The Role-Playing Game Primer: and Old-School Playbook 1st Edition

by Chris Gonnerman (Author)

41 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-1502764348

ISBN-10: 1502764342

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Are you interested in classic paper-and-pencil role-playing games, but you have no idea where to start? This is the book for you! The Role-Playing Game Primer starts from the very beginning, first showing you how to play, then giving you hints and tips on how to do it better. Later chapters provide guidance for beginning Game Masters, to get you up and running even if you have little or no experience as a player. The RPG Primer is aimed at players and GMs of "Old School" paper-and-pencil role-playing games and their modern "retro-clones." It features several of the earliest and best known of the Old School Renaissance games, including Basic Fantasy RPG (by the same author), OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord, and Swords & Wizardry.

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Product details

Publisher : CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1st edition (October 8, 2014)
Language : English
Paperback : 68 pages
ISBN-10 : 1502764342
ISBN-13 : 978-1502764348
Item Weight : 4.8 ounces
Dimensions : 6 x 0.16 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #659,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,094 in Fantasy Gaming
- #73,218 in Textbooks

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41 ratings

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Blake

Great for new players! Not for those with experience.

Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2018

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After finishing this book, I was rather put off by the lack of new ideas and philosophies for game mastering. While i did learn a lot of new things about my new favorite RPG system (Basic Fantasy RPG), Everything you wanted to learn old school roleplaying, is already available for free in PDF form, it's called "A Quick Primer For Old School Gaming". Unfortunately this well written book didn't do much for a Game Master like me with a few years of experience.

However, I do highly highly recommend it for those new to this hobby without another to teach them the ways of playing Tabletop RPGs. This is fantastic, and you'll learn a lot of what is expected, and it will try to teach you lessons that should be learned before any dice is dropped.

7 people found this helpful

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A Quick and Helpful Read, Especially For Basic Fantasy

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2019

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About a year and a half ago I was on a temporary kick to read up on different pen-and-paper RPGs, having lost track in early/mid-2000. Around then I discovered the Open Game License, and Basic Fantasy.

Fast forward a year and change and I was once again looking into 'OSR' RPGs, having dusted off Basic Fantasy, and picked up Dungeon Crawl Classics, Swords & Wizardry, Blood & Treasure, and a few others.

As I had been in college, I was once again interested in how these games had developed their gaming systems. However, this time I was also interested in putting that knowledge to use, and perhaps even developing content.

The Role-Playing Game Primer and Old School Playbook is written by Chris Gonnerman, who also authored Basic Fantasy and Iron Falcon, both of which are modern games designed to have the same feel as the first tabletop RPGs, and have rules and supplements that are completely free to download (and at a small cost elsewhere). The fact that he authored those other books, and provides them at little to no cost made purchasing this book a no-brainer.

Despite that, I wasn't expecting all that much from this book, given its length of 68 pages (which includes the cover page, table of contents, and OGL), and was purchasing it more to support the author. Having read it over the course of a couple hours, however, I'm glad I picked up a copy, as this provides a number of valuable insights for players and those who would DM/GM/etcetera.

The Role-Playing Game Primer and Old School Playbook consists of six parts, covered below.

Part one, An Example of Play, goes over starting an adventure, including how characters in Basic Fantasy are generated. It's told through the interactions of four people, one of whom is teaching the three other players how to play. While there are some forced bits, it comes across rather well, and could be applicable to any other system.

Part two, Advice for New Players, is meant to be given to and read by individuals who will be playing characters in a game. While some aspects are again specific to Basic Fantasy, the key concepts can be used in any system. The dialog is dropped from this section, which makes it much more to-the-point.

Part three, Running An Adventure, is meant to be read by a game master, and doesn't expect that they've run an adventure before. It includes a short adventure that can be used for an actual session, with extra detail provided to make it easier to run. This is probably worth the price alone, as it could easily be converted from Basic Fantasy.

Part four, Creating An Adventure, gives a basic overview of how to create an adventure, including creating a map (with graph paper or a free online tool) and stocking the dungeon. Again, this specifically references Basic Fantasy, but the basic principles could easily be used in other systems.

Part five, Game Mastery, covers what 'old school' RPGs are, and gives general tips to individuals who are interested in being a GM for such a game. As an aspiring one, I personally got a lot out of this chapter, especially in regards to the story. The story isn't written by the GM guiding the players, but rather the GM and players working together. While a GM could certainly have a story in mind, players can, and should be allowed to, completely ignore it and do something else entirely.

Part six, Other Games, covers OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord, and Swords & Wizardry, three other popular 'retro-clones' like Basic Fantasy. While short, this includes a short blurb on each as well as a handy guide on converting armor, movement, and morale from one system to the other. This is probably the weakest part of the book, but I appreciate the conversion work.

In conclusion, if you're new to Basic Fantasy, or want to try GMing with players new to it, I highly recommend this book. If you're a new GM, for Basic Fantasy or a different system, I would also recommend this book. If you've been GMing a modern system, and want to try your hand with the 'old school,' I would recommend this book also.

However, if you've been GMing for many years, you may not get much out of the book, other than a basic adventure for starting characters, and perhaps a reminder of pitfalls GMs should avoid.

The Role-Playing Game Primer and Old School Playbook, by Chris Gonnerman, is highly recommended.

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Commander Awesome

A great place to start for someone new to RPGs.

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2015

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This is, in fact, a very good primer for those new to role playing. Using the Basic Fantasy Role Playing Game as a general reference point, the author gives a great introduction for anyone who is interested in joining the world of RPGs. While the book does appear to be short, it is packed with good information that can give the casual reader a good basis to start from.

Using the BFRPG as an example works for a couple of reasons. 1) The core rulebook is incredibly cheap, making it the most cost-effective method of entering into the hobby. 2) The rules seem to be derived from D&D, the most popular fantasy game. The simplified rules make it a great introduction and gives players a basis to work with if they move to another, similar game.

Further, the Primer addresses what most new players would be interested in. This includes multiple gameplay styles. It offers a brief description of each and gives examples of character creation and how a sample game is played. The book is concise, with a strong focus on making new players feel comfortable with what could be an intimidating or mysterious hobby.

The page length should not be counted against the book. It actually works in favor of it. By being short and to the point, the reader can quickly learn about the hobby and get into a game. Think of it like an instruction manual, you read it for specific information so that you can enjoy an item sooner. You may think you don't need it, but you should read it because it has helpful information. This is especially true for younger players who may be accustomed to video games where the options are fewer and actions restricted.

This Primer is a fantastic starting point for any new player of just about any age group. The language is presented in an easy to understand way that doesn't insult the reader's intelligence or talk over their heads. I didn't see any bad language or content that would be questionable for younger audiences. If someone you know is interested in joining a game or just learning about the hobby, this book is a must have. I would give it as a gift with a player's handbook or a copy of the BFRPG. The price is hard to beat and the information it conveys could save a lot of time and trouble for new people.

3 people found this helpful

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Michael A. Johnson

Great for old school, not quite for newer games

Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2014

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On the one hand it is a really good introduction to old school role playing games. Not just how to be a good player and make characters, but how to game master. So I would have given it a 5 star.
But. And this is the big bad but. While I agree that newer games tend to be rules heavy with everything defined and limited to a level only an ancient Pharisee would love.
He spends a frightful load of time complaining about modules containing a story line. Or of skills based games. Or of characters having personality. He seems to feel that characters are no good unless it is such a randomly rolled and stereotyped thing they can be killed off by the dozen with no loss at all to the player. Who replaces it with an equally meaningless random instant character. And the same for modules.
So only a 4.

8 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Stuart S

A definite purchase for the total beginner

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2021

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If you are totally new to RPG's, I would definitely recommend this book, tells you pretty much everything you need to know, so when your reading your chosen RPG core rule book & adventure modules... Your not totally confused but the jargon

For the price you cannot go wrong and definitely a book to keep close by when your either playing your first game or actually being the game master

id-.-bi

A well written succinct introduction or refresher for anyone wanting to play old school TTRPGs

Reviewed in Canada on August 10, 2019

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This is a quick read that will give you the base knowledge required to play OSR games.

If you have never played a table top rpg before this primer will prepare you for your first session regardless of the rule set that you will be using. It covers the basic mechanics of TTRPGs and explains the order of play, combat, and saving throws.

If you are a returning player who has been away from the table for awhile this primer will serve as a whimsical reintroduction to role playing.

If you are a seasoned vet or an active player, you will probably not learn anything new by reading this book, but at it's value price, it is worth picking up a copy to pass around to curious friends who want to join your campaign or one shot.
A lot of a new player's confusion, nervousness, and anxiety can mitigated by reading through this primer before sitting down at the table for the first time.

It should be noted that the author of this primer is Chris Gonnerman who is the creator of the Basic Fantasy RPG Rule set. He obviously knows the subject matter well and writes in a casual style that is easy to digest and assumes that you have no knowledge of TTRPG games other than that they exist, they look fun, and you want to play them.

Kyle Girard

Well written and a fair price!

Reviewed in Canada on June 9, 2019

Verified Purchase

This was suggested to me by Amazon after I purchased my first ever RPG books, I bought it hoping it would help me ease into the many rules of old-school RPGs, and it did, I'll suggest this to anyone who wants to start playing these games.

William Foote

Great product from a great developer.

Reviewed in Canada on January 20, 2019

Verified Purchase

This is a great little primer for any RPG player that loves the ‘old school’ gaming systems.

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