What we’re about
Welcome to the South Jersey OSR and Old School Gaming Meetup!
What's this group about?
Founded circa 2022 and now on its second owner, the purpose of this group is to foster the play and appreciation of old school and OSR tabletop roleplaying games. While the group's focus was initially South Jersey (particularly the Collingswood area), its scope has expanded and anyone within the general Philly area is welcome! Likewise, while the group is mainly oriented towards in person play and social meetups, folks who primairly game online through VTTs (Virtual Table Tops), play by post/email, or other methods are also welcome.
No prior experience with these games is needed to be a member of the group, so whether you have been rolling dice since the 70s or you just stumbled across the hobby last week it's all good. Likewise, this is an inclusive group - no matter who you are or how you identify, you have a place at the table. Standard rules of the road apply - be kind, be courteous, and no bullying or other bad behavior will be tolerated; the group owner and event organizers reserve the right to remove anyone who in their judgement violates these informal rules.
Ok, so what's "old school gaming" and "the OSR"?
Check the internet and you will find dozens of interpretations (and no small number of, ahem, "lively discussions"). For the purposes of this group, an "old school game" is one released in or prior to 1990; this includes AD&D 2e and older editions of Dungeons and Dragons, but also older editions of Traveller, Runequest, Champions, and Call of Cthulhu; as well as games like Gamma World, Star Frontiers, Top Secret, Rolemaster, Spacemaster, Villains & Vigilantes, and other games of the era.
The OSR is a broader subject. The shortest version is "games published since circa 2000 that clone, use mechanics from, or are inspired by old school games (primarily but not exclusively D&D)". Various called the Old School Revival, Old School Renaissance, or other things the OSR was a reaction in the early 2000s to game designs and play styles that had become prevalent - primarily D&D 3e (the first wholesale redesign of the game since the 70s), but also narrative and other games that were perceived to have departed from older systems and play styles that still had value. That's not to say old school or OSR games are The One True Way to game (they are not, though some might argue it); but they are fun and have a lot of charm. OSR games tend to feature play styles which favor player agency and GM rulings as opposed to extremely comprehensive rules; sandbox play; and a rules light approach.
In its early years - the 2000s - the OSR was something of an upstart movement. With the release and mass popularity of D&D 3e in 2000 (the first edition not easily compatible with previous ones) and the deaths of D&D co-designers Gary Gygax (2008) and Dave Arneson (2009), gamers who started playing in the 70s and 80s looked back to the early years of the hobby; at the same time, the OGL gave designers a tool kit to replicate older editions of D&D. High speed internet, the blog era of circa 2005-2015, and online file sharing meant fans of older editions and play styles could find one another and share ideas, and several small conventions arose. Social media and online play created further options for people to discover OSR systems and approaches, as well as to find options for playing these games.
What are some examples of OSR games?
There are a wide variety of OSR systems, mostly created by small press publishers and individual designers. OSR systems include "retro clones" which replicate older D&D rules sets (for example Swords & Wizardry which replicates original D&D; OSRIC which replicates AD&D 1e; and Labyrinth Lord which replicates Basic/Expert D&D of the early 1980s). They also include systems that start from older editions of D&D but branch out - popular current examples include OSE / Old School Essentials and Shadowdark. There are also systems that start with older editions of D&D (or another OSR rules set) and go off in new directions - these are systems like DCC (Dungeon Crawl Classics), Mork Borg, White Star, Mark Hunt's BX version of Gangbusters, and many more.
Ok, so back to this group? What's it here for?
This Meetup will serve as a venue for fans (old and new) of old school and OSR gaming to find DMs, find players, and get together to talk gaming. Most Meetups will be in the South Jersey area, but Philly / Delco / KOP and the western suburbs / Lower Bucks are not entirely out of scope. Likewise, online games run by folks in this area are also encouraged (especially since not everyone can make a physical game due to work, family or other factors). Lastly, besides one shots and campaigns, we'll hopefully host some things at area gaming conventions which highly old school/OSR play (PAGE out in KOP; MEPACON in Allentown; and others). We're always looking for event organizers, GMs, and ideas for Meetups so if you have ideas contact Andy, the group organizer!
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Do you want to learn more? Here are some handy links:
- Wikipedia entry for the OSR: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_School_Renaissance
- (blog) Historical look at the OSR: http://osrsimulacrum.blogspot.com/2021/02/a-historical-look-at-osr-part-i.html
- (blog) Defining the OSR (one take): https://www.tenkarstavern.com/2017/04/defining-osr-by-identifying-what-it-is.html
- (article) What OSR play and games are (another take): https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/feature/what-is-osr-old-school-rpg-classic-dnd
- the "Old School Primer" on what makes OSR/old school gaming distinctive: https://dn721800.ca.archive.org/0/items/old-school-primer/Old%20School%20Primer.pdf
- (blog) OSR play styles: https://blog.worldanvil.com/dm-tips-advice/osr-rpg-guide-to-old-school-renaissance/
- (blog) Twenty OSR systems reviewed: https://unsoundmethodsblog.wordpress.com/2023/03/12/twenty-osr-systems-reviewed/
- (one convention's take) Old school vs OSR vs NSR games: https://www.ucon-gaming.org/2023/08/u-cons-osr-nsr-track/
Upcoming events (4)
See all- Intro to Shadowdark RPG (Online)Link visible for attendees
Hey, my name is Brian and I'm a friend of Andy's from way back. I just started a group called the "East Coast OSR Roleplaying Games Meetup" focused on online play, since I don't know many other gamers in my area (Reading, PA) and I figure OSR games are more of a niche hobby than D&D 5E, so I'll need to cast a wider net. Plus, I'm a new dad with a hectic work schedule that has me traveling quite a bit, so my free time is pretty constrained.
Anyways, I asked Andy if I could cross-post some of our events here to see if some of you'd be interested in joining us. One of my new members, Mark, has been gracious enough to offer to serve as GM for an introductory adventure using the Shadowdark RPG ruleset. RSVP if you're interested in joining us!
About the Shadowdark RPG:
Created by Kelsey Dionne and published in 2023 after raising $1.4 million on Kickstarter, Shadowdark is an old-school fantasy adventure game redesigned with 50 years of innovation. It won the Three Castles Award for best role-playing game design and the gold ENNIEs for Product of the Year, Best Game, Best Rules & Best Layout and Design!Shadowdark RPG is fast, familiar, intuitive, and deadly. It’s built for old-school dungeon crawls where experience points (XP) are awarded for finding treasure, not killing monsters - combat is often best avoided through stealth & strategy. There's 4 core classes: priest, fighter, thief, and wizard. Players generate character statistics and class abilities through randomized dice rolls. Gameplay focuses on risk evaluation, resource management, and problem-solving. Shadowdark uses a 20-sided die for action resolution. One of its unique features is that real time comes into play - a torch only holds back the looming darkness for one hour of actual game time!
Setting: The Western Reaches (implied setting, still in development)
Campaign Name: "Lost Citadel of the Scarlet Minotaur"
Session Number: 1
How to Join: (1) Click on the Zoom link above at the scheduled date/time - we'll just use it for audio; (2) We will be using a virtual tabletop (Owlbear Rodeo 2.0) to play; click on the following link and the GM will grant you access to the tabletop (no account or downloads needed): https://www.owlbear.rodeo/room/plKq1vWEBhu9/TheRudeFolk
What You'll Need:
- Your imagination & whatever roleplaying skills you can muster
- A downloaded copy of the The Shadowdark RPG's "Player Quickstart Guide". https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/collections/shadowdark-core-rules/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set-pdf.
* NOTE: The set also includes the Quickstart GM Guide, which contains the adventure we will be playing at the back. I suggest avoiding that to enjoy the game!
3. Design a character or select a pre-gen (eight of which are included in the Quickstart set). A blank character sheet can be directly downloaded from https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/blogs/shadowdark-blog/shadowdark-rpg-character-sheet. Also, an easy option for character creation is to use the character-generator page https://shadowdarklings.net/create. - CORE CLASSES ONLY PLEASE (fighter, thief, priest, wizard)
4. Set of standard RPG dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20) or online dice simulator - https://tacticaltokens.com/dice-roller/
5. Zoom app (free for users) - https://zoom.us/downloadUseful But Not Necessary:
- I strongly recommend that someone have graph paper so that you can map your progress in the dungeon -- the tabletop will only show your immediate surroundings...
- You might want to bring a backup character (muahahahaha....)
- Intro to The Black Sword Hack & Hyborian Age (Online)Link visible for attendees
Opening Scene:
"Know ye, that in the time between when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of Gilgamesh to the throne of Sumer, there was an age undreamed of—the Hyborian Age—an epoch of gleaming bronze and shadowed sorcery, when glaciers still gripped the northern wastes while mythical beasts lurked in the caves and forests.On the coast of the Western Ocean sprawled the great trade cities, and perhaps none was more treacherous than Messantia, capital of Argos. Its gleaming domes and high-pillared temples rose above her thronged harbors, but beneath the gilt and incense there was a charnel reek: slums where the poor begged and starved, notorious brothels, dens of thieves and fences for their ill-gained wares, and noble houses riddled with secrets fouler than the plague.
And now, as we return to the story of our heroes, we find them slaves forced to train as gladiators in the ludus of House Valerius. Surrounded by bloodthirsty cutthroats, merciless trainers and scheming nobles, they yearn for their freedom - if only they could find a means of escape... Will the other gladiators and servants of House Valerius aid them or stand in their way?"
OSR System: The Black Sword Hack
Designed by Alexandre "Kobayashi" Jeannette and published in 2023, The Black Sword Hack evolved from an earlier OSR game (The Black Hack), but unlike its predecessor it takes several steps away from the game mechanics of original D&D. It's a classless system, and it doesn't bother with extensive lists of armor & weapons, although it offers each character a handful of special abilities. It uses rolls against the familiar 6 attributes to resolve all player actions, and it's "player-facing" which means the players rather than the GM make all the dice rolls. Options for magic use exist, but critical failures can be deadly to the caster. It's designed for running dark fantasy epics inspired by the works of the old masters of the fantasy genre, including Robert E. Howard, Michael Moorcock, and Fritz Leiber.
Setting: Robert E. Howard's "Hyborian Age" from the Conan stories
Campaign Title: "The Shadow Over Messantia"
Session Number: 2 - but new players are welcome!
How To Join: Click on the Zoom link above at the scheduled date/time
*Note: We'll be playing with the more freeform "theater of mind" method, so unlike the Shadowdark games, we won't use a virtual tabletop app.
What You'll Need:
- Your imagination & whatever acting skills you can muster
- A printed copy of the The Black Sword Hack character sheet with Quick Rules - https://uristmacitchio.itch.io/black-sword-hack-character-sheet-quick-rules
- Set of standard RPG dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20) or online dice simulator - https://tacticaltokens.com/dice-roller/
- Zoom app (free for users) - https://zoom.us/download
Useful But Not Necessary:
> The Hyborian Age map - https://wastedlandsfantasy.blogspot.com/2009/07/map-of-hyborian-age.htmlHow to Prepare:
If you weren't at the 1st session but want to jump in, we'll have you pick from one of the following pre-generated characters. Characters 1-4 are slave gladiators at House Valerius, while characters 5-8 are household servants (i.e. employees not slaves) for House Valerius who work at the gladiatorial school but don't train or fight in the arena, yet may still get swept up in intrigue. Several of the characters have options for changing them to fit a different culture which involves swapping their attributes or backgrounds. Feel free to personalize them a bit by changing their name & gender (sample names here), coming up with a physical description, along with some catch phrases & common gestures they use that'll help with roleplaying them, as well as sketching their backstory to explain how they ended up at House Valerius's ludus in Messantia:(1) Sigurd the Aesir viking:
STR 17, DEX 10, CON 12, INT 8, WIS 9, CHA 10
Backgrounds: Berserker, Raider, Vicious- Note: For Astrid the Vanir shield maiden, swap the STR & DEX scores and swap "Berserker" for "Sword-Master"
(2) Jabari the Kushite jungle warrior:
STR 16, DEX 13, CON 11, INT 8, WIS 10, CHA 8
Backgrounds: Survivor, Wildling, Vicious- Note: For Ashanti the Amazonian warrior, swap "Survivor" for "Hunter" and "Vicious" for "Pit-Fighter"
(3) Khalid the Turanian steppe horseman;
STR 11, DEX 16, CON 12, INT 9, WIS 11, CHA 7
Backgrounds: Hunter, Sword-Master, Cavalry*- Note: For Rollo the disgraced Aquillonian knight, swap the STR & DEX scores and swap "Hunter" for "Legionnaire" and "Scout" for "Vicious"
(4) Valerio the Zingaran duelist:
STR 10, DEX 15, CON 12, INT 9, WIS 7, CHA 13
Backgrounds: Sword-Master, Sophist, Vicious- Note: For Severus the Argossean retiarius who fights with a trident & net, swap swap "Sophist" for "Net-Fighter*"
(5) Aramis the Shemite healer/secret priest of Ibis:
STR 8, DEX 9, Con 10, INT 14, WIS 13, CHA 12
Backgrounds: Surgeon, Alchemist*, Changeling (True Faith, Witchsight)- Note: For a healer who's a secret priest of Set, swap the Changeling options to Skinwalker (snake) and Barrow Wisdom
(6) Johannes the Nemedian weaponsmith:
STR 13, DEX 10, CON 9, INT 15, WIS 10, CHA 9
Backgrounds: Tinker*, Bookworm, Changeling (Faerie Ties: Cold Iron Weapon, Trollish Ruggedness)- Note: For Tafari the Puntian artificer, swap STR & DEX and swap "Bookworm" for "Tomb Robber*" and the Changeling option "Trollish Ruggedness" for "Silversmith Sorcerer" (cast fireflies & spontaneous combustion)
(7) Miri the Zamoran gypsy cook:
STR 8, DEX 14, CON 8, INT 10, WIS 12, CHA 14
Backgrounds: Storyteller, Herbalist, Evil Eye*- Note: For a cook that's actually a spy/assassin, swap Storyteller for Snake Blood and swap Evil Eye for Street Urchin
(8) Bakumbe the Keshani beast trainer:
STR 10, DEX 13, CON 11, INT 8, WIS 15, CHA 9
Backgrounds: Scout, Cavalry*, Animal Handling*- Note: For a beast trainer whose powers are more esoteric, swap Scout for Shaman (can summon Animal Lord & Pain spirits)
Each character's hit points will be equal to their CON, and for most of them their weapon damage - regardless of what they use - will be 1d6 (unless they have the "Vicious" background which bumps it to 1d8) and their unarmed damage will be 1d4 (unless they have the "Pit-fighter" background which bumps it to 1d6). In terms of what the various backgrounds do, check out this page - scroll down to Table 3.2.4: https://blackswordhack.github.io/3character.html
* NOTE: There's several backgrounds listed above that you won't find on Table 3.2.4, such as:
- "Cavalry" which allows you to do damage equal to STR score with melee weapons when charging on a mount, although you'll be vulnerable to double damage from "set spears" from footmen.
- "Net-Fighter" allows you to do use a net to perform several attack effects with a DEX roll from Table 2.1.10 (Entangle, Disarm) without having to roll your Doom Die - and on a Critical Roll (Natural 1) you get both effects.
- "Animal Handling" gives you Advantage on checks to calm wild animals, and enables you to train them as animal companions.
- "Tomb Robber" gives you Advantage on climbing/spelunking, finding secret doors, and finding/removing traps.
- "Evil Eye" allows you to curse enemies, causing them to get Disadvantage on all their rolls for rest of the day if they fail WIS check.
- "Alchemist" and "Tinker" aren't on the background list either, but they're just variations on the "Inventor" background which is listed. "Tinker" allows you to pick locks, design gadgets, and make high-quality weapons/armor, whereas 'Alchemist' allows you to brew various chemical concoctions like healing potions, poisons, acids, burning oil, etc. The "Twisted Science Marvels" list on Table 6.5.5 will give you some ideas of what you could create with access to a well-stocked workshop - https://blackswordhack.github.io/6darkpact.html
