New and Olde Schools
Olde Swords Reign is a tabletop roleplaying game by Damien Fegan and Scott Myers. As with some other Old School Renaissance (OSR) games, it is designed to bridge the gap between older editions of Dungeons and Dragons and the contemporary 5th edition. It is reasonably streamlined like more modern TTRPGs with a d20, roll high basic system with the six standard ability scores, “advantage/disadvantage” and “inspiration” and other mechanics players would expect from the player-friendly later editions of the world’s most popular role-playing game. The early part of the book also takes time to explain the main difference between OSR and 5th edition such as stripped-down classes, simplified difficulty classes and monster creation, skills replaced by backgrounds, a level cap of 12, and other such features.
Some of rules in Olde Swords Reign make it feel closer to 13th Age, another OSR game that was created by Rob Heinsoo and Jonathan Tweet. The background system in particular is similar in its design and gameplay effects. Olde Swords Reign, however, lacks the built-in setting and Icon system to connect characters to powerful mover and shakers in the game world. For something similar to that, players should check out the second edition of The One Ring. Instead, Olde Sword’s Reign is presented as setting-neutral, meaning Game Masters will have to import a setting wholesale and convert it, or build a setting for it. In the former case, Olde Swords Reign does present guidelines for converting monsters and other aspects of 5th edition or other OSR games into its rules, which is of some help. In the latter case, a GM could easily use setting generators from the “Gygax 75 Challenge,” Worlds Without Number or even Black Sword Hack to quickly build out a place to do some adventuring.
Thank you to Frank Salazar at RollForTuraco for introducing me to Olde Swords Reign.
Feats in the Metric System
As characters advance in Olde Swords Reign, they gain feats, which are improvements or variations on a character’s basic abilities. Additionally, a hindrance can also be selected or potentially gained in the course of a character’s adventuring career. Feats, of course, will be familiar to anyone who has played D&D since the 3rd edition or Pathfinder, but they aren’t often seen in other OSR games. The rules state that feats and hindrances are entirely optional, and while that it technically the case, it is difficult to understand why they would not be included as part of the game. The selection of classes and races is bare bones, so aside from a player’s imagination, the main difference between otherwise similar characters would come down to feats and hindrances. By excluding these “optional” elements of the game, there is little to separate Olde Swords Reign from the many other OSR games that exist to emulate the experience of early D&D editions.
The Price is Right
Given its accessibility and that the rules are welcoming to both other OSR players and anyone who has learned to play from either 5th edition or Pathfinder, Olde Swords Reign can make a good TTRPG experience for either players new to the whole scene or veteran players. Without including feats and hindrances, it might come across as bland, but generally, its flaws will be those found in other OSR games. As with Basic Fantasy RPG, though, Olde Swords Reign can be acquired as a PDF for free. It is no small thing that a $0 price point means there is basically no financial barrier to entry. Combined with the general ease of understanding and implementing the rules, having the whole game system available for free makes it both a rock-solid place to get into fantasy TTRPGs or a virtually risk-free means of trying an OSR style game.
© 2023 Seth Tomko