Old School Renaissance (OSR) (2000)

Overview

The Old School Renaissance, Old School Revival or OSR is a play style movement in tabletop role-playing games which draws inspiration from the earliest days of tabletop RPGs in the 1970s, especially Dungeons & Dragons. More popular systems developed under the OSR system subculture are
Shadowdark https://groupfinder.eu/library/shadowdark-rpg-2023
,
Dungeon Crawl Classics https://groupfinder.eu/library/dungeon-crawl-classics-2012
Mörk Borg https://groupfinder.eu/library/mork-borg-2020
Dolmenwood
Mothership https://groupfinder.eu/library/mothership-2018
Perils & Princesses
Basic Fantasy

Description

The OSR movement first developed in the early 2000s, primarily in discussion on internet forums. OSR games encourage a tonal fidelity to early editions of Dungeons & Dragons. Less emphasis on predefined endings, and a greater emphasis on player choice determining the fate of characters. OSR Games provide play where wrong decisions can easily become lethal for characters and do not guarantee satisfying endings to character arcs. Characters live and die by player choice as opposed to the story's needs

Key features

Rulings Over Rules

Rather than providing comprehensive mechanics for all potential scenarios, OSR systems rely on the Game Master to adjudicate outcomes based on the players' stated actions. This approach is intended to expedite gameplay and encourage lateral thinking over rule memorization.

High Lethality

Player characters possess low survivability, particularly at early levels. Game mechanics often dictate that a single error or unfavorable dice roll can result in immediate character death. This design element encourages players to avoid direct combat and approach the game world with caution.

Player Skill over Character Skill

Game resolution depends heavily on the player's descriptive input rather than the character's numerical statistics. For example, instead of rolling a die to detect a hidden object, a player must explicitly state that their character is searching a specific area or manipulating a particular mechanism.

Gold as Experience

Character advancement in many OSR games is directly tied to the acquisition of treasure rather than the defeat of enemies. Characters gain experience points primarily by extracting valuables from dangerous locations and returning them to a safe environment. This heavily incentivizes acquiring loot while avoiding unnecessary combat.

Resource Management

Game mechanics require the strict tracking of consumable items such as rations, light sources, ammunition, and carrying capacity (encumbrance). Depleting essential resources in a hazardous environment poses a significant mechanical penalty, making inventory management a central component of gameplay.

Reaction Rolls and Morale

Non-player characters and creatures do not default to immediate hostility. Game Masters utilize randomized reaction tables to determine the initial disposition of encountered entities, which can range from hostile to friendly. Additionally, adversaries are subject to Morale checks during combat, dictating whether they continue fighting or attempt to flee when at a disadvantage.

Active games and players

OSR
OSR
Online
Campaign
Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars
Players
0/4
GM
1/1
OSR
en English

Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars

Horror
The game leans into fear, tension and dark themes.
LGBTQ+ friendly
The table is openly welcoming to LGBTQ+ players.
It is 2010 CE, and the world outside your window is infinitely more terrifying than you can imagine. You are all characters inhabiting the Urban Fantasy/Horror version of our world circa 2010. You can play a Psychic, a WItch/Warlock, A studious Sage like Giles from Buffy or Sam Winchester from Supernatural, a Mundane human who has been thrust into a terrifying world, a Veteran hunter of the Supernatural, a Chosen One like Buffy or Ashley Williams from Evil Dead, a Mad Scientist/Inventor, a Supernatural Monster, or a Someone who can see Dead people and control the creatures of death and undeath. If you are at all interested or have any questions, please ask in our messages or via the form you will fill out.

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OSR
OSR
Keswick
West Marches / Living World
TTRPG group for various systems - Cumbria
Players
4
OSR
en English

TTRPG group for various systems - Cumbria

Roleplay focused
Conversation, character and story take up most of the table time.
Newbie friendly
New players are welcome, and nobody expects you to know the rules beforehand.
Looking for new players for shadowdark RPG games in Keswick,Cumbria.  I have an established gaming group and am looking to expand session frequency through additional players Group is new player friendly Shadowdark is a rules-lite d20 system with OSR vibes. Open to other game systems in the future. Current casual  campaign is a west marches style setup where each session an expedition party leaves a central base to explore the world through rumours and previous expedition logs , each session ends with surviving party members returning to base.  Looking for players wanting to play sessions between weekly and monthly cadence, If is enough players available on a day(3+) then I will run a session/expedition.

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OSR
OSR
Online
Campaign
Glimmermark
Players
4/10
GM
1/1
OSR
en English de German

Glimmermark

Glimmermark Open Table Spieler gesucht Ich leite derzeit jede Woche Labyrinth Lord (B/X DnD) als Open Table auf dem Grenzland-Discord server (Kanal #Glimmermark) Spiele dauern 2h, Dienstags 20.15 CET, Sprache Deutsch (oder Englisch, nach Absprache)m 5-6 Spieler per Session Anmeldung bis Dienstag nachmittag im Kanal, Spiel findet mit zwei oder mehr Spielern statt. Es koennen je nach Woche unterschiedliche Mitspieler dabei sein.  Grenzland Discord: https://campaignwiki.org/wiki/MontagInZ%C3%BCrich/Discord_Server Glimmermark Open Table Players Wanted I am currently running a weekly Labyrinth Lord (B/X Dnd) game as an open table on the Grenzland-Discord server (#glimmermark channel) Sessions are 2h., Tuesdays 8.15pm CET, languages German or English (depending on players), 5-6 players per session Registration is per session, until Tuesday afternoon (CET) in the channel, the game takes place with two or more players. There can be different participants from week to week.  Grenzland Discord: https://campaignwiki.org/wiki/MontagInZ%C3%BCrich/Discord_Server

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OSR
OSR
Online
Campaign
Better than Any Man
Players
3/7
GM
1/1
OSR
en English

Better than Any Man

Homebrew
House rules, a custom setting, or a system the Game Master wrote themselves.
Playtest
The game is still being tested, and your feedback is part of the point.
KARLSTADT, OCTOBER 1631 — WAR IS HELL The Swedes are invading. Sorcerers have taken Karlstadt with the aid of unearthly creatures. In Würzburg, the Prince-Bishop schemes to retain control of his domain. And yet darker forces gather. Thousands will die before the week is out. Can a group of luckless adventurers change the course of events? Profit along the way? But what can they possible do against those who consider themselves Better than Any Man? The practical bits — A campaign in the Holy Roman Empire. Sandbox with no metaplot or chosen ones — Religious war, witch-hunts, mass civilian death and body horror. If that's not your thing, this isn't the table for you — Open table for up to 7 players — 4 hours per session — Online or in-person depending on the group — Custom OSR ruleset open to beginners and grognards alike — Language: English — Free Contact: tg @Angrysigma or here

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en English
DND5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
DND3E
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5
...
Online
SCARYWIZARD
Interested in asynchronous text games only.  Dungeons & Dragons v3.5, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Old School Renaissance... Those kindsa games! PLAY-BY-POST ONLY; ANYONE OFFERING VOICE GAMES SHALL BE BLOCKED.
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New
Posted 21 hours ago
en English
Homebrew
Homebrew
OSR
OSR
...
Middleburg
Zack
For those in the Jacksonville, FL area, especially Clay County/Fleming Island/Middleburg,  I am looking to start up an in-person Castles & Crusades game soon, likely on Wednesday or Thursday nights. We have a really good venue, so it’s just a matter of gauging interest. Experience: New and veteran players more than welcome!  I am running again after a few years away, but have a lot of experience behind the screen with a lot of games. I have run longer campaigns of Rolemaster, Rifts, Savage Worlds, RuneQuest 6, and Castles & Crusades, along with multiple one-shots at conventions (including Palladium Fantasy and Microlite74).  Content: Expect some level of homebrew additions—lots of sandbox play, some house rules and classes I’ve already had or am kicking the tires on. C&C usually “feels” a lot like AD&D 1e in actual play, but with later d20 rules. I'm really looking to get back to the "sweet spot" that C&C represents. Not interested in 5e, Narrative Storygames, or Pathfinder 2e at this time (just not my thing, just putting it out there since those are common entries).  Play/Running Style: Encounters can be deadly; exploration, diplomacy, teamwork, creative problem-solving, and combat all have their place. What happens is all up to the decisions made around the table. Appropriate for most ages (keeping it pretty clean)—we just game. Friendly to new players--we will even have characters you can go with if you don't want or know how to roll one up. Hygiene and basic civility a must.
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