What is a supported OSR game?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

How easy is it to convert something to C&C? What about old 1E modules?

C&C is "the Rosetta Stone of gaming," according to the Troll Lords. It is trivial to convert anything from OD&D through 3E to C&C. I did it on the fly for years.

That said, you could probably also do the same with Shadowdark, especially with BD&D/OSE. Almost any OSR systems work pretty well in this regard. I'd pick the engine you like and just grab any BD&D/OSE modules that strike your fancy.

Systemless megadungeons like Ave Nox are also a good bet.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I always thought the idea of OSR was tidying up the original rules, streamlining them or just unmuddling them, so that pretty much any resource will run with any system?

OSR started off with retroclones, but it's branched out quite a bit. There are many OSR systems that are retroclones plus house rules or little changes.

OSE, for instance, is mostly BD&D, but it also includes (as a popular optional addition) AD&D races, classes, monsters, treasures and spells, all tweaked to work with BD&D math.

 

[Zardnaar]

OSR started off with retroclones, but it's branched out quite a bit. There are many OSR systems that are retroclones plus house rules or little changes.

OSE, for instance, is mostly BD&D, but it also includes (as a popular optional addition) AD&D races, classes, monsters, treasures and spells, all tweaked to work with BD&D math.

Advanced OSE is tempting main reason I didn't pull the trigger is the Cleric and Rogue class designs.

C&C also has that modern AD&D 3E vibe without the fiddly bits.

 

[DarkCrisis]

C&C is "the Rosetta Stone of gaming," according to the Troll Lords. It is trivial to convert anything from OD&D through 3E to C&C. I did it on the fly for years.

That said, you could probably also do the same with Shadowdark, especially with BD&D/OSE. Almost any OSR systems work pretty well in this regard. I'd pick the engine you like and just grab any BD&D/OSE modules that strike your fancy.

Systemless megadungeons like Ave Nox are also a good bet.

I tried converting a 2E adventure into Shadowdark and it was work due to treasure and xp conversion

 

[GothmogIV]

Dungeon Crawl Classics and Castles&Crusades are my go-to's. Great systems with a ton of supporting materials.

 

[Voadam]

What kind of adventures are you looking for?

Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG has tons of really cool thematic ones, but the theme is often gonzo 70s fantasy of Courts of Chaos, crashed space ships, serpent folk stuff and such which I find really great but is not to everyone's taste. Also Appalachian fantasy, Lankhmar, and Dying Earth.

Lamentations of the Flame Princess is a fairly B/X OSR system with a ton of adventures that vary considerably in tone including a number that are fairly harsh killer dungeon/adventure types sometimes with an adult content theme that is not for all audiences/tastes.

Castles & Crusades has a ton of adventures, most in the shorter range that are fairly standard D&D, a few Norse themed ones as well.

Hyperborea/Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers has a number of Conan themed adventures. The system is mostly 1e with Conan type stuff instead of Tolkien races and D&D classes.

OSRIC is 1e OGL rules with a number of 3rd party publishers, Expeditious Retreat Press is notable for having a huge series of 32 page-ish adventures and the massive megadungeon Arden Vul.

Old School Essentials (OSE) and Labyrinth Lord are B/X retroclones with options to throw in AD&D classes and monsters and races and such with a metric ton of adventures by numerous publishers.

Swords & Wizardry is an Oe retroclone with a ton of adventures as well, a lot of Frog God stuff so lots of Rappan Athuk megadungeon and simiar themed stuff of hugely varying lengths but also the Norse mega-adventure path the Northlands Saga Complete and the pirate horror themed Razor Coast.

 

[DarkCrisis]

What kind of adventures are you looking for?

Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG has tons of really cool thematic ones, but the theme is often gonzo 70s fantasy of Courts of Chaos, crashed space ships, serpent folk stuff and such which I find really great but is not to everyone's taste. Also Appalachian fantasy, Lankhmar, and Dying Earth.

Lamentations of the Flame Princess is a fairly B/X OSR system with a ton of adventures that vary considerably in tone including a number that are fairly harsh killer dungeon/adventure types sometimes with an adult content theme that is not for all audiences/tastes.

Castles & Crusades has a ton of adventures, most in the shorter range that are fairly standard D&D, a few Norse themed ones as well.

Hyperborea/Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers has a number of Conan themed adventures. The system is mostly 1e with Conan type stuff instead of Tolkien races and D&D classes.

OSRIC is 1e OGL rules with a number of 3rd party publishers, Expeditious Retreat Press is notable for having a huge series of 32 page-ish adventures and the massive megadungeon Arden Vul.

Old School Essentials (OSE) and Labyrinth Lord are B/X retroclones with options to throw in AD&D classes and monsters and races and such with a metric ton of adventures by numerous publishers.

Swords & Wizardry is an Oe retroclone with a ton of adventures as well, a lot of Frog God stuff so lots of Rappan Athuk megadungeon and simiar themed stuff of hugely varying lengths but also the Norse mega-adventure path the Northlands Saga Complete and the pirate horror themed Razor Coast.

$109 for a PDF? Does use AI to run itself?

 

[Voadam]

$109 for a PDF? Does use AI to run itself?

Arden Vul Complete is over 1,000 pages of material. I bought it on a deep discount sale.

If you want just the 316 page setting, exterior environments, and first four levels of the mega dungeon then Volume I is only $30.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I tried converting a 2E adventure into Shadowdark and it was work due to treasure and xp conversion

It wouldn't occur to me to bother with XP conversion; I just used the C&C ones. You went for a more granular conversion than I ever bothered with.

 

[overgeeked]

By this I mean, has adventures/modules.

Like i love Shadowdark but it's "adventures" are small 5 room dungeons. Kelsey has teased a big adventure might be coming down the pike but that's later.

Does Castles and Crusades have any? I know they are doing to old Gygax stuff that's "coming". I eagerly await those.

Only one that pops to mind might be OSE. Yes? Any good ones?

OSE has a fair few. The first-party modules are great. They have several. Waking of Willowby Hall is also great.

DCC RPG rather famously has a large back catalogue of mostly great modules ready to use.

Most of the other OSR games do tend to focus on the referee making up the adventures for the table or doing things like exploration or hexcrawls...or simply using proper old-school TSR modules.

I've come to realize I hate trying to make a story campaign. I'm fine make a village with a dungeon nearby and making the dungeon and wilderness bigger and bigger but when it comes to story... meh. I'd rather just run a premade adventure.

They're easier than most people think. You just need PCs with motivations and goals and as the referee you only have to put opposition in their way. And bam, story.