I am surprised by the successful Kickstarters for retroclones, like the recent Old School Essentials. I had (very wrongly) thought the desire for retroclones had been satiated. I'm not even talking about OSR games which are 50% TSR and 50% new stuff. I'm talking 90% TSR retros (aka RPGs like OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord, Basic Fantasy, etc).

I own a small stack of the older clones via POD, and apparently, its a real market for new clones too.

So, if you were to consider buying a new retroclone, what would you want in the next one that you haven't gotten from the others?

I didn't know I wanted any of the one's I've got... until I did.
Swords & Wizardry for clean up OD&D rules, LotFP for its brand of horror fantasy, Old School Essentials for its clean/organized version of B/X.
Any 'new' OSR rules (not necessarily retroclones) would need to have some interesting approach or setting... ala DCC or The Nightmares Underneath.

What's "The Nightmares Underneath"?

For me personally, there were two reasons to back Old School Essentials. First, there are plans for settings, genres and modules beyond the core books. Second, they aren't going to recreate the advanced material - they're going to take the advanced material and B/X-ify it. I was attracted to that idea.It might seem minor, but it was just different enough to get me on board. But above and beyond that, the idea of post apoc, sci-fantasy, pulp and more genre modules for it are all things I'm excited to see.

As for "the next OSR", again for myself, I'm done with straight clones. I'd like to see more stuff push the boundaries in much the same way Kevin Crawford's work does. By which I mean you can take that base underlying engine that we all know and love, and reinterpret it in various ways the push the game play in interesting new directions.

Quote from: Spinachcat;1093231I am surprised by the successful Kickstarters for retroclones, like the recent Old School Essentials. I had (very wrongly) thought the desire for retroclones had been satiated. I'm not even talking about OSR games which are 50% TSR and 50% new stuff. I'm talking 90% TSR retros (aka RPGs like OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord, Basic Fantasy, etc).

I own a small stack of the older clones via POD, and apparently, its a real market for new clones too.

So, if you were to consider buying a new retroclone, what would you want in the next one that you haven't gotten from the others?

Within those parameters I can't think of anything I haven't already got from BFRPG, White Box, S&W, Dark/Darker Dungeons.

50/50 I can think of a few things, some of which I'm currently working on.

I'm backing Dungeons & Delvers: Red Book right now, but that's more a BECMI Black Box/4E/5E/Star Wars d20 hybrid.

   I'm surprised no one's tried to capture the JRPG/anime market with something reminiscent of the Japanese translation of the Rules Cyclopedia.

Quote from: Spinachcat;1093231So, if you were to consider buying a new retroclone, what would you want in the next one that you haven't gotten from the others?

I'd want it to be less TSR D&D and more of anything else that came out during the explosion of RPGs in the '80s. Definitely no more fantasy.

Quote from: SavageSchemer;1093238For me personally, there were two reasons to back Old School Essentials. First, there are plans for settings, genres and modules beyond the core books. Second, they aren't going to recreate the advanced material - they're going to take the advanced material and B/X-ify it. I was attracted to that idea.It might seem minor, but it was just different enough to get me on board. But above and beyond that, the idea of post apoc, sci-fantasy, pulp and more genre modules for it are all things I'm excited to see.

As for "the next OSR", again for myself, I'm done with straight clones. I'd like to see more stuff push the boundaries in much the same way Kevin Crawford's work does. By which I mean you can take that base underlying engine that we all know and love, and reinterpret it in various ways the push the game play in interesting new directions.

+10 for the genre modules, Although I'm more of the whole game in a book kinda guy. But what do you mean by Pulp? Pulp isn't and wasn't a genre, in fact all of the genres (I think) got the Pulp treatment.

Pulp is more of a style (and I'm not talking about the paper), larger than life characters (not gonna include the really lurid books here) having Amazing Adventures in Astonishing Lost Worlds full of Horror, Weird Science, Sword & Sorcery and Planetary Romance.

But most people think Hardboiled when they think of Pulp, smack in the 30's detective adventures with some horror mixed in.

Quote from: jeff37923;1093242I'd want it to be less TSR D&D and more of anything else that came out during the explosion of RPGs in the '80s. Definitely no more fantasy.

Yep, no more Fantasy a la Tolkien.

A Traveller clone without the community acrimony.

("I like to think of six impossible things before breakfast." -Alice)

I'm probably the wrong person to answer this question, since I'm pretty happy with BX Essentials/Old School Essentials.  I'm also not the guy who is going to drop cash on a new retroclone just to get that one new subsystem or trick.  So if you want to get my attention, I need to see something that isn't O/A/B/X D&D redux.  Now if someone were to use "retroclone" and "Lejendary Adventure" or "SAGA Game System" in the same sentence, that would definitely get my attention.  But also, as a big fan of 17th-century swashbuckling adventure rpgs, I would LOVE to see a cool blend of B/X D&D and Flashing Blades, 7th Sea, or Honor+Intrigue.  I want to see old school fantasy exploration/monster hunters mechanics injected with high octane cinematics.

So yeah, I'm super niche.  

Quote from: Opaopajr;1093247A Traveller clone without the community acrimony.

("I like to think of six impossible things before breakfast." -Alice)

"Impossible thing before breakfast", indeed.

I'd like to see a 1e AD&D retroclone. We have OSRIC, but that has a sucky license.


I personally find the Old School Essentials stuff to be completely baffling. People somehow want a B/X clone, but they want everything from AD&D in it.

But the best part of B/X is all the things it did differently from AD&D

Can't say I'm very interested in more clones. I don't really need another game. I'd rather see more adventures, supplements, or even settings that are compatible with the games I already own and play.

Quote from: Opaopajr;1093247A Traveller clone without the community acrimony.

("I like to think of six impossible things before breakfast." -Alice)

Anyhow, if you're going TSR I'd think Boot Hill + Dawn Patrol or maybe Gang Busters.  Star Frontiers has been done and done and done.  If you really wanted to go nuts you could do Divine Right or Fourth Dimension.  What about They've Invaded Pleasantville, that would be fun.