Off the Shelf: OSRIC

OSRIC is best for playing "AD&D" or a first-edition game. This game flies under so many people's radars. Yet, it is available, supports indie communities and adventure writers, and is a legal way to expand upon and sell your own works within that framework.

Yet, year after year, we get new OSR games that claim to offer "authentic 1e" gaming. This is 1e gaming, a masterwork reference work that is the OSE of AD&D. It was the reference guide before the AD&D books were print-on-demand (and the DTRPG books are full of errors, such as transposed 7s and 1s).

OSRIC offers a unique gaming experience, distinct from the original AD&D. It is a carefully crafted reference work that has been altered just enough to be its own game. This distinctiveness, coupled with its depth in areas the original AD&D does not cover, is what makes OSRIC so appealing to players seeking a fresh and thrilling gaming experience.

My AD&D books are cherished collector's items, a testament to the game's legacy. However, a game thrives with a vibrant community and platforms for creators to share and profit from their ideas. OSRIC embodies the spirit of first-edition gaming, a game that has withstood the test of time, with enthusiasts still developing modules for it. This strong sense of community transforms OSRIC from a tabletop game into a shared experience among players.

As a reference guide, it is the best-in-class, easily equaling Old School Essentials in organization, clarity, and presentation. It is not the "facing pages" layout of OSE, but for a first-edition game, this does a better job of the original and is only missing the Gygaxian prose.

OSRIC is not just a playable game but also a comprehensive reference guide. I currently use it as an expansion for Dungeon Crawl Classics, filling in the gaps in that game as the Appendix R section in DCC explicitly allows. Using OSRIC as a rule expansion and a reference for DCC aligns with the spirit of both games and the OSR. It's about creating unique gaming experiences at our tables, distinct from anyone else's.

Most 5E players don't get this; every group was a "game designer," and every table was different. There was no "one way to play," and the "latest official version" of the rules meant nothing. The people "playing by the book" were wargamers and Magic: The Gathering players, and role-players were a special breed of "hacker, storyteller, and game crafter."

And I find it hilarious that all these people on social media are trying to play AD&D "exactly by the rules" to have the "full 1980s experience." They are missing the point. It was never like that.

We hacked. We mixed. We put it all in a blender and pressed 10.

Nobody told us what to do.

We did not feel obliged to "buy the latest books the company puts out" just to have "street cred." This was the 1980s, and nobody in my neighborhood had the money to buy all the books. It is like today.

If you want to capture the era and spirit of the game, the authentic way of playing DCC (or OSRIC, S&W, or any other OSR game) is to hack it into an unrecognizable mess and make it your own.

OSRIC offers the missing treasure and magic items tables that DCC needs. The monsters can primarily be used as-is with DCC, doing the AC conversion (20 - AC), setting a base saving throw formula (HD / 2, modified up or down for Fort/Ref/Will), and adjusting the hit die based on monster size (d6 to d12). OSRIC offers retainers, wilderness travel rules, equipment lists, encumbrance rules, and many other parts that DCC leaves up to you.

What I love about the DCC-OSRIC combination is the feeling. The world feels like classic, down-to-earth AD&D, that gritty medieval feeling I crave. The DCC parts add the fantastic and unexpected. Not everyone is a potential DCC "god among men," so it feels special when the weird and strange happen. NPCs? They can use OSRIC classes, like monsters, and avoid the special rules in DCC. The players are the superheroes here, and not every fighter is a DCC fighter.

In this combination, DCC serves as the "superhero rule system." In contrast, OSRIC serves as the "normal world simulation" that runs in the background but can be just as deadly and dangerous as the characters can be. The game takes on a Grand Theft Auto feel, with an ordinary world using the OSRIC rules in the background and the characters one step larger than life as they cause chaos through the setting.

OSRIC is also playable by itself and is a great stand-alone game! In this case, everyone is grounded, realistic, and doing their best to survive. OSRIC is not just a reference guide but can be a game enjoyed for decades. Don't sleep on OSRIC; this is first-edition fun at its best, all while supporting an amazing community of first-edition creators. I love my DCC dice too much to ignore DCC, though these sets see S&W and OSRIC occasionally, so they don't feel left out.

AD&D is a tremendous dead game, but due to time and communities, it will never be supported and will never be a dynamic place for creators again. OSRIC is a living game, and I support that since people are out here pouring their hearts into this version.

New games come and go. There will always be another Kickstarter for the next colossal throwback game. Looking around, everything you need is already here without all the consumerist noise.

OSRIC is here to stay.