The long-awaited third version of OSRIC, the premier Advanced Dungeons & Dragons retro-clone game, is currently being crowdfunded by the fine folks at Mythmere Games. The physical copies of the new version are expected to ship out early in 2026, just in time for OSRIC's twentieth anniversary. Wait, twenty years? Really? I could swear it was only yesterday....
Now, I've written before about the hallowed place the original AD&D holds in my heart, and I genuinely believe that this new "teaching version" of the game is vital for promoting it to later generations of gamers who don't have my decades-long sentimental attachment to the old tomes. I've never been of the opinion that RPG design is a process of strict linear improvement over time. Rather, different game rules produce different outcomes and experiences, which we in turn gravitate toward (or are repelled by) in accordance with our own personal affinities and biases. What has advanced in a much more objective sense is the way RPG rules are presented to their users. I'm talking about quicker to reference layouts, unambiguous language, and the sensible organization of material; all areas where my beloved late '70s originals were sorely lacking due to a combination of publisher inexperience and the cutting-edge nature of what was then a new and unprecedented gaming form. Earlier revisions of OSRIC (the most recent of which was all the way back in 2013) did remedy this somewhat, but there was still ample room for improvement. Everything I've seen of the upcoming 3.0 version's presentation has me convinced that we're finally about to see Mythmere do for AD&D what the creator of community favorite Old School Essentials did for the '81 D&D rules. This is no small feat in light of how much deeper AD&D is as a rule set, incorporating more character creation options, spells, monsters, magic items, combat mechanics, and support material for lengthy high-level campaigns. All of this has the potential to make any D&D game a better one and having it in a form that's easy to learn and quick to reference is an absolute necessity if interest in AD&D is to have any hope of persisting after my generation is done and gone.
That's the big reason OSRIC 3.0 deserves your moral and financial support: So 1st Edition AD&D can survive. Beyond that, though, there's the matter of what OSRIC represents. It's a faithful representation of the premier fantasy RPG of the 1980s that's totally independent of Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro, or any other corporate influencer. It's free (in PDF form, anyway) and anyone can publish adventures and supplements for it without paying a dime for the privilege. When WotC took over the brand from a defunct TSR and released their first take on D&D (third edition) circa 2000, that game just never clicked with some of us. It didn't take much exposure to 3E's plethora of skills, feats, and prestige classes for me to throw my hands up and conclude that this just wasn't recognizable as the D&D I loved anymore. Whatever it was, of course, it certainly attracted its share of devoted fans. Yet it wasn't for me and only succeeded in pushing me back to my old AD&D hardcovers with a renewed passion. Around this same time, the success of early consciously "old school" experiments like HackMaster and Castles & Crusades were proving that I wasn't alone. Love for gaming in the AD&D mold was widespread, if underserviced. What these games didn't have going for them was a true grassroots, open-source nature. In releasing OSRIC, head editor Stuart Marshall, lead author Matt Finch, and their cast of contributing authors changed that forever. AD&D now belonged to the whole community in all but name, and subsequent retro-clone efforts like Labyrinth Lord, Basic Fantasy RPG, and Swords & Wizardry eagerly took up the banner of this newly minted Old School Rennaisance/Revival. For blazing that trail at a time when the potential legal risks were largely speculative, I'll always have OSRIC's back. This new version takes that independent spirit even further, formally cutting ties with WotC's imperiled OGL license in favor of source material drawn from Creative Commons.
I'd be remiss if I didn't add that the True Grognard in me appreciates how OSRIC 3.0 will be closer to AD&D proper than ever before. The aforementioned nebulous legal risk assessment back in 2006 led to some very small changes to the AD&D rules in OSRIC (such as slight tweaks to experience tables) and some less small omissions (such as the entire monk character class). As many of these alterations as possible will be undone in the new version. There are also numerous bits of errata in the legacy OSRIC text that helpful community members have pointed out over the years. They will not be missed in 3.0.
Finally, OSRIC 3.0 matters and deserves support because it's made by Mythmere Games, and they're good people who make good stuff. If you're familiar with the superb Swords & Wizardry game, the downright legendary Tome of Adventure Design supplement, or great adventures like Pod Caverns of the Sinister Shroom, you know that. The new OSRIC will have that same level of quality and attention to detail, along with great new art by Del Teigeler and numerous other skilled OSR illustrators. Mythmere is such a known quantity for me that I don't hesitate in the slightest to recommend anything they put out.
Ah, but enough of my rambling. You still have thirteen days to go as of this writing to back OSRIC 3.0 on BackerKit and get yourself a hard copy of the rules in a number of print formats to suit your needs, along with what sounds like some truly excellent new adventures. Do it for the Grand Old Game. Do it for the OSR. Do it because it's going to be friggin' amazing.
.JPG)
