Old School Essentials Advanced Fantasy (OSEA) is interesting because it goes beyond the source B/X material in some significant ways. We have classes from AD&D and AD&D 2e, such as the acrobat, illusionist, and bard. We have drow, and a few new Unearthed Arcana (UA) races as player character options - either class or race plus class options.
The game is a Labyrinth Lord-like mix of B/X and AD&D 1e and 2e. It is a great book, instantly playable and inviting, having the best organization and fantastic art. The only fault is the game's best strength; the descriptions are concise. This is perfect for reference and fast play, but sometimes I want to read a long paragraph about a monster and get inspired by the description and flavor text. If they made an expanded optional monster manual with longer descriptions, more art, and monster options, I would be all over that. Same thing for treasures and spells.
The maximum level is 14, which means magic-user spells cap out at level 6, and cleric spells at level 5. Given most campaigns rarely go that high, it is not really a problem. Of all the OSR games, this one feels the most modern to me, and it goes beyond traditional OSR-style games to do its own thing - which is fantastic. I love seeing OSR games expand and create unique experiences with the old-school base but completely new things to play with.
Labyrinth Lord goes up to the 20th level, so you get the full 9th level magic-user and 7th level cleric spell lists and progression. You also don't have all the expanded class and race options, so the world is a little more traditional, and that AD&D (minus UA) plus B/X is more of an early 1980s experience before the AD&D expansion books appeared.
Labyrinth Lord feels the most traditional of the group, sort of stuck in that early 1980s when we all started with D&D and used AD&D books as expansion content. The simple ways of D&D are preserved, though, and the AD&D complexity and escalation of damages and hit dice are ignored. Labyrinth Lord is also packed with flavor text. If you want to read the traditional ecologies and exciting information about monsters and magic items, you can get lost in this book and find a lot of inspiration.
There is no maximum level in Swords & Wizardry, and they tell you how to expand the spell charts after the 21st level of experience. I did a double-take here; yes, it is possible to have a 50th-level fighter in S&W. The game plays more like AD&D-lite than B/X, as some of the AD&D changes (magic resistance) have been preserved, but many of the minutiae of AD&D have been removed. The game uses a single saving throw (modified for different circumstances) and gives less direction on handling things - preferring the referee and players to make up most of the rules and how things in their game.
S&W is a more straightforward game than either LL or OSE just because the game goes out of its way to leave as much as possible up to the group's imagination. You do not need that much reference because the rules for all this stuff simply do not exist, and it is up to you.
S&W has a lot of excellent flavor text, has the best collection of monsters (with the expansion books), and plays a lot like classic AD&D, minus the confusion and complexity. Of all three, this is still the OSR game I keep returning to, just because of the AD&D-like feel and all the incredible supporting material - monsters, adventures, and worlds. All three games are insanely compatible, so adventures and game materials convert over; just keep character creation to one book, and you are good to go.
It leaves OSE in a strange place, at least for me. I suppose I am more a fan of the AD&D-like games than the B/X ones if given a choice. I like the darker and more dangerous setting, with demons and devils actively trying to destroy the world. In basic D&D, because the game was more focused on a younger audience, you did not have that focus on the more fantastic battle between the heavens and Hell. In AD&D, this "endgame" is built into the game. I know a demons & devils book is coming for OSEA, and I can't wait.
But once I narrow my games down to that AD&D endgame, I have the following left:
- Swords & Wizardry
- Castles & Crusades
- Adventures Dark & Deep
- For Gold & Glory
- Labyrinth Lord
The first four have magic resistance as a game mechanic, and Labyrinth Lord does not. Now, why is that important? If Orcus, demon lord of the undead, shows up, I do not want him being owned by high-level casters. I want those powerful magic spells to have a chance of failing outright before a saving throw is even made.
Orcus
Once you look at the LL version of Orcus (125 hit points, save as fighter 22) and a lightning bolt spell that does 20d6 at a caster level of 20th level, so an average of 70 points of damage. Orcus will likely make his saving throw (6+ vs. spells), so 35 damage 75% of the time. All demons take half-damage by electrical attacks too, so this will either be an 18 (75%) or 35 damage (25%) hit.
In S&W Orcus has the same 125 hit points, but saves on a 3+. S&W demons are immune to electrical-based attacks, but let's say that the 20d6 spell is like any other damage spell that mages could have and use this as base damage for magical attacks. But Orcus has 75% magic resistance, so 3/4 of the time, the spell does not even hit. Orcus has a 90% chance to take half damage, so we are down to 35. Orcus in S&W is not immune to fire (I know, I would house-rule this to half damage since AD&D had it this way), so this is typically an 18-point hit landing 25% of the time - not good.
Oddly enough, the C&C version of Orcus (120 hit points, all saves primary at +22, 13+ MR) and most all demons do not share the blanket half-damages of their AD&D counterparts, and this is an immediate house rule for me. His magic resistance is 60%, so that 20d6 lightning bolt, plus the half damage, plus the saving throw, is knocked down an 18-point hit, landing 40% of the time.
Adventures Dark and Deep mirrors AD&D in many ways for Orcus; the blanket immunities are here, the magic resistance, the good saves - and this version comes out the toughest without house ruling in the missing parts. This is probably the best implementation rules-wise among all these, with the most care and thought put into the design. With house ruling, S&W is my second favorite, with C&C following close behind. LL comes in fourth, but the system needs magic resistance to equal the playing field.
The Boss Monsters
For endgame battles, I need an AD&D-like system with all the advanced parts. There are some great rules in AD&D meant to balance high-level fights and keep the boss monsters from being pushovers. When you start introducing blanket half damages and immunities and rules like magic resistance, you avoid the silly hit point scaling of D&D 3, and higher - high-level monsters can have reasonable hit points but take less damage from almost everything. You can also keep some damages as-is, such as magic or iron weapons and holy water - and those attacks shine.
Granted, not a lot of campaigns reach the epic levels. Most all games will just be the under-level 14, which OSE supports, so those high-level stat and balance tweaks are unnecessary. Our games back in the day lasted over 10-20 years, longer than the life of many game editions these days, so I am used to high-level fights and love to see thought put into them.
AD&D 2e had the best high-level balance by far since the newer edition tried to clean up a lot of the issues players of AD&D 1e had with higher-level play.
All are Great, Endgames Differ
For any other type of game, OSE, and OSEA, work fine. Old School Essentials is preferable when you factor in ease of use. Any of these games really work great for play at the low and mid-levels.
For boss battles in OSR games and high-level play, I like the advanced rules and concepts much better.
For the classic zero-to-hero game, OSE works incredibly well and has the options and flexibility I like in a generic OSR game.
No comments:
Post a Comment