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Into the Unknown - Book 1: Characters $4.99
Average Rating:4.7 / 5
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Into the Unknown - Book 1: Characters
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Into the Unknown - Book 1: Characters
Publisher: O5R Games
by John D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/10/2023 04:47:51

Its fine but basically a good/high quality, with art and all, 5e homebrew with some baffling layout choices (Ability Score Modifers belong in the character creation book guys). Its very basic, good, but basic and I'd say a better gateway to the OSR. I'd skip this and grab Five Torches Deep Instead, though since it feel more like B/X meets 5e in a more concise and modular way.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Into the Unknown - Book 1: Characters
Publisher: O5R Games
by Sebastian D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/06/2020 17:14:07

Let's be honest. This ruleset might not be for every OSR fan out there, certainly not for the most hardcore OSR fans. But what it does best is that it brings OSR-style adventures into 5e games. By all means it is still 5e and if you didn't liked 5e base mechanics (like combat system, proficiencies, backgrounds and inflated HPs) you might not quite like this one as well, even though a lot has changed. Nevertheless it is a great rule system if you, like me, play with people that are not accustomed to OSR games usually because of high leathality, very few character options and specific style of play. This game builds the bridge between 5e and OSR. It throws out the window all the unnecessary, complicated stuff, but leaves enough character options so that most people will be satisfied. It doesn't ends here, as every class is in many ways is similar but different to their 5e counter-parts so that all the 5e players should feel that they came across something new, but familiar at the same time - and it is all made in the spirit of OSR games.

With many of it rule variants it is also a highly modular game, allowing DM to change up many things to their liking, making it resemble OSR games even more. There are some excellent rules, like even HARSHIER healing, Grevious Wounds, lasting Critical Hits and many more that will make your game even more deadly, while still giving your players some space to breathe. It also does great job at teaching what OSR-style adventures are like and how to DM them, so it is a great choice if you want to DM OSR-style game but you are new to this whole "new" concept. I don't think there is a better game that explains to modern players what OSR is like while at the same time making the transision painless (there are probably better OSR games, but most of them are very rough around the edges and not very appealing to more modern audience). I think that both hardcore 5e and OSR players will find here something to their liking.

Is it perfect system? No - there's no such a thing. Being a good DM is an art of compromises as you need to choose between what you like and what your players enjoy, which doesn't always align. For me ItU was the right choice as it allowed me to continue nursing my love of OSR-style campaigns, while at the same time having modern rule system with enough options so that my players can enjoy their characters.

I believe that for a long time to come this will be my main rules system, especially that it created a great foundation for DMs to build upon. Also, me and my players can't wait for the Companion book, which is possibly coming out this year. Keep up the good job, Anders! You've made a lot of people happy with your work :)



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Into the Unknown - Book 1: Characters
Publisher: O5R Games
by A customer [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/14/2019 12:40:45

This is a interesting way to do 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons. I'm rating it only 3 stars because there seems to be a couple of spelling and grammer errors that could be fixed, and and other things that need to make the product better.

What I liked: Classes can choose what they want to be when they start instead of doing subclasses, and giving the player ideas of how they should play their characters is great way to Role Play. Back to the basic 7 classes and 3 alignments, just more modern take on it, which is always good. Speaking of, Race as Class in this version is nice and would use it for vanilla 5e.

What I don't Like: Spelling errors and grammer needed to be fixed before being released.

Looks dangerously close to the free basic 5e rules and should be more closer to OSR to set it appart (in my opinion.) Not having an attribute score and bonus chart that tells players what to write down on there character sheet and what they mean, even if it is just a basic description, would have made it easier for new players to learn ( I know that is what book 2 is for but even then it doesn't have the score/bonus chart in that, as far as I have seen, but it would help here instead of relying on basic 5e rules for that information.)

It's overall a good product just needs some work on fixing the spelling errors.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Into the Unknown - Book 1: Characters
Publisher: O5R Games
by Denis M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/29/2019 12:29:44
As a fan of old school games, I found that the reductive rules of Into the Unknown stuck a sweet spot for 5e play, while keeping in line with the tropes of old school play. Quite a few stylistic adjustments from B/X games are present, along with a short set of further modifiers for closer conversion to that style in Book 4, Running the Game. There are a few typos, and the art (mostly stock art by a few noteables, or public domain) is sparse but well curated. The modification into the simpler B/X Statblocks (reducing alignment to Lawful, Neutral, and Chaotic; giving a 2d6 morale score for all monsters) is useful, along with the rules for converting B/X monsters into ItU format. Character generation is simplified, and there are Race as Class options for Elf, Dwarf, and Halfling; elves also have their own spell list, reduced from both the magic user and druid lists. You can play minimally different Warlocks and sorcerers, and things like being a paladin are more of an optional description than a mechanical difference. The various complexities of a 5e character build are simplified, and ability scores become more of a driving force. There is a noteable distinction between which characters can use weapons, and which ones are proficient enough in them as to have an attack bonus based on proficiency - non-marital characters do not really improve their attacks when compared to fighters and clerics, which makes those characters shine in their niches. The rules for experience focus on exploration, expenditure of loot, and combat risk - you don't quite gain XP per monster, but 10xp per damage point inflicted, and 5 xp per point of damage recieved, making combats where there is personal risk more profitable that=n encounters where you one-shot the opponent. There are far fewer fiddly bits in general than bog standard 5e. Is the game more complex than B/X? Absolutely. Is it a game with only minimal involvement of challenge ratings (mostly to determine the effects of spells or turning undead), and no implicit need for game balance? Yes. Is it a game that depends on resource management for safety in exploration? Yes again. Can you flex it back into keeping with old school sensibilites? Yes. Do I recommend it? Yes I do.

Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Into the Unknown - Book 1: Characters
Publisher: O5R Games
by Caleb C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/27/2019 09:31:34

Bridging the gap between the B/X and Fifth editions of the world's oldest role-playing game, Into the Unknown is written for fans of the OSR or new school players alike. Book:1 Characters contains everything needed to create B/X style race-as-class characters for 5e games, but the specialization of the familiar 4 basic classes allows several new-school options for use with the complete rules system contained in the 5 volume Into the Unknown set.

In addition to character creation rules, the Book 1 contains an equipment sections which inlcudes old-school mainstays like henchmen while retaining new-school features such as lifestyle expenses. A simple-but-robust weapon creation and modification system replaces stock weapon list, allowing players to craft a weapon suited to their characters individual abilities.

While the steamlining of 5e is fully explained in later volumes, an appendix lists the differences between 5e and Into the Unknown in a single page, making this volume a valuable purchase for any fan of 5e.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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