Tenkar's Tavern: Need to Divide the Free RPG List

Monday, June 27, 2011

Need to Divide the Free RPG List - Any Thoughts?

The Free RPG List I've been putting together has grown in leaps and bounds, and is set to grow even more with the suggestions I've received so far today (let alone further suggestions and games I stumble upon). I'm not just throwing any game into the list, but I think the list needs to be broken down further.

I'm thinking:

Free OSR Games (for the D&D clones, sims, variants, etc)

Free Old School RPGs (anything from the mid 90's and before - T&T, Gore, West End Games D6, Lost Souls, OpenQuest, etc)

Free RPGs - General (Risus, PDQ, stuff from Greg at Dark Horse Games, Stuff from the Free RPG Blog, etc)

Free RPG Day Quickstarts (for this year, last year and possibly 2009) - this list would probably be the last one done

Any thoughts, suggestions, changes?

5 comments:

PadreJune 27, 2011 at 1:49 PM
I think the divisions you specify are good. What about the thought of genre groupings for the games: Fantasy –Sci-fi – Horror - Freeform and the like?
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TenkarJune 27, 2011 at 4:06 PM
Hmmm... decisions, decisions.
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Risus MonkeyJune 27, 2011 at 9:40 PM
I'd go with your first instinct. It's a pretty good division.

Oh, one more for the list: Gurps Lite: http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/lite/
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GaptoothJune 28, 2011 at 12:11 AM
If you're not personally recommending each game, it might be good to make each list its own blog post, and then put the link to each list in your sidebar. Earlier, it seemed reasonable to list them all in the sidebar, but this project has gotten more ambitious than I ever expected. ;)
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TenkarJune 28, 2011 at 9:37 AM
For now I'm sticking with the lists. Making it a blogpost that gets linked to is a good way to get it lost ;)
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Add comment

Why "Swords & Wizardry?"

Believe me when I say I have them all in dead tree format. I have OSRIC in full size, trade paperback and the Player's Guide. I have LL and the AEC (and somewhere OEC, but I can't find it at the moment). Obviously I have Basic Fantasy RPG. Actually, I have the whole available line in print. Way too much Castles & Crusades. We all know my love for the DCC RPG. I even have Dark Dungeons in print, the Delving Deeper boxed set, Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. BOTH editions of LotFP's Weird Fantasy and some dead tree copies of the Greyhawk Grognards Adventures Dark & Deep

I am so deep in the OSR when I come up for breath it's for the OSR's cousin, Tunnels & Trolls

So, out of all that, why Swords & Wizardry? Why, when I have been running a AD&D 1e / OSRIC campaign in Rappan Athuk am I using Swords & Wizardry and it's variant, Crypts & Things, for the second campaign? (Actually, now running a S&W Complete campaign, soon to be with multiple groups)

Because the shit works.

It's easy for lapsed gamers to pick up and feel like they haven't lost a step. I can house rule it and it doesn't break. It plays so close to the AD&D of my youth and college years (S&W Complete especially) that it continually surprises me. Just much less rules hopping than I remember. (my God but I can run it nearly without the book)

I grab and pick and steal from just about all OSR and Original resources. They seem to fit into S&W with little fuss. It may be the same with LL and the rest, but for me the ease of use fit's my expectations with S&W.

Even the single saving throw. That took me longer to adjust to, but even that seems like a natural to me now. Don't ask me why, it just does. Maybe it's the simplicity of it. At 45 52, simplicity and flexibility while remaining true to the feel of the original is an OSR hat trick for me ;)

Swords & Wizardry Light - Forum

Monday, June 27, 2011

Need to Divide the Free RPG List - Any Thoughts?

5 comments:

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