What old school materials do you like? It can be from the era you consider old-school, or it can be a retro clone. It doesn't have to even be core rules, although that's what I'm most interested in hearing about.

So share!

I'm digging Labyrinth Lord for its simplicity and the nostalgia factor. At least one of my players is looking for something a bit more tho so I may have to incorporate some of the advanced classes. Raggi's LotFP sounds intriguing as well.

Pete

Well I like Gamma World and Marvel Super Heroes, so that's too old TSR games there. Of the two I guess Gamma World is the more authentically Old School, though having said that it's more the vibe and setting of Gamma World I enjoyed; even back in the day I never considered it a good system.

I'm still very much a fan of the old WEG games, Ghostbusters and Star Wars. But ancient as they are they still feel very modern to me. To put it another way, I tend to equate Old School with "don't bother naming your character until he's at least level 3". With WEG games not only you named your character, you were expected to have a quote and some quirks and goals worked out too before starting to play.

Holmes Edition D&D
AD&D1e
Gamma World (the original)
Boot Hill (original version)
Dawn Patrol (hey, it had some character mechanics...sort of)
Traveller
Stormbringer
HackMaster (captures the feel of old-school AD&D, despite (or maybe because of) having added in a lot of stuff, goofy and serious)
Arduin Grimoire (the first three little books - I wish I'd had these back in my AD&D1e heyday! Pure old-school lunacy)

I actually played the first seven. Well, modified to varying extents by our own house rules. All of them define what I think of as old-school, but YMMV.

• Original D&D (1974)
• Advanced D&D (1e)
• Stormbringer (1e) and Hawkmoon
• Runequest (2e)
• Rolemaster (1e/2e)
• Call of Cthulhu (BRP)
• Tunnels & Trolls
• Gamma World (1e)
• Traveller (Classic)
• Metamorphosis Alpha
• Empire of the Petal Throne

Probably others I'm forgetting.

I'll define, for myself, old school games as pre-1990 games.

AD&D2
Mekton II
Marvel Super Heroes Advanced
Star Wars 1e
Ghostbusters 1e
Moldvay Basic/Expert D&D (never did have the same affection for the Mentzer version for some reason)
Shadowrun 1e
Teenagers From Outer Space 1e

and, it isn't a game unto itself, but Dragonlance, the original 16 installment module series.

In no particular order (since my preferences move around on a weekly basis), but organized into 'family groups':

01. 0e D&D (and its retro-clone S&W)
02. Basic/Expert D&D (and its retro-clone LL)
03. AD&D

04. MERP
05. Rolemaster 1e/2e/Classic

06. Call of Cthulhu
07. Elric!/Stormbringer 5e (not entirely sure this counts, but is based on BRP)
08. Stormbringer (1e-4e) and Hawkmoon 1e
09. BRP Goldbook (essentially includes most BRP rules from the past 30 years)
10. OpenQuest (a 'near clone' of RuneQuest 3e, using Stormbringer combat system)
11. Chaosium RuneQuest II
12. Mongoose RuneQuest II (a new game, so perhaps it should not be included, but clearly descended from earlier versions of RQ)

Maybe this is exposing my ignorance, but can't you just roll up six stats and play D&D without materials?

What are you really gaining by having books? Thief skills? Can you just use DEX? Charts for bending bars?

Someone enlighten me.

Original D&D w/supplements
Arduin Grimoire (1st 3 volumes)
B/X D&D
BECMI/RC D&D
Advanced D&D (1e)
Dragon Warriors
Tunnels & Trolls
Stormbringer (1e)
Runequest (2e)
Conan (TSR)
Call of Cthulhu (BRP)
Chill
Classic Traveller
Star Frontiers
Metamorphosis Alpha
Gamma World (1e/2e)
Empire of the Petal Throne
Swords & Glory
Advanced Marvel Superheroes
Villains and Vigilantes
Bushido
Top Secret
James Bond 007

And most retroclones of the above.

Quote from: GregChristopher;401639Maybe this is exposing my ignorance, but can't you just roll up six stats and play D&D without materials?

What are you really gaining by having books? Thief skills? Can you just use DEX? Charts for bending bars?

Someone enlighten me.

Spells, mostly.

The only pre-1990 game I play/own is Call of Cthulhu, and my preferred edition is the 1992 5th edition. But I figure the OP was more about D&D and its (retro)clones and these games are more or less non-existent where I live. It's 3.X and later edition, probably bar a few groups still playing AD&D.

In no particular order...

OD&D
AD&D 1ed.
Boot Hill
Star Frontiers
T&T
Stormbringer (all ed.)
Gamma World 1ed.
Highest Level of All Fantasy Role-playing
Bushido
Classic Traveller
MERP/Rolemaster
Elfquest
James Bond 007
Dragonquest (all ed.)
Lands of Adventure
Land of the Rising Sun
Sword Bearer
Chill

OD&D 1974 without Supplements (and White Box S&W)
OD&D 1974 + Chainmail (and Spellcraft & Swordplay)
Pre-UA First Ed AD&D (and OSRIC)
Holmes D&D + Meepo's supplemental sheets
Judges Guild game materials

Pretty much anything by  Paul Jaquays

Stormbringer/Hawkmoon (1st eds mostly)
RuneQuest 3
Mongoose RuneQuest II
Call of Cthulhu

Mythus and Mythus Prime
Lejendary Adventures
Bushido
Rolemaster
MERP
Star Wars d6
Cyberpunk 2020
In Nomine Satanis Magna Veritas First Ed (this one is fringe as an OS game, but still, the tone of the game itself and its adventures are very OS)

Quote from: GregChristopher;401639Maybe this is exposing my ignorance, but can't you just roll up six stats and play D&D without materials?

Of course you can. Why not, if that's what one fancies?

Quote from: GregChristopher;401639What are you really gaining by having books? Thief skills? Can you just use DEX? Charts for bending bars?

Someone enlighten me.

I can only talk about me particularly, but I feel that a complete book first provides a frame on which to build your campaign, and provides you with tools to do so. The amount and nature of the tools you would need to use your imagination to the fullest will greatly depend on the individual we are talking about.

For me, it will vary with time and particular inclinations. Sometimes I will want to have a very loose frame and be able to build whatever I want out of the game, and will select the 1974 OD&D rules then, for instance, and at other times I will want a very extensive rules set shockfull of tools, bits and pieces, and will take say Mythus for that purpose.

I think there is also a strong thematic and inspirational vibe I pick up from looking at a particular gaming book. This comes from the mechanics, both details and the big picture of the system, the layout of the book, its art, its prose, and so on and so forth. This whole affects me in the way I imagine the next game, picture some NPCs and creatures, visualize situations and scenery and therefore, the way the game will later unfold. Reading a little bit through the First Ed DMG for instance is all I need to visualize OS dungeon environments.

Classic little-black-book Traveller and Metamorphosis Alpha.