Retroclone
A retroclone is a knock-off of an older gaming system, for those grognards with grey in their neckbeards that mumble about how things were better "back in my day." However, as everyone grognarded to basically the same systems, most Retroclones are pretty similar, with neckbeards arguing which one is the truest experience when the real answer is none of them are.
For Your Reading Pleasure
- Adventurer, Conquerer, King is based on the 1981 B/X set, with a few changes, such as using a d20 for most rolls, adding a proficiency system, and doing 'race-and-class-as-class', which means that each race has several different classes to choose from (instead of the single 'elf' or dwarf' race in B/X). It also expands on the dominion management and stronghold building part of the game, with some other options such as trading. Supplements add systems for wars and battles, many more classes, and a custom class building system.
- Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (AS&SH) is a AD&D 1e OSR game which is, as the name suggests, inspired by the works of Robert E Howard and co. It’s big twist is the large amounts of subclasses to the usual Fighter/Magic-User/Cleric/Rogue array, meaning parties can quickly differentiate themselves... which is necessary, because there are no demi-humans. The "Races" are all based on races of men from old Conan stories: Kimmerians, Picts, Vikings, Stygians, et cetera.
- Basic Fantasy RPG is a knock-off of the 1981 B/X set but adds a few modern touches (races seperate from classes, ascending AC, several rules clarifications). It is available for free off of it's main website
- Iron Falcon was created because the creator of Basic Fantasy was told BF wasn’t OSR enough. Based on OD&D. Uses descending AC.
- BlueHolme is a knock-off of the 1977 edition of D&D (levels 1-3).
- Castles & Crusades is AD&D 1e by way of D20. It's big change is the addition of "Prime" attributes, which give a base chance of 12 versus non prime attributes base chance of 18, meaning characters are more specialized.
- Dark Dungeons is the knock-off of the 1983 BECMI books or Larry Elmore art on the box covers of D&D (levels 1-36 + Immortals)
- Darker Dungeons is a reorganized re-release, which makes a number of changes (including swapping the mechanics of the elf and wizard and adding pistols as standard equipment)
- Dungeon Crawl Classics is an OGL based work which uses Race-As-Class mechanics and high lethality to give the feeling of OSR play without sacrificing modern conveniences... right up until it ruins that by making you buy a bunch of dice you won't use for anything else.
- Godbound: D&D meets Exalted. Comes with rules for converting OSR or D&D adventures so your godling can fight a hoard of orcs barehanded, bring a follower back to life, or grow themself back from their own severed arm. Features a free version on drivethrurpg
- Labyrinth Lord is the knock-off of the 1981 B/X or orange/blue books of D&D (levels 1-14) Settings include
- Mutant Future (it's Gamma World)
- Red Tide (Fantasy China leads the rest of the world to Fantasy Australia to escape Fantasy Cthulhu, where they proceed to dispossess Maori Orcs)
- Lamentations of the Flame Princess is B/X with ascending armor class and gore porn. Uses race as class, a d6 system for skill roles, and replaces the thief with the Specialist, who uses a pseudo-3e skill system to allow them to act as thieves or rangers or historians. Has consistent releases of ungameable modules designed by Old Testament save or die GMs, with an extra layer of pretentiousness.
- Machinations Of The Space Princess is Lamentations of the Space Princess but sleazier and IN SPAAAAAAACE. Uses a Lamentations style d6 skill system, separates the "Looks" stat from Charisma for a total of seven stats, and adds a wealth mechanic where characters without points in the Lifestyle skill will start new adventures penniless, having assumed to have gambled it away or spent it on their ship, thus incentivising players to be quick with their gold.
- OSRIC or Old School Reference & Index Companion is 1e AD&D
- Stars Without Number: D&D IN SPAAAAAAAACE. Uses 2d6s for skill tests. Brags that you can take any module from OD&D to AD&D and with 20 minutes work convert it, which you will need to do because the game doesn't expect you to stay in one place for too long. Second edition adds ascending armor class. Free, abridged version on drivethrurpg]
- Swords & Wizardry is a streamlining of the White Box, including all supplements.
- White Star, Swords & Wizardry IN SPAAAAAAACE. Uses race as class. Leans heavily on Star Wars, with Star Knights and Void Knights, Aristocrats, Hotshots, et cetera.
- Wolf-Packs & Winter Snow is LotFP adapted for a stone-age setting. Less grimdark grindcore stuff, more wilderness survival. Magicians record their spells in cave-paintings instead of spellbooks, while the cleric-equivalent gets unreliable spells based on how much attention their god is paying. Uses race-as-class, with Neanderthals and Morlocks instead of Dwarves and Elves.
- Zweihander is the only non D&D retroclone on this list, a recreation of 2e Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
Adventures and Dungeons
Because GMs can't just keep running Keep on the Borderlands.
- Anomalous Subsurface Environment (System Neutral) - THE Gonzo megadungeon / setting book. Martian elves, So many Mad Scientist Wizards, tables upon tables packed with detail, and a dungeon with hundreds of rooms waiting for you.
- Fever Swamp (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - A hexcrawl through a horrific, plague-filled swamp, with all that entails. Candle stealing ghost children, a psychic crocodile, a wandering horde of skeletons, and a god monster deep beneath the fetid water.
- Gardens of Ynn (System Neutral) - A randomly generated pointcrawl through the lands of the Sidhe. Delightfully weird in a Narnia sort of way.
- The Hyqueous Vaults (OSRIC) - An anniversary dungeon for OSRIC, built by the community. A classic venture into a dungeon, with a river flowing through it's heart which adds a lot of strategic depth to how the players go through
- Maze of the Blue Medusa (System Neutral)- Players are hired to steal a magic painting, probably getting trapped within, get wrapped up in the strange politics of the dozens of weirdos imprisoned there.
- Stonehell (Labyrinth Lord) - Monsters have taken up refuge in an ancient prison, but what horrible secrets could lie below? One of the first OSR megadungeons.
- Tomb of the Iron God (S&W) - An abandoned monastery to a God of the Dead. His servants, turned to iron by some unknown curse, littering the halls. A crapload of loot. What more could you want?
- Tomb of the Serpent Kings (System Neutral) - A (frequently shilled) starter dungeon for OSR play. The dungeon itself opens up from a single corridor to a sprawling multi-route complex with skeleton snakemen, goblin spawning pools, and horrific mutations galore.
- Tower of the Stargazer (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - The "introductory" adventure of Lamentations, featuring a Wizards Tower... stuffed to the brim with save-or-die bullshit.
