Basic Arcana

So, as of this morning, I have officially put out my first attempt at an OSR "product."  Basic Arcana is intended to be a sort of Unearthed Arcana for the Basic/Expert rules.  All of the rules and modifications are intended to be add-ons, or quick adjustments to the old rules.  I decided to do this because I love those old rules (as with my tastes in movies, that's probably in no small way attributable to nostalgia), but they have their flaws.  And I think that may be the charm of OSR gaming. 

The Basic and Expert rules are, by the standards of recent editions, rather simple.  This is actually a strength for some people.  For 3rd edition, and to a slightly lesser extent 4th edition, there are just so many rules and options.  There is something to cover everything.  For younger gamers, this is what they want, so that's great.  But, us older gamers (the ones who actively play, anyways) sometimes miss the days when house-rules were the norm, and modifications were practically expected.

As gamers we tend to develop particular "tastes" for gaming experiences.  We like it when things work in certain ways.  So, when a new edition or game comes along that doesn't fit that, we have a tendency to want to fix what we perceive as a flaw.  And that, IMHO, is the basis for the entire OSR movement.  The ability of a DM or player to figure out how they would like the game to be, without having to look it up in some "officially supported" book.  It's a more personal gaming experience.

So, if you play those old versions, feel free to download my paltry little file.  If you like one thing I have in there, I will feel vindicated.  As always, feel free to discuss it below, and let me know what you think.

Basic Arcana <-- Download Here

Please note, I know that other attempts at this sort of thing have been made.  And if I have duplicated any one's efforts, it's purely coincidental, as I have not yet read any of those.