Old-School Essentials

Return to the Roots of Fantasy Adventure!

We wanted this system in the library before we had time to write it properly, so consider this entry a placeholder. If you've got hours logged with it, we'd love your help turning this into something worth reading - reach out.

Overview

Old-School Essentials is a Dungeons & Dragons B/X retroclone designed by Gavin Norman and published by his own studio, Necrotic Gnome, first released in 2019. It doesn't reinvent the 1981 Basic/Expert D&D rules so much as reorganize them: rather than hunting across four different chapters just to build an elf character, every rule on a given topic now lives on a single two-page spread, with modern layout and clarity layered over mechanics that are otherwise untouched. Since launch it's become something close to the flagship rulebook of the
Old School Renaissance https://groupfinder.gg/library/old-school-renaissance-osr-2000
- clean enough to hand a brand-new player, and 100% compatible with four decades of B/X-era modules and third-party adventures.

Active games and players

en English
DND5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
...
Carrboro
Online
Mat
Hi, I am Mat.  I am a 56 year old veteran of TTRPGs, I started in the 1970's and love playing Dungeons and Dragons 5 and 5.5.  I also enjoy Basic Fantasy and other OSR systems. I prefer role playing over combat, but am not afraid to get my hands "dirty" if needed. I would like to find games in EST and on nights I don't currently have games.
Save to favorites
en English
VtM
Vampire: The Masquerade
Homebrew
Homebrew
...
Online
eikona
I've been gaming since the early 80s. I suck at bios. I have played a bazillion games, and am willing to learn new systems. I prefer long term campaigns, with  focus on roleplay and character development. I haven't listed all games I've played/own, because there's far too many.
Save to favorites
en English
DND5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
...
Newtownards
Online
Unlucky Dragon
Hey hoping to be a player in a ttrpg game I've 13 years experience playing on and off mostly GMing but would like to play more used to play pathfinder 1st edition back in the day played some 5e but most comfortable with shadowdark and osr but happy to learn any system for one shots or  campaigns
Save to favorites
en English
PATH2E
Pathfinder 2E
DH
Daggerheart
...
Online
Keith
Greetings! I am a 45 veteran of mainly d20 based role playing games but I might be open to another system if it strikes my fancy. I am open to one shots but I wouldn't complain if someone asked me to join a campaign :)  I have played the following games: Basic/Expert D&D Advanced D&D 1st and 2nd Editions Gamma World 1E Gamma World 4E GURPS World of Darkness (Vampire 2E, Mage 2E) D&D 3.5 Pathfinder 1st Edition Star Wars Saga Edition Star Wars: Edge of the Empire D&D 5E Dungeon Crawl Classics Mutant Crawl Classics X-Crawl Classics Pathfinder 2E/Remastered ShadowDark Castles & Crusades
Save to favorites
en English de German
DND5.5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E (2024)
...
Tallinn
Online
Nehop
Hey there, Have been playing a lot of DnD 5E but have gradually shifted to other systems. My local group is currently playing Mork Borg with me DMing.  Generally I would love to dive deeper into Shadowdark, other Borgs, OSE and into the Odd but open to try all systems.
Save to favorites
en English
DND5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
...
Manchester
Online
Rachel Jackson
Hello! My name is Rach (they/them), 36, and I've been playing DnD 5e for about 6 years, but I do enjoy dabbling in other TTRPGs such as Masks, Alien, LOTR. I'm looking for a game either online (I'm GMT/ BST/ UTC depending on daylight savings), or in person in Manchester, UK. I like a mix of RP and combat, but lean closer to more RP driven games. I normally play the group healer, but do love a barbarian. I will happily fill a gap in an existing party with whatever is required, I'm not precious about what character I play  I'm available Monday to Thursday evenings until 9:30/10pm (please don't ask me to stay up later, I am old and tired!), or Saturday and Sunday until 5:30pm Not interested in a pay to play game, but I am happy to cover the cost of playing in a game shop if required  Feel free to hit me up if you want to ask any questions at all
Save to favorites

Reviews

Sorted by:

No reviews yet.

Login to leave a review.

Other entries

SPIEL Essen
Tabletop events

SPIEL Essen

Europe
We are the world's largest public fair for board games and bring together passionate game fans with national and international exhibitors in Germany in the heart of the Ruhr area. Here you can discover new titles from all over the world, enjoy the company of other gamers and above all play as much as you want. Because playing is in the heart of SPIEL. Thousands of new releases, which will be shown and sold for the first time, are waiting for you in the city of Essen. Explainers will help you to start playing right away, authors will sign their works and are happy to meet their fans.

Read more

Goblin Points
Actual Play & Podcasts

Goblin Points

Draw Steel
News
Interviews
News and interviews about Draw Steel and MCDM. New episodes twice a month. Hosted by Jon de Nor. Episodes drop on the 5th, a roundup of all the news from MCDM, and features from the MCDM community, and on the 20th, interviews with people from the community. Links goblinpoints.com - Official website youtube.com - Youtube channel spotify.com - Spotify feed podcasts.apple.com - Apple Podcasts feed

Read more

Dungeon Reader
Tools & Platforms

Dungeon Reader

English
Free
Organization
Keep your focus on the Adventure A simple & free browser-based PDF reader, built specifically for running tabletop adventure modules from the book. For those GMs who crave simplicity - Dungeon Reader is a simple PDF reader with just enougn GM-friendly annotation tools to help you stay on the page. https://static.itch.io/images/badge.svg

Read more

Looking for a group?

Find a tabletop group to join or players to invite. Groupfinder is a free looking-for-group platform. By players, for players.