What people forget time and time again when it comes to what the OSR is about, what it ought to be doing, where is it going; that it defining characteristic is the use of open content, leveraging digital technology and using the internet for distribution.

The net effect is that there are no gatekeepers, there nothing that the OSR as whole (if something like that is even possible) or segments or cliques can do to impend any projects from being released and distributed.

No one incident prompted this essay but I follow the OSR as best as I can and I think everybody needs reminded of this aspect of the OSR. That in the end it the OSR is not about one vision, not even about Gary Gygax's and Dave Arneson's vision. It about the freedom to take the pieces that existed at the beginning of our hobby and assemble them into the form that YOU judge best not what some what publisher or author says is best. And it is perfectly fine that you wind up agreeing with what a particular author says like Gygax, Arneson, Mentzer, Gonnerman , Proctor, Finch, Raggi , etc.

If your favorite retro-clone or supplement is not open enough. Or you don't like the community that surrounds it. You can always go back to original wellspring the d20 SRD and follow the same steps as OSRIC, Basic Fantasy, etc did to realize your vision of your project. Regardless whether it is for sharing or for commercial sale.

Going hand and hand with that is the fact that for better or for worse the OSR is a thing. For the past decade and a half there been a group of hobbyists actively publishing, promoting, and playing classic editions of Dungeons and Dragon and similar RPGs. This is result of everybody taking advantage of the freedom granted by the open content found in the d20 SRD to expand the quantity and variety of material that supports classic D&D.

So it is any surprise that we have the situation we have today?

But the good news is that it is not a zero sum game. The projects that a group who is interested in using a classic edition 'as is' has zero impact on a group whose project is about using newer mechanics with classic edition concepts. This is what true creative freedom looks like, messy but the opportunity is there for everybody to participate in the manner of their choosing.

It not just about publishing either, technology has allow fans of even the most obscure RPGs to communicate with one another and find some way to play new campaigns. Software like Fantasy Ground and Roll20 make this even easier.

And the OSR has benefited hobbyists who never quit playing the classic editions. Today it is far easier to find new material, new gamers, that are willing to play your favorite edition.

I submit that we live in a second golden age of tabletop roleplaying and in some ways exceed the first age in the 70s. That if you ever find yourself wondering where everything went all you need to do is shift your perspective to another corner of the OSR. In the years since the release of Gonnerman's Basic Fantasy and Marshal and Finch's OSRIC the OSR has grown far and wide. There are forums, blogs, websites, kickstarters, paterons, Google Plus, Facebook, etc, etc.

On my blog I have a link to Hoards and Hordes which is a list maintained by Guy Fullerton of various OSR product he consider Gygaxian. Even with that arbitrary limitation by 2012 he couldn't keep up with the everything that was going on. The list from April 2012 onwards become about what Guy find interesting.

It is a mess but from where I stand it is a glorious mess.

Well said.

In many ways it's better than it was in the early days inasmuch as there is a plethora of free material available at the click of a button and easy access to a community of players and GMs, although unfortunately depending on where you live it may also be online but that's still one up from the old days of being in a small town and having a copy of D&D and not knowing anyone else into it.  

I just wish the focus wasn't so heavily on D&D. Of course I should talk being too lazy or inept  to make anything for the games I like better!

Quote from: estar;959626What people forget time and time again when it comes to what the OSR is about, what it ought to be doing, where is it going; that it defining characteristic is the use of open content, leveraging digital technology and using the internet for distribution.

The net effect is that there are no gatekeepers, there nothing that the OSR as whole (if something like that is even possible) or segments or cliques can do to impend any projects from being released and distributed.

Are we still using QFT? Because QFT.

Conversely, people who are too concerned about what the OSR is or isn't or should be, are just a byproduct of the Internet working as intended.

Quote from: estar;959626No one incident prompted this essay

Of course not.

Though I do not consider myself part of the OSR because I never stopped playing this sillyass game the way I always have, I am extremely grateful that the OSR has become a thing, because at least there are other people acknowledging that yeah, these games can be fun in their own right.

You know what else the OSR forgets?  That just because it's fun for YOU, it's not going to be fun for EVERYBODY.  And browbeating them on how your way is 'better' isn't going to endear them to your favourite version of D&D.

Now, admittedly, the players of other editions, like Rules Cyclopedia and later (All the officially numbered and not-so-numbered iterations) need to recognize that too.

At the end of the day, it's all nothing more than versions of D&D, and people should just enjoy them as they do.  Instead of arguing whose interpretations of the rules and playstyles is better or worse.  That just wastes time that you could be playing with friends and family.

Personally, I'd rather share ideas from every edition than segregate myself from others.

But then, the internet would be an awfully boring place if people did that, wouldn't it?

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;959641Though I do not consider myself part of the OSR because I never stopped playing this sillyass game the way I always have, I am extremely grateful that the OSR has become a thing, because at least there are other people acknowledging that yeah, these games can be fun in their own right.

But you are part of the OSR because you are involved in the communities and sharing. Sure, you have been playing the same way since the pre-dawn of the hobby, but you don't hide yourself from those of us who did drift away and are now re-examining the original game whether in it's original form or via a retro-clone.

Open Game Content for the win. The more ideas we get to bend, stretch and twist (old & new) the better our hobby will grow to be.

Pretty excited to check out Veins of the Earth. Also located a hardcopy of Red and Pleasant Land.

I agree with Estar. It's a glorious mess.

There is majority emphasis on D&D in the OSR, but there are plenty of non-D&D clones out there as well that deserve some love and attention.

Quote from: Christopher Brady;959660You know what else the OSR forgets?  That just because it's fun for YOU, it's not going to be fun for EVERYBODY.  And browbeating them on how your way is 'better' isn't going to endear them to your favourite version of D&D.

Freedom means Freedom. As long as that person isn't trying to use coercion via control of distribution or some other limited publishing resource I have no problem with them being an asshole about their preferences. And expression of one's opinion is not coercion despite some  folks belief in "mindshare", "meme", or some other group philosophy bullshit.

Quote from: Christopher Brady;959660At the end of the day, it's all nothing more than versions of D&D, and people should just enjoy them as they do.  Instead of arguing whose interpretations of the rules and playstyles is better or worse.  That just wastes time that you could be playing with friends and family.

OK if it is nothing more than versions of D&D then make your next campaign core book only OD&D. Doesn't sound appealing? Wow! You have preferences. Some prefer classic editions, some 'as is' some kitbashed with various other mechanics, some like to use newer RPGs but run using the same setup, adventures, and elements of older editions. And some get enthusiastic about what they are doing.  Seriously are you actually critizing people for being enthusiastic about older edition?

Quote from: Christopher Brady;959660Personally, I'd rather share ideas from every edition than segregate myself from others.

The fact you are trying to paint the OSR with this just demonstrates that you don't really know jack shit about even how a small segment of it operates. I suggest you look up Goodman Games DCC RPG, Jeff Rients, Dan Proctor & Pacesetter Games, Blood & Treasure, Stars without Numbers before trying to make the argument that the OSR is mostly comprised of people who only have a narrow interest in older editions.

The same for people trying to "push" their fun onto you. Ever hear of the OD&D dicussion forum? Probably not given your demonstrated lack of knowledge about the OSR. It is noted for its friendly atmosphere that basically boils down to "Hey y'all come on over to the porch and lets talk some OD&D! Not your thing? That all right have a nice day."

Quote from: Spinachcat;959672I agree with Estar. It's a glorious mess.

There is majority emphasis on D&D in the OSR, but there are plenty of non-D&D clones out there as well that deserve some love and attention.

The OSR is the label that got applied to the people playing, promoting, and publishing for classic editions of D&D. Because they are people they are interested in other things as well. And the OSR is part of a larger osr, a old school renaissance of many older RPGs and older editions. It only largest and loudest because D&D was the largest and loudest of the older RPGs.

If I had to come with a specific definition of what the OSR does it would be playing, publishing, and promoting classic editions of D&D, related RPGs, and other things people find interesting.

It the "other things people find interesting" that confuses many about the OSR but again it is a direct result of the OSR resting on a open content foundation and the ease of publishing thanks to digital technology. For example Goblinoid Games, Labyrinth Lords, and Pacesetter Games are all handled by Dan Proctor and his team. The same for "related RPGs" of which the DCC RPG is one of the better known examples plus some of the hybrid retro-clones like Blood & Treasure.

The same with play style, you got gonzo, classic dungeon crawling, weird horror, snadbox campaigns, and dozens of others including my focus on the adventure that arises from the clash of culture, politics, and religion.

Gronan is OSR, it's just for him, the "R" is neither revival, rennaissance, ruckus, rebellion nor revolution.

Rather: relic, remnant, remains, rescue, refuse, reject, religion, radical; rockerboy

I fully agree with Estar otherwise: DIY shalt be the whole of the law.

Quote from: estar;959626The net effect is that there are no gatekeepers, there nothing that the OSR as whole (if something like that is even possible) or segments or cliques can do to impend any projects from being released and distributed.

Do you mean that all this time I was been duped into believing there was a Taliban and a Pope, who defined the boundaries, castigated the unworthy, and maintained the purity of the Way?

/s

Quote from: Settembrini;959688Gronan is OSR, it's just for him, the "R" is neither revival, rennaissance, ruckus, rebellion nor revolution.

Rather: relic, remnant, remains, rescue, refuse, reject, religion, radical; rockerboy

How about just 'Reliably'?

Quote from: K Peterson;959698Do you mean that all this time I was been duped into believing there was a Taliban and a Pope, who defined the boundaries, castigated the unworthy, and maintained the purity of the Way?

/s

Careful, if people ever realize that there's no horde of people out there telling them that they can't enjoy what they enjoy(with any kind of authority), they won't get the visceral, Skinner box mental reward of both protecting their tribe and feeling like they are the one being picked on.