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*TTRPGs General
A neotrad TTRPG design manifesto
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<blockquote data-quote="clearstream" data-source="post: 9235844" data-attributes="member: 71699"><p>In this thread I aim to make two arguments. In this first post, I aim to disambiguate neotrad and OC. In brief, I'll argue that "neotrad" labels a design trend, while "OC" is a culture of play. That will obviously relate to <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/thinking-about-the-purpose-of-mechanics-from-a-neo-trad-perspective.697190/" target="_blank">an excellent thread about OC play</a>. Nothing in that thread other than choice of label is contested here. In an immediately following second post, I will outline a neotrad manifesto that represents not what any one game text or blogger necessarily says today, but a direction of movement for TTRPG design.</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>Without wishing to over-commit on definitions, in a nutshell "OC" stands for "Orignal Character" and "focuses on player aspirations and interests and their realisation" while "neotrad" design integrates innovations from indie-games (largely storygames) into enduring modes of play such as trad and sim.</em></p><p></p><p>Turning first then to semantics: the label "neo-trad" has sound provenance to a game designer's characterisation of their design approach.</p><p></p><p></p><p>In <a href="http://obskures.de/2015/mutant-year-zero-interview-tomas-haerenstam/" target="_blank">that interview</a>, Härenstam also said that</p><p></p><p>This "close link with the game itself" implemented into a design delivers strong utility to OC, but neotrad designs can also demonstrably favour non-OC play. An apposite example is Härenstam's Forbidden Lands, which favours sandbox/OSR-ish play with a lethality that works against OC play.</p><p></p><p>The conflation of OC with neotrad was introduced by the author of <a href="https://retiredadventurer.blogspot.com/2021/04/six-cultures-of-play.html" target="_blank">Six Cultures of Pla</a>y, who on later reflection wrote that</p><p></p><p>(Emphasis mine.)</p><p></p><p>Differentiating between a <strong>culture of play</strong> and a <strong>TTRPG design trend</strong> clears the semantic ambiguities that could otherwise bedevil post two, following this. I will be focusing on neotrad - a design trend - and not OC - a culture of play.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="clearstream, post: 9235844, member: 71699"] In this thread I aim to make two arguments. In this first post, I aim to disambiguate neotrad and OC. In brief, I'll argue that "neotrad" labels a design trend, while "OC" is a culture of play. That will obviously relate to [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/thinking-about-the-purpose-of-mechanics-from-a-neo-trad-perspective.697190/']an excellent thread about OC play[/URL]. Nothing in that thread other than choice of label is contested here. In an immediately following second post, I will outline a neotrad manifesto that represents not what any one game text or blogger necessarily says today, but a direction of movement for TTRPG design. [INDENT][I]Without wishing to over-commit on definitions, in a nutshell "OC" stands for "Orignal Character" and "focuses on player aspirations and interests and their realisation" while "neotrad" design integrates innovations from indie-games (largely storygames) into enduring modes of play such as trad and sim.[/I][/INDENT] Turning first then to semantics: the label "neo-trad" has sound provenance to a game designer's characterisation of their design approach. In [URL='http://obskures.de/2015/mutant-year-zero-interview-tomas-haerenstam/']that interview[/URL], Härenstam also said that This "close link with the game itself" implemented into a design delivers strong utility to OC, but neotrad designs can also demonstrably favour non-OC play. An apposite example is Härenstam's Forbidden Lands, which favours sandbox/OSR-ish play with a lethality that works against OC play. The conflation of OC with neotrad was introduced by the author of [URL='https://retiredadventurer.blogspot.com/2021/04/six-cultures-of-play.html']Six Cultures of Pla[/URL]y, who on later reflection wrote that (Emphasis mine.) Differentiating between a [B]culture of play[/B] and a [B]TTRPG design trend[/B] clears the semantic ambiguities that could otherwise bedevil post two, following this. I will be focusing on neotrad - a design trend - and not OC - a culture of play. [/QUOTE]
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