Following the announcement of the 2026 Update to Old-School Essentials, we've compiled a collection of frequently asked questions and answers drawn from discussions in the online community, especially the Necrotic Gnome Fan Discord Server.

What is the OSE 2026 Update?

The OSE 2026 Update streamlines the OSE core product line into just two core books, accompanied by enhanced introductory material, a selection of new rule options, and a few minor fixes.

Together, the Old School Essentials Player’s Book and Referee’s Book are:

• A highly faithful clone of the 1980s Basic/Expert D&D rules (also known as B/X), with extra classes, magic, monsters, and options inspired by AD&D 1st Edition.
• Presented in a modern, easy-to-use format while integrating additional material and options in a way that is balanced with the core B/X rule system.
• 100% compatible with all prior OSE books. The 2026 Update is not a new edition of the rules; it's just a new printing of the game with an updated presentation.

Why make the 2026 Update?

There are a few reasons for the update:

• Primarily, we want to make OSE more accessible to new players and referees. We're consolidating the previously complex core product line to just two books, adding lots of additional examples and guidance, and publishing a Starter Set for beginners alongside the 2026 Update core books.
• Secondly, we have plans for a big range of supplements and adventures to support OSE, so we need a solid and accessible core product line as a foundation. (The current OSE core product line is too fragmented.)
• Additionally, we’ve re-edited much of the game's text to enable publication outside of the OGL, ensuring long-term legal safety against potential future actions by WOTC. (This change doesn’t affect game rules or terminology in any way.)

Game Rules

What rules have changed?

As mentioned above, very little has changed regarding the OSE core rules. That said, there are a few tiny fixes made for closer fidelity with B/X:

• Attacking from behind: Grants a +2 bonus to attack rolls.
• Slow weapons: The Slow quality is now optional.
• Waterborne adventuring: A wandering monster check roll of 2 indicates a land-based encounter if the ship docks; otherwise, no encounter.
• Wilderness adventuring: Trails allow normal travel speed through any terrain, roads allow 50% faster than normal travel through any terrain.

The 2026 Update books are our most faithful rendition of the B/X rules to date, even compared to previous editions of OSE (and B/X Essentials).

What class changes have been made?

Some adjustments have been made to certain AD&D-inspired classes, based on player feedback:

• Assassin: Can back-stab like a thief and manufacture poisons from 9th level.
• Barbarian: Magic item restrictions diminish with level.
• Knight: Wording related to chivalry and single combat has been reworked to be less severe.
• Ranger: Gains a giant slayer ability.

What are the new optional rules?

The new optional rules included in the 2026 Update are largely inspired by AD&D and include:

• Advanced hit dice (e.g., d10 for fighters, d8 for clerics, d6 for thieves).
• Character age and lifespan by race.
• Attacking when blinded.
• Fighter combat dominance: multiple attacks versus creatures under 1 HD.
• Hovering at death’s door.
• Increasing back-stab damage at higher levels.
• Training time and cost to level up.
• XP for magic items.

Is race + class or race-as-class the default method of creating characters?

The two methods are presented side by side as options players or groups can choose from, like this: "choose a race, choose a class (alternatively choose a demihuman class)". Neither option is presented as the default or an optional rule. We tried several configurations of presenting this choice and found this to be the clearest way.

What do the new examples of play cover?

There are dozens of new examples scattered throughout the rules, including full-page examples on the following topics:

• Creating a character.
• Treasure division, XP awards, and levelling up.
• Planning and buying equipment for a dungeon delve.
• Planning and buying equipment for a wilderness expedition.
• Locating and hiring retainers.
• Constructing a name-level stronghold.
• Creating a new magic item.
• Praying for cleric spells, reversing cleric spells, adjudication of protection from evil, bless, and deity disfavour.
• Adjudication of speak with animals.
• Adjudication of the uses of phantasmal force.
• Adjudication of read magic, sleep, and charm person.
• Dungeon exploration, surprise, and reaction rolls.
• Combat.
• Making rulings on character actions.
• Common dungeon and wilderness mapping symbols.
• Designing a wilderness region. (Including a hex map.)
• Designing a base town. (Including a town map.)
• Designing a dungeon. (4 page example with a small keyed dungeon, including a map.)
• Selecting thematic monsters for a dungeon.
• Improvising around random encounter rolls.
• Rolling a treasure hoard.
• Selecting classes, races, and rules options for a campaign.

Will anything from Carcass Crawler be integrated into the 2026 Update books?

No. While the Carcass Crawler zine content is carefully designed to complement OSE core, we aim to keep the mainline product faithful to its old-school B/X and AD&D inspirations.

Will anything from Dolmenwood be integrated into the 2026 Update books?

Also no! For the same reason as above.

Will there be any options for weapon speeds and casting time?

These types of rules are just above the level of complexity intended for core OSE. However, we might include them in a future supplementary product like a Carcass Crawler zine issue.

Will the rules additions expand play beyond 14th level in OSE?

No. We’re keeping the cap at 14th level. Although we may release rules for higher-level play in the future, nothing in that direction is planned for at least the next few years.

Will the new examples of play cover how to adjudicate thief skills?

Our approach with the OSE 2026 Update is that the Starter Set (also coming in 2026) is the real beginner’s guide that includes lots of explanation and guidance for new referees around making rulings, adjudicating thief skills and stealth, running combat, handling social encounters, and so on.

So while the core Player’s Book and Referee’s Book do have a lot of new examples of rules in play, they won’t be as in-depth as the guidance in the Starter Set.

Classic B/X Play

Can I still run a ‘Classic Rules’ game with the OSE 2026 Update books?

Absolutely. The updated books emphasise that each individual referee should decide which classes, races, monsters, and other game elements are included in their campaign. The books are designed to allow referees to easily run anything from a pure B/X style experience to something closer to the first edition of AD&D, or anything in between, according to taste.

Both the Player’s Book and the Referee’s Book will have a ‘Basic Play’ section, clearly stating which rules, material, and systems are derived directly from B/X. This makes it easy to run a pure B/X-compliant OSE game from the get-go.

Will race-as-class be available in the 2026 Update Books?

Yes, race-as-class PCs will be presented side by side with the option for separate race and class, allowing players or groups to choose between them. They are a core way to play OSE, not sidelined into an appendix.

Will the Classic Fantasy Rules Tome still be available?

The Classic Fantasy Rules Tome will still be available as a PDF. We’re also looking into offering it as a print-on-demand product. That way, we can keep this more minimal version of the game available for those who want it, but it won’t be the main version of OSE, and won’t see further print runs.

Why not keep the separate OSE Classic and Advanced product lines?

While both Classic and Advanced flavours of OSE have their fans, the decision to offer a single core product that incorporates the Advanced rules is based on the following points:

• OSE’s fragmented core product line (5 different versions!) has frequently prompted confusion among prospective buyers, and we want new players and referees to be able to easily pick up the game, without having to research the different versions and how they interrelate.
• Printing and keeping all the different versions of the game in stock is logistically complicated, often leading to certain versions being out of print.
• We have big plans for expansions to OSE in terms of adventures and supplements, and need a solid core game to work from.
• Sales figures and online feedback overwhelmingly indicate that the Advanced ruleset is the most popular. Most groups want extra options and material, even if they choose not to use them all in every campaign.

Updates to Digital Products

Will the existing Advanced Fantasy Tome PDF products at DriveThruRPG be updated with the new books?

Yes. You’ll be notified when the products are updated and prompted to download the new versions. The PDF update is planned to roll out when the physical books hit retail stores.

Will people who bought the books from Exalted Funeral get updated PDFs?

Also yes!

Will the online rules reference be updated?

Yes. We will update the online rules reference to the new text of the game.

Will the online rules reference be updated to include Advanced Fantasy content?

We’re not 100% decided on that yet, but the existing online rules reference will probably remain as a cut-down version of the full game, i.e., just the B/X-derived elements.

Will the OSE Foundry VTT and Fantasy Grounds implementations be updated?

Yes, all VTT versions of OSE are intended to be updated. However, we do not have strict timelines for those updates yet.

Publication

When will the 2026 Update books be published?

We don’t have a concrete release date at present. Keep an eye on our newsletter for updates.

Will there be a Kickstarter campaign for the OSE 2026 Update?

We won't be running a crowdfunding campaign specifically for the 2026 Update core books, but they may be available as part of a larger campaign we're planning for 2026. (More news on that coming soon!)

Will the new art replace older pieces, or will the 2026 books just have more art in general?

A bit of both. There are many new pieces, as well as some that replace/refresh older art, with the general goal of making the art style more consistent in the 2026 Update. The new art is mostly by Frank Scacalossi, Lucas Korte, Peter Pagano, Kennon James, Juan Ochoa, and Felipe Faria. (The images in this FAQ showcase a few of the new illustrations from the books.)

Will the OSE 2026 Update remain the current edition for a significant length of time?

The 2026 Update is intended to be a solid foundation for OSE going forward for at least 5 years, if not longer. No “second edition” of OSE is planned.

Is the new Referee’s Screen (Benjamin Marra art) updated in line with the 2026 Update core books?

Yes! The info on the Referee’s side reflects the extremely minor rules fixes in the 2026 Update rules. (See Game Rules, above.)

Licensing

Will there be a new license allowing people to use monsters from the Referee’s Book in their adventures?

Yes. There's an updated 3PP license at the back of the Player's Book that makes life simpler for third-party publishers. It allows products released under the OSE license to copy any monsters and magic items from the Referee's Book. This includes monsters that were previously not available via the OGL.

Will the basic rules and terminology be the same as previous OSE releases?

Moving from the OGL to the Creative Commons-licensed D&D SRD doesn’t require any us to make any changes to rules or terminology. OSE is still the same game you know and love, but with updated organisation and presentation.

Are any monster names changed due to moving away from the OGL?

It's not yet 100% decided, but we may change the names of a select few monsters and magic items. Really iconic things that were in D&D’s OGL SRD but not in the CC SRD might be slightly renamed, such as the currently listed “eye of terror” instead of “beholder.”

Will there be a new SRD allowing people to create classes, spells, etc (and potentially complete games) based on material in OSE?

Yes. We have plans for a new SRD and are looking at releasing it under a Creative Commons license.

Other Questions?

Feel free to email us at summon@necroticgnome.com. We may update this FAQ as additional questions arise.