Swords & Wizardry

Swords & Wizardry - Classic Old-School Renaissance Gaming

Experience the golden age of fantasy roleplaying with Swords & Wizardry, the acclaimed OSR retroclone that captures the spirit of the original 1974 fantasy RPG! With elegant, streamlined rules that emphasize imagination over mechanics, Swords & Wizardry delivers fast-paced dungeon crawling, creative problem-solving, and lethal adventures where player skill matters more than character builds.

Quick-Start Rules

New to OSR gaming? Start with Swords & Wizardry Light, a free quick-start version featuring streamlined rules for immediate play—perfect for introducing new players to old-school gaming.

Monster Books & Bestiaries

Populate your dungeons with The Tome of Horrors Complete (PDF), the massive bestiary featuring hundreds of monsters from classic fantasy gaming. Expand your creature catalog with Swords & Wizardry Monstrosities (PDF) and The Tome of Horrors 4 (PDF).

Stock your Rappan Athuk campaigns with Rappan Athuk Bestiary (PDF) for megadungeon-specific creatures and threats.

Adventures & Modules

Run epic quests with Sword of Air for high-level adventures and The Spire of Iron & Crystal for mysterious tower exploration.

Discover mini-dungeons perfect for one-shot sessions with Forge of Shadows and Sorrowblight Fields. Explore additional scenarios with The Black Monastery (PDF) and Zedkiel's Chapel.

Expand your Rappan Athuk megadungeon with Rappan Athuk: Expansions Volume 1 for additional levels and encounters.

Supplements & Resources

Master combat with Goldenrod Guide: A Guide to Swords & Wizardry Combat for tactical depth and combat mastery. Add firearms to your campaigns with Hack! Firearms! for gunpowder weapons and renaissance-era technology.

Expand character options with The Basic Illusionist class for illusion magic specialists. Discover new races and character concepts in Secrets #2: Strange Races and find magical items in Secrets #1: Omens & Artifacts.

Enhance your game with Rewarding Roleplaying for experience and advancement systems, and The Roleplayer's Divine Prayerbook for divine magic options.

Gaming Accessories

Add narrative tools with Conversation Cards for NPC interactions, Dice Cards for random generation, and Trap Cards for dungeon hazards.

What Makes Swords & Wizardry Special?

OSR Purity: Faithful recreation of 1974 original edition D&D mechanics with modern clarity—the definitive white box retroclone.

Rules-Light Elegance: Simple, streamlined rules emphasize rulings over rules, giving GMs freedom to adjudicate situations creatively.

Ascending AC: Modern ascending armor class system makes combat math faster while preserving old-school feel.

Single Saving Throw: Simplified saving throw system speeds gameplay without sacrificing tactical depth.

Flexible Character Creation: Quick, straightforward character generation gets players into the dungeon fast.

Deadly & Fair: Lethal gameplay rewards player skill, creative thinking, and cautious exploration over character optimization.

OGL Freedom: Open Game License allows extensive third-party support and community content creation.

Compatible Legacy: Run classic modules and adventures from 1974-1999 with minimal conversion—decades of content at your fingertips.

Active Community: Thriving OSR community produces constant new content, adventures, and support.

Whether you're an OSR veteran seeking the purest retroclone experience, a new player discovering old-school gaming, a GM wanting rules-light flexibility, or a group ready for deadly dungeons where player skill trumps character sheets, Swords & Wizardry delivers classic fantasy roleplaying at its finest. Grab your sword, light your torch, and descend into the dungeon!