Back in the OSR!

I haven't really been following the OSR since the release of Swords and Wizardry Complete. Part of that is my extreme fondness for DnD 5E, which is essentially everything I was trying to do in a neoclone. Additionally, part of it is also the vibe of the community when I was last a part of things, there was more drama than I was comfortable with and I had a negative interaction with a prominent member of the OSR community, that was thankfully, kept private.

Yes, I still enjoy SW Complete, Labyrinth Lord, and Lamentations of the Flame Princess, but I've been living pretty happily with DnD 5E.

However, I recently heard about THE BLACK HACK from Gold Piece Publications and David Black. After picking it up, I've fallen pretty hard for it. Its possibly the most streamlined version of the Original Role Playing Game I've ever come across, and it's COOL and FUN.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying any of the OSR games I've mentioned aren't those things, its just that THE BLACK HACK is BOTH of those things.  I'm even developing my first OGL product for it and its already been a huge pleasure communicating with David Black.

Additionally, I discovered Beyond The Wall And Other Adventures by Flatland Games and John Cocking and Peter S. Williams, which I had overlooked because of it's use of the term Playbook. Sadly, I associated it with Apocalypse World/Dungeon World games and their ilk, which may be great games for other people, but I don't have the interest in learning a whole new lexicon of game terms (it's not 1993 anymore) or ways to play. Beyond The Wall's Playbook is essentially a Life Path tool for rounding out your character and creating bonds with other characters at the table. I'm really hoping to test it out soon with my kids.

The whole experience has even got me thinking about finishing 1st Age, my hybrid of 13th Age and Labyrinth Lord, for publication.

I guess everything Old School is new again?