PRINCIPIA APOCRYPHA

Lost Principles of Old School Gaming

Apocalypse Engine-style Principles and Advice from

Ben Milton Steven Lumpkin

for running RPGs in the Old School Style
curated, butchered, and amalgamated by David Perry
with miscellany from Bryce Lynch Chris McDowall



PRINCIPIA APOCRYPHA
Lost Principles of Old School Gaming

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Source Symbol Key
: Ben Milton
Maze Rats - drivethrurpg.com/product/197158

: Steven Lumpkin
Agendas for Old School Gaming - roll1d100.blogspot.com

: David Perry
The humble additions of a fan of both Old School and New School gaming

NOTE: Some principles have their title changed, and some editing,
trimming, and recombination has been donetotheoriginalsourcetextto
better fit context. The symbol indicates the source of the majority of the
text in the paragraph preceding it.

Cover artist unknown
Fonts used: IM Fell English SC, Averia Serif Libre
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License



Introduction
World of Dungeons is ostensibly the first
system that attempted to emulate an
OSR-style game in the Apocalypse Engine.
However, I felt like the lack of GMAgenda
and Principles tailored to this style was an
unfortunate omission. I imagine new
gamers looking at World of Dungeons and
being quite lost, and even (especially?) if
theyarefamiliarwithDungeonWorld,they
maybequitethrownofftrackbythelackof
context.
Likewise, many OSR rules-light systems
(such as The Black Hack) lack advice for
how to run the game as a GM, and mostof
those that do (such as Whitehack) provide
very basic practical advice, rather than the
codifiedstylisticandproceduralframework
that I find so useful from the Agendas and
Principles of Apocalypse Engine games
(Maze Rats being a welcome exception).
So, I decided to compile and piecetogether
some of these principles. They are
primarily pulled from two sources that are
excellent in their own right: Maze Rats by
BenMilton(PWYWonDriveThruRPG),and
some posts and vlogs on Steven Lumpkins
blog, roll1d100.blogspot.com. Thesesources
are attributed using the symbols noted in
the frontmatter.Ivetakensomelibertiesto
editthemforcontext,trimming,rewording,
and combining some, to produce a more
cohesive whole, as well as adding a few
pieces myself.
If youre familiar with Apocalypse Engine
games and are interested in playing The
Original or another Old School game, not
all the principles may be applicable, but
they should help distinguish how theyplay
differently from Apocalypse Engine games.
If yourefamiliarwithOldSchoolgameplay
and want to bring that mindset to an
Apocalypse Engine or OSR rules-light
system, these principles may help you
identify where your ingrained GM habits
might clash with the system, and get a
handle on how asetofprinciplescanaidin
running these games, especially if your
players are new to Old School play.
If you like the Old School play paradigm
and want to instantiate them in an
Apocalypse Engine orrules-lightsystem,or
want to run pre-written Old School
adventure moduleswiththem,theseshould
make a perfect Agenda.
It should go without saying, of course,that
the principles may not all apply equally to
your game or a certain adventure,
depending on its style, tone, scope, etc.
Here are some Old School style games to
consider using these principles to run, and
other sources of inspiration and advice. I
wouldnotrecommendsimplyswitchingout
Dungeon Worlds principles with these. If
you want to run a PbtA game with them, I
highly recommend Freebooters on the
Frontier or World of Dungeons.
The Original Fantasy Adventure Game:
Dungeons & Dragons, particularly the
Basic & Expert sets (B/X)
Closely inspired by early D&D:
Adventurer Conqueror King
Basic Fantasy Role Playing
Dungeon Crawl Classics
Labyrinth Lord
Lamentations of the Flame Princess
Microlite81
Swords & Wizardry
Apocalypse EngineGamesinspiredbyearly
D&D:
Freebooters on the Frontier
Funnel World
World of Dungeons
OSR Rules-Light Systems:
The Black Hack
Into the Odd
Macchiato Monsters
Maze Rats
Whitehack
Searchers of the Unknown
Many others!


Old School
Principles
for GMs
Honor the dice
Divest yourself of their fate
Build responsive situations
Ponder the next chapter
Embrace chaos...
...But uphold logic
Make them think
Player ingenuity over
character skill
Cleverness rewarded, not
thwarted
Oblige fictional positioning
Ask them how they do it
Give them tools to manipulate
the world
Make tools unique
Dont mind the fourth wall
Note: Ive gone back and forth on what
term to use for the person runningagame,
to which these Principles are addressed;
many Old School games use Judge or
Referee. But I finally decided that none of
them have quite the right connotations or
truly align with all the Principles.So,Iwill
default to the most commonly used term,
GM.
Challenge them
Offer tough choices
Build challenges with
answers...
...And challenges without
Subvert their expectations
Instill fear, deal death
Deadly but avoidable combat
Telegraph deadliness
Let the dice kill them
Keep up the pressure
Fill their senses
Reveal the world
Layer environments
Bring the world to life
See your world as real
Make your details matter

Honor the dice Dont overdo the preparation! Keep your

Divest yourself of their fate
You are not an antagonist to theplayersor
characters. Honestly portray the worldand
its denizens as they would react to the
characters behaviour. Don't intend to
orchestrate the characters actions.
situation ideas loose enough that they can
be adapted to the PCschoicesandtheflow
of the game. Remember that unused prep
can always be recycled in later sessions.
After each session, ask the players what
they plan on doing next and prep a few
situations related to that. The direction of
the game should be guided by the players
decisions, not the GMs.

Be fair andimpartial.Donotfudgerolls,do Embrace chaos...

not roll in secret. This keeps the game
Listen to that capricious muse, the dice.
honest and dangerous, and prevents any
Relying exclusively on your own
accusations of favoritism or railroading. It
imagination canbeexhausting,predictable,
also encourages the players to manipulate
and feel less like an objective world to the
and engage with the fictional world,rather
players. External inspirationletsyoudivest
than with the GM.
yourself of responsibility for the partys
fate.
Build responsive situations
Use random tables to keep the game fresh.
Dont detail a plot to be played out;rather,
The surprising twists that random tables
establish situations with multiple actors
add can bringanenergyandmysterytothe
pursuing their own ends. Let the players
game that is hard to improvise.
actions affect this environment, and have
those changes affect the players. Let the Collect random tables. NPCs,names,items,
situations worsen if the players dont plot hooks, complications, relationships,
address them. locations, etc. Some great sourcesoftables:
Maze Rats, Perilous Wilds, Dungeon
During open sandbox play, create a
Dozen.
number of nearby situations that containa
reason to get involved, some problems to
overcome, and optionally a threat that will
...But uphold logic
worsen the PCs lives if not dealt with. Ifthereisanobviousreasonforaparticular
wandering monster to be here, that's why
One way to create interesting situations to they're here; don't bother rolling a random
draw a grid that maps the relationships activity or reaction. Thiscanhelpmaintain
between the elements of a situation and verisimilitude and let players make
how they relate, interact, or how the party reasonable plans, as well as emphasizing
might intervene. the surprise and interestoftheinstancesof
randomness when you do use them.
Ponder the next chapter
Dont prepare a plot for the players to
follow. During the game, observe how the
players deal with a situation, and
extrapolate the effects of their actions
based on what you know. Dont plan the
results ahead of time; players rarely do
what you expect them to.

Make them think
Player ingenuity over
character skill
Old School PCs are very minimalistic
because the character sheet is mostlythere
for when players make a mistake. Players
are not meant to solve problems with die
rolls, but with their own ingenuity.
Therefore, present them with problems
that:
Can be solved with common sense players the tools to make that appealing.
Have n o simple solution
Have m any difficult solutions
Examples: Cross amoatfullofcrocodiles.A
door in the bottom of a dungeon will only
open if sunlight shines onit.Retrieveakey
from the bottom of a lake of acid.
Cleverness rewarded, not
thwarted
Clever solutions to a problem should
usually work, as longastheyarewithinthe
realm of possibility. Be generous. If the
action is unlikely or dangerous, call for a
save or ability check, but only forbid a
creative solution if it is clearly
impossible.
If players tend not to think this way,
present them with situations that are
nearly impossible to tackle head on, and
strongly reward even slightly creative
solutions. One of your goals as a GM is to
encourage this mentality. Feel free to tell
your players aswellthatclevernesswillget
them farther than brute force.
Oblige fictional positioning
Give them the benefit of the doubt when
theyve worked to give themselves the
upper hand in the fiction. Dont shy away
from translating this into mechanical
advantage.
Ask them how they do it
Assumecharactershavecommonsense,but
not their specific actions. Encourage or
require the players to interrogate the
fiction of the environment manually
rather than eliding it via a roll or assumed
character skill. But iftheygiveup,letthem
roll for a chance at a hint.
Give them tools to manipulate
the world
The focusofthegameshouldbeoncreative
problem solving, not brute force, so give
When you give playerstools,yougivethem
new ways to engage the world. For
example: rival factions to manipulate,
potions with weirdly specific effects, items
that can be combined or repurposed,
dungeons with shortcuts and back
passages. Add elements that allow the
players to bend the world to their will.
Make tools unique
AgoodtooldoesntincreasePCsdamageor
add an ability bonus; it does an odd, very
specific thing that is only powerful when
used cleverly. This turns every problem
into a puzzle and encourages creative
solutions.
Examples: A rope that becomes as rigid as
steel on command.Acointhatlandsonany
result you wish when flipped. A bell that
produces a 1-foot sphere of silence around
it. A ring that instantly grows you a
different beard for each finger you put it
on.
Dont mind the fourth wall
Dont worry too much about meta-gaming,
or what the characters should know or
realistically deduceaboutasituation.Favor
player ingenuity over character
embodiment.

Challenge them into the fiction, and explore. If a challenge

is critical for the continuation of the

Offer tough choices
Make the playersweighriskversusreward.
The deeper players go into the wilderness
or dungeon, the more perilous things
should become. Whether because their
resources are running low (food, health,
equipment, light, etc.) or because danger
builds the longer they linger, keep the
players asking if it is worth pushing their
luck just a little bit farther. The greatest
treasures are always the hardest to reach.
Risk and reward are also at the heart of
combat. The PCs low health is meant to
push combat quickly toward the point
where players ask themselves, Should I
retreat to fight another day, or do I risk it
all to finish them now? The thrill of that
choices is at the heart of combat.
Look for situations where all obvious
choices come with a heavy cost. These
situations encourage unorthodox solutions
and lateral thinking.
Build challenges with
multiple answers...
Avoid singular chokepoints to progress.
Give them an obvious and equally but
differently-difficult alternative, but keep a
thirdoption(ormore)inyourpocket.Then,
if they dig for it, give ittothem.Maybeits
obscure, but preferable. Maybe its just as
difficult, but more beneficial.
adventure,considerplacingafewsolutions.
Three is a good number. "Okay, a key, a
potion of Eat Metal... and if they befriend
the Bisected Serpent, it can bore a hole
through the stone."
...And challenges with no
answer
"The deeps are stalked by a living
maelstrom of ravenous psychic energy. If
the players want to get the Golden Falcon
they'll have togetpastit,butIhavenoidea
how they'll manage that."Thesearecritical
for old school gaming. These exist to force
players to be creative in waysthatsurprise
everyone at the table. Be cautious with
placing these as challenges critical for the
continuation of the adventure (unless you
intend for players toretreatandcomeback
later), but sprinkling them around can
surprise everyone at your table.
Subvert their expectations
Its inevitable that players will have
knowledge aboutcommonfantasyelements
from pop culture and other games. Inject
commonmonsters,locations,andsituations
with your own uniquetwistsforthemtobe
surprised by. This encourages players to
explore these differences and solve new
problems that they dontknowthesolution
to already.

"There's a magically locked iron gate the

players have togetpast...howcouldthey?I
guess one of the NPCs has a key... and
there's a potion of Eat Metal hidden in
room 12C." When you build your
adventures, seed them withchallengesthat
you know the answer to. Maybe the player
characters haveacorecapabilitytogetpast
the challenge, or maybe you've just placed
the solution somewhere else for them to
find. Use these to encourage players to dig

Instill fear, deal death feeling attached to their characters; they

will once they gain something to lose.

Keep up the pressure

Deadly but avoidable combat
Whether its through random encounter
Combat in Old School RPGs is neither
rolls when time passes, or because the
balanced nor fair, and PCs should
dungeon is filling with sand, or because a
encounter foes far more powerful and
PC will die in 10 turns from poison, keep
numerous than they are. Players should
the players desperate and on a clock.
learn to treat combat like real-world
Maintain a tension between the desire to
warfare and useingenuity,preparationand
explore and loot, and the terror of
underhanded tactics to rig the results in
remaining too long.
their favor. Encourage the players to
outsmart andout-plantheirenemiesifthey
want to survive.

Megadungeons especially are not about

endless combat encounters or clearingthe
dungeon. Megadungeons constrain and
focus possibilities,sothat(whiledifficultto
choose between and difficult to face,) they
are easy for boththeplayersandtheGMto
identify, reason about, and plan around.
This ensures that clever solutions can be
discovered and rewarded.

Telegraph deadliness
Give players the chance to think their way
around threats and obstacles by
telegraphing them ahead of time. No one
likes their death to be random chance.
When a PC dies, it should be their fault.

Let the dice kill them

Remember, we're not antagonists to the
players- but their survival is on them.

If the dicesaythatsomeoneisdead,theyre
dead. Protecting thePCsfromdeathresults
in games that lack tensionandplayerswho
only solveproblemswithbruteforce.When
a PC dies, tell its player to roll up a new
character and havethemre-enterthescene
as soon as plausible.

Absolute and unambiguouscharacterdeath

is essential for both the risks and rewards
of play to have weight. Character creation
is simple and quick in these games for a
reason. Dont worry about players not

Be their senses
Reveal the world
Dont hide important information fromthe
players. If the PC could reasonably know
something,telltheplayerandmoveon.The
game is about making decisions, and
players cant make good decisions without
good information.
Layer environments
What are the PCs aware of already? What
do they notice at their first glance? Which
of those "first glance" things hides
information on closer inspection? How
would players get that information? Does
that information lead them somewhere
else, or deeper? What's obvious, what's
subtle, what's hidden, and what'sinvisible?
Create layers ofinformationfortheplayers
to peel back and explore.
Bring the world to life
Old School RPGs shine with improvisation
and extrapolation, not rigid plots. During
the game and in between sessions, think
about how the other characters and
factions would respond towhatthePCsare
doing, and develop them accordingly. Your
guiding principle should be What are the
logical consequences?
Treat NPCs like real people. Think about
what NPCs want, especially in combat.
NPCs want to stay alive, and will rarely
start fights that they dont have a high
chance of winning. Only fanatical NPCs
will fight to the death; most will try to
retreat or surrenderiftheyarelosing.Also,
remember that enemies and allies can be
made to switch sides if given the right
motivation.
Givetheplayersastakeintheworld.Asthe
game goeson,playersmayaccumulatealot
of money from completing jobsandlooting
treasures. Encourage them to use this
money to buy property, hire retainers, or
found factions. Playing at this level can
open up new ways for the players to
interact with the world and affect its
history.
See your world as real
This place you've created, or are reading
about- it's a real place. It exists! You could
go there, if you had the technology! You
don't, though, so it's up to you to
communicate it to others. Whatdoyousee,
when you're there? Hear, smell, taste, feel,
sense? What do you know about that's
hidden, and what subtle signs are there?
The players will be probing your vision of
this place for useful information. Put your
mind into that world, explore, and bring
back what's valuable.Likewise,applyareal
world logic to populations and challenges,
rather than building a carefully balanced
sequence of fights. If an encounter is too
tough to fight, it's up to the playerstodeal
with some other way.
Make your details matter
When you're seeing your world as realand
building layered environments, also
remember to keep details of your world
gameable. Players should be able to act on
the information you're telling them: "Her
eyes are a shifting mottled green" helps
players remember the NPC, sure- but "...
and you notice she never standsmorethan
one long step away from the table and its
contents" gives them information they can
act on. "The pillars are ornately carved
marble" - "... the furthest one is crossed
with a latticework of cracks." Your details
should allow players to make informed
decisions and takeeffectiveaction.Youcan
hide these details within your layered
environments for players to discover, but
remember to make them matter.

Old School Principles
for Players
Your sheet has no answers
Rules and mechanics are only triggered by
the fiction. To do something, describeyour
character doing it; if you need to roll
anything, the GM will let you know. When
presented with a problem, instead of
using skills or abilities on it, look to the
environment and investigate the situation
by asking the GM questions.
Heroism is proven
Unlike many modern RPGs, your character
doesnt start a hero. Your meager means
and abilities at first (or zeroth) level
encourage lateral thinking togetyououtof
trouble. And rising to challenges mean
something when their life is on the line.
Live your backstory
Dontputtoomuchworkintoestablishinga
backstory for your characters. Their
experiences at Level 1 (or 0) will feelmuch
more real. Their likely early death wont
sting quite asmuch,andthesurvivorstruly
have tales to tell, and levels to cherish
Dig into the fiction
Discard your assumptions about D&D, and
be curious about the game world. Pay
attention to details- about characters, the
environment, social situations, and more.
Take notes on them! Make maps of them!
Those details can save your life. When you
write your notes, write questions for
yourself too- What do they eat? Do they
have any social rituals? What's that smell?
Why is thereabreezeinthisroom?Isthere
an empty space where a room should be?
Information is leverage, my crafty friend.
Engage the fantasy as real
If you were in a room with a heavyvasein
one corner, and you wanted to know what
was behind it, what would you do?
Probably drag it to the side,right?Looking
for an air current? Lick afingerandholdit
up. Judgingtheslopeofafloor?Spillalittle
water on the ground. Engage the fiction of
the game world as real. Describe the real
actions youtaketoachievetheeffectyou're
looking for. Remember, other games may
have dice rolls to do thisforyou-manyold
school games don't, so engage!
Dead ends are opportunities
That dead-end hallway may hide a secret
door, or maybe there's another passage to
investigate. The gargantuan monstrosity in
the courtyard? Maybe you can get around
it,ornegotiate.Arecalcitrantnoble?Maybe
someone knows how to get some leverage.
Couldn't pick that iron door? Maybeoneof
those unidentified potions will help. Old
School games have lots of hard blockers.
When your first attempt fails, change
tactics- the dead end is just the beginning
of your solution. Often, digging into the
fiction and engaging the world as real will
open up new and unexpected avenues.
Let your creativity flow
Your class and/or race can do someunique
things the other folks can't. Learn to
recognize when it's your turn to shine,and
when it's someone else's. When it's your
turn, really go for it. Outside of the game
mechanics of yourcharacter,whatareyour
unique inspirations andideas?Doyouseea
clever use foramagicitem?Doyouwantto
try negotiating withtheferociousmonster?
Do you see a weakness in the defenses the
others don't immediately recognize? Could
you combineafewoftheseopportunitiesin
a unique way? Open up your brain, andlet
in the weird and the creative. The world is
so bizarre... it just might work.

Combat is war, not sport

Dont expect encounters to be balanced.
Approach combat withasmuchtrepidation
and preparation you might in real life.Nor
are encounters self-contained. Think
outside thebox,outsidetheencounterarea,
outside the dungeon.

Know when to run

Old school adventures often present
encounters that, to a modern gaming eye,
look like fights- only, if you fight them,
you'll just die. Learn to dig into the fiction
to see the relative power of what you're
facing, and don't be afraid to cut your
losses. A party that drags away one dead
body is a party on their way to a Cleric,
instead ofontheirwaythroughamonster's
digestive system.

Play to win, delight in loss

Everyone wants to succeed, and certainly
everyone wants to play with friends they
feelareaimingtosucceed-butthatmaynot
always happen. Your characters may get
turned into frog-people, lose limbs, be
stricken by leprosy, turned into stone,
cursed to burp up slugs, entombed in the
earth for 10,000 years, or just die from
being stabbed in the gut byafarmerwitha
pitchfork. Learn to love the disgusting,
horrifying, shocking, surprising, and even
disappointing ways your characters are set
back.


Miscellaneous
Addenda
A Procedure for Play
Chris McDowall - Into the Odd
When you're Refereeing Into the Odd and
the players do something, look at the list
below. Work from toptobottom,andwhen
you find a solution to whatyou'retryingto
resolve, don't go any further down.
1. Can you make thisintoaDilemma?If
so, do it. Give a clear choice between
two desirable outcomes. The players
pick one or trytocomeupwithaway
to get both, usually by expending a
resource or taking a risk.
2. Does it make sense for it to just
happen? If so, go right to the
Consequences. Make their action
matter in the world and push things
forwards. Give them information
about the new situation they find
themselves in. If the consequences
can ripple out to effect the world, all
the better.
3. Is it still uncertain? If so, call for a
Save. Saves always carry a risk, so
explain what's at stake before the
players commit to their action.
4. I guess it was impossible; give the
players more Information to help
them comeupwithreasonableaction.
If in doubt, give the players more
information and ask them frankly
what they're actually trying to
achieve with their actions. Don't be a
distant referee, get down in the mud
with them and discuss the situation.
30 Principles of
Adventure Design
Bryce Lynch, summary by Jon Miller
I. General Tips: The 5 Cs
1. Color: The referee should give brief but
evocative descriptions of locations,
monsters, NPCs, and treasures. Avoid the
vague or generic.
2. Context: In order for their actions to be
significant and purposeful, players must
generally have some information aboutthe
likelyconsequencesoftheiractions,suchas
likely reactions of monsters or NPCs.
3. Choices: There should be more than one
course of action available to players in
order for the adventure to continue. Avoid
choke pointsboth literal choke points in
the physical layouts of dungeons andother
locations, and figurative choke points
which require auniquedecisionorsolution
in order for the adventure to proceed.
4. Consequences: Player actions should be
allowed to make a real difference in the
adventure and in thecampaign.Avoidaset
storyline or sequence of events immune to
player interference.
5. Creativity: Related to (3) and(4),reward
player creativity by allowing them to
pursue unanticipated courses of action or
to produce unanticipated consequences,
rather than restricting player action and
player creativity by setting up arbitrary
constraints in the location layout orcourse
of events.
II. Hooks
6. Dont rely on a single hook;usemultiple
kinds (treasure; reward; magic; glory;
political power).
7. Create a rumor table with hooks and
color.
8. Hooks should appeal to the players (not
just their characters).
9. Hookscanandshouldbemadecomplex/
nuanced; e.g., working for an evil NPC, or
working for rival factions.

10. To support sandbox play, particular
dungeon, town, and wilderness locations,
monsters, and NPCs should all have hooks.
III. Locations
11. Location descriptions should be terse
(not verbose) but evocative (not boring,
obvious, generic).
12. Only include background info that
affects gameplay. Avoid long descriptions
of irrelevant info.
13. Roomsshouldhavefeaturesthatplayers
can interact with to produce meaningful
consequences.Giveconcretedescriptionsof
secret doors, traps, etc.
14. Floor plan tips:
a. Multiple routes (vs. chokepointsor
linear, one-way paths).
b. Multiple entrances / exits.
c. Multiple stairs per floor.
d. Open spaces with balconies,
galleries, and ledges at various
elevations.
e. Pools and rivers that connect
different rooms or levels.
f. Bridges and ladders.
IV. Monsters and NPCs
15. Create interesting, believable
motivations for monsters and NPCs.
16. Create factions of monsters and NPCs
(which lead to a dynamic, interconnected
strategic situation).
17. Give players the choice of allying,
attacking, or having other relationships
with monsters and NPCs.
18. Create schedules, routines, tactics, and
orders of battle for monsters and NPCs.
19. Wandering monsters too should be
given motives, goals, hooks, and tactics.
20. Avoid standard monsters. Failing that,
describe standard monsters in a
non-standard way (e.g., dont just name
their species).
21. Give evocativedescriptionsofmonsters.
Give concrete descriptions of their
appearance and activities. Go for the
telltale sensory detail, rather than the
generic abstract trait. Show, dont tell.
Example:InsteadofstatingthatOneofthe
guards in the camp is a cruel bully, say
that The burly Manfred takes a leak on
poor Tobiass bedroll, and thenhesnatches
Tobiass roasted chicken dinner from his
hand and quickly gobbles it down.
22. Use trulyevilmonsterstoevokeaSense
of Terror.
V. Treasure
23. Treasure should be valuable enough to
motivate players and to make the
challenges worthwhile.
24. Non-magical treasure should relate to
the setting and give clues or information
about monsters, NPCs, locations, etc.
25. Avoid standard magic items.
26. Give evocative descriptions of magic
items. Give concrete descriptions of their
appearance and how they must be
manipulated to produce their magical
effects.
27. Use magic items to evoke a Sense of
Wonder.
VI. Format and Functionality
28. Include the following kinds of
references:
a. Rumor / hook table.
b. Monster / NPC table which lists
their main traits, motivations,
location, etc.
c. Room / building table which lists
the rooms in a dungeon (or other
keyed locations).
29. In published modules, put maps and
monster stats on separate sheets (so they
are easy to refer to in play).
30. On maps, usekeyedsymbolstoindicate
standard features (e.g., lit / unlit, locked /
unlocked, secret, trapped, etc.), ratherthan
a verbal description in the location key.

More Free Old School

Resources
A Quick Primer for Old
School Gaming
Matthew Finch
lulu.com/content/3019374

A classicintroductiontoplayingOldSchool
style RPGs for modern gamers.

Philotomys OD&D Musings

Jason Cone
save.vs.totalpartykill.ca/grab-bag/philotomy

Another classic collection of thoughts on

Old School gaming. Half is specific to
OD&D but the bits on dungeon design and
the mythic underworld are widely
applicable but often ignored in modern
games.

Tomb of the Serpent Kings

Skerples
coinsandscrolls.blogspot.ca/2017/07/osr-to
mb-of-serpent-kings-20.html

Excellent introductory dungeon covering

many aspects of Old School play in action.