Is there an OSR game custom-made for Planescape? If not, which one do you think would fit the setting better?
For Gold & Glory is a retro-clone of 2E which might fit the bill, seeing that Planescape was a 2E setting. This might not qualify under your definition of OSR though.
Thanks but I would like to stay away from AD&D2e if possible. I'd prefer an OSR that keeps things simple while tapping the bizarreness and belief-stuff of the setting.
There isn't much OSR material for AD&D2e. Planescape (and Spelljammer, etc) was firmly a child of that era, but OSR is generally founded on 1e.
While Planescape is great in terms of surreality and philosophical banter, it doesn't fit with the simpler Moorcockian approach to alignment taken by many OSR games and settings. Unless you make a new Planejammer or whatever setting based on the OSR, like Anethemalon (http://inspiredmythos.blogspot.com/2011/02/anethemalon-planes-of-existance.html) or Voidspanners (https://basicfantasy.org/showcase.cgi?sid=110).
I would love to see a planar setting where the distinction between demons, devils, deuces and whatever isn't arbitrary and silly. One of the problems I had with the demons/devils distinction in D&D is that the writers used the same random tables to generate both, rather than giving them distinct aesthetics, motifs, tactics, beliefs, and so forth like Warhammer does. I had to google a dozen blog posts by a dozen different authors before I could build a list of criteria to distinguish the two.
I've run Planescape with Castles & Crusades. I view C&C as AD&D 3e and I had no issue using the original PS material.
I've thought about a "planar" setting for OD&D / S&W:WB, but for me, Planescape was done so excellently that I haven't felt the need. But I agree with BoxCrayonTales is the Devil / Demon divide wasn't well fleshed out in the core box, although its somewhat better in the Blood War materials.
In my Planescape, the divide was easy. Demons - Chaotic Evil were insane ravagers and their planes were nothing but nigh-continuous slaughter and rule by the most brutal. Devils - Lawful Evil were cunning manipulators and their planes were places of intrigue, slavery and very dark opportunities. And the Blood War was the Devils using great Intelligence vs. the Demons using great Strength...which made the Neutral Evil planes and their denizens rather interesting as they had elements of both and neither.
But yeah, I like Warhammer's division of evil more, and Warhammer's demon art was always more evocative and flavorful.
This points out the phoniness of the OSR. To claim that 2e AD&D is somehow too complex is just completely ridiculous. It's apparently all about posing, not actually the rules...
But if you really must, there's several things for B/X that might help. There's some planar stuff from New Big Dragon Games; There's tiefling and assamar racial classes in the Class Catalog for B/X Essentials (presumably they revised it to cash in on the in Old School Essentials rename and cash in); James Mishler just released some racial classes for demons for Labyrinth Lord (though I'm not sure LL is old school enough for the OSR these days)
Quote from: Spinachcat;1111946In my Planescape, the divide was easy. Demons - Chaotic Evil were insane ravagers and their planes were nothing but nigh-continuous slaughter and rule by the most brutal. Devils - Lawful Evil were cunning manipulators and their planes were places of intrigue, slavery and very dark opportunities. And the Blood War was the Devils using great Intelligence vs. the Demons using great Strength...which made the Neutral Evil planes and their denizens rather interesting as they had elements of both and neither.
This is how I've always interpreted the Demons-Devil divide too. Never had any difficulties.
Except if you're taking only visuals in consideration. But then one must remember PS is an amalgamation of mythologies first and foremost, so having a uniform pattern for each kind of evil is impracticable. An Asura, a Tengu and a Banshee must conform in form to their respective mythologies, not the Great Wheel.
(and remember: the Great Wheel is just a cosmological model adopted by Sigil's intelligentsia and not really the absolute truth about the cosmos - i.e.: the books cite the Chinese pantheon sees the planes as a single whole, and the Norse see Yggdrasil in the center of all, etc.)
Quote from: JeremyR;1111954This points out the phoniness of the OSR. To claim that 2e AD&D is somehow too complex is just completely ridiculous. It's apparently all about posing, not actually the rules...
But if you really must, there's several things for B/X that might help. There's some planar stuff from New Big Dragon Games; There's tiefling and assamar racial classes in the Class Catalog for B/X Essentials (presumably they revised it to cash in on the in Old School Essentials rename and cash in); James Mishler just released some racial classes for demons for Labyrinth Lord (though I'm not sure LL is old school enough for the OSR these days)
I quite agree, you can dial down the complexity of 2e and run it like BECMI. The levels and saves might be slightly different, but the modular nature of 2e means you can adjust it to taste which is what I've always done. To claim otherwise is to tell me that decades of experience with both BECMI and 2e are wholly invalid and/or fake. Though thinking about it BECMI might not be your thing either, in which case you may have to houserule and adjust things to taste if that floats your boat regardless of system.
I don't know if this is technically OSR but the people at https://www.planewalker.com/ have converted a good chunk of it into 3.5 if that helps.
Basic Fantasy RPG (https://www.basicfantasy.org/downloads.html) might have part of what you're looking for in the Showcase (https://www.basicfantasy.org/showcase.cgi) look for the Tainted and Touched Supplement.
Quote from: Itachi;1111893Is there an OSR game custom-made for Planescape? If not, which one do you think would fit the setting better?
I know of no game designed for running something like Planescape. But I did find that Blood&Treasure (mind that I used 1ed. I am not up to date on 2ed) covered most I needed to run it without doing much work or need other sources. The bestiary is massive and covers all the 3,5 srd and even more. It even got not-mindflayers, not-githyanki, not-umber hulks etc. All the 3,5 core classes and races and stats for playing tieflings, aasimar, genasi(primals), etc. Some covered in a free online supplement. It even got monster templates to create for example abyssal , psionic and elemental creatures. It did also get two takes on psionics. Both from free fanmade online supplements. One was a reskin of the sorcerer class and one was a full psionics supplement with a lot converted from 3.5.
Another books I've used extensively when running adventures in Sigil is Vornheim.
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll take a look at them.
In the meantime I stumbled with "Troika!" , which is not exactly OSR but share similar sensibilities. For those who wish to know it:
https://www.troikarpg.com/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/cannibalhalflinggaming.com/2019/02/27/troika-review/amp/
Just a note: troika is made by seriously hardcore SJWs. The kind who tried to 'cancel' me.
Hi I'm new here but I thought I should share this link https://d101games.com/books/beyond-dread-portals/ it's By Paul Mitchener for D101 Games. I don't think it's out yet, and I have no idea when or if it's coming out.
But I am looking forward to it. I have one of his books "Crucible of the Dragons" and it was pretty good.