What do you think?
Rate this book
Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game
This is the revised 3rd Edition of the Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game , a rules-light game system based on the d20 SRD v3.5, but heavily rewritten with inspiration from early RPG game systems. It is suitable for those who are fans of "old-school" game mechanics, and it's simple enough for children in perhaps second or third grade to play, yet still having enough depth for adults as well. Starting a new campaign? Look for our beginner adventure modules The Western Lands Campaign and The Chaotic Caves , which may be used separately or combined to provide many hours of Old School adventuring fun!
170 pages, Paperback
First published November 21, 2014
4 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 2, 2020
One of the best OSR systems out there, and it won't break the bank either! Also, it's community is fantastic, with lots of supplements and house rules created by players.
May 7, 2021
Discovered this sorta by accident while looking for inexpensive RPG corebooks. I'd been putting some random roleplaying odds and ends in our local Little Free Libraries and noticed they get snapped up right away, so figured I'd order a bunch of copies of one main rule book since the people in the area seem hungry for fantasy gaming (can't blame 'em in a pandemic I guess).
Went looking around online and found Basic Fantasy Role Playing, which is available in print for a mere 5 bucks. Yeah, its not a hardcover, but otherwise you can't beat that price for a full, self-contained RPG.
The rules here are OSR (Old School Renaissance), so its essentially Basic D&D / AD&D, but more streamlined, less obtuse, and with a few 3rd edition concepts thrown in for good measure. This is definitely easier to read and understand than the '80s rulebooks, that's for sure. I wish the saving throw tables had been included in the class descriptions, rather than getting their own section 50 pages later, but otherwise the layout here works well for helping new people get into the game.
In comparison to other OSR systems, Swords & Wizardry or Castles & Crusades have more core classes and are quite similar in rulesets but both have slightly more aesthetically pleasing interiors in terms of fonts and colors. But again, you are getting this book for the price of a cup of coffee, and it has plenty of free online support for extras.
If you want to jump into an old school style RPG, this is the quickest and cheapest way to do so, and the rules are solid. People who played in the '70s and '80s will get bowled over with nostalgia, while new gamers won't be lost. I'll absolutely be buying more copies to hook up the neighborhood kids who use our Little Free Libraries next week.
Went looking around online and found Basic Fantasy Role Playing, which is available in print for a mere 5 bucks. Yeah, its not a hardcover, but otherwise you can't beat that price for a full, self-contained RPG.
The rules here are OSR (Old School Renaissance), so its essentially Basic D&D / AD&D, but more streamlined, less obtuse, and with a few 3rd edition concepts thrown in for good measure. This is definitely easier to read and understand than the '80s rulebooks, that's for sure. I wish the saving throw tables had been included in the class descriptions, rather than getting their own section 50 pages later, but otherwise the layout here works well for helping new people get into the game.
In comparison to other OSR systems, Swords & Wizardry or Castles & Crusades have more core classes and are quite similar in rulesets but both have slightly more aesthetically pleasing interiors in terms of fonts and colors. But again, you are getting this book for the price of a cup of coffee, and it has plenty of free online support for extras.
If you want to jump into an old school style RPG, this is the quickest and cheapest way to do so, and the rules are solid. People who played in the '70s and '80s will get bowled over with nostalgia, while new gamers won't be lost. I'll absolutely be buying more copies to hook up the neighborhood kids who use our Little Free Libraries next week.
December 21, 2021
El mejor manual de OD&D que haya leído, muy simple de entender, reglas simples pero utilizables en todo tipo de situaciones. Este manual por si solo se compone del manual del jugador, el master y el compendio de monstruos. ¡con este libro no solo podés jugar partidas de rol oldscool, sin embargo, no por ser vieja escuela es obtuso!
Este manual es un gol si estás interesado en como eran los sistemas antiguos, este manual es ideal, amigable y completo.
Este manual es un gol si estás interesado en como eran los sistemas antiguos, este manual es ideal, amigable y completo.
February 22, 2022
This is a great, free TTRPG with wonderful community support and STREAMLINED, simple character creation (plus a lethality that puts the fear of death in the hearts of PCs for a change!).
Definitely hope to run a game of this in the near future!
Definitely hope to run a game of this in the near future!
July 24, 2022
When I was 13 I tried to read the original AD&D rules. These rules here are much more engaging. With nearly 40 years experience maybe I am prepared for the knowledge.
January 18, 2025
A pretty solid example of a budget ttRPG. Has the same level of "feeling like a classic ttRPG" that you could get from AD&D. Except that it actually deals with a lot of blind spots that those classical entries tend to need house rules to get around
These sorts of books tend to cost a pretty penny--this one will not break the bank. While also having a decent amount of material to work with an deal with
It is a bit more straight forward and limited in choices, I will note. However, this seems more in service of avoiding Choice Paralysis that some people will get from Pathfinder2. Definitely great as a "first fantasy ttRPG" game... and it could even go on to be a table's "main game to play from". Which people tend to forget needs to be something entry level stuff _needs_ to be capable of doing
While I enjoy the weird fiddly optional bits featured in other books... I'm also more inclined to look up weird options as oppose to actually play the games. So uh... yeah... self-reflection
There is a bit of a "Retro-ttRPG Games" thing also going on with some of the "Not The Big Box Brand Names" of the pen and paper table space... and yeah, I can see why that gets big. Just tell me where to point the pointy bit of my blade design mindset is very much here
These sorts of books tend to cost a pretty penny--this one will not break the bank. While also having a decent amount of material to work with an deal with
It is a bit more straight forward and limited in choices, I will note. However, this seems more in service of avoiding Choice Paralysis that some people will get from Pathfinder2. Definitely great as a "first fantasy ttRPG" game... and it could even go on to be a table's "main game to play from". Which people tend to forget needs to be something entry level stuff _needs_ to be capable of doing
While I enjoy the weird fiddly optional bits featured in other books... I'm also more inclined to look up weird options as oppose to actually play the games. So uh... yeah... self-reflection
There is a bit of a "Retro-ttRPG Games" thing also going on with some of the "Not The Big Box Brand Names" of the pen and paper table space... and yeah, I can see why that gets big. Just tell me where to point the pointy bit of my blade design mindset is very much here
February 8, 2023
Old school Dungeons and Dragons rules for free digitally or for under $5 in print. Its impossible to beat the price/content balance this book brings. It has a full instruction on how to play old school DnD as well as a massive list of monsters, spells and guides on how to run adventures in a dungeon. Its writing is much easier to understand than 5th edition DnD and it holds up well to both short and long campaigns. I read it cover to cover and loved it.
August 6, 2023
Everyone gushes about this book but, other than it being free, I really don't understand why it is so popular. It is just D&D with a few modern tweaks (like to how AC works). I guess it is supposed to be modular and easily hackable, but you could say that about almost any edition of TSR era D&D.
Read
February 11, 2023Well-written and engaging, feels very playable. Domain-type stuff probably doesn't have enough rules for irl use, though.
Art ranges from "boring" to "fuzzy".
Art ranges from "boring" to "fuzzy".
July 27, 2023
Got the gist… I feel like I’d want to find someone to play with lots of experience and creativity.
November 6, 2023
This is a classic ruleset and a perfect entry point into the Old School Renaissance movement in Table Top Role Playing Games.
In print it costs very little and is even free as a digital copy. Art is of variable style which occasionally affects cohesiveness, but it emanates charm and is reminiscent of the products produced in the early days of tabletop gaming.
There is everything you need within for thousands of hours of gameplay. The rules, adventure creation and monsters are all in one tome.
The tone of the game is classical fantasy; less diversity in the player character/classes and much more deadly than most modern systems. This literally is the tip of the iceberg however, and on the website of the product there is content aplenty all free as digital downloads.
Fantastic!
In print it costs very little and is even free as a digital copy. Art is of variable style which occasionally affects cohesiveness, but it emanates charm and is reminiscent of the products produced in the early days of tabletop gaming.
There is everything you need within for thousands of hours of gameplay. The rules, adventure creation and monsters are all in one tome.
The tone of the game is classical fantasy; less diversity in the player character/classes and much more deadly than most modern systems. This literally is the tip of the iceberg however, and on the website of the product there is content aplenty all free as digital downloads.
Fantastic!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews