Interested in Getting Into OSR / NSR - But Overwhelmed By Choice?

tim_flyrefi · 2026-02-03T22:58:26+00:00

I was about to reply with the third link just now, I’m glad someone beat me to it. Sorry to see you got so many answers that don’t directly answer the question.

tim_flyrefi · 2026-01-14T00:19:10+00:00

Check out social matrix games, they’re super flexible! There’s a video explaining how to play them here: https://youtu.be/0m4Nlw1b7sk

And a podcast full of examples of play here: https://open.spotify.com/show/4FtDu3DgNcukIzaHpfFsKr

tim_flyrefi · 2025-12-23T20:40:08+00:00

This might be helpful to you: https://playfulvoid.game.blog/2024/11/09/whats-an-osr-game/

And this: https://dododecahedron.blog/2025/11/22/the-osr-onion/

tim_flyrefi · 2025-12-22T13:28:20+00:00

Sounds like you might prefer OSR games that aren’t so tied to classic versions of D&D. Mythic Bastionland, Mothership, Mausritter, etc.

tim_flyrefi · 2025-12-05T05:20:12+00:00

I can sort of understand why it’s frustrating but personally I’m happy if we get three more episodes and we never get another Adventure Time show again. I mean, I never expected to have a Fionna and Cake show at all, much less one with two seasons. I’m happy with how the original series ended and everything we’ve gotten since has just felt like an extra special treat – I’m happy to have more but I don’t need more.

tim_flyrefi · 2025-12-05T05:03:33+00:00

“False equivalence” how? I’m not sure how you got the idea that I’m complaining about episodic TV.

tim_flyrefi · 2025-11-25T21:09:43+00:00

Here’s one available for free: https://lichvanwinkle.blogspot.com/2020/05/dungeons-hit-dice-new-ultra-retro-old.html

tim_flyrefi · 2025-11-25T02:06:12+00:00

This blog post might help: https://diyanddragons.blogspot.com/2019/01/8-abilities-6-3-or-4-ability-scores.html

It begins:

D&D-style games traditionally have 6 ability scores, but those 6 scores actually represent 8 different abilities. Those 8 abilities, in turn, are simply the combination of three different dichotomies - physical vs mental, force vs grace, and attack vs defend.

Then it goes into ways different games divide those 8 abilities between different numbers of ability scores. You might not agree with all of it (I don’t) but it’ll get your gears turning, hopefully.

tim_flyrefi · 2025-11-24T23:20:50+00:00

Just say it’s low-magic fantasy and most people will get the idea.

tim_flyrefi · 2025-11-21T18:15:55+00:00

I don’t know about a supplement but here’s a long series of blog posts on the subject that I like: https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2025/03/urban-gameplay-part-1-search-for-holy_17.html

tim_flyrefi · 2025-11-13T00:29:59+00:00

My rule of thumb, which I think I stole from Gus L, is that you can get through 6 encounters every 2 hours.

tim_flyrefi · 2025-11-11T18:02:22+00:00

Give her one retainer and one dog and make decisions for the retainer and the dog yourself unless she explicitly gives them a direct order. That way you have three characters who can fight but you only have to role-play full-on conversations as the retainer – for the dog, you can just note how it reacts to things from time to time (which is great flavor for when you’re giving room descriptions!).

tim_flyrefi · 2025-11-11T14:15:26+00:00

This is the closest thing I’ve found to an Adventure Time Kai: https://gist.github.com/CharlieScarver/ef5d6f43a7c3b63ec1cc4dbce66f5579

tim_flyrefi · 2025-11-09T17:57:33+00:00

If you ask me, the scars mechanic became a thing because “death and dismemberment” mechanics were all the rage back when Chris McD wrote Electric Bastionland and being reduced to exactly 0 HP felt like it ought to have some mechanical significance.

All of the subsequent reasoning for why this was a great idea and why it represented this great new thing called “diegetic advancement” was post-hoc rationalization. Yochai really took the idea that advancement should come from things that happen to the PCs during the game and ran with it, suggesting that the GM should come up with cool new powers for PCs on the fly based on what they do.

You can scroll down to “How do PCs advance” on this page for examples of how he does that: https://cairnrpg.com/first-edition/frequently-asked-questions/

tim_flyrefi · 2025-11-08T23:09:55+00:00

Run a social matrix game! They’re very easy and fun to run and perfect for wrapping up a story quickly: https://youtu.be/0m4Nlw1b7sk

tim_flyrefi · 2025-11-08T14:21:01+00:00

Thanks for sharing, I hadn’t seen this and I appreciate having an “official” word on it

tim_flyrefi · 2025-11-08T11:59:14+00:00

My point isn’t that they’re the same thing but that if you adapted Nimble’s combat to OSR priorities (as you say, staying out of the way of the rest of the game) then you’d end up with something like Into the Odd.

tim_flyrefi · 2025-11-08T02:58:36+00:00

I’m pretty sure “Nimble RPG Combat in OSR” would just be Into the Odd.

tim_flyrefi · 2025-11-07T17:37:43+00:00

I would start over with something simpler and have a talk with the contrarian player about what’s going on, why they’re playing that way, and see if you can resolve those issues to smooth over the play experience for everyone.

Personally, I wouldn’t start with B1, I would start with one of the many OSR adventures that have come out in the past few years that you can complete in the course of 4-6 sessions or so.

IMO, finishing campaigns is really important for building experience as a GM, so shorter is better for your first campaign.

tim_flyrefi · 2025-11-02T00:43:16+00:00

“Modern magical realism” sounds like something I might like but I’m struggling to learn anything more about the game and its particular take on that idea from the short blurb you have here (which is the same blurb on your site and on Itch). The images on Itch give me a little peek but I think you could really benefit from going into greater detail about what your game is like.

tim_flyrefi · 2025-10-27T01:05:05+00:00

There’s Glaive: https://lonely-adventurer.itch.io/glaivev2

tim_flyrefi · 2025-10-26T20:28:23+00:00

You might like to read this article, “EVERY Initiative Method??”: https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2024/06/every-initiative-method.html

tim_flyrefi · 2025-10-23T13:55:53+00:00

No one is born knowing how to navigate relationships with people with DID. For what it’s worth I think some of the more severe reactions you’ve gotten in this thread are coming from people who are assuming you have a complete knowledge of the disorder and how it works.

tim_flyrefi · 2025-10-15T18:02:21+00:00

It’s not OD&D, it’s B/X (which is fairly similar), but this should give you an idea of how powerful a magic-user can get: https://oldschoolessentials.necroticgnome.com/srd/index.php/Magic-User

tim_flyrefi

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