Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Old school/new school definitions -- meaningless?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Whisper72" data-source="post: 3036423" data-attributes="member: 17339"><p>Well as to the remark that there is more old skool now then ever before, I disagree with, but this has to do with the way I look at defining Old Skool.</p><p></p><p>Imho it cannot be completely detached from the overall rulesset. Old Skool has to do with the era in which the ruleset was wonky and left a lot open to debate. The whole houserule thingy did not come about because DM's were so eager to create their own rules, but because it was kinda necessary. The cool thing about Old Skool play was that there were a lot more open ended issues from a rulesperspective point of view. The aforementioned breaking of rules by Old Skool modules, largely because there was not yet a full coherent rulesset. Thus, a module where there is a lot open ended (NOT plot wise, but in how to deal with stuff wise) and there is plenty room for the PC's to think stuff up, nay which even forces the players to think stuff up, to think out of the box so to say, to overcome otherwise seemingly impossible challenges, that is not covered by the rules as written.</p><p></p><p>This ties in to my idea that now much old skool is no longer possible, because of the completeness of the current rulesset. There are rules for everything, from farting to fighting, from casting to the chance you are succesful at getting a booger out of your nose. It is now very difficult to design a module where the players have a lot of room or even need to find options and solutions which are not somewhere covered in the rules.</p><p></p><p>That, to me, others may naturally disagree completely, is the essence of the Old Skool feel, where during the game the DM and the players had to hash out whether certain actions were allowed or not and which effects they would have. This (again IMHO etc.) is what created that vaunted 'sense of wonder', of the players (including the DM) needing to 'discover' and co-create not just the world, but the very rules themselves, as play went along.</p><p></p><p>Disclaimers for this all being my own opinion, other experience may be differen, past results are no guarantee for future returns on investment etc...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Whisper72, post: 3036423, member: 17339"] Well as to the remark that there is more old skool now then ever before, I disagree with, but this has to do with the way I look at defining Old Skool. Imho it cannot be completely detached from the overall rulesset. Old Skool has to do with the era in which the ruleset was wonky and left a lot open to debate. The whole houserule thingy did not come about because DM's were so eager to create their own rules, but because it was kinda necessary. The cool thing about Old Skool play was that there were a lot more open ended issues from a rulesperspective point of view. The aforementioned breaking of rules by Old Skool modules, largely because there was not yet a full coherent rulesset. Thus, a module where there is a lot open ended (NOT plot wise, but in how to deal with stuff wise) and there is plenty room for the PC's to think stuff up, nay which even forces the players to think stuff up, to think out of the box so to say, to overcome otherwise seemingly impossible challenges, that is not covered by the rules as written. This ties in to my idea that now much old skool is no longer possible, because of the completeness of the current rulesset. There are rules for everything, from farting to fighting, from casting to the chance you are succesful at getting a booger out of your nose. It is now very difficult to design a module where the players have a lot of room or even need to find options and solutions which are not somewhere covered in the rules. That, to me, others may naturally disagree completely, is the essence of the Old Skool feel, where during the game the DM and the players had to hash out whether certain actions were allowed or not and which effects they would have. This (again IMHO etc.) is what created that vaunted 'sense of wonder', of the players (including the DM) needing to 'discover' and co-create not just the world, but the very rules themselves, as play went along. Disclaimers for this all being my own opinion, other experience may be differen, past results are no guarantee for future returns on investment etc... [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Old school/new school definitions -- meaningless?
Top