So, 1st ed. AD&D is my 'D&D of choice'. Warts and all, it's still my go-to when I want to play a fantasy game, despite having played many different FRPGs (and liking many others to a lesser or greater degree).

I've got the PDF of OSRIC, and am considering splurging for the hardcover version of it soon-ish.

What I'm curious about, is for those who've used the OSRIC book extensively, does it offer any real value to someone who already owns a suite of 1st. ed. AD&D books?

Is it useful as a table-reference? Or do you just find it handy having all that information in one place?

Thoughts and opinions welcome.

No, you don't need it.  It's a bit cleaned up, with some other things changed/added from 1e, but you don't need it at all.  Especially with the reprints here now.

You don't need it and in fact it is neutered in several key areas.  So no, don't.

A PDF to print charts off of, sure.  But I wouldn't waste my time or money on a hardback copy.

Answer: No.

Thanks for the quick replies. I guess with the old AD&D books so easy to find, and not all that expensive, I'll just snag a couple of extra PHB's from somewhere.

You don't need OSRIC when you have the original books.

That said...

Quote from: monkeyfaceratboy;563454What I'm curious about, is for those who've used the OSRIC book extensively, does it offer any real value to someone who already owns a suite of 1st. ed. AD&D books?

It does have real value in the way it reorganizes the information and lays it all out in a single volume. It lacks the fine detail and most corner-case rules (including a few big ones, like the weapons v. AC table, the Monk class) but it represents a good aid at the game table to look things up without getting lost in Gary's dialog in the DMG and so on. It can also help clarify some issues with the rules by presenting an interpretation (amongst possible others) you could handle some things with the game (like initiative and the like).

Quote from: monkeyfaceratboy;563454Is it useful as a table-reference? Or do you just find it handy having all that information in one place?

Both, but I'd say the number one value of the book in actual play is as a table reference. You're not wasting time with the DMG prose, not wasting time searching through the indexes, and just get to the point of play. Later, between sessions, you can look into the fine detail and read through the original books to find out if the OSRIC interpretation was the best for your table, or if you could yourself come up with something that'd work better for you. It's a great "ready to play, all-in-one" 1e AD&D reference book, in other words.

There's no psionics in it, but before you start in on me, there's things that psionically enabled monsters can do even if your characters can't that it's important to know.  No monks nor bards in, either.

The DMG or even a good DM screen is all you really need as a "table reference".  IMO even flipping through a book as comparatively "small" as the DMG is a hassle...now combine the Monster Manual and Players Handbook into one volume and you've got a Hero System V5 sized mess on your hands.  Which is not to denigrate OSRIC!  Any RPG book that big (like...hero v5!) is hard to navigate at the game table.

Quote from: thedungeondelver;563472No monks nor bards in, either.

Shame about monks, but bards were a shitty class in 1e anyway.  That's one thing where 2e improved on by leaps and bounds.

To the OP: if you like bards, I'd suggest doing what my buddy did in our 1e campaign and just played a 2e bard.  No noticeable balance issues.

Quote from: Sacrosanct;563482Shame about monks, but bards were a shitty class in 1e anyway.  That's one thing where 2e improved on by leaps and bounds.

To each their own. I love the 1e bard, played one for a long time. The 2e bard is okay, I guess, but less than special. It's "meh" to me, though I had a friend who was just great with it. Eolam the Magnificent. Awesome character.

Quote from: monkeyfaceratboy;563454does it offer any real value to someone who already owns a suite of 1st. ed. AD&D books

As a general rule, no, it doesn't.  That's especially true if you're familiar with the AD&D rules.

Some thoughts on the OSRIC rulebook:

• The rulebook is "all-in-one," kind of like a Rules Cyclopedia for AD&D instead of Basic D&D.
  
• The rulebook is well-organized
• The rulebook lacks Gygaxian prose and the "one-DM-to-another" conversational tone.  (That could be a pro or a con, depending on your point of view.)
• The rulebook clarifies some rules.  Sometimes this clarification picks a single interpretation where others are possible.  (Initiative is probably the most significant example that comes to mind.)  Again, this could be considered a pro or a con.
• The rulebook leaves out some rules.  (Weapon vs. AC, Psionics, et cetera)
• The rulebook, especially the Black Blade Publishing version, is a thing of beauty.

I think OSRIC as a set of rule to play might be useful for some people (those who hate Gygaxian prose, for example).  But if it were me, I'd use the original rulebooks to run the game and spend the money on OSRIC adventures, rather than on an OSRIC rulebook.  Or take a look at the OSRIC Monsters of Myth monster book: that is an often-overlooked gem.

Quote from: Benoist;563492I love the 1e bard.

Yeah, me too.  A 1e bard is tough to get, but if you manage to become a bard you're like a force of nature.

Quote from: Sacrosanct;563482Shame about monks, but bards were a shitty class in 1e anyway.  That's one thing where 2e improved on by leaps and bounds.

To the OP: if you like bards, I'd suggest doing what my buddy did in our 1e campaign and just played a 2e bard.  No noticeable balance issues.

snk baha what?

Quote from: thedungeondelver;563509snk baha what?

Could you be more specific

Quote from: Philotomy Jurament;563499Yeah, me too.  A 1e bard is tough to get, but if you manage to become a bard you're like a force of nature.

The time it took me to reach bard levels, the single classed humans in the group had become really powerful. I must have been around 14th level when they reached the truly gonzo levels of power. For me, it was like trying to catch up using my brains and the "bag of tricks" you know, with the horns and pipes and various items to make up for my lack of focus, but it was really awesome to play. Not the easy-peasy superpowered character people usually think of reading the bard description in the PH.