More Love Of Goblinoid Games Labyrinth Lord & More OSR Commentary

 

I have a well known & abiding love for B/X Dungeons & Dragons. The game is one of the many reincarnations of original Dungeons & Dragons. So for the last couple of weeks I've been off  to the side of the OSR watching the progression of the Advanced Edition Companion kickstarter.

 The kickstarter  funded in ten hours & there's a evolutionary processing happening with the game. The comments section on the retroclone table top game has been very interesting as well as encouraging. The player fandom for the the Advanced Edition Companion for LL has been in place for a long time but it hasn't been very vocal.


The low down on what the kickstarter for the Advanced Edition Companion does  and if this edition replaces the old was answered right on page one of the kickstater. It doesn't it combines both Labyrinth Lord & the Advanced Edition Companion into one package; 

1. This is not a new game.
2. This is simply a combined book.
3. You will still be able to separate "basic" from "advanced" game options.
4. Much interior art will carry over from the original books, but new interior art will be featured in addition.
5. This combined book does not replace the current separate books. Those books will remain in print. 

 This is important because it means I don't have to keep buying endless reference books & add ons. This was one of the draws for me for original & B/X Dungeons & Dragons even though there is a ton of supporting product  for both games out in the rpg retail wilderness.

The reason is because the OSR player fandom moves from the B/X Dungeons & Dragons community over here & back to there depends upon the fan's OSR product attention focus.
This kickstarter funded in ten hours meaning that the players of Labyrinth Lord's system have been hungering for this retroclone game system  straight out of the gate for years. You get a complete set of rules that allows players & dungeon masters to create,&  play adventures for characters up to the 20th level. That's it, meat & potatoes style old school adventures with  Dungeons & Dragons renamed. This is the way to experience the original Moldvay/Cook without buying the original Basic and Expert books!
You can get both  Labyrinth Lord: Revised Edition (no-art version)  &  Advanced Edition Companion (Labyrinth Lord, no-art version)for free without the artwork
 

Personally I prefer the 'Godzilla' dragon cover with the party of adventurers  who are going to get their asses fried or parley with the dragon on this LL cover.


The fact that the Advanced Edition Companion is fully compatible with Arduin & other old school  systems & adventures  is high on my priority list for getting into LL when I first entered into the OSR. The fact is that LL was made exclusively for this very reason & more;"Goblinoid Games was the first retro-clone publisher to both make most content open under the OGL and create a free trademark license with few restrictions. The material contained in the LL rules is available to others with few restrictions, allowing fans and other publishers alike to create their own derivative material for use with the system"
This is why I've always been using LL at my table for reference, play, and more. Labyrinth Lord  was made by the creators for dungeon masters & players who in turn can become writers/designers &  creators.

Next time dungeons & ruins why their really there & what sinister purpose do they serve.
Stay tuned & keep em rolling!