What do you think?
Rate this book
White Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game
White Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game is an easy to learn role-playing game in the style of the original game created by Gygax and Arneson.
It is based on and compatible with Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox.
It is based on and compatible with Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox.
170 pages, Paperback
Published August 31, 2016
4 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Charlie Mason
803 books8 followersCharlie Mason is a UK-based Health Advocate, Fitness Enthusiast, and Law Student on a mission to help people pave the path to longevity. Consistently researching anything pertaining to wellness, he is currently working on a multitude of health-focused books for the greater good of his community and the world at large.
When he isn’t writing or studying, Charlie enjoys swimming and bicycling every chance he gets. He is also an avid gardener with a green thumb.
To receive complimentary eBooks on all things health, fitness, and dieting, feel free to visit Charlie Mason’s official website: http://eepurl.com/cWkGlj
When he isn’t writing or studying, Charlie enjoys swimming and bicycling every chance he gets. He is also an avid gardener with a green thumb.
To receive complimentary eBooks on all things health, fitness, and dieting, feel free to visit Charlie Mason’s official website: http://eepurl.com/cWkGlj
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 15, 2023
I don't think you can go _wrong_ with a feature-complete 144-page game ruleset for less than $5. Especially when you already know what you'll be getting, or near enough.
It some ways it reads like an exercise in deconstruction. How much can you slice away before you are damaging the common understanding of the game? How much of the common understanding can you leverage before having to explain how a concept applies in this context?
The text works at cross purposes here. There's no way that a rank newbie could be handed just this book--no iconic Morgan Ironwolf character, no example of play--and be able to recreate the experience of play from first principles. For example, the description of "hold person" doesn't say outright that the effect is "person is held in place and can take no offensive action for the duration". You have to _know_ it. The only reason you'd look it up in here is to figure out how long it lasts and if a saving throw applies.
Yet there is also the inevitable page describing dice notations and "this is what d100 means" section which you read exactly once in your life and then skip over forever. And sections about campaign building and treasure selection and admonitions that the rules are bendable to your will. Thanks. I got this.
The mass of optional rules is not a bad thing, and certainly shows the modularity that is possible with such a minimal ruleset glued together with referee go-with-the-flow, but it does imply that the convenient "House Rules" back pages list the agreed-upon mechanisms and that the referee set those expectations ahead of time.
The William McAusland art used throughout was the perfect choice.
It some ways it reads like an exercise in deconstruction. How much can you slice away before you are damaging the common understanding of the game? How much of the common understanding can you leverage before having to explain how a concept applies in this context?
The text works at cross purposes here. There's no way that a rank newbie could be handed just this book--no iconic Morgan Ironwolf character, no example of play--and be able to recreate the experience of play from first principles. For example, the description of "hold person" doesn't say outright that the effect is "person is held in place and can take no offensive action for the duration". You have to _know_ it. The only reason you'd look it up in here is to figure out how long it lasts and if a saving throw applies.
Yet there is also the inevitable page describing dice notations and "this is what d100 means" section which you read exactly once in your life and then skip over forever. And sections about campaign building and treasure selection and admonitions that the rules are bendable to your will. Thanks. I got this.
The mass of optional rules is not a bad thing, and certainly shows the modularity that is possible with such a minimal ruleset glued together with referee go-with-the-flow, but it does imply that the convenient "House Rules" back pages list the agreed-upon mechanisms and that the referee set those expectations ahead of time.
The William McAusland art used throughout was the perfect choice.
September 11, 2021
Been on a whirlwind tour of retro, OSR style roleplaying games recently after looking for cheap but high quality core books to put in Little Free Libraries with dice sets. In terms of price, White Box wins, available for under 5 bucks in physical format. The art is also a clear step above what you get with Basic Fantasy Roleplaying.
Unfortunately in most other areas I much prefer Basic, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Swords & Wizardry, etc. The ruleset here with White Box is serviceable, but not as in-depth or well laid out as other Old School Renaissance games. I did like how there are optional rules presented regularly so you can tailor the level of complexity in the system to your gaming group, though.
There's sadly a total lack of supplements and adventures to support White Box. Of course, you could convert any old school basic D&D adventure or use stuff from the other OSR systems, but for my purposes in wanting splat books and adventure anthologies in physical format to bundle together for Little Free Libraries, the lack of support for the system is a bummer.
Unfortunately in most other areas I much prefer Basic, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Swords & Wizardry, etc. The ruleset here with White Box is serviceable, but not as in-depth or well laid out as other Old School Renaissance games. I did like how there are optional rules presented regularly so you can tailor the level of complexity in the system to your gaming group, though.
There's sadly a total lack of supplements and adventures to support White Box. Of course, you could convert any old school basic D&D adventure or use stuff from the other OSR systems, but for my purposes in wanting splat books and adventure anthologies in physical format to bundle together for Little Free Libraries, the lack of support for the system is a bummer.
December 23, 2022
The best $5 you can spend on an OSR RPG.
March 1, 2020
Really great crash-course into very early D&D rules, but inconsistent editing quality, redundancies, and some descriptions bare to the point of uselessness frustrate the reader. I think if you’re looking to run an older system this is still a valuable manual, but be prepared to do way more intervention/refereeing than any modern system would ask of you. I read the black cover and it’s honestly a very aesthetically satisfying book. Really grateful to have read it, and would recommend it to anyone coming in to look at this era of D&D for the first time.
January 5, 2022
Refreshingly simple and fun system based on old school Dungeons & Dragons.
July 22, 2024
In the last year and a half I have been fortunate enough to play a number of ODD games with someone who started in the hobby then and there. While playing the game was a wonderful experience, never knowing if your next step was going to be your last, reading the books contained in the original "White Box" was not. On the one hand, it was amazing to see how many things still present in the game were already there, and perhaps even more incredible, to see what was missing (a magic user without magic missile, no rogues, etc.) The problem came when I wanted to put it all together, and I saw the cracks in the system. Now, a lot of that might be the expectations of a 2024 gamer with the very first incarnation of the game, but while I can see a lot of it might be simply "it is your game, use your imagination", part of that is poor rules writing, and navigating the in between space of being part a supplement for "Chainmail" and a whole new (kind of ) game.
That is ODD, but Charlie Mason's White Box picks up all the good stuff, which is most of it, organizes it for modern readers, adds some wonderful art (and rogues), and tells you clearly "here you should use your imagination." The result is a game that feels very much like the very first incarnation of D&D, without having to flip between two games and four books. There is not a whole lot (of rules), and because of that I believe it is a very good introduction to the hobby for that people that do not what to feel overwhelmed by rules, only by monsters, and accept that the person GMing is going to be fair, although not necessarily nice.
Now I just need an adventure to test it, and some people willing to go back then with me.
That is ODD, but Charlie Mason's White Box picks up all the good stuff, which is most of it, organizes it for modern readers, adds some wonderful art (and rogues), and tells you clearly "here you should use your imagination." The result is a game that feels very much like the very first incarnation of D&D, without having to flip between two games and four books. There is not a whole lot (of rules), and because of that I believe it is a very good introduction to the hobby for that people that do not what to feel overwhelmed by rules, only by monsters, and accept that the person GMing is going to be fair, although not necessarily nice.
Now I just need an adventure to test it, and some people willing to go back then with me.
January 6, 2025
A little bit more indepth than Cairn--this is a wonderful tome to grab, when the full on rulebooks for D&D, Pathfinder and GURPS are well beyond what your budget can allow
Now the various items/elements you can do in this ttRPG are scaled back from those other options--but you are less likely to get Choice Paralysis in this ttRPG setup, than you will with the more pricy more options filled ttRPGs out there
If you gave a group where money is tight--this is definitely a very decent option to call out and bring to the table
Much more accessible--and honestly, I can expect a much larger player base as a result of this
Now the various items/elements you can do in this ttRPG are scaled back from those other options--but you are less likely to get Choice Paralysis in this ttRPG setup, than you will with the more pricy more options filled ttRPGs out there
If you gave a group where money is tight--this is definitely a very decent option to call out and bring to the table
Much more accessible--and honestly, I can expect a much larger player base as a result of this
May 4, 2021
A fun and informative little booklet that even a noob can figure out!
February 5, 2023
An excellent reorganization and minor tweaks for ease of play to OD&D rules!
August 3, 2023
Good restatement (along with a few, mostly optional, updates) of the original D&D rules.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews