There’s a very
interesting and detailed “historical look” at the Old School Renaissance (OSR) at
the blog “Simulacrum: Exploring OSR Design.” It’s quite long and consists of five
posts: part 1 (the 1st edition-era AD&D adventure modules, and developments
away from “old school” style play), part 2 (post-Gygaxian rules developments in
AD&D), part 3 (second edition AD&D), part 4 (3rd edition
D&D and the early OSR), and part 5 (the OSR over the past decade or so). I heartily
recommend it to anyone interested in the history of D&D and the OSR (but
unless you have a free afternoon, you probably will not be able to read all
five posts in a single sitting).
I was somewhat engaged
in the OSR in its “early years” (this blog is on the list of “pivotal early OSR
blogs” in part 5 of the “historical look”). I even have a post at Dragonsfoot
in what I believe is the first thread in which the term “Old School
Renaissance” was used (coined – appropriately enough – by an anonymous poster).
(However, T. Foster referred to the “Old School Revival” in an amazingly
prescient post a year earlier [2004].)
After a decade
away from D&D (and relatively little in the way of other RPG activity during that time,
despite frequent visits to gaming shops), 3rd edition lured me back
in 2001. But by 2004 I had DM’ed two campaigns with 3rd edition
D&D and had come to find it rather tedious. Once the characters reached 6th
or 7th level (which took about 10-11 months in my groups, as I was
deliberately giving out “stingy” rewards in order to keep things sane) the game
simply became a joyless chore. My experiences did not match the fun I
remembered having during the 1980s. (I also was a fan of Middle-earth
Roleplaying back in the day – indeed, as much of a fan as I was of AD&D.
But MERP had gone away with ICE’s loss of the Middle-earth license in 1999, and Rolemaster
had evolved into a rules-heavy behemoth in its “Standard System” edition. Of
course, I could’ve played MERP again anyway. But I did not consider that option at the time.)
So, disillusioned
with 3e, I began looking for something different...
I was an early Castles
and Crusades enthusiast, especially when it promised to be a vehicle for
the publication of Gary Gygax’s Castle Zagyg (a version of his original
Castle Greyhawk mega-dungeon). That project proceeded quite slowly, alas, and
only saw one release directly related to the mythical dungeon: Castle Zagyg:
The Upper Works (co-authored by Jeffrey Talanian). Then Gygax shuffled off
this mortal coil, at which time the entire project ended. (I still have that
box set, which I believe is now quite valuable, along with the other CZ-related
products – all carefully packed in a box in storage somewhere. For an excellent,
comprehensive review of The Upper Works, see this one by Grodog.) But I eventually
drifted away from C&C. One reason was the end of Castle Zagyg. Another,
entirely independent of the system itself, was the terrible editing by Troll Lord
Games. While Upper Works was fine, almost everything else I read from
them (including the core rulebook) was simply too badly edited for me to enjoy.
During this same period,
fortunately, I also had dusted off and reacquainted myself with 1st
edition AD&D, B/X D&D, the Rules Cyclopedia D&D, and the
like. I played in some online (play-by-post) 1e AD&D games (in a Greyhawk
one as a cleric of Trithereon). Unlike C&C, this interest in AD&D and
D&D persisted. Then came along OSRIC (the 1e AD&D clone), Labyrinth Lord (the B/X D&D clone), Swords & Wizardry (the 0e
D&D clone), the fanzines, and so forth. The OSR was well underway – and I
signed on.
This blog started
out as a place for me to talk about old school D&D/AD&D-based games,
including especially Swords & Wizardry. I contributed articles to Knockspell
and Fight On! back in the day. Having reread many of R. E. Howard’s
“Conan” and “Kull” stories in the years immediately before I started this blog,
I was interested in house-ruling S&W in order to play some “swords and
sorcery” flavoured games. (Those house-rules remain available here; many were later
incorporated into Crypts and Things.) I eventually became interested
again in more “conventional” modes of play, including especially 1st
edition AD&D, and made a minor contribution back in 2013 to the OSRIC
supplement Dangerous Dungeons (“background professions”). I also ran a
brief AD&D campaign around that time (2013-14).
But I’ve drifted
away from active participation in the “OSR scene” in recent years. I never was
active on Google+. I sporadically followed what was happening through forums
and blogs. But in terms of actual gaming, I have spent more time playing Mythras,
Call of Cthulhu, Adventures in Middle-earth, and the like, over
the past seven years or so.
However, I never abandoned
my interest in “old school” Dungeons and Dragons. So I found part 5 of the “historical
look” quite informative. It filled me in on what has been happening over the
past several years. In a nutshell: it’s largely been fragmentation, decadence,
and degeneracy.* I guess not paying attention was beneficial – at least for my
mental health. (Unsurprisingly, the pre-OSR, old “old school” communities
seem to be carrying on just fine.)
* I should add some caveats to this generalization. An exception seems to be Old School Essentials, which is both quite recent and very much a "clone" of B/X D&D (even more so than Labyrinth Lord was). It seems to be enjoying quite a bit of success. Swords & Wizardry continues to be quite popular (indeed, I received the most recent "box set" edition last year). Crypts and Things continues to enjoy support. And material for AD&D/OSRIC continues to be created, including free material at Dragonsfoot (which of course started before the "OSR"). [Note added 14:35 ET 20 January 2022]
