Modern game systems are far more approachable and streamlined than D&D games from the 1970’s and 1980’s. This is a good thing—it helps bring in more people to the hobby and is one reason these games have survived to this day.
However, there is some appeal to the approach taken in these older games as well. Here at Dungeons Remastered, we aim to merge the best of both worlds. As such, we’ll be playing using modern systems, but adhering to Old School Roleplay (OSR) concepts.
Some of the fundamentals of OSR are:
1. Doors were locked and traps were stocked. OSR adventures are as much of a test of player’s abilities as their characters. Players will need to figure out many things for themselves, rather than relying entirely on their characters’ abilities. Not every lock can be picked, or every trap spotted simply with a die roll.
2. Saves were rare, and players scared. Modern TTRPG dungeons generally focus on surviving different encounters as the main goal, typically facing equally-leveled opponents head-on. OSR dungeons are more about surviving the dungeon itself, with individual encounters often being something to avoid. With combat being potentially deadly, it is important for players to use strategy, tactics, and downright dirty tricks to gain the advantage over more powerful opponents, or simply run away and bypass the encounter entirely.
Dungeons also tended to be long, involved affairs. When possible, ‘returning to town’ to sell treasures, rest, get stronger equipment, and then returning to continue the dungeon was not unusual, especially as these dungeons became more difficult and deadly the further you explored or descended.
3. Random deaths held sway. Mortality rates were very high. Characters often hired mercenaries or hirelings to accompany them through long dungeon crawls and had to treat these additional hired hands fairly, or they’d quit. Traps and unusual magic could help or “one shot kill” a character instantly, sometimes without a saving throw.
6. With dice and pen, we’d roll again. Modern games focus a lot on story and character development, whereas OSR games focused more on the game concepts. This isn’t to say that there isn’t roleplay, character motivation, and similar fun storytelling. That’s still a big part of the game. But it doesn’t always mean there’s a background story reason for why the orc in the 10′ room is guarding the chest. It might just be there as a game design obstacle for players. And that’s ok. OSR games grew from wargaming systems, and as a result, the emphasis tended to be more on rules than overall story. We hope to find a good balance here at Dungeons Remastered.