I’ve enjoyed
dabbling with the Old School Renaissance (OSR). It’s nice to
indulge my nostalgic tendencies and revel in some of the innovations
people are sharing based on the old “core” fantasy roleplaying
game rule sets:
Erik “Tenkar” Stiene’s Swords & Wizardry Light,
James Spahn’s The Hero’s Journey,
Scott Malthouse’s Romance of the Perilous Land, among others in
the back of my mind. Yet the OSR itself caters to gamers with at
least some experience with any earlier flavor of
Dungeons &
Dragons and roleplaying games, whether someone played once in
high school or has been playing regularly for years. It’s not
exactly a clear entry point for newcomers to the roleplaying game
hobby. Since OSR titles are primarily available through online
venues, they’re not visible in hobby, game, or book stores –
unlike the current edition of
D&D – and none of the OSR
games have really, to my estimation, catered to complete
beginners.... Until now.
Nathan J. Hill’s The Basic Hack, an
iteration of
David Black’s The Black Hack, incorporates a
few elements and a distillation of the OSR gaming experience I feel
can offer an entry point for new gamers, either in the hands of an
experienced gamemaster or even on their own.
