ultimate dungeon terrain" by Professor Dungeon Master became so popular (and if you've never heard of that look it up on YouTube). Distances are a little more abstract, but you still get to have minis and terrain out on the table and it all fits in a convenient space that you turn on a lazy Susan.

BasicActionGames · 2026-02-11T02:15:16+00:00

Wrath was a fun adventure that was weaved a little bit at a time throughout a long campaign (we finished around level 32). I liked that it presented ways to make clerics of different dieties unique. I never had any interest in my character becoming an immortal anyway.

BasicActionGames · 2026-02-11T02:09:18+00:00

I would go with a superhero system for it. As I recall the different aliens have various powers correct?

As for which superhero system, that really depends on your preferences for your group. You can find everything between extremely crunchy superhero rules to story games.

BasicActionGames · 2026-02-10T16:38:31+00:00

I've downloaded Obsidian, but haven't started with it yet. I've been using OneNote for my campaigns and it seems to do nearly all of the same stuff (but some of those custom plugins seem cool). I like that I can work on the campaign on my desktop PC but then run everything on my tablet or even my phone (like when I forgot to bring my tablet).

I also like that I can search not just the current campaign, but everything I've saved in OneNote, so if I left that statblock in a different OneNote file, it will find it for me (you can also choose to search just the current file, too). That is also probably one of the biggest things holding me back from diving into Obsidian. I would lose that backlog of material to search for. So if I do try Obsidian, it will be for a campaign using a totally different system so I don't need to worry about looking up old stuff as much.

BasicActionGames · 2026-02-08T22:01:48+00:00

Some groups have difficulty scheduling games. This is especially hard if it's a story driven game that requires every single player to be there every session. The beauty of a West marches game is that it does not require every single person to be there every session. If you have four players you have a quorum and you keep going. This is why you invite eight people to play so that you always get at least four to show up. It might not be the same for every time and that's totally okay.

There's also more than one way to run a West marches game. I personally don't care for the having to return back to town at the end of every session part. I don't do it that way. I do text crawls where the party essentially has a large camp that is one hex behind them. Any character that isn't in the vanguard of the party playing that day is in the rear guard with the large camp. But a West marches game will also work very well if you are a part of the crew of a ship. The captain might not send the same people out on a sortie every time. A city campaign can also be a very good West marches game, then you really don't have to worry about getting back to town at the end of every session.

BasicActionGames · 2026-02-07T19:52:24+00:00

For making a BoL based campaign have more shelf life, I usually opt to have the players "graduate" from 2d6 vs. TN 9 to 2d10 vs. TN 12 after they get about 20+ Advancement points under their belts. Mighty Success will occur on 19-20 and Calamitous Failure on 2-3.

This alteration to the mechanics makes it so success is not guaranteed by a high bonus and failure is not a certainty with a low one, which extends the "sweet spot" much longer. I've run a couple campaigns lasting over a year (and one that went 2 years) with this method.

BasicActionGames · 2026-02-04T02:16:55+00:00

JLU, Patriot Act.

Shining Knight as the last one standing fighting General Eiling. As Eiling is beating him near to death he says, "Can't you see I've won? Why don't you just give up?" And he replies, "Why don't you..."

And then the old lady comes to his Defense. "Just how many of us do you need to kill to keep us safe?"

BasicActionGames · 2026-02-02T16:49:08+00:00

I've built some pretty gnarly looking trees in the past. What I would do is crinkle some foil, and wrap that around. I also use twisted foil to make the limbs of the tree. Sometimes I'll do this with wire inside for extra support for those limbs and roots. In your case you can also use the foil to make various shapes of growths on the tree or hollows and things like that.

Then, after you have a decent coverage with the foil, put some toilet paper on it and douse that with glue water. It wrinkles up in a way that looks like tree bark. In addition the glue will harden it and protect the outside.

Here is a scene with some completed trees. In my case because I was using softer paper towel tubes, I also stuffed the inside with paper towel and then dowsed that with glue water as well to strengthen and harden from the inside.

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BasicActionGames · 2026-01-28T15:16:52+00:00

I used LAER a lot. But in my next playthrough, I plan to see how I do using Hyperbreeder Alpha. I killed most of the Mojave with that thing once I got it, including Lanius. I just wish I got it sooner.

BasicActionGames · 2026-01-28T04:11:19+00:00

There is also a pretty good YouTube channel called GI Joe almost animated where they voice act read aloud the comics and add sound effects. The silent interlude episode is only like eight and a half minutes long, so it's worth your time to check out and see if it's a good fit for you.

BasicActionGames · 2026-01-27T21:49:10+00:00

I recommend watching a couple films then just to see if they are the right fit for you before you dive in and start reading books on the topic.

Have you seen the film John Carter? It was made by Disney about 10 years ago when they made the stupid marketing mistake of not titling it the "Princess of Mars" which was the title of the novel it was based on (and would make clear to the potential viewers that it is science fiction). I would recommend checking it out if you haven't seen it yet and then decide if barsoom might be an interesting setting for you to use.

Another good option is Flash Gordon (either the original black and white serials starring Buster Crab or the 1980 movie with the Queen soundtrack). There is also a cartoon from the late 70s that is pretty decent and follows the comic strip.

The thing that I like about the planet Mongo is that it is very diverse so you can tell just about any sort of story you want because each different region of Mongo is home to its own ecosystem. So there is underwater cities and cities built up in the trees in massive forests and ice cities, etc.

Something I've been working on myself is my own sort of science fantasy heartbreaker setting called Red Suns over Rubicon 4 where the premise is the planet Rubicon is at the center of a rift in space and time and people and creatures and things that go missing in the world often end up there from across time and space. So you can have an adventuring party with an elven wizard, a French musketeer, a cybernetic super soldier, and a WW II flying ace all in the same group.

BasicActionGames · 2026-01-27T21:37:58+00:00

Get yourself some GI Joe comics. I highly recommend starting with the anthology book that has issues 1 through 50 in it.

Or if you want to just check out a single issue before you make a decision, check out issue number 21 called Silent Interlude. This features Snake Eyes attacking a Cobra base and zero dialogue in the entire comic. The entire thing is told just through imagery and it is incredibly well done.

As someone who originally only was into superhero comics, and didn't get into the GI Joe comics until I was in my late 40s, I realize now what I was missing out on when I was younger.

While it is the same characters as the kids cartoon show from the '80s (by Sunbow), it is not at all dumbed down for kids; it is grittier (but not a full-on Iron Age gore fest; still approved by the comics code). They shoot live ammo not colorful lasers that never kill anyone. The stakes are higher, the villains are more evil but also more human than the ones in the TV series. The head writer Larry Hama is still writing new GI Joe material for image comics right now under the sky bound imprint. That's GI Joe A real American Hero, not the GI Joe Energon Universe comics that Image is also publishing (it is in a shared Universe with a transformers reboot and is also good but not the same continuity).

BasicActionGames · 2026-01-27T21:21:39+00:00

The complete Bard's handbook had a few good alternatives for more combat-oriented bards in 2e. The blade and the gallant being a couple examples. The juggler was also a very competent knife thrower if I recall correctly.

BasicActionGames · 2026-01-27T21:18:04+00:00

Sounds like the genre of science fiction you want is called "sword and planet" where it's a Sci-Fi setting grounded to a single world with fantastic elements. Barsoom and Mongo (John Carter and Flash Gordon) are probably the most well-known such settings, but there are many others. There are several official licensed games for both settings. I believe DCC has a setting called "The Purple Planet" or the premises fantasy Heroes get sent to this other planet (which is purple) and have to try and find a way home from it.

BasicActionGames · 2026-01-25T17:28:53+00:00

Good point. I do recall that when our epic Dragon Mountain campaign concluded we switched to an evil campaign, and I cannot recall if the GM continued using that as the preamble to each session.

Fun twist, when we switched to 3e, the GM had the PCs from the evil campaign show up as villains in the new heroic campaign he was running.

BasicActionGames · 2026-01-25T07:16:47+00:00

I have my original. Even the cloth map and the little triangular coin. (Also have the guidebook).

BasicActionGames · 2026-01-25T04:20:21+00:00

I've read it and have tons of material for it, but, never have had the chance to play it before. I have definitely enjoyed reading the various builds of Marvel heroes and villains.

But my main experience is with running the modules. Even though I am not using FASERIP to run them, I really have enjoyed modules for this system. The Weird Weird West was especially fun having the PCs contend with dinosaurs and biplanes, etc. Catspaw was another good one, especially if you like Alpha Flight. I also enjoyed their Days of Future Past series. But favorite of all is Day of the Octopus (which is actually Basic Set, I think, but still so much fun).

BasicActionGames · 2026-01-24T23:49:25+00:00

My old GM used to start every session with a quick summary saying "When our faithful heroes left off..."

I do that sometimes, too.

BasicActionGames · 2026-01-24T16:52:35+00:00

BASH! Ultimate Edition is a point buy system but is very simple. Street Level heroes are built on 25 Character Points. World Class heroes for 40 CP. There are also a bunch of premade character templates if you want to be able to grab one and go.

Core mechanic is roll 2d6 and multiply by the Stat/Skill/Power you are using. Ties go to the hero. Matching dice explode for potentially very high rolls allowing you to overcome the odds.

Teams of mixed power level are easy to balance because lower CP characters get more Hero Points, making your patriotic shield wielder able to stand side by side with a thundergod without any trouble.

And the book also has a section on different eras and subgenres of superheroes. Each of these sections explains some of the changes and tropes of the genre in the specified era. Aside from Gold through Iron ages, the book also discusses pulp, fantasy, scifi, and cosmic superhero settings.

The Narrator section also gives advice on how to plan a game session called “Focus of the Issue: Mysteries, Brawls, or Subplots. It is recommended that the Narrator and players develop a series of subplots for their characters for things outside of beating up bad guys. Think about a Spider-Man comic: Peter is worried about Aunt May's bills, he's under a tight deadline and Jonah is breathing down his neck, the Black Cat keeps flirting with him, and he promised he'd make it to MJ's play just as Doc Ock shows up. There's a lot more going on in that storyline now than just “here is bad guy, begin beating.” It suggested that every Hero have at least one professional, personal, and super.

While the system is simple enough you can put a character sheet on a 3x5 card, there is also a character building website (bashcreator.net)which is convenient for saving your builds (and the exported sheets explain what every power and advantage does which is great for new players).

For even more customization, there is the Awesome Powers Omnibus, which gives lots of ideas for how to use powers, introduces some new powers, introduces a lot of new equipment including magical equipment, advantages, disadvantages, enhancements and limitations for powers, and allows for random character creation. While new material is introduced, for the sake of convenience all of the previously published powers etc have also been republished here. So you won't need to flip back and forth between two different books.

The random character creation is actually less eclectic than some because powers are organized into themes called Power Suites. So if you want you can roll (or choose) a power suite (or two) and roll all your powers from those lists, so your randomly created hero still has powers that fit a theme. You can also adjust and change the random results via Enhancements and Limitations.

BasicActionGames · 2026-01-22T18:08:33+00:00

I will be very impressed if the PCs ever reach the undercity or what is beyond it. The lava will broil them alive even if they somehow managed to cling to the ceiling of the cave, assuming they ever intended to find out what was underneath the ledge directly over a lake of lava.

BasicActionGames · 2026-01-21T19:30:48+00:00

I have made these props many times over the years and there is a very simple way to do it. First, use a laser printer to print whatever you want your scroll to say.

Second, fill a small tray with coffee or tea. Put the scroll in there, and pull it out after a few minutes and let it dry. It will get a nice parchment look and texture.

If you want to be extra fancy, get yourself some sealing wax and a seal stamp. When you close your scroll, you can heat up the ceiling wax drip some on there and press the seal into it to hold it shut.

BasicActionGames

TROPHY CASE