I have many OSR games.  What I've noticed is that most of them just have the basic four classes of Fighter, Cleric, Wizard, and Rogue.  Sometimes this is boosted to seven classes if the game has race-as-class, so dwarves, elves, and halflings are each a class in their own right. 

I'm not a fan of race-as-class if I'm honest.

So I'm wondering which OSR game has the most classes you can be.  I'm thinking it has to be either Shadow of the Demon Lord, though you start that game as one of the classic four.  Customization comes later as you level.

The other game I think of is Castles and Crusades.  The 7th printing I have has 13 classes. 

Any other games that has a lot?

Adventures Dark and Deep has 16 in the main PHB, and then another few in the Asian book.

Quote from: weirdguy564 on February 28, 2023, 05:51:50 PM
I have many OSR games.  What I've noticed is that most of them just have the basic four classes of Fighter, Cleric, Wizard, and Rogue.  Sometimes this is boosted to seven classes if the game has race-as-class, so dwarves, elves, and halflings are each a class in their own right. 

I'm not a fan of race-as-class if I'm honest.

So I'm wondering which OSR game has the most classes you can be.  I'm thinking it has to be either Shadow of the Demon Lord, though you start that game as one of the classic four.  Customization comes later as you level.

The other game I think of is Castles and Crusades.  The 7th printing I have has 13 classes. 

Any other games that has a lot?

C&C has a bunch more in the various supplements.  OSE Advanced also has lots.  And ACKS has several dozen if you add in the supplemental books, with many options to create your own.

It probably doesn't qualify as an OSR but the GLOG has hundreds of classes (most are wizard options).
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15NHKxTwKfE4URiiJm7RUAnExMid8zRg7nkkNgZ5i4h4/edit

I wonder why we haven't had an OSR Kits book as an homage to the 2e days?

I could see that being a hit...if done right.

Palladium Fantasy 1E has 18 classes, plus 5 optional NPC classes that can be played.

Mercenary - fighter with a bit of thief skills
Soldier - stock warrior
Longbowman - warrior and 1 of 2 classes able to use longbow skill
Ranger - country survivalist & hunter, 2 of 2 classes able to use longbow skill
Knight - cavalryman, 1 of 2 classes with Lance skill
Paladin - slightly better cavalryman, 2 of 2 classes with Lance skill
Thief - stealing skills, and access to secret fences to buy stolen items
Assassin - poison skills, and access to secret society

Wizard - standard spell caster
Warlock - specialist spell caster of Wind, Water, Earth, or Fire
Witch - bestowed spells by benefactor spirit, but also given awful missions
Summoner - pet class. 
Diabolist - magic circles on places.  Also, paints/glues buffs onto people or items.
Mind mage - psionics

Priest - both light and dark.  Prays for interventions, and gods cast the magic, creates scrolls
Druid - animal pets, shapechanger
Shaman - pagan priests with fewer powers, but more fighting skill
Healer - psychic with healing specialist

Barbarians of Lemuria has 24 Careers (a.k.a. Classes). Top that! 

I guess if you consider it Old School...

Rolemaster Classic Professions (~Classes)

Alchemist
Animist
Archmage
Arcist
Arms Master
Assassin
Astral Traveller
Barbarian
Bashkar
Beastmaster
Bounty Hunter
Burglar
Cavalier
Chaotic Lord
Cleric
Conjurer
Crafter
Craftsman
Crystal Mage
Dancer
Delver
Dervish
Doppleganger
Dream Lord
Druid
Duelist
Elementalist
Enchanter
Farmer
Fighter
Forcemage
Gypsy
Healer
High Warrior Monk
Houri
Illusionist
Lay Healer
Leader
Macabre
Magician
Magus
Maleficant
Mentalist
Montebanc
Moon Mage
Necromancer
Nightblade
No Profession
Noble Warrior
Paladin
Professional
Rogue
Runemaster
Sage
Sailor
Scholar
Seer
Shadow Mage
Shaman
Sleuth
Tarotmage
Thief
Trader
Warlock
Warrior
Warrior Mage
Warrior Monk
Witch
Witch Hunter
Wizard

Grey Matter (If you can find it) has 42 classes + 7 race as class + 50 races. It IS OSR.

Quote from: Spinachcat on February 28, 2023, 07:32:28 PM
I wonder why we haven't had an OSR Kits book as an homage to the 2e days?

I could see that being a hit...if done right.

Because, like 2e as a whole, Kits suck.  I did know a lot of people who played 2e of course, but no one I knew switched from 1e to play 2e.  At most we picked up settings, modules or monster books.  But all the people I knew who actively played 2e started with it because that was the edition that was current when they started playing.  But baatezu and tanar'ri alone are enough to entirely discredit that edition in my eyes.

Yeah and half the 2e kits were "Raging BlahBlah"

A Complete™ Mess.

Not exactly OSR, but the way Shadow of the Demon Lord handles classes makes it so there are... a lot.

If you count it as OSR, then By This Axe I Hack has 30 classes.

I have to say ACKS race-as-class *for me* redeems the concept.

"Elf" isn't a class. But just like there are the core four human classes + a bunch of extras (originals: Assassin, Bard, Bladedancer, Explorer), there are "Elven Courtier" and "Elven Nightblade" and "Elven Spellsword" and "Dwarven Craftpriest" and "Dwarven Vaultguard" - each race has multiple specific tailored classes available.

ACKS is a system with variable XP per class and with (nonhuman) level limits, introduced via these racial classes. Humans top out at level 14, others can reach 10-13 depending on how many special abilities they're getting from their race. In my experience this works a lot better than the "penalty levels" you'd see in 3E, while adding some weight to choosing race and helping avoid the demihuman zoos my players bring to 5e parties.

Quote from: Theory of Games on February 28, 2023, 08:40:50 PM
Yeah and half the 2e kits were "Raging BlahBlah"

A Complete™ Mess.

Hard disagree. The Complete Handbook series (including book of Celts, Rome, etc.) were the best supplements to come out of 2e and possibly D&D in general. Kit balance wasn't perfect, but then again, nothing in D&D ever was (perhaps not to the blatant extend as Palladium, but still...), and all of them provided a lot of invaluable ideas for running focused campaigns and spicing up the classes, specially Clerics, which got a lot of details for Specialty Priests.

Quite possibly the only Complete X Handbook that truly sucked was the Complete Psionicists Handbook, and that's because the class itself sucked major leagues and TSR/WotC never managed to make psionics work.