Brent Newhall has done it again, and this may be his best yet. Brent has been creating OSR -inspired, simplified, stripped-down old school D&D systems for some time: Dungeon Delvers, Dungeon Raiders, Murderhobos, and now Spaces of the Unknown. Designed for play by post games with streamlined mechanics, this system is based on the minimalist ruleset Searchers of the Unknown. The basic concept here is that the PCs get the same stats as the monsters: AC, Mv, HP, etc. - and that's it.
PCs are limited to fighters (with an interest in thievery, of course) who do the adventuring at the request of wizards, clerics, etc. Clear, concise rules are provided to cover all the situations: combat, skills checks based on AC, and saving throws. A very interesting and dark magic system is provided that allows PCs to become limited spellcasters (if they find a wizard to teach them), and this is linked to treasures. Rules for leveling up are included as well as tips for play by post. To complete the package, the game comes with adventures with maps and monsters.
Although Brent had play by post in mind, there is nothing to prevent one from using this rule set for in person gaming as well. I can see this being a game to run at a convention, as PC creation is a snap and play is simple.
Being an OSR game, it is a breeze to add stuff to tweak to your liking. I am running a PbP sword & sorcery flavor game right now and this system adapts well to any change I want.
Spaces of the Unknown is a fine addition to the OSR.
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