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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Aldarc" data-source="post: 9541869" data-attributes="member: 5142">I have played D&D in the WotC era that OSR defines itself partially against. I have written backstories for my characters that went absolutely nowhere in these games because neither the adventure nor the GM cares. My character's goals didn't simply matter in the slightest. I generally don't do that anymore. Why should I invest that time into creating my character's backstory and goals if none of that matters to most games of 5e D&D that are played?If I want my character's backstory to matter, then I will probably play either a "Narrative/Story/Drama" game or a game that leans more heavily into Neo-Trad. If I want my character's goals to matter, I am probably more likely to play a  "Narrative/Story/Drama" or OSR game, as I will likely have more freedom to pursue goals for my character.The original sense of "old school" was TSR D&D: i.e., the people who wanted to keep playing the games of D&D they were playing before 3e D&D. However, that shifted when the emerging OSR and Indie Story game scene kind of reacted against the prevailing "Trad games," such as VtM and post-DL D&D, namely a similar desire to resist pre-authored GM story.The emerging OSR community was also taking notes from the discussion on The Forge, namely taking the principles of "system matters" to critically inspect these TSR games. B/X kind of emerged as the gold standard for OSR, and the Hickman Revolution was seen as a useful turning point and something to define itself against. It's like asking when Modernity, the Renaissance, or the Middle Ages began. OSR is definitely revisionist about D&D's history, but I think that is okay. What is more important than the fictive past is the creative present of OSR. That, IMHO, is where the fun is happening. Let's be clear, you are complaining that your character who you invested time in creating a backstory could die easily in an OSR game and therefore conclude from this that your preferred style is not supported by OSR. That doesn't strike me as either a sincere or logical argument.You obviously can come to the table with a PC with a fleshed-out backstory, though some OSR games may want you to first roll that character up. The fact that your character can die more easily in OSR doesn't logically mean that the game doesn't support creating PC backstories. Does the fact that starting PCs in 4e D&D are much sturdier than in 5e D&D also mean that 5e D&D doesn't support creating PC backstories as much as 4e D&D does?That said, there is a reason why you may want to invest time into creating a backstory for a character in an OSR game: it provides an emotional incentive to play your character in a smart way. For example, your approach and priorities in how you play Diablo shift when you make a "Hardcore" character whose death spells the end of that character.If you want death mostly off the table and your character's backstory to matter, then I recommend playing something like the ENnie-winning game Fabula Ultima. You will have a lot more starting HP. Multiclassing to build-your-character from class packages is part of the game. Your traits and bonds will matter. Per the rules of the game, your character can't die unless it meets several criteria.This conversation would likely be more fruitful if you stopped maligning the motives of people who like OSR. Otherwise there is a sense that you aren't really going into this conversation with any good faith. A lot of your posts in this thread read mostly like bitter cynicism and potshots about OSR.I don't necessarily think that it's necessarily about rejecting modernity for all or most, though I will certainly agree that there are some who hold such views. I think that for many people it's simply about finding, creating, and playing games that they find to be fun. Or do you believe that Bob World Builder is a sort of "reject modernity" sort of fellow? And yet, he has been mostly having fun playing OSR (and adjacent) games like DCC, Cairn, and Shadowdark. Is Kelsey Dionne a "reject modernity" sort of woman? The narrative that you are trying to sell about OSR here doesn't pass a basic sniff test.Also, keep in mind, particularly with the bold, is that it was Tracy Hickman who was scandalized for posting "reject modernity, embrace tradition" with a picture of Dragonlance and a line-up of characters from Critical Role. He later took it down and apologized, but it was not a good look.[spoiler][ATTACH=full]390415[/ATTACH] [/spoiler]</blockquote>

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