OSR Acronyms
On online discussions around the OSR,
many acronyms are thrown around to save typing names for common concepts and products.
These aren't necessarily common acronyms outside OSR circles,
so here is a compiled list of acronyms you may see,
along with possible meanings and links to web pages with more information.
Inclusion in this list does not imply endorsement.
- AAC: Ascending Armor Class (a rating of how difficult it is to be damaged, alternative method to AC)
- AC: Armor Class (a rating of how difficult it is to be damaged, alternative method to AAC)
- AD&D | ADND: Advanced Dungeons and Dragons
- AL: Alignment
- AS&SH: Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea
- ASE: Anomalous Subsurface Environment
- AV: Halls of Arden Vul
- B&W: Black and White (as in, not in colour)
- B/X: Basic / Expert
- BECMI: Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, Immortals
- BF: Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game
- BtW: Beyond the Wall
- CX: Castle Xyntillan
- D&D: Dungeons and Dragons
- DCC: Dungeon Crawl Classics
- DCO: Deep Carbon Observatory (or the Remastered edition)
- DM: Dungeon Master (also known as Game Master, or Referee)
- DMG: Dungeon Master's Guide
- DND: Dungeons and Dragons
- DTRPG: DriveThruRPG
- DW: Dolmenwood | Dragon Warriors | Dungeon World
- EB: Electric Bastionland
- EF: Exalted Funeral
- FG&G: For Gold & Glory
- FKR: Free Kreigsspiel Revolution
- FLGS: Friendly Local Games Store (as in, your local games store)
- FR: Forgotten Realms
- G&G: Gold & Glory
- GG: Goodman Games | Gary Gygax
- GLOG: The Goblin Laws of Gaming
- GM: Game Master (also known as Dungeon Master, or Referee)
- GW: Gamma World
- HD: Hit Dice (a measure of how many hit points a creature may have)
- HP: Hit Point (an abstraction of how healthy a creature is; usually bad things happen at 0HP)
- HSI: Hot Springs Island
- HitO: Hole in the Oak
- ItO: Into the Odd
- KS: Kickstarter
- KotB: Keep on the Borderlands
- LL: Labyrinth Lord
- LotFP: Lamentations of the Flame Princess
- ML: Morale Rating (a rating of how likely a monster will be to fight)
- MM: Monster Manual
- MV: Movement Rate (a measurement of how far a creature can travel in a unit of time)
- NG: Necrotic Gnome
- NPC: Non-Player Character (a character controlled by the game master, rather than the players)
- OD&D | ODND: Original Dungeons and Dragons
- OGL: Open Gaming License
- OS&C: Old School & Cool
- OSE: Old School Essentials
- OSE:AF | OSEAF: Old School Essentials: Advanced Fantasy
- OSR: Old School Revival | Old School Renaissance
- OSRIC: Old School Reference and Index Compilation
- PC: Player Character (a character in a game controlled by a player, rather than by the game master)
- PF: Pathfinder
- PHB: Players Handbook
- PatW: Playing at the World
- PbP: Play by Post
- PbtA: Powered by the Apocalypse
- PoD: Print on Demand
- QB: Questing Beast
- RAC: Race as Class (this is where a ruleset does not allow a player to choose a race independent of class; a class is tied to a specific race)
- RAI: Rules as Intended (interpretation of rules taken in the context of the intentions of the writers)
- RAW: Rules as Written (interpretation of rules word for word as written)
- RC: Rules Cyclopedia
- RPG: Role Playing Game
- S&W: Swords & Wizardry
- SRD: System Reference Document
- SV: Saving Throw Value (a measure of how likely a creature will survive an event)
- THAC0: To Hit Armor Class 0 (a method for determining if an attack hits)
- TM: Tegel Manor
- ToH: Tomb of Horrors
- VTT: Virtual Tabletop (software such as Roll20, FoundryVTT, Owlbear Rodeo, or Tabletop Simulator)
- WD: Winter's Daughter | White Dwarf
- WotC: Wizards of the Coast
- XP: Experience Point
Other OSR-related acronyms lists: