OSR Elf Games – An RPG Blog Carnival

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Reese Surles at Ward Against Evil is hosting the April RPG Blog Carnival, OSR Elf-Games and the D&D Fantasy.

Elves plying games

OSR? Elf Games? I’ll admit when Scot Newbury at Of Dice and Dragons first announced Reese Surles’ choice for this month’s topic, those where the first two questions that came to mind. Before I write, I like to know what I’m writing about.

OSR according to the Acronym Finder has 64 different definitions, among them: Office of Standards and Regulation, Office of Systems Requirements, Oilseed Rape? and the Ockanickon Scout Reservation (Pennsylvania Boy Scout Camp) Somehow I doubt those are the intended subject matter.

According to Wikipedia (and number four on the Acronym Finder page), OSR stands for Old School Renaissance (or sometimes Old School Revival or Rules). It refers to a movement and philosophy focused on playing games that emulate the design principles, high lethality, and minimalist rules of early RPGs from the late 1970s and early 1980s, such as original Dungeons & Dragons. 

If this reddit thread is any indication of the modern gamer mindset, then not even players can agree what exactly OSR is or means but I gather the movement can summarized as emphasizing;

  • Rulings over Rules: With an emphasis of GM judgment over complex, rigid adherence to the rule systems.
  • Player Skill over Character Abilities: Challenges and encounters are overcome through player creativity and ingenuity, not by relying on character sheet abilities.
  • Lethality and Risk: Combat is fast, dangerous, and often fatal, encouraging clever solutions or avoiding direct conflict.
  • DIY Ethos: A focus on using, adapting, and creating homebrew content and simple rulesets (like Old School Essentials or Swords & Wizardry). 

I guess the games I play in are OSR without my having been aware of what the term meant.

Elf Games? According to Reese, “elf-games” started out as an insult “story gamers” would use on people who just wanted to kick down doors, fight monsters, and get treasures. Oh, so Munchkin, got it.

Now, I happen to enjoy both. I homebrew in D&D. I homebrew in Car Wars. I’ve even homebrewed Munchkin.

I really need to reprint these.

All that said, I am going to pit my OSR homebrew schools against my readers. Here are thirty OSR Elf Games. You vote on the one you want to see as a fully statted D&D mini-game (skill checks, mechanics, stakes, etc.). Vote in the comments, I’ll stat out the winner.

🌿 Classic Elven Pastimes

  1. Leaf & Ladder – A vertical forest “board” game played in actual treetops.
  2. Moonshadow Chess – Just like regular human Chess, but the pieces move differently under the shifting nocturnal light.
  3. Thorn & Petal – A tactical game balancing beauty and danger.
  4. Starfall Stones – Played by predicting where glowing pebbles land.
  5. The Long Memory – A storytelling game where forgetting loses points.

🎯 Skill & Dexterity Games

  1. Arrow Tag – Non-lethal arrows… mostly. (A pointed arrow isn’t lethal if it only pierces your clothing)
  2. Whisper Hunt – Track a silent opponent using only environmental clues.
  3. Dewdrop Balance – Keep a leaf steady while water gathers—harder than it sounds.
  4. Branchrunner Trials – Obstacle course through high canopy paths.
  5. Windstep – A dance-meets-duel where movement is the scoring.

🎲 Strategy & Mind Games

  1. Eldritch Go – Like Go, but the board subtly shifts over time.
  2. Roots & Routes – Territory control through living, growing pathways.
  3. Veilcraft – Bluffing game using illusions instead of cards.
  4. Mindwine Gambit – Play while sipping enchanted wine that alters perception.
  5. The Quiet War – Strategy game played entirely without speaking.

🍃 Nature-Based Games

  1. Acorn Exchange – Resource management using seasonal tokens.
  2. Glowmoth Chase – Capture bioluminescent moths without harming them.
  3. Riverglass Skipping – Competitive stone skipping with magical currents.
  4. Barkcarving Relay – Teams carve evolving patterns into living trees (carefully!).
  5. Storm Calling – Cooperative game predicting weather shifts.

🎭 Social & Performance Games

  1. Masque of Many Faces – Illusion disguises + deduction.
  2. Songweave Circles – Build harmonies; one wrong note resets everything.
  3. Echo Tales – Continue a story but must mimic the previous speaker’s tone perfectly.
  4. Court of Leaves – Political intrigue roleplay with shifting alliances.
  5. The Silver Debate – Persuasion contest judged by ancient spirits.

😂 Young Elven Shenanigans (but still enjoyed by adults)

  1. Hide & Shriek – Like hide-and-seek, but illusions make it chaotic.
  2. Pin the Tail on the SU-Monster – Exactly what it sounds like, uses a tail-less SU-Monster (dangerous).
  3. Elven Ring Toss – Toss rings onto and into… other rings. They love rings.
  4. Truth or Sap Consequences – Answer honestly or get doused in sticky tree sap.
  5. Hungry Hungry Hippogriff – Standing in the middle of four Hippogriffs, trying to feed them fairly from one cache of dead ferrets.

Elves playing games image is borrowed from Screenrant.com

The Munchkin Parody acknowledges the influence of Steve Jackson Games Munchkin and original content is copyright 2021 Alien Graphics

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