Old School Essentials is being updated for 2026. We are no longer getting the Basic Fantasy set, and they are consolidating around an OGL-free, rewritten Advanced Fantasy set.
https://necroticgnome.com/blogs/news/old-school-essentials-2026-and-beyond
Some are unhappy that the core B/X version of the game is going out of print, while others say that if they want a solid, well-supported, math-fixed B/X-style game, they will just play Basic Fantasy and be done with the boutique OSR B/X market.
And OSE leaving the OGL was only a matter of time. This is another shoe to drop among B/X publishers that has been a long time coming. I am happy for them, and their publishing license is finally being cleaned up, with the OGL control excised, like the demon it was. Oh, and we are finally getting a demon and infernal guide for OSE next year, too. Nice! This was a long time coming, and I have been asking for one since OSE was a soft-cover game.
We are still including an appendix in the new books to simulate the core B/X game style, so "classic fantasy" is not disappearing entirely. It is just that there is no B/X standalone game in print right now, except for PoD Labyrinth Lord, and who could have predicted that the core cooks of LL would outlast OSE's classic fantasy books?
I also bet you someone is trying to write "the new, most faithful, B/X" right now, and we will see the Kickstarter soon.
For "advanced" games, there is a question of "why play a hybrid B/X/A" style of game (basic, expert, and advanced)? We have three amazing OGL-free options if you want to "go advanced" right now:
- OSRIC 3
- Adventures Dark & Deep
- Swords & Wizardry
Of these, ADAD and S&W are my absolute favorites, and S&W really knocks it out of the park as a tight, focused, yet comprehensive set of rules that does everything OSE does —and in many ways, better. S&W has always had the best saving throws in gaming, and it removes a lot of the modifiers from most of the classes, leading to a dry, flat, and better balance and differentiation of the classes. Where the OSE fighter feels bland without a ton of mods, the S&W fighter is the best in zero-edition gaming, right out of the box.
Did I just coin the B/X/A term? This is the best way we can describe faithful B/X-style games alongside hybrid BXA games that mix in first edition mechanics, monsters, and concepts. Also note that the First Edition (1E) is a different beast entirely from BXA, with higher hit dice, more ability score tables, concepts like weapon speeds, segment timing, and all the classic Gygax-isms.
If you want "AD&D lite," then you are in the BXA market.
If you want "full AD&D," then you will enjoy a 1E game with all its complexity.
I also like how only fighters (not rangers, paladins, or any other class) get the STR damage and hit bonus in S&W, which makes fighters very attractive and gives them role protection. Paladins and rangers also have extraordinary abilities, so they are not unwanted or unworthy! It is just that if all you want is high damage and consistent, solid blows, play a fighter.
Many B/X and first edition games are too loosey-goosey with the ability score modifiers, and that only leads to stat-flation, AC-flation, and min-maxing. Are you an S&W thief? The only reason you need a high STR is to force open doors and carry a ton of loot; it will not help your chance to hit or damage. For that, you backstab.
I love this clarity.
The classes feel different.
OSRIC 3 is a TBD game still in production and could change the entire advanced landscape next year.
I hope OSE cleans up the rules, adds options, and focuses on gameplay and fun, rather than being a strict reference work. If people need to mod your game to add fun, that is a core design issue (and a feature, let's be honest).
As an "advanced" style game, OSE is good but not among the best. If I want the "whole hog" advanced experience, I will play OSRIC. If I wish to have "everything and the fixins," I will play ADAD. If I want "first edition lite" (which OSE falls in), then S&W is the superior choice. OSE and S&W directly compete, and S&W hits all the notes for me:
- Fighters are awesome.
- Expansion books for classes and monsters.
- Dry, flat math with modifiers under control.
- Single save number!
- Preserves the OG magic resistance mechanic for monsters.
- First edition monster stat blocks with d8 hit dice.
- Demons and devils.
- Lower, B/X hit dice (d8 for fighters, d6 clerics, and d4 magic user and thief).
- Near-perfect OSE compatibility, including OSE player race options ported into S&W.
If I want the best BX, I will play Basic Fantasy.
If I want the best BXA? Swords & Wizardry.
The best 1E? A toss-up between ADAD and OSRIC.
ACKS is the best "mega BX" game that does domain play right.
OSE is in a strange place right now as a pure BXA game going forward, but it needs to have a compelling reason to play, and possibly the best mods being sorted through and added to the base game. Some of the expansion races in Advanced feel niche, and better options exist in the OSE Zines.
Ideally, OSE should be three books, folding in the official options from the Carcass Crawler Zines:
- OSE Core
- OSE Referee
- OSE Player Expansion 1
This is the moment when OSE can break out and be its own game, still faithful to the original but now free to focus on a solid, fun design rather than remaining so true to the source material.
I am supporting the new OSE, but we shall see how this goes.
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