Lacking Natural Simplicity

Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy Referee's Tome by Gavin Norman


This adapts the Dungeon Master rules (creating and running adventures; monsters; encounters, treasures, and magic items) of first edition AD&D to the scale and mechanics of the Moldvay/Cook/Marsh edition of Basic/Expert D&D, contrasting with Labyrinth Lord: Revised, Advanced Edition Companion, and Advanced Labyrinth Lord, which does it the other way around and adapts the B/X rules to the scale of first edition AD&D.

As is common with the other Old-School Essentials titles, this is very well organized and presented. It is interesting what was integrated from first edition AD&D and what was left out. (For instance, there is a Wand of Summoning, but no Summon Monster spells.)

I think that this is an excellent choice for someone new to D&D to learn the classic Dungeon Master rules. I wish something this clear had been available when I started playing D&D.

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Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy would probably be my first choice for any new D&D campaign I start, all other things being equal.

Last edited: 2021-09-11 12:41:55 EDT