The OSR is nothing new

OSR blogosphere circa 1976

Telecanter, on his excellent Telecanter's Receding Rules blog, puts out a good case that the OSR, as such, is not a collection of people or products so much as it is a collective recognition that RPG rules aren't graven in stone, and innovation, alteration, reconstitution, and the like are to be encouraged and recognized as legitimate.

I have absolutely no issue with his argument or his definition, but I do think it should be stated categorically that this is not a new phenomenon.

Even before there was an RPG hobby, the wargaming community was replete with hobbyists who thought nothing of taking an existing game and folding, spindling, and mutilating it. Witness the plethora of Diplomacy variants that flourished in the 1960's and 1970's, from versions that merely added Asia to the already existing map to versions (including one by Gary Gygax) who placed the game in Middle Earth.

Miniatures wargames were no stranger to this practice, either, and the early 'zines are similarly filled with alternate rules, new rules to add to existing games, and completely new games riffing off of previous work. Some of these amateur efforts were precursors to now-famous professionals within the hobby. But in addition, it was precisely this DIY ethic among the wargaming hobby that led directly to the creation of the RPG hobby itself. Witness Braunstein, Blackmoor, and of course Greyhawk.

Once Dungeons and Dragons was published, this DIY ethic didn't dissipate; indeed, it flourished with a new garden in which to grow. Thus we have Alarums & Excursions, Dungeoneer, White Dwarf, and of course Strategic Review (and later The Dragon), all adding to the still-flourishing 'zines. Thus, when Telecanter says:

"The OSR was more than a bunch of objects.  It was a feeling of power.  It was a license to create.  It was a conversation.  It was about examining our beliefs and revising them.  It was messy and recursive.  There was no end goal."

I see nothing there that doesn't apply to the earliest days of the hobby, when Strategic Review and The Dragon (before the "The" was excised) were filled with new and exciting stuff (not all of it particularly good, of course, but again that applies today as well as it did in 1977) and people passed around huge mimeographs (yeah, mimeographs) of house rules from hand to hand, not to mention new spin-off publications like Chivalry and Sorcery and Arduin intended to "fix" D&D, that effectively were the Carcosas, Vornheims, Teratic Tomes, Labyrinth Lords, and Spellcraft & Swordsplays of their day.

While this DIY spirit never really died, it was severely tamped down by the rise of more professional productions, and the transition of TSR (especially, but not exclusively) from hobby publisher to professional publisher. There were surely variant rules, classes, etc. aplenty floating around in the 1980's, but nothing like the wild and woolly 1970's, and the Mayfair Games lawsuit in 1993 naturally had a chilling effect as well, leaving most players with "official" material, that which they wrote themselves, and little else.

I think what the OSR can most be credited with is a return to that DIY ethos. The availability of desktop publishing, print on demand, and blogs has served as the needed growth medium, and the OGL has been the restraining hand on the weed-whacker that previously cut down any dandelions that dared pop up, that has allowed such a flourishing of new creative material outside the control of "major publishers", and short of a severe new legal crackdown from WotC (which would be both dubious from a legal standpoint as well as self-defeating PR-wise, but is still conceivable), I don't see that ethos going away any time soon.

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Petty Gods Update

Wow! Bet you didn't think you'd be seeing a post with that title anytime soon, eh?

OSR blogger Gorgonmilk has graciously offered to pick up the layout and editing of James Maliszewski's Petty Gods project. If you were a contributor to the Petty Gods project (art or writing), please hie thyself over to Gorgonmilk's blog and check in. Especially given James's recent troubles, it would be great to see one of his ideas get pushed over the finish line.

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Don't Call Them Clones

There are a few conversations buzzing around Google+ right now about retro-clones and other OSR games. Rather than comment on the particular issues in those conversations, however, I'd like to take a minute and discuss the misuse of the word "clone" in a gaming context.

A clone (aka retro-clone or simulacrum)  is a game that emulates the rules of another game. It's not a statement of style or aesthetics, and it's not a catch-all for any game produced under the nebulous umbrella of the OSR. A clone tries to recreate the play experience of an earlier game. The differences between the clone and the original are usually organizational, but occasionally a few clean-ups of ambiguous or outrageous rules are introduced which, while making it not a true 100% clone, leave the play of the original intact (especially how the game was actually played back in the day, in many cases) sufficiently to count for all practical purposes.

Examples of true (or fairly true) clones include Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry, and OSRIC. They don't rewrite character classes, or change the combat system all around, or replace Vancian magic with a spell-point system, or whatever. They try as closely as possible to emulate D&D or AD&D (other clones could emulate other games, of course).

This leaves us with several entire categories of games that don't fall into the definition of "clones", but for which no standard nomenclature has yet been adopted. They include:

1. Games based on older games, but which introduce rules changes so significant as to alter the play experience to the point where it is subjectively different from the original.
2. Games which have new mechanics but which consciously attempt to emulate the "play feel" of games from the 1970's and 80's. 
3. Games which attempt to create games which where never published or made public in the 1970's or 80's, but whose substance can be at least partially intuited or otherwise (re)discovered through research. 

Note that I am consciously omitting things which are not stand-alone sets of game rules such as supplements, settings, and adventure modules. In the first category, I'd put games such as Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Myth & Magic, etc. In the second, we have games such as Castles & Crusades, Adventurer Conquerer King, Spellcraft & Swordplay, Barbarians of Lemuria, etc. And in the third category we have Dragons at Dawn and my own Adventures Dark and Deep. 

Trouble is, if they're not clones, what to call them?

This is a question I've been struggling with myself for some time. I've seen various suggestions; nostalgia games, neo-clones, etc. but nothing really clicks for me. Here's my attempt at systematizing the whole thing.

• Retro-clones emulate older game mechanics and feel.
• Retro-builds have an old-school feel, but either use new mechanics or alter the old mechanics to the point where cross-compatibility is difficult. There can be sub-types, but I'm not going to try to get into that level of detail here.

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A Definition of "Old School"

Well, not Old School in the RPG sense of the term, but did you know that there was an Old School/New School divide in the miniatures wargaming community too? Ayup, and Steve of Steve's Random Musings on Wargames and Other Stuff has a pretty interesting definition that I think has some striking parallels to the role-playing crowd as well. 

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WotC Reprints and the OSR

There has been a bit of discussion of late concerning the impact that Wizards of the Coast's reissue of the old (A)D&D pdfs will have on the OSR. First, JB at B/X Blackrazor asked "Have we won the battle only to lose the war?"

Is the OSR…as a movement to create new, good material in the Old School style (and thus to promote Old School role-playing)…is the OSR dead?

Why shouldn’t I put down the $10 to get original B/X over Labyrinth Lord? Why shouldn’t I take the original Erol Otus artwork over illustrations that are simply supposed to conjure nostalgia in my heart?

Within a day of JB's post, Dan at Goblinoid Games opined:

WotC has added their material back to the ecosphere where it was in the beginning, and I think that will only strengthen the cause for old-school gaming. People have already been converted to the idea that the older versions of the game are just as valid as the recent ones, and WotC's recent business decisions only reinforce that.

Erik Tenkar (one of the most prolific OSR bloggers around today) said:

The OSR isn't going anywhere. Putting the originals back into PDF format isn't going to gut the OSR of "old school players" anymore than DnD Next is. If anything, making the originals available in PDF format is likely to bring us the newly curious...

Dave at Blood of Procopius asks "Do we still need Labyrinth Lord?" and answers his own question:

I would answer that question with an unequivocal YES for two very important reasons:

LL is an established brand with a license that hobbyists like myself and small publishers can easily and legally publish under with full knowledge that whatever we produce can be used by those who want to do the B/X thing with virtually no conversion at all.

More importantly to me, LL has a library of compatible games that are specifically designed to be modular.

And I'm sure there are others out there whose contributions to the discussion I've missed. If I may be permitted to be self-referential, I believe that what I said about the OSR Phase II applies directly to JB's original point:

But while the first phase of the OSR has seen foundational works such as those mentioned above [straight or near clones of earlier games], what we are now seeing in the OSR is a flowering of material that take off in wild new directions. Now that the final holes in the retro-clone coverage have been filled (the basic game-play of (A)D&D 0E, 1E, and now 2E are covered by multiple products), the OSR as a whole seems self-confident enough to break off in new directions.

So, to bring this back to JB's original point, I don't think that WotC's re-release of the older games and modules will in any way dampen the creativity or productivity of the self-identified OSR. While acknowledging that the economy is tough and many people don't have as much disposable income as they might have had at the dawn of the OSR a few years ago, the OSR will take these WotC pdfs and use them to grow like green slime on a first-level magic user. Let me tell you why.

Right now, there are four basic types of products that the OSR is putting out; clones, adventures/settings, supplements, and what I'll call originals. Let's see how each one is impacted by the re-releases. I am not going to include the science-fiction, science fantasy, and other genres, but the same principles apply there as well (or will, if and when WotC starts releasing pdfs of Gamma World, Boot Hill, etc.).

First, we have the retro-clones; restatements of the original rules with more or less fidelity to the details. In this category we have products such as OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry, For Gold & Glory, etc.

At first glance, the re-release of the WotC pdfs may seem to render this category obsolete, and indeed time will tell what the long-term impact on downloads and sales of these titles will be. The obvious rebuttal is that the retro-clones are better written, more organized, and generally more player-friendly than the originals were (although in the case of 2E and the Rules Compendium, this may be less true). Thus, new players who are introduced to these older games by way of the DnDClassics.com site may seek out the clones for sheer utility, in order to get the same experience with more easily-digestible rules. In any event, this category is pretty well not going to see growth (in terms of new products) because we've seen most of the restatements of the original rules already, and more complete restatements simply aren't needed any more. People chomping at the bit to do them and include their own favorite house rules should look to the third category below and simply publish those house rules on their own.

Second, we have adventure modules and settings; either specific scenarios or entire campaign worlds. There are hundreds of these currently available, supporting most of the retro-clones above, plus many more that are deliberately "generic" and which are intended to be usable with just about anything with a healthy dose of (A)D&D in its genome.

From the very dawn of the hobby, when the original rules were still in print, third party publishers were putting out adventure modules and settings. I would argue that the availability of the original rules in pdf format actually increases the market for new adventure modules and settings with which to use those rules. The market for adventures is only a limited one for a very small subset of the customer base; few people are going to be agonizing between buying Temple of Elemental Evil and Anomalous Subsurface Environment. While there may well be a short-term drop in third-party adventures while folks flock to DnDClassics.com to fill in the gaps in their collections, over the long term sales and downloads of the new stuff will pick up again as people get everything they've been looking to get of the old stuff. Everyone who buys the original Holmes rules is a potential LL and S&W customer.

Third, we have supplements; books that have rules that are designed to be used in addition to, or as a replacement for specific, rules in other games. In this category we have things like new monster books (Monsters of Myth, Malevolent and Benign, Teratic Tome) as well as straight-up rules supplements like Realms of Crawling Chaos, A Curious Volume of Forgotten Lore, the Advanced Edition Companion (admittedly something of a hybrid), the B/X Companion, etc.

The products in this category actually should boom because of the new availability of the older titles, and indeed JB mentions in his post quoted above that he's seen an uptick in sales of his B/X Companion since the original B/X Rules were made available. The challenge to the publishers of these products is to get the word out about their existence and compatibility without violating the OGL rule against declaring compatibility. If they can get over that hurdle, they'll prosper. I also happen to think that this category and the one following will see enormous growth in the coming years, and DnDClassics.com will only fuel that growth.

Fourth, we have what I'm calling originals, but the term shouldn't be taken as disparaging in any way to items in other categories. Here we have games that are sufficiently different in terms of mechanics to be considered new games that attempt to recreate an old-school aesthetic. I include here Adventures Dark and Deep, Castles & Crusades, Dragons at Dawn, Adventurer Conqueror King, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Barbarians of Lemuria, etc.

Here, I think we see another medium for enormous growth, which will be incidentally helped by DnDClassics.com, but which is largely unconnected to it. What impact the reprints will have on this sector is in the general sense of validation of the old school aesthetic that the OSR champions. Whether one believes that this aesthetic is real or a bit of revisionist history, the fact is that it exists and is now a recognized force within the gaming hobby/industry. The mere fact that WotC wants to tap into it by making the old pdfs available once more is proof of that. As more people are introduced to the concepts and conceits of the older editions of the game, they'll be more willing to experiment with games that take those concepts and conceits into new areas with new mechanics, and thus this sector will grow. There is no real direct impact, of course, any more than there is a direct impact between WotC publishing the original Holmes rules and a game like Dogs in the Vineyard. But the indirect impact is certainly there.

So, I think that the republishing of the old classic pdfs will actually be a good thing for the OSR as a whole. There aren't any more retro-clones to create, and the ones that spurred the OSR in the first place are there for those who discover the original games and want something more player-friendly. Adventures and rules supplements will always be in demand, and work equally well for the classic games or their simulacra. New old-school games will benefit from new players being exposed to the older means and modes of play, with some players going from the Holmes rules into something more mechanically, but not aesthetically, experimental such as Barbarians of Lemuria. And, of course, we can only hope that the republication of the AD&D 1st edition rules will lead to an enormous demand for Adventures Dark and Deep. ;-)

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OSR, Phase II

There is, of course, no singular event that one can point to and say, “The OSR started here.” Certainly it was a product of a particular time within the gaming hobby, wherein a number of circumstances combined to make the OSR possible. D&D 3.5 was petering out and 4th edition was received to blasé reviews or outright hostility. The OGL allowed games such as Castles & Crusades (2004) and OSRIC (2006), and later Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry, MicroliteXX, etc. to come about, and desktop publishing and the increasingly sophisticated abilities of on-demand publishing made it possible for individuals or a handful of people to put out really incredible products for little or no cash up front.

2008 was the year many flagship OSR blogs were founded, such as the Retroroleplaying Blog (founded February 20008); Grognardia (March 2008); The Society of Pole, Torch, and Rope (August 2008); and Bat in the Attic (October 2008); among many, many others too numerous to name. These blogs and message boards such as Dragonsfoot and the Knights and Knaves Alehouse (again, plus many others) fostered a community of deep introspection, analysis, and discussion about just what made older games great, on a mechanical, “player ethos”, and aesthetic level.

However, one thing I've noticed in the last year or so is that the level of philosophical analysis has decreased dramatically both on the blogs and message boards, in favor of an enormous wave of practical application. There are far fewer fundamental questions being discussed and older editions of D&D being evaluated, and many more reviews of new products, analysis of older non-D&D games, organization of face-to-face and virtual events, and the like. This, I think, is the transition between the first phase of the OSR to the second.

That’s not to say, obviously, that nothing of practical use has come out of the OSR in the last four or five years; far from it. But while the first phase of the OSR has seen foundational works such as those mentioned above, what we are now seeing in the OSR is a flowering of material that take off in wild new directions. Now that the final holes in the retro-clone coverage have been filled (the basic game-play of (A)D&D 0E, 1E, and now 2E are covered by multiple products), the OSR as a whole seems self-confident enough to break off in new directions.

We see this with games such as Lamentations of the Flame Princess (2010) that take the D&D game into new directions, but also with “reconstructions” of games that never saw print, such as Dragons at Dawn (2010) which attempts to recreate the game as it was played at Dave Arneson’s table in the very earliest days of the hobby, or my own Adventures Dark and Deep (2013) which attempts to show what direction the game might have taken if Gygax had stayed with TSR in 1985. There are fantasy games that are not based on the D&D rules, but harken to the old-school “feel” such as Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea, The Secret Fire, and Adventurer Conquerer King. We see science fiction games such as Sorcery and Super Science! and Stars Without Number. There are innovative and envelope-pushing settings and adventures such as Carcosa and Vornheim. And more material is being published every day.

Now, of course, we live in a hobby/industry where Wizards of the Coast has seemingly embraced older products in their back catalog, making them available in pdf format or in distribution-chain reprints. Old TSR stalwarts are publishing new and exciting material with their many decades of experience to guide them. So the landscape is once more changing. But in that change I see really good times ahead. The OSR has done its soul-searching, we've figured out what we are and what we like, and we’re settling down to the business of doing it. “Mainstream” gaming has caught up to us, and for a short while at least, we’re driving the bus. Let’s not hesitate to be bold and confident, and take things in exciting new directions.

As Gary Gygax said, “One more thing: don’t spend too much time merely reading. The best part of this work is the play, so play and enjoy!”

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Google+ OSR Community

For those who don't know, on Thursday Google+ unveiled a new feature; Communities.

Basically, a G+ Community is a place where folks can post things for all the different members to see and comment on. Naturally, in the land rush that followed, I wanted to do my part, and I present to you: the Google+ OSR Community.

As of right now, we have 220 members, but everyone is invited, and while I'm still sorting out all the ins and outs of the features, we already have a number of interesting conversations. Feel free to join and spread the word.

And for those not yet on G+, I highly recommend it. It has a number of advantages over a certain other social networking site, not the least of which is a certain lack of commerciality which I find enjoyable.

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Please, if you haven't done so already, consider supporting my Kickstarter for the Adventures Dark and Deep Players Manual, going on now through December 19th. I need your help to make it a reality!

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Congratulations to James Maliszewski for Dwimmermount Kickstarter

Two days ago, James Maliszewski started his Kickstarter campaign to raise $10,000 for his Dwimmermount megadungeon to see print. Here we are, only slightly more than 48 hours later, and he has already met that goal, and even got one $250 backer! The campaign still has more than a month to go, and there's no telling how much he'll raise before it's over.

This is an enormous testament not only to the worthiness of Dwimmermount itself (which is immense), but also to the vibrancy of the OSR as a whole. Granted, James is a "big fish" in the OSR, but the fact that he can raise that much so quickly is absolutely both incredible and wonderful.

Congratulations, James! Nobody deserves it more. I can't wait to see the finished product.

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2E Clone Myth & Magic Coming March 16

Some news about New Haven Games about their upcoming 2E retro-clone, Myth & Magic. From their announcement:

Myth & Magic: The Player's Starter Guide and the Game Master's Starter Guide will be available for download on March 16, 2012. They are free and will be accessible on newhavengames.com, RPGNow.com, DriveThruRPG.com and Paizo.com. A separate email will go out on that day.

This marks the first public release of the rules, which is very exciting. We should see a wave of new Myth & Magic players that have since alluded us.

The PSG allows you to create and play one of the four iconic classes up to 10th level: Cleric, Fighter, Thief and Wizard. Some of the rules that were straying away from the feel of our progenitor system, 2E, were reigned back to support the feel of fantasy gaming we're aiming for, but certain of our newer concepts, like BASE20 and the class talent system, are highlighted boldface and center-stage.

The GMSG has all the monsters and magic items you need as a Game Master for many adventures, as well as tons of good advice on world-building and adventure-crafting. We even threw in the adventure, The Shattered Academy, that provides at least one night of interesting 1st-level play.

They're considering doing a Kickstarter campaign as a vehicle for pre-orders. If you're a fan of 2E (and I know there are a lot of you out there), this should look pretty interesting indeed.

I know it might sound a little weird that I'm here promoting other folks' games when I've got one of my own coming out pretty soon (kickstarter for A Curious Volume of Forgotten Lore starts later this month!). But I guess I'm still happily stuck in the "it's a hobby" mindset. I don't think I lose anything by promoting their stuff; I think the OSR in particular, and the RPG hobby in general, can only be helped by more growth.

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