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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Clavis" data-source="post: 4885720" data-attributes="member: 31898">There is one factor about play during the actual "old-school" period of the early eighties that is seldom mentioned in these kinds of discussions.  There were many more players than there are now, but a much larger percentage of the players bought few or no role playing books or materials at all. I would say that probably there were 3 to 4 times as many people who played D&D in the early eighties compared to now, but in my experience only DMs actually bought anything past a Player's Handbook or perhaps a Monster Manual. Most players were casual, not thinking much about the game outside of actual play. Most players did not go to 'cons, and were not members of the RPGA. Most of those players no longer play. So, any reports about what play was like "back in the day" really only reflects the experiences of the small percentage of players who regarded the game as a regular hobby, and kept with it.   The newer editions seem to have the opposite situation. There are far fewer people who play D&D now, but almost all of them are actual customers, buying books, minis and accessories. D&D players are a much more insular, and hence dedicated, sub-culture than before.   AD&D was never an elegant, rules-light game. But, it was modular, and most players did not need to know the rules to play. A player with a fighter or thief character especially had no real need to even own the PHB. Everything they needed to know could be written on their character sheet. The entire combat system, for instance, was in the DMG. Players weren't even expected to know how to use it. Past 3rd Edition, a player needed to own all the books in order to contribute meaningfully to play. All those "options" necessitated actually purchasing and understanding the rules. New School rules may be simpler, but the actual experience of play is infinitely more complicated.  From my experience, the difference between Old School and New School play comes down to whether the game is structured in a way that only one person at the table really even needs to know the rules, or whether it is structured so that everybody needs to know them. The Old School way results in more players, but perhaps fewer actual customers for a game company. The New School way results in fewer players, but perhaps more actual books and accessories sold.</blockquote>

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