OSR Why does OSR Design Draw You In?

[Bill Zebub]

I can only speak for myself (naturally!), but I read a comment on Reddit a few years back that summarized my feelings about OSR vs 5e (for example): "what was once narrative is now mechanical." In other words, having been playing these game for a very long time, I prefer a lighter rules system because it encourages player creativity vs. depending on whatever mechanics they have available to them on their character sheets. If you want to be a pirate, be a pirate, instead of making your Pirate Check. I also don't like the power gaming: characters are too powerful too quickly. 5e can feel like a superhero game.

Again, one person's opinion.

Yeah, this is pretty much my answer, too.

The specific features I like, such as fewer character options, lightweight or non-existent skill systems, etc., are all just manifestations of that philosophy.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

There's something nice about dungeons in particular. They are nice self-contained spaces with hard boundaries to hold neat stuff to encounter. Plus with a myuthic underworld approach, common to many OSR systems, you can get wild and strange without much in the way of external logic. IDK, itæs fun. More generally, I like the simplicity and elegance of a good OSR system for design work, they allow me to focus on the moving diegetic parts without having to crunch too many numbers.

As much as I'm a dyed-in-the-wool fan of the RP pillar, I increasingly am of a mind that taking D&D outside of the dungeon (without the domain end game) was a mistake. That so many of its current problems could be solved by going back to dungeon-crawling as the main mode of play.

 

[Bill Zebub]

As much as I'm a dyed-in-the-wool fan of the RP pillar, I increasingly am of a mind that taking D&D outside of the dungeon (without the domain end game) was a mistake. That so many of its current problems could be solved by going back to dungeon-crawling as the main mode of play.

Much as with my issue with skills, I've struggled to find a way to experience wilderness (hex crawling) mechanically in a way that's as satisfying as dungeons.