About Renegade

Renegade is a clone of the original, and most popular, RPG invented by Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax in 1974. The game offers a straightforward version of the original rules – which is ideal for introducing new players to RPGs and for delivering open-ended gameplay.

Renegade adds to the basic recipe with a wide range of character classes, items and monsters drawn from many OGL sources. There is also a strong emphasis on step-by-step support for adventure- and campaign-building. As a result, the game particularly encourages challenge-based play.

The content has also been edited to keep the game family-friendly. This editing removes a few monsters and more destructive options that can cause some parents concern.

Renegade download (Right Click Save Link As to download directly)

PC Sheet

The game looks and plays much along the same lines as a clone aimed at adults. Details of the changes made from Swords and Wizardry, and our own Corruption, are outlined below.

The changes so far are as follows:

• The volume of the rules has been reduced from Corruption’s ‘full-fat’ 365 pages to a Players’ Handbook of 80 pages and a Referee’s Guide of 140 pages. This has involved:

1. Sidelining Corruption’s ‘twist of evil’ material on gritty campaigns, uncertainty and dark campaigns.
2. Setting aside most of Corruption’s new high-level monsters.
3. Limiting the spells available to adventurers and monsters to 5th level.
4. Removing devils, demons and spells or magic relating to them.

• Some of the features built into Corruption have served as a starting point:

1. The Swords and Wizardry engine is already playable at  7 or 8 with limited help from an older GM.
2. Standardised attack roll tables, advancement and saving throws streamline play at the table.
3. The option of using learned spells at will lowers frustration over interrupted spellcasting.
4. Placing no racial restrictions or caps on classes and multi-classing varies and simplifies making PCs.
5. Full HD and slightly generous attributes at 1st level increase survival at lower levels.

•  A system of gameplay building challenges has been added:

1. These challenges suggest and reward a wide range of gameplay options.
2. At the same time they model and scaffold roleplaying skills and basic characterisation.
3. The challenges are available at all levels of play, e.g. a new PC tries-out her/ his class skills and teamwork-building missions follow.

•  The adventure and campaign-building step-by-steps in Corruption have been adjusted and extended:

1. New GMs/ Referees are guided through laying-out a basic dungeon adventure
2. GMs are then encouraged to  try-out wilderness adventures before being walked through a campaign build.
3. The staged progression sets out to scaffold GMs’ skills by making it very easy to outline and run games.
4. The step-by-step support maps gameplay options, but leaves and encourages GMs to put their own clear mark on each adventure or campaign.