Basic Fantasy RPG Forums

Found another new video review of BFRPG. Always nice to see this system we love getting a glowing review.

Thanks, he really did a LONG review. Overall, very positive and highlighting the best things about BFRPG and the community here.

I also think it is PERFECT for online gaming. Streamlined, and everyone can have quick access to the rules and supplements. Plus it is easy to hack (I'm sure we all have some houserules).

Thanks for pointing me to it.

I enjoyed it. And the best thing about Basic Fantasy RPG *is* the community... thanks, guys!

One thing that always confuses me when I watch a review of Basic Fantasy is some reviewers claim it's based on d20 mechanics. Minor nitpick but it always sticks out. I wonder what gives people that impression? The ascending armor class? To me it plays almost exactly like B/X, just with race/class distinction.

Agreed. Aside from a few so called "modern" mechanics, it is absolutely not based upon d20.

This comes from a paradigm that everything is based upon d20 srd, only to emulate the older material from that starting point.
The more accurate way to explain is that it truly comes from early edition mechanics, but cites OGL primarily for legal reasons.

So far, I haven't come across anyone bashing BFRPG. I think that's because the only folks who would review it are those inclined towards OSR stuff to start with.

Tazer_The_Yoot wrote: ↑Sun Jan 24, 2021 7:47 pm One thing that always confuses me when I watch a review of Basic Fantasy is some reviewers claim it's based on d20 mechanics. Minor nitpick but it always sticks out. I wonder what gives people that impression? The ascending armor class? To me it plays almost exactly like B/X, just with race/class distinction.

I commented on the youtube asking about this (I'm Anthony in the youtube comments) and they replied with the OGL answer, but I was really asking about mechanics. I just don't see it but every reviewer mentions this.

Cumbana820 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 25, 2021 11:51 am

Tazer_The_Yoot wrote: ↑Sun Jan 24, 2021 7:47 pm One thing that always confuses me when I watch a review of Basic Fantasy is some reviewers claim it's based on d20 mechanics. Minor nitpick but it always sticks out. I wonder what gives people that impression? The ascending armor class? To me it plays almost exactly like B/X, just with race/class distinction.

I commented on the youtube asking about this (I'm Anthony in the youtube comments) and they replied with the OGL answer, but I was really asking about mechanics. I just don't see it but every reviewer mentions this.

Hmmm. I guess that kind of makes sense, but don't most similar products also use the OGL? I never heard anyone say Swords & Wizardry was d20, for comparison. Anyway, this is possibly detracting from and derailing the focus on the nice positive review. There could be an entire thread about the d20 conception and probably has been.

Basic Fantasy was one of the very first OSR games to be released; there was no model for how it should be done. When I described the game, I was careful to play up the SRD connection, in hopes that it would help me in case WoTC decided they didn't like my whole clone-the-old-game idea.

Man, it's been ages since I was last here (life has not been kind, ugh). This video popped up in my feed and huzzah! I thought it was great!