Old-School Essentials, Necrotic Gnome's faithful retroclone of 1981's Basic/Expert Dungeons & Dragons, sits at the top of the OSR pile for a reason: beautifully laid-out rules, deep compatibility with old TSR modules, and a reputation for clean editing that Wizards of the Coast would weep for. Now the publisher is lining up a 2026 update that rolls the whole game into two definitive hardcovers, the Player's Book and the Referee's Book, and crucially leaves WOTC's Open Game Licence behind for good.
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See how it worksThe switch matters. After the OGL drama of 2023, when Wizards tried to revoke the licence that had powered most of the OSR, plenty of publishers vowed to escape the dependency. Necrotic Gnome has done the quiet work of re-editing OSE's entire text to publish outside the OGL, moving to the Creative Commons SRD instead. The team explained the reasoning in the 2026 update FAQ: long-term legal safety, no surprises down the line.
Beyond the legal housekeeping, the update brings around 200 new illustrations (including a fresh piece for every class and race, plus colour paintings from artist Jacob Fleming) and a stack of polish. The Assassin, Barbarian, Knight and Ranger classes get adjustments based on player feedback, slow weapons become optional, and there are new optional rules for advanced hit dice, character lifespan and training costs. The B/X roots are untouched, and Necrotic Gnome has confirmed 100% compatibility with every OSE book already on your shelf.
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Find events near youRelease is pencilled in for mid to late 2026, with a free rules-change PDF planned so existing books don't suddenly feel obsolete. If you've been meaning to try OSE but held off, the 2026 books will be the cleanest way in. The OSR has been through a rough few years, and this kind of quiet, careful stewardship is exactly what the scene needs.
Sources: Necrotic Gnome | TTRPG Fanatics
