An Open Letter to the "OSR Blogosphere"

[13garth13]

Nothing to see here...

 

[robconley]

The few 'names' that do have accounts here only pop up once in a blue moon. I

Enworld doesn't make it easy to search for old school topics unless you pay to be a community supporter. I am not criticizing the policy but it is a barrier to causal participation. I use google to search several times a week and when I see an interesting topic I will jump in. However most my hobby time is spent writing the next Bat in the Attic product.

 

[JoeGKushner]

I didn't know they needed to get over it.

I read a lot of old school material because they tend to focus on a lot of the game elements as opposed to the mechnical elements. Useful for any system. If they want to talk about old school miniatures and scale and stuff, I'm there. They want to start talking politics on their blog (as some unfortunatley did with the health care bill) or start talking specific mechanics, I tune out.

I don't think we really need to worry about them polluting the internet. There's still plenty of porn for all.

 

[Glyfair]

So this is my request, what I ask of you. Quit worrying about who has the most linkbacks. Quit scrabbling to be the "authoritative voice in the wilderness". Ask yourself a question: what am I doing today that makes Original, Basic or Advanced D&D hang on? Is it pontificating over silly concepts like GNS and how D&D does/does not fit in to them? Is it trying to reinvent the wheel? Or is it writing adventures, doing artwork and maps, announcing that you'll be at a 'con and inviting people to come - or inviting them to come to your local games? Are you doing this for the love of the game, or are you doing this for a little self-aggrandizement?

For the most part, this can be said for any version of D&D, or any RPG for that matter ("re-inventing the wheel" is a bit more important with an "active
game since it is in a position to change more easily).

There is a place for discussing and navel gazing, but focusing too much on that element just distracts from the fun the games are supposed to be about.

 

[jdrakeh]

Enworld doesn't make it easy to search for old school topics unless you pay to be a community supporter. I am not criticizing the policy but it is a barrier to causal participation.

I totally agree. There was an AD&D/OD&D tag at one point in time, but it disappeared a while ago for reasons unknown.

 

[Ourph]

I totally agree. There was an AD&D/OD&D tag at one point in time, but it disappeared a while ago for reasons unknown.

I think it's been replaced by the "1e/2e/OD&D" tag, as in this thread for example...

http://www.enworld.org/forum/genera...vitalize-support-ad-d-would-you-play-buy.html

 

[jdrakeh]

I think it's been replaced by the "1e/2e/OD&D" tag, as in this thread for example...

http://www.enworld.org/forum/genera...vitalize-support-ad-d-would-you-play-buy.html

D'oh! That's the tag. For some reason, several months back, it wasn't in the list of tags so I just assumed that it had been permanently removed. Must of been a temporary glitch.

 

[El Mahdi]

deleted

 

[Windjammer]

So you're telling a bunch of guys talking about gaming on their own private blogs they should stop because you, personally, disapprove... of what they post about gaming... on their own blogs... where you don't have to read it unless you specifically go to that blog and read it...? Really?



Great advice! You should take it.

You know, this is the fourth time within 5 days that I see an OP cross posted on several forums (not always by the same person), and it draws a wide spectrum of reactions, all of them fairly fair minded and respectful.* But geez, on Enworld there's always that someone special who manages to drag it down, with plenty a sneer, right there on page 1.

Oh, I get it - people feel stifled that their favourite outlet of online aggression has been taken temporarily away from them - the Edition Wars - and now they exercise their subliminal sneering on anything else.

No general swipe at the Enworld populace, but an observation on the kind of atmosphere that sets in rather frequently at late.

The OP is perfectly fine, with many a good points towards its declared target audience. If you'd like to disagree with the OP, whence the need to denigrate it? I simply don't get it.

* I'm thinking here of e.g. Clark Peterson on 4E and the brick+mortar store owner reporting his personal disillusionment with WotC, and two more examples I can't recall straight off. These have been cross posted widely, but only on Enworld have they drawn downright hostility ("loser", "who are you tell me what I ought to think?", etc.).

 

[scruffygrognard]

I find that OSR-bloggers aren't the only ones guilty in being self-important, obnoxious loathers of all those who dare to play OD&D or AD&D in an "impure" manner.

Over at another forum, one dedicated to AD&D or OD&D, you dare not ask about houseruling those games or face repeated snarky replies from purist zealots who pile on en masse.

It's sad because it drove me away from the site and am sure it has driven others away too. That's no way to grow the fan-base for old-school D&D.