Tenkar's Tavern: Free RPG Day Pick #11 - Stars Without Number (Free Edition)

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Free RPG Day Pick #11 - Stars Without Number (Free Edition)

Want to play sci-fi with rules that feel comfortable and are easy to learn, especially if you are going from the OSR side of the hobby? Look no further.

Stars Without Number is probably the most complete sci-fi OSR ruleset you could find. A sandbox enabling sci-fi ruleset at that.

Simply amazing that +Kevin Crawford gives it away for free. If you don't yet have it in you gaming collection, grab it now. There are also a bunch of free supplements to use with you new copy of Stars Without Numbers

1 comment:

BadmikeJune 22, 2014 at 9:28 PM
And it won the Three Castles Award for Game Design at the 2012 NTRPG con...one of the easiest systems for old school SF play I've seen.
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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 ;)

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Sunday, June 22, 2014

Free RPG Day Pick #11 - Stars Without Number (Free Edition)

1 comment:

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