So you've probably read the report at Penny Arcade here about a group of 4E players having a special session where they used S&W to recreate the OD&D experience lite.
Shouldn't we be applauding and encouraging things like this? Isn't that what the OSR is about? Getting people to try out these games...either the originals, or the retro-clones? Showing people that they are fun games too?
Seems like most of the commentary I've read on the old school blogs recently has been ripping into the guys for their methodology (trying to reign in the lethality or whatever) or arguing semantics of the description of the visit to the frontier theme park.
I say who cares? Looks like they tried out Swords and Wizardry, made it their own, and had fun. Isn't that what we're all about?
Picturing Solo History
1 hour ago
Total agreement here, man. I was surprised that the PA post raised so much ire. Okay, I may not dig the way the game was played and maybe I wouldn't have enjoyed sitting in on Gabe's session. Why should that matter? Some people played S&W and it got linked from an extremely high profile portion of the video game fandom. That's a bigass win in my book.
ReplyDeleteBINGO! I don't care how they decided to play it, point is the played it and enjoyed it...isn't Old School gamin about making it your own, a loose structure and freedom to do it your way? Like most so called "liberal" thinkers, you are free to do whatever you like so long as it fits into my narrow definition of what is likable.
ReplyDeletePoppycock!
Clearly it is badwrongfun to not play an old school game within certain criteria. We've all been warned. Begone outsiders!
ReplyDeleteMy long running concern with the OSR is that some members frequently take a "you kids get the fuck of my lawn" approach to anyone who doesn't fit some sort of nebulous criteria for being part of the secret club. A lot of folks 'round this corner of the internet react negatively to any sort of publicity while simultaneously whining about the sun setting on old school games.
ReplyDeleteI realize I'm making a generalization here, but the recent number of upsets here in Blogaria would be more than enough to run me off if I were new/just got interested in old-style games.
I'm personally not really concerned with where the OSR is headed, or how well TARGA is doing, or anything like that. As long as I've got some players interested in playing in my Classic D&D game, I'm good.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, there seem to be a lot of that 'if you didn't walk 5 miles through 10' of snow barefoot uphill both ways to play it, get off my lawn.'
My D&D game is modified to suit my tastes and those of my players. I'm sure most games are. We tend to consider that one of the hallmarks of older editions. So why are people upset that these guys did the same?
Maybe it's some secret resentment that they tried 'the One True D&D' but then went back to their 'corporate sellout garbage' version? The reaction they were hoping for was "Hey, this old stuff is more fun than the new!" but that didn't happen in this case?
Just random speculation on my part.