A whole world of players out there, doesn't understand the importance of an empty room, or how to handle a trap without a 'perception' or 'spot' skill, or why race as class is cool. There was a time (long, long ago) when I was enraptured by the new-school, everything makes naturalistic sense, sort of thinking.
Why did it change?
I found the OSR.
There are several key posts, that I feel are required reading for understanding our sort of approach to the game. This includes certain rules and additions that have a big impact on that classic style of play. We're familiar with many of them, but they haven't really been gathered together in one place.Here's my attempt to do so - to make a required reading list.
These, I think, are indicative of the types of things we are all doing, and yet are not commonly known among the newer players. The most critical of the below are bolded
If you can think of anything I missed, please suggest it. The following are in no particular order.Blog links are to the left, article links to the right.
Grognardia:
- Musings Occasioned by Funny Dice
- Gygaxian Naturalism
- The whole blog.
- Alphabetical Monsters
- Where the Action is
- Why I Love Simple Initative
- What I Mean When I Say Dungeon Crawl
- Key Mechanic
- Wandering Monsters
- Putting the Magic in Magic Items
- Dissassociated Mechanics
- Explaining Hit Points
- Jaquaying the Dungeon (critical article, but not moved over to the new wordpress server?)
Ars Ludi:
Jeff Rients Gameblog:
Quick Primer for Old School Gaming
The Mule Abides: Illusionism and Wandering Monsters
A Rod of Lordly Might: Skills: The Middle Road
Akratic Wizardry: The FRPG Social Contract
The Tao of D&D: Fall Out!
The Hydra's Grotto: The 6 Mile Hex
Kellri: CDD #4 ( Sadly no longer updated)
Tales from the Flaming Faggot: The Tyranny of Magic Missile
Old Guard Gaming Accouterments: The Spontaneous Creation of Magical Items in Play
Comma, Blank_: Obfuscating Through Volume
I don't read anything close to all of the blogs, but the above is a list of posts that I've read and that have stuck with me. I'm sure I missed many good ones. These posts are the ones that say what Old School Dungeons & Dragons is about. Any suggestions to expanding the list are greatly appreceated.

This is a nice list of blogs. Many of them have certainly helped me rediscover my Old School joy :) Thanks for making the list (going to read some of them now).
ReplyDeleteArs Ludi's post on bad traps is another of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteRe: The Alexandrian. Death of the Wandering Monster has been migrated to Wordpress. The rest of the archive will continue being migrated. Unfortunately, Jaquaying the Dungeon is comparatively recent so it will be one of the last things to get updated.
ReplyDeleteI posted what I thought was a harmless post on the Paizo forums about how our group pretty much started ignoring skill rolls, and how it made our games flow more smoothly. A few people seemed to get it, but a few seemed like they were mad at me for it, and we were "doing it wrong". To each his own, I guess.
ReplyDeleteThe shift internally is a sea change.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to show people the door and path that lead to mine. Perhaps if someone else finds their way here, it will help them.
are all these on Links to Wisdom? Certainly sounds like they should be.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been following The Alexandrian or Ars Ludi: thanks!
Alexandrian and Ars Ludi are two of the best blogs on the web, bar none.
ReplyDelete