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Message: <blockquote data-quote="robconley" data-source="post: 7680965" data-attributes="member: 5636">Yes but.. there are some general traits, not many but they are there. The first is that the core is about playing, promoting, and playing classic editions of D&D. Yes other games are part of the OSR and yes there is a larger old school renaissance going on that encompasses RPGs made before 1990 or so. However 90% of the people using OSR (all caps) has had some involvement with a classic edition of D&D. The DiY ethos that the Greyhawk Grognard talks is a dominant theme due to the OSR genesis on the Internet as a result of people interacting on forums and blogs. That it took advantage early on of Print on Demand technology to release physical products. The OGL and open gaming is also a dominant theme due to it use by the major retro-clones. Of the three generalities this is perhaps the least common trait. SO I am comfortable with saying that the OSR for the most is about classic D&D mechanics, a DiY ethos, and Open Gaming. That the most important is the first. And that the two latter are what people do in order to play, promote, or publish.Now about the use of Old School Renaissance. A lot of people get in a huff when somebody says that the OSR is about classic D&D. Putting labels aside nobody can dispute that there is a relatively large hobby niche devoted to playing, publishing, and promoting classic editions of D&D. By relatively large I mean at least equal to the audience of any other 2nd-tier RPG in the hobby. This is borne about both by antedotes, what we know of OSR sales, and by a few pieces of hard data like the Roll20 reports. We don't know exact numbers but we have a good sense of where classic D&D ranks in popularity.The problem is that some really object the use of Old School as part of the label to refer the group playing, publishing, and promoting classic D&D. The negative view is that by doing so the claim is being made that classic D&D is the only old school out there. Compounding this problem is the there are some who play, promote, and publish for classic editions of D&D and vigorously reject being labeled as part of the OSR. Some of them view the OSR as a bunch of poser, some view the OSR as being unethical for using older content, while others resist being labeled on general principle. The reality is that OSR is a organic terms that caught traction because enough people liked it to refere to what they were doing with classic D&D. Despite the efforts of some, people involved in the OSR are not one-dimensional caricatures and have other interest. Because of this it is accurate to say that the OSR consist of people playing, publishing, and promoting classic editions of D&D along with whatever other games that interest them.Which is why even the hard core fans of Gygaxian D&D (OD&D, AD&D 1st) on Knights and Knaves have sub forums devoted to Traveller and Chaosium games. Far more typical is Dan Proctor and in his involvement in both Gobliniod Games and Pacesetter Games. A recent example is James Spahn with both White Box (a OD&D clone) and White Star (a sci-fi RPG using classic D&D mechanics). Mutant Future is an example from a earlier time of the OSR's development.So the OSR has diversified but there still remains the core of enthusiasts that play, promote, and publish for classic D&D.I use OSR because I find it useful to refer to what I do. I appeals to me because it eludes back to the initials of TSR. But if it drops out of use and ceases to be useful, I will go back to using those who play, promote, and publish for classic edition of D&D.Yes when it comes to play style, genre, tone, and setting the OSR is all over the place. Some think it is about Dungeon Crawling then people like me release Scourge of Demon Wolf which I been told reads like something for Ars Magica along with other roleplaying heavy games. Then there is the fantasy horror of Raggi's Lamentation of the Flame Princess, or the vibe that Zak S infuses Vornheim and a Red and Pleasant Land with. With other products like Spears at Dawn, the Nod setting, it just goes on and on in all of its diversity.Your are right, and Greyhawk Grognard, the reality that the OSR is comprised of both of your view s and more.Rob ConleyBat in the Attic Games.</blockquote>

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