was somewhere between here:
God. Elmore in his prime was king of my childhood imagination.
What is OSR about?
God. Elmore in his prime was king of my childhood imagination.
Well, as far as I am concerned, there is a sense of nostalgia in this that can be measured objectively. I know I am not using the word with snark or as a pejorative, and I personally refuse to avoid every using that word just because some OS fans are considering it a virtual swear word.
For instance, looking at the posts of Old School Blogs, some tend to have a pretty nostalgic theme. For instance.
Jeffs Gameblog -- Lots of referneces to things like metal and 80s cartoons and other things.
B/X BLACKRAZOR: Krull Campaign Setting This also shows some nostalgic remembering of things like the movie krull. Again, we're getting an 80s vibe here.
Lamentations of the Flame Princess -- Lots of references to Heavy Metal, and I find this on other blogs...http://lotfp.blogspot.com/
That doesn't mean that their views are solely based on nostalgia, nor does it mean that all bloggers are nostalgic, but I think part of the revival / Renaissance comes at least in part from many of us reaching 40 and reflecting on the past. Why the sudden proliferation of these blogs, and the common themes?
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Because reducing the enjoyment gotten from old school games to nostalgian suggests that those games themselves are not good games and that those that prefer them somehow don't "get it" in regards to new editions and games and why they are better/superior.
I like AD&D a lot. But I was just re-reading my 3.0 PHB and DMG (i lost my MM
) and I realize that I like 3rd Edition a lot to. But I don't much like 3.5 or 4E. Am I just being nostalgiac? Or is it possible that 3.0 was better (for me, onbviously)?Might the "sudden proliferation" of OSR blogs have to do with the "sudden proliferation" of the OSR they're talking about? Isn't such proliferation characteristic of a renaissance?JohnRTroy said:
Is it really more sudden than the proliferation of blogs about 3e or 4e? Of blogs in general?
2003: Google buys blogger.com
2004: Jeff's Gameblog starts at blogger.com
I don't have data on the rates of blog startups between then and now. I don't have data on the ages of the bloggers when they started their blogs. Maybe you have.
There were "old school D&D" Web sites of other sorts before the WebLog/Blog format came into vogue.
Well, yes, but you are missing the point I am trying to make in that, while I don't think nostalgia plays a role in everything involved, it's hard to ignore the nostalgic elements of some of the posters. I think it's just as bad to say "this has absolutely nothing to do with it", as it is to say "it's all about nostalgia and nothing else".
As far as the blog explosion, a lot of the ones I mentioned seemed to start around 2008. There seems to have been a rush to blogs in 2008, after the death of Gygax and the release of 4e. I think something has kicked in, especially now that a lot of us have turned middle-aged.
Nikosandros
Golden Procrastinator
Quite so. You see, DF has this policy of allowing discussion about 2nd edition, C&C and D&D material in general produced after 1983. Such pernicious heresies can hardly be tolerated by the stalwart defenders of the one true faith...Holy crap! Really?
Desdichado
Hero
I haven't actually noticed if its literally the same people who get offended by the nostalgia claim and are most dogmatic about the game at the same time, but I frequently suspect that it is.Quite so. You see, DF has this policy of allowing discussion about 2nd edition, C&C and D&D material in general produced after 1983. Such pernicious heresies can hardly be tolerated by the stalwart defenders of the one true faith...
For a lot of OSR fans, no doubt, it's just about playing a game that they enjoy and hey! It's exciting that there's this wave of support and commonality on the internet that they can turn to to improve their games. More power to them! That's exciting, even to me as someone who's not particularly interested in OS games.
There's a strong underlying subtext among several OSR blogs and posters and whatnot though, that's something altogether different. Like you say, they see anything after 1983 as some kind of heresy. To them, the OSR is about faithfully trying to recreate the environment and experience that Gygax or Arneson had. Which... I guess more power to them too, and all, but it'd be nice if they could do that without the dogmatic and badwrongfun approach. And trying to faithfully recreate a mid-70s gaming experience certainly is a nostalgic approach. I don't know how it can be called anything else.
TerraDave
5ever, or until 2024
Raven Crowking
First Post
I have direct experience, on EN World, of making some criticisms of 3.x, being told by many folks that I was wrong, and watching those same folks say the criticisms were "obviously true and known all along by everyone" (or words to that effect) when WotC announced 4e (and at the same time said they were going to fix those very same problems).
4e is new until 5e is announced. Then the shine will come off the bloom.
RC
Desdichado
Hero
Well, that's a good point. I was surprised that so many people came out of the woodwork to criticize 3e after 4e was announced. It felt like the dam had burst, or something.
