What makes a role playing game "Old school?"
the five things that are key to a "old school" feel.
1. Simple to understand rules
2. the use of imagination and actually ROLE PLAYING a encounter, if you want to buy armor, you just don't haggle with a roll of the dice, you actually haggle with the DM playing the merchant.
3. That character death is part of the game, and sometimes you die, and it can be very unfair sometimes. Tombs of Horrors is a great example of this. If your character dies, well, you roll up another one go on.
4. The art of the dungeon crawl - many old school gaming, while not required, a occasional crawl though a crypt or a mega dungeon is the name of the game.
5. Secondly, some of the adventures needs to challenge the PLAYERS, not just the characters, Instead of just rolling to disarm a trap, the DM decribes the trap, and the players discuss how to disarm it.
What are some other examples that are required to make it "Old School"?
>>>1. Simple to understand rules<<<
ReplyDeleteHow about the 3 LBB's?
Maybe:
1. Sometimes simple to understand rules ;)
I kid...
I really like your #5 - it is difficult to impress upon new gamers how important that point is to old-style games.
I would also add something about the "rulings not rules" aspect. Want to try something not in the rules? No problem, pick up some dice and figure out if you have to role high or low!