tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1277016605686015145.post3493775045072534229..comments2024-03-12T12:03:06.837-04:00Comments on The Furtive Goblin's Burrow: Why I am Anxious about OSR Gaming.The Furtive Goblinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10035758004370733196noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1277016605686015145.post-65101105222960668632021-09-03T01:11:41.881-04:002021-09-03T01:11:41.881-04:00If I can be of any service in this matter... I'...If I can be of any service in this matter... I'm a 30+ year veteran of the game, and remember the OSR aesthetic when it was new and exciting.<br /><br />The DM's responsibility to the players has traditionally been adversarial, but never hostile. The idea is that the cunning, planning, and intelligence of a single DM against the collective problem-solving and creativity of the players. That was why "fudging" the results or adjusting encounters was discouraged; the DM's plans were made in advance, and changing them en route was effectively cheating, defeating the creativity of the players for the sake of a predetermined outcome, or "the story." It was always possible, of course (the DM is the final arbiter), but such abuses of power were considered beneath an effective DM.<br /><br />Much has changed since then - the more contemporary DMs value story over player agency, it seems. But an authentic OSR game should hinge on collective "player skill" as an antidote to your fears - it's not only you, but all the party that should be dedicated to keeping each other alive, and the DM's responsibility to play the results straight down the middle, for good or for ill. Players that eschew teamwork, and DMs who use their power to become adversarial to their players, are not the sort of people that you need to waste your time with, and you are well shut of them. Your character isn't "killed" if the result came from a retributive or authoritarian ruling, and your paper man is playable in countless venues where his (and your) talents will be better appreciated.<br /><br />Risk is part of the game, but unlike in Vegas, the House is supposed to play straight, and accept victory and defeat with equal grace. CharlesNChargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08088960388313189803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1277016605686015145.post-62013923167694409032021-06-04T15:40:44.699-04:002021-06-04T15:40:44.699-04:00Hi there, and thanks for the comment! Don't wo...Hi there, and thanks for the comment! Don't worry about the post's age- I took my sweet time replying to you, too.<br /><br />With more time passed between this post and now, I am able to say with a lot more certainty than before that my problems with OSR games have less to do with the games themselves and more to do with my own massive, untreated anxiety.<br /><br />The paranoia that the DM is going to entrap and destroy me is part of a larger, more general fear that anyone might do that to me, and a fear that I would somehow deserve it.<br /><br />The fear of character death takes root the moment I make them, so multiple backups don't help, unfortunately. I feel responsible for their wellbeing in a way, even if they aren't, ya know, REAL. And if I fail the first time, then that's just evidence that I never should have tried to begin with.<br /><br />It's all stuff to hash out in therapy, I guess is what I'm getting at.The Furtive Goblinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10035758004370733196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1277016605686015145.post-66564085148741502122021-05-08T19:47:29.674-04:002021-05-08T19:47:29.674-04:00I realize your post is old, but I thought I'd ...I realize your post is old, but I thought I'd comment anyway.<br />(1) For old school play it helps if your DM is not a jerk. Although play can be brutal there is an expectation that they aren't intentionally setting you up. The DM is not against the player, they are neutral.<br />(2) Many groups back in the day created multiple characters. You play one at a time but the backups are there. This helps make you less attached and diminishes the crushing effect of losing one.Ruprechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139664977453444000noreply@blogger.com