The detours of the OSR or the Gonnerman and Goodman Effect.

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Solomoriah
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Re: The detours of the OSR or the Gonnerman and Goodman Effect.

Post by Solomoriah »

Huh. I didn't take the OP to be divisive in any way.
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PatB
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Re: The detours of the OSR or the Gonnerman and Goodman Effect.

Post by PatB »

I want to respond to Onearmsence. I will be brief. I'm actually going to copy-paste the clarification I wrote on facebook (everything ends up disappearing on facebook anyway):

« It was not my intention to create a division between one game and another and I guess I misspoke.
What I was trying to point out (I believe) is the difficulty of making a choice when it comes to choosing an RPG. Several factors come into play, such as the time available, the money, the interest of the players… I would like to be able to try everything, but it is not realistic for me. I've told my friends about DCC several times, but they seem to be intimidated by the format of the book and many don't like the design at all. I think I have better luck with Basic Fantasy or Iron Falcon. The sofcovers are easy to flip through and look at and they're cheap, and I can even send the pdf to them legally. »

As for Appendix N, I know the subject very well, half of my library is made up of Appendix N. I will be happy to talk about it. :-)
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Re: The detours of the OSR or the Gonnerman and Goodman Effect.

Post by gabeprime »

Every now and then I think about the other OSR games and how cool they seem to be but I always find myself coming back to BFRPG in the end. It has that perfect combination for playing older school D&D. The writing is clear and concise. The layout is clean. The fonts used are super readable that even if you print the core book in A5 digest size, it’s still very readable. It’s so easy to get other people into the game as the barrier for entry is very low. And as you said, ruining a copy of the book doesn’t feel so devastating as it’s so easy to get another one.

Heck I hand my players their own copies of the book. 😀

So yeah, I really appreciate this game, this project and this community. I feel at home here.
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Re: The detours of the OSR or the Gonnerman and Goodman Effect.

Post by Metroknight »

gabeprime wrote: Sat Dec 10, 2022 5:09 am Every now and then I think about the other OSR games and how cool they seem to be but I always find myself coming back to BFRPG in the end. It has that perfect combination for playing older school D&D. The writing is clear and concise. The layout is clean. The fonts used are super readable that even if you print the core book in A5 digest size, it’s still very readable. It’s so easy to get other people into the game as the barrier for entry is very low. And as you said, ruining a copy of the book doesn’t feel so devastating as it’s so easy to get another one.

Heck I hand my players their own copies of the book. 😀

So yeah, I really appreciate this game, this project and this community. I feel at home here.
The same for me. I go read a different system then just come back to BFRPG. Over and over, I do this. I've given out the core rules books around half-dozen times and various supplements about that many times. I bought myself a hardback and various supplements.
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Re: The detours of the OSR or the Gonnerman and Goodman Effect.

Post by teaman »

All the clones fill a certain niche (heck, Iron Falcon does too). But I can't see why you wouldn't go with free (or nearly free for print.) Maybe that's the cheap you-know-what in me.

And all the OSR stuff is so compatible, well, play BFRPG and port over adventures from wherever. I just read a FASA Star Trek adventure I could port over to fantasy using BFRPG. A little work, sure. But that's all part of the fun.
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Re: The detours of the OSR or the Gonnerman and Goodman Effect.

Post by onearmspence »

PatB wrote: Sat Dec 10, 2022 2:43 am « It was not my intention to create a division between one game and another and I guess I misspoke.
What I was trying to point out (I believe) is the difficulty of making a choice when it comes to choosing an RPG. Several factors come into play, such as the time available, the money, the interest of the players… I would like to be able to try everything, but it is not realistic for me. I've told my friends about DCC several times, but they seem to be intimidated by the format of the book and many don't like the design at all. I think I have better luck with Basic Fantasy or Iron Falcon. The sofcovers are easy to flip through and look at and they're cheap, and I can even send the pdf to them legally. »
I do understand that difficulty and I hope you have better luck with Basic Fantasy or Iron Falcon.

I was thinking about this choice of an rpg game and how it relates to searching this perfect rulebook. This is something that seems to be part of the OSR spirit. The search for this perfect (and also very personal) game; the invitation to build your own game through house rules. In the end I think those detours inevitably leads to accept the flaws, the limits, the "wabi-sabi". I was fascinated by IF but then I saw it doesn't have a chapter for stocking dungeons like BF, and that dissapointed me a little bit... But then I thougth that I may just use BF rules for stocking a dungeon in IF, and house rule and from that personal mix learn to accept the imperfections.
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Re: The detours of the OSR or the Gonnerman and Goodman Effect.

Post by Beowulf »

gabeprime wrote: Sat Dec 10, 2022 5:09 am Every now and then I think about the other OSR games and how cool they seem to be but I always find myself coming back to BFRPG in the end. It has that perfect combination for playing older school D&D.
BFRPG really hits the sweet spot for me! Currently I'm immensely fortunate to have two very steady and reliable weekly games! :shock: 8-) One is a true unicorn, an AD&D 1e game played locally with five to six steady players. The other is an online BFRGP game played via Owlbear and Google Voice. What a great combo! The 1e game can easily bear the extra complexity due to being around a table and because two of us have played since the ink was still wet on the PHB. :lol: The BFRPG has four older dudes that grew up on D&D and a couple younger guys, and the spartan rules set makes the game go a lot faster which is key for a VTT game.

I really hate to "go there" as there's no need for OSR fans to pit one fan base vs another but I originally got the Old School Essentials books and started a game. But it petered out pretty quickly to be replaced by AD&D. No real knock on the game but it's so expensive, and it was very hard for the other guys to get books as they're always out of stock. I lucked into mine at the FLGS! Of course, you could buy every BFRPG book in print for maybe $100 and get 'em all for free online. Maybe the printed book isn't as lavish as the OSE books but for $5 instead of $45 I'll take it!
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Re: The detours of the OSR or the Gonnerman and Goodman Effect.

Post by teaman »

Beowulf wrote: Sun Dec 11, 2022 7:14 am
gabeprime wrote: Sat Dec 10, 2022 5:09 am Every now and then I think about the other OSR games and how cool they seem to be but I always find myself coming back to BFRPG in the end. It has that perfect combination for playing older school D&D.
The 1e game can easily bear the extra complexity due to being around a table and because two of us have played since the ink was still wet on the PHB. :lol: The BFRPG has four older dudes that grew up on D&D and a couple younger guys, and the spartan rules set makes the game go a lot faster which is key for a VTT game.
I've definitely found that simpler rules are MUCH better for online play. Around the table you can give someone a dice, point to something on their character sheet, or even pass them a rulebook (though I try to discourage this, I did have one old crank one time at a convention game).

Online, keep it sleek. When I run other genres, I just prefer d20 roll under, and tailor the stats to match the genre. Tack on an advantage roll for Vulcans or Wookies and you're good to go.
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Re: The detours of the OSR or the Gonnerman and Goodman Effect.

Post by FakeHealer »

PatB wrote: Wed Dec 07, 2022 1:23 pm I have a friend who ordered the Old School Essentials books and it cost him a small fortune, but he doesn't want them used for fear they'll be damaged. I find it amusing. If a friend spills pepsi on the Basic Fantasy rulebook, I'm not going to cry murder. In fact, it will remind me with a certain nostalgia of the D&D books that were literally tortured during my adolescence.
I remember cutting the books up from the BECMI times to put into 3 ring binders because they came with the holes already and I wanted one complete "book"....I am surprised so many copies survived whole from those times when the obvious intention, and if I recall it was suggested in the sets, was to disassemble and place them in a binder all together for a complete rules book.
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Re: The detours of the OSR or the Gonnerman and Goodman Effect.

Post by Solomoriah »

Yeah, I have a set I did that to. Ouch.
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