Monthly Archives: June 2023

#TTRPG – 14 Point Definition of OSR

Posted by grimachu on

With a cheeky nod to Umberto Eco’s attempt to define fascism, since so many insufferable people seem to think the OSR is far right. Meeting over half of these points should successfully define something as OSR.

  1. Traditionalism: Old School games take cues in style and rules from revisiting old RPGs – typically at least 40 year old RPGs.
  2. Dungeons and Dragons: Old School games are typically designed after old editions of D&D with various sacred cows from those games – the six stats, hit points, etc.
  3. Rejection of Modern Obsessions: Old School games typically reject or override current-year obsessions with representation etc, instead prioritising other things in their design and presentation.
  4. Emergent, Not Scripted Story: Story is supposed to emerge from play, not from narrative mechanics or overarching plotlines.
  5. Deadliness: Character deaths are an accepted and expected result of play.
  6. DIY: Old School games encourage customisation, mixing and homebrew of rules, content etc.
  7. Nostalgia/Hipsterism: Old School games appeal to an older demographic, or those who want to preserve or experience ‘the old ways’.
  8. One Cool Trick: Old School games do one (or more) things differently to the standard, and this is their main selling point.
  9. Apolitical: Old School games and creators typically eschew politics, but this is accused of being a political decision itself.
  10. Budget: Old School games are often pamphlets/chapbooks/small books and distributed in part or whole free, or cheaply.
  11. Boutique: Old School games are just as likely to be more expensive, boutique products for older gamers with more disposable cash.
  12. Gatekept: Old School games typically presume familiarity with games and do not, necessarily, cater to new players.
  13. It’s an Open Club: Old School games are a ‘tribe’ that identifies themselves and each other as old school gamers as a subset of gamers.
  14. Starting Simplicity: Old School games typically rely on rulings more than rules, though rulings and rules accumulate as a result of homebrew, DIY and combining games.