Microlite74 Standard

The Microlite74 Standard rules are based on three little booklets found in the boxed set of the 1974 original edition of the world’s most popular tabletop fantasy roleplaying game plus rules from the four supplements and official material published in magazine articles. All standard 0e classes are included as are spells up to 9th level for magic-users and spells up to 7th level for clerics, druids, and illusionists. The rules are not intended to be a clone of the 0e rules, but rather a conversion of them to a rules-lite D20-based system that encourages old-school play without strictly old-school rules.

Microlite74 games are trimmed-down miniature versions of the Primary Fantasy SRD rules designed to be quick and easy to play, especially when compared to modern incarnations of the game. The goal of Microlite74 games is to recreate the style and feel of that very first (“0e”) fantasy roleplaying game published back in 1974 without giving up all of the clearer mechanics of modern D20-based versions.

Other Versions of Microlite74 include Microlite74 Basic and Microlite74 Extended. Microlite74 Basic rules are complete but basic: There are only three classes (Fighter, Magic-User, and Cleric). Spells are limited and levels top out at 12 to 14. Microlite74 Extended includes all the material in the standard version extended with a number of house rules the author used in his 0e campaigns starting in the late 1970s. Microlite74 Companion volumes add even more options to the game.

These rules assume that the GM understands the basic concepts of roleplaying games, but provides information for both the GM and the players on the various “old school” styles of play. Microlite74 games can easily use adventures and material from early editions of the world’s most popular tabletop fantasy roleplaying game or modern clones.