"1981 D&D Basic/Expert — faithful, complete, and free."
Labyrinth Lord is Daniel Proctor's faithful retroclone of 1981 D&D Basic/Expert (B/X), from Goblinoid Games (2007). One of the earliest and most respected OSR clones, it has served as the compatibility benchmark for decades. The 'Advanced Edition Companion' adds AD&D-style options (classes, races, spells). A free no-art version covers the full rules.
Setting-agnostic in the classic dungeon-fantasy mold. Race-as-class (Elf, Dwarf, Halfling), demihuman level limits, graph-paper mapping, monster reactions, and the lust for treasure. Any B/X-era module runs without conversion — Labyrinth Lord was built for exactly that compatibility.
Faithful B/X clone
Near-verbatim 1981 Moldvay/Cook rules. Any Basic/Expert-era module or supplement runs unedited. The compatibility benchmark for the whole OSR movement.
Advanced Edition Companion
An optional volume adds AD&D-style classes, races, and spells — this is how 'Advanced Labyrinth Lord' is born. Want it simpler? Play pure B/X. Want more depth? Bolt on the AEC.
Race-as-class
Classic old-school: Elf, Dwarf, and Halfling are classes, not races layered onto a class. Simple character creation and that authentic early-D&D flavor.
Free no-art version
The complete rules are available as a free PDF (without illustrations). A zero-cost on-ramp. Since 2007 it has been the old-school movement's reference retroclone.
Open in Session Zero to let every player vote and see the results.