Tabletop Sweet Sixteen - Old School Essentials v Index Card RPG

Old School Essentials is the gold standard of OSR today: the edition everyone writes to, even if they play something else at their table. It's the common language of OSR gaming.

Index Card RPG is the stripped-down street racing version of OSR. Gonzo, fast, and genuinely fun at the table in a way that makes it the obvious pick for a convention one-shot.

One game is the common tongue. The other is a joyride.

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OSE

The design aesthetic is the first thing you notice. Readable, clean, and organized so that an entire race or class lives on a single spread. You don't hunt for information. It's just there.

Adventures and locations described in tight bullet points produce a specific quality of clarity that most RPG products don't manage. You can run from the page without translation.

If I were to start a new OSR campaign today, or go back seven years and restart my Hochheim campaign, it would be in OSE. That's not a small thing to say about a game when you've been running AD&D since 1979.

A magic-user, a cleric, and a ranger haggled with a goblin and a troll at the door to the Tower of the Winter's Daughter. They were trying to get inside to deliver a ring, to repair a wrong that had happened so long ago. That negotiation, measured and careful and charged with the weight of an old story, is what OSE produces at its best.

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ICRPG

The target number by area mechanic makes running the game smooth in a way that's hard to appreciate until you've used it. One number. Everything in the room rolls against it. The friction disappears.

The practiced imprecision is the other great gift. A finger width apart. A finger length. Near. Far. Sketch the room on index cards and toss them on the table. No minis, no scatter terrain, no setup time. Just the fiction and the roll.

Both of those design decisions add up to the same thing: a game that gets completely out of the way and lets the chaos happen.

Three Erblin warriors and a human sorceress crawled down into the Old God's Hole. There was chaos. There was bloodshed. There was fun. At the end, they weren't entirely sure what they'd done. Then the Old God walked free to wreak havoc upon the earth. The table was okay with that. That's ICRPG working exactly as intended.

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The honest case for the loser

ICRPG does something OSE doesn't try to do: it makes the table feel like a joyride from the first session. The target number by area, the practiced imprecision, the index cards tossed down in place of terrain: all of it adds up to a game that generates chaos and fun with almost no overhead. For a convention one-shot with strangers, ICRPG is hard to beat. The Old God walked free and everyone was okay with that. That's a specific kind of magic.

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The pick

OSE, and it comes down to longevity. ICRPG is a great game for a session. OSE is a great game for a campaign, a shelf, a community, and a common language. The spreads, the bullet points, the clean design: all of it compounds over time in ways that make it the game you return to. If I'm going back to the dungeon for years rather than an afternoon, OSE is where I want to be.

That's my pick, and I don't think it was close. Prove me wrong in the comments.

If you're interested in seeing some of my OSR (and other) work, check out https://mountainfoot.itch.io/

The Sweet Sixteen: A Tabletop RPG Tournament

 

I've been playing tabletop RPGs since 1979. That's a lot of tables, a lot of systems, and a lot of opinions about what makes a game worth your time. This series is an attempt to put some of those opinions to work.

Here's the premise: sixteen games, four lanes, one winner. The lanes are OSR, NSR, Narrative, and Others. Each lane has four games seeded one through four. First round matchups pit the one seed against the four seed and the two against the three. Lane finals, semifinals, and a final follow from there.

Each post covers one matchup. The format is straightforward: I write honestly about both games, make a case for each, and then pick one. Every post includes an honest case for the loser, because a pick that doesn't acknowledge what it's leaving behind isn't worth much. I've played all sixteen of these games at the table. The picks come from actual sessions, actual memories, actual moments where the system did something I didn't expect.

New posts go up Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

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The Bracket

OSR

• (1) OSE v (4) ICRPG
• (2) AD&D 1e v (3) Shadowdark
• Lane final: TBD v TBD

NSR

• (1) Cairn v (4) Under the Floorboards
• (2) Mothership v (3) Mausritter
• Lane final: TBD v TBD

Narrative

• (1) Public Access v (4) Kintsugi
• (2) Trophy Gold v (3) Teeth
• Lane final: TBD v TBD

Others

• (1) Crash Pandas v (4) Kingdom
• (2) Toon v (3) FATE Accelerated
• Lane final: TBD v TBD

Semifinals

• TBD v TBD
• TBD v TBD

Final

• TBD v TBD

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I'll update this post with links and results as the series runs. If you think I've seeded this wrong, or that a game has no business being in this bracket, or that the game I picked deserved to lose: tell me in the comments. That's half the fun.

The first matchup goes up Friday. See you then.

The Study Is Now on Itch

A while back I was prepping a session of Under the Floorboards and needed a room. I wrote one up, as one does. Atmospheric description, a list of things worth risking your neck for, some obstacles and complications to combine, a table to tell me what had changed since the Scout's last visit. It did its job at the table, then sat in a folder until I put it out on Patreon.

Now it's on itch, where more people can find it. The Study is a one-page location supplement for the Guiding Voice: a Victorian study full of pipe smoke, taxidermied animals with glass eyes, and at least one framed photograph that probably deserves a closer look. Pay what you want, including nothing.

Patreon supporters got this one first, that's the deal over there. If you'd like early access to whatever comes out of the drafts folder next, that's where to be.

If you haven't played Under the Floorboards, Chris Bissette's game of inch-tall expedition and daring is right here and well worth your time.

The Study is over on itch.

Starting a new campaign!

Some of my players and I are gearing up for a Space Opera campaign. We know the vibe we're looking for and settled on a couple of options for our system.  There were a couple that just missed our short list:

Planet Raygun - a Carved from Brindlewood Space Heist game.  I currently have another CfB campaign running (Public Access) and will be starting another (Beneath Ahknoor playtest) soon. I really want to play/run this one, but it was the wrong fit for this game.

Scum & Villainy - a Forged in the Dark Space Opera game. Again, I want to play more of this, but it didn't feel like the right fit for the group.


The two that we are trying out are Starforged, which is coming up next, and Stars Without Number, which we just wrapped up.

With this short run done, I thought I'd share two game reports covering the four lunch hour sessions I ran. They're both in the form of "news" from HelioDyne, the megacorp the PCs were trying to deal with.

Let me know what you think. Are you interested in specifics about how we felt about SWN?

As always, follow me here for regular updates, and at https://mountainfoot.itch.io/ to see what I’m building.

Report 1

“THE EMBERFALL INCIDENT: FACTS AND FICTIONS”

HelioDyne Public Affairs Division — Authorized Distribution

[Clean corporate ident. Soft blue light. Calm music. HelioDyne logo resolves with the tagline: “Progress. Responsibly Delivered.”]

SPOKESPERSON (measured, reassuring):
Recent reports circulating on fringe networks have raised concerns regarding HelioDyne’s operations on the Emberfall site. We would like to address these claims directly—with facts.

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🎥 SCENE 1: CONTROLLED IMAGERY

Footage of orderly evacuations. Smiling technicians. Clean corridors.

Emberfall was a legacy mining site scheduled for closure due to declining yield. HelioDyne initiated a responsible withdrawal, prioritizing worker safety, environmental remediation, and full regulatory compliance.

At no point was the colony “abandoned.”

---

🎥 SCENE 2: THE “SMUGGLER CREW”

Still images: grainy sensor captures of a small freighter. Faces blurred. Labels appear: “UNLICENSED OPERATORS.”

During final operations, HelioDyne security detected unauthorized actors exploiting the evacuation to conduct illegal extraction of corporate property.

These individuals:

• Forged departure manifests
• Interfered with inspection procedures
• Endangered HelioDyne personnel
• Engaged in deliberate deception of corporate security

This was not whistleblowing.

This was theft.

---

🎥 SCENE 3: THE WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIM

The name “Aaron Pallas” appears, stamped with red text: STATUS — TERMINATED (CAUSE: GROSS MISCONDUCT).

A former contractor, dismissed for falsifying reports, has been used as a human shield by criminal elements seeking leverage against HelioDyne.

Claims of environmental damage rely on:

• Incomplete datasets
• Manipulated telemetry
• Testimony from a single disgruntled individual

HelioDyne rejects these allegations entirely.

---

🎥 SCENE 4: CORPORATE AUTHORITY

Cut to HelioDyne corvette patrols. Officers in pristine uniforms.

HelioDyne security acted professionally and lawfully, intercepting the smugglers and confiscating contraband.

Unfortunately, the criminals exploited inspection protocols to escape. An internal review is underway—not because procedures failed, but because bad actors abused good faith systems.

---

🎥 SCENE 5: WARNING

Music shifts subtly colder.

Let us be clear:

Harboring stolen HelioDyne assets—or individuals—constitutes corporate interference under interstellar trade law.

Any parties assisting these criminals may be subject to:

• Contract termination
• Asset seizure
• Restricted trade status

HelioDyne prefers cooperation.

But we will protect our people, our partners, and our investments.

---

HelioDyne logo returns.

SPOKESPERSON (closing):
Progress requires trust. HelioDyne remains committed to transparency, accountability, and stability across the sector.

Do not be misled by pirates posing as heroes.

Signal ends.

 

Report 2 

HELIO DYNE PUBLIC SAFETY HOLOVID

IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

[Holo opens on HelioDyne corporate mark. Somber music. Grainy dockside surveillance footage plays—faces obscured, timestamps partially redacted.]

NARRATOR (calm, authoritative):
HelioDyne confirms that earlier today, HelioDyne Asset Recovery personnel were violently assaulted while conducting a lawful interdiction at a commercial spaceport.

[Cut to still image: laser designation dot frozen on a blurred figure. Audio crackle.]

Our team identified a vessel and crew previously linked to the theft of restricted HelioDyne property. When approached and ordered to stand down, the suspects fled and opened fire, initiating a sustained and dangerous firefight in a civilian docking zone. 

[Footage shows muzzle flashes, impacts on cargo crates, alarms.]

During the attack, a HelioDyne recovery specialist was critically injured by long‑range weapons fire while attempting to prevent the suspects from escaping. Despite multiple commands to disengage, the criminals escalated, employing illegal combat augmentations and anomalous abilities to evade capture. 

[Freeze‑frame on distorted energy displacement; frame glitches.]

HELIO DYNE SPOKESPERSON (on‑screen):
“These individuals showed a reckless disregard for life. They fired into a populated industrial facility and severely wounded one of our people. HelioDyne will not tolerate violence against its employees or the communities we operate in.”

[Cut to medical bay imagery—non‑specific, no identifying details.]

The injured HelioDyne worker remains under intensive care. Our thoughts are with their family and colleagues.

[Music shifts—resolute.]

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WANTED: DANGEROUS CRIMINALS

[Composite silhouettes of three figures; details intentionally vague.]

HelioDyne is offering a reward of up to 250,000 credits for verified information leading to the identification and apprehension of the following individuals:

• Three‑person crew, operating a lightly armed free‑trader
• Known to use illegal psychic or anomalous capabilities
• Armed and extremely dangerous
• Responsible for assault, attempted homicide, and corporate property theft

DO NOT APPROACH.
These suspects are considered high risk. Contact local authorities or HelioDyne Security through authorized channels.

[Encrypted contact glyph animates onto screen.]

---

CLOSING STATEMENT

HelioDyne remains committed to protecting its employees, partners, and the stability of interstellar commerce. Acts of violence will be met with decisive action.

If you know something, say something.
Justice for our injured colleague depends on it.

[HelioDyne logo fades in. End transmission.] 

 

What I'm Doing Here

I've been building Beneath Ahknoor for a while now—long enough to know what it is, and why it matters to me. This is the post I should have written first. The one that explains what I'm after, and why I'm building it this way.

I don't think there's one true way to play. I don't think you have to give one style up to learn the other. I think the best tools travel. 

OSR gives us teeth: spatial danger, real stakes, the chance to outthink the dice. Narrative play gives us intimacy: collaboration, compression, the dungeon made personal.

Beneath Ahknoor lives where those streams cross.

A megadungeon that does not reset. A place that remembers you. A game where consequences range from Complications, to Conditions, to Scars... and every descent teaches you something dreadful:

Delving makes you monstrous.

Not because the rules say so. Because you helped say how. You stare into the depths. And you see yourself staring back out.

That's what I'm building.

If you want to follow along as Beneath Ahknoor sharpens from playtest into release, the work lives on Patreon. And if you want the PDFs, the delves, and the tools in your hands, you can find them on itch.io.

The stone has been thinking.

Come back when you're ready.

Beneath Ahknoor - Location Flashbacks

This morning, I'm working on the next piece of my 0.5 -> 0.6 development of Beneath Ahknoor, Location Flashbacks. From the rules:

There are places beneath Ahknoor that do not reset.

You leave. You return. The stone has been thinking.

A Location Flashback is not a memory.

It is not lore.

It is not an answer.

It is the dungeon’s marginalia: a brief, wrong annotation in the margin of the place you thought you knew.

Flashbacks exist to do one thing: Make the location feel continuous, personal, and costly.

The Underworld does not explain itself. It edits.

To give you the shape of it, a Flashback might sound like:

Keeper: “What detail makes you realize the dungeon expected you back?”

Player: “Our old chalk mark is still there… but it’s been neatly underlined. This place isn’t random. It’s been paying attention.” 

Next up is a deep pass on the existing levels (The Plundered Catacombs, The Warrens of the Beastfolk, The Buried Library) and the new ones I’m building (The Sunless Market, The Labyrinth of the Great Beast), adding Flashback prompts and fresh Trappings.

Little steps. Every day.

When I started writing Beneath Ahknoor I had a bunch of goals in mind. I wanted to recreate the feel of delving through a massive megadungeon, trying to make sense of it. I also wanted to explore human-centric, Swords and Sorcery themes. The more I wrote, the clearer one thing became. I wanted to show how adventuring was a path of corruption and erosion.

Each time I was faced with a design choice, I felt pulled toward ideas of loss and change. It changed the game, made it clearer and more compelling. Now, it stands firmly as a megadungeon that changes adventurers, forcing them to confront not just the dungeon, but what they’re willing to become in pursuit of fame and treasure.

I’ve been hard at work on my rewrite, and 0.6, covering the core systems, is almost ready to share. After that, I’ll turn to 0.7, which really leans into corruption, and 0.8, providing Player and Keeper support. Over the next couple of months, I’ll be sharing more about 0.6 and what it means for adventurers.

Here are some of the ways the game has already changed:

• Above Ground Phase: No longer a reset button. It now follows the arc of Returning, Reflecting, and Preparing. Moves now strain relationships with the nearby town, reveal the cost of delving, and load the next delve.
• Retainer system: A Delving Move that provides tactical advantage that brings pressure to the Adventurers, and an Above Ground Move that mirrors the erosion of the PCs. (I've written about this on Patreon.)
• Saga system: Introduces dungeon levels through the unreliable narrator of legends heard by the Adventurers. (I've posted about this on Patreon too.)

I’ll be writing monthly posts here, highlighting the kinds of changes that I’m making. Follow along, share your thoughts, let me know what resonates, and what surprises you. For even deeper dives, sneak peaks, and more frequent posts, check out my
Patreon.