Got this link from frothersunite.co.uk

I think it's an awesome PDF and everyone should read it. HEALTH WARNING:- the word "story" makes one appearance. Pundit may have an apoplectic fit. However, in substance it seems to me that it's a PDF about immersive roleplay.

Quote from: Omnifray;468569I think it's an awesome PDF and everyone should read it. HEALTH WARNING:- the word "story" makes one appearance. Pundit may have an apoplectic fit. However, in substance it seems to me that it's a PDF about immersive roleplay.

I like Matt's Quick Primer, but it really only describes the point at which D&D started.  Within a few years, D&D was being playing in many very different ways.  Here's my take on it:

Another Old School Primer: A Different Introduction to Old School Play

Edit: The part I'm mainly talking about is under the "Styles of “Old School” Play" header.

Quote from: RandallS;468581I like Matt's Quick Primer, but it really only describes the point at which D&D started.  Within a few years, D&D was being playing in many very different ways.  Here's my take on it:

Another Old School Primer: A Different Introduction to Old School Play

Edit: The part I'm mainly talking about is under the "Styles of "Old School" Play" header.

Thanks for the link! Do you really think railroaded storytelling styles were ever all that big or successful a thing? From my experience, a DM (such as myself as a kid back in the day) might try that out in a naive spirit of enthusiasm for giving the game some kind of three-dimensionality, then quickly find that the players universally hated being railroaded, and then go back to the drawing-board to try to figure out how to get the game to be more than repetitive combat and tactical scenarios...

Interesting to see you reference an article from 1980. It's not surprising that the variety of styles and hybrid styles emerged so soon... they probably reflect general differences in people's personalities and general interests to some degree... presumably they started around the time of Braunstein at a guess, and the difference in style between say Gygax and Arneson even from almost the beginning seems to have left a clear mark on early [if not quite earliest] D&D if you compare BECMI to AD&D 1st ed!

Apart from that most of what you describe is probably close to what I would regard as the "default" mode of roleplay, probably because I grew up with these games in the 80s myself. I still see a lot of wisdom in that basic approach although there are ways I would modify it now, or extras I would graft onto it. But a lot of what people come up with and think is new and cool even these days is stuff which was probably done very early on by at least some groups. I guess Matt Finch gives a romanticised view of Old Skool, but it's a nice, inspiring and punchy PDF which gives you a window into an exciting way of approaching that kind of game, which is why I picked it out in the first place.

And I have also got a mini-primer that looks at the concept from a slightly different angle, and draws somewhat different conclusions.

All the primers are nice, but I quite like the way Tunnels & Trolls breaks down RPG-play into something non-gamers can understand (and how it did say well before a lot of other games).  The Fomalhaut thingy gives me the same vibes as T&T in terms of spirit.

It's funny; when I clicked on this thread I mentally readied my "Okay you do two columns of 3.5" width with .5" space between and .5" margins on each side and header and footer, you want left and right justified and either Century Gothic or Futura font then just click 'print as .PDF' in whatever office app you're already in..."

Quote from: Omnifray;469516Thanks for the link! Do you really think railroaded storytelling styles were ever all that big or successful a thing?

There were and still are. A lot of players don't like be forced to follow the story, but there are also a lot of players who enjoy being an "important character" in a "real story."  Note these players are fairly separate set from what we now call "storygamers" because they aren't interested so much in co-authoring a story ("controlling the narrative") as they are in playing an important character in a story.

QuoteFrom my experience, a DM (such as myself as a kid back in the day) might try that out in a naive spirit of enthusiasm for giving the game some kind of three-dimensionality, then quickly find that the players universally hated being railroaded, and then go back to the drawing-board to try to figure out how to get the game to be more than repetitive combat and tactical scenarios...

In my experience, that's fairly true for the more pure forms of any style. While some people want a railroad or want to play in a wargame, etc. Many (if not most) players really want a healthy mix of styles.

QuoteI guess Matt Finch gives a romanticised view of Old Skool, but it's a nice, inspiring and punchy PDF which gives you a window into an exciting way of approaching that kind of game, which is why I picked it out in the first place.

Perhaps, although I think Matt was simply describing were D&D was in 1974-1975 when it was started growing in popularity. It's pretty much where the game was back then. It quickly changed so that it was played in many different style but Matt's guide is pretty much spot in describing where things started.  They just did not stay there all that long.

Quote from: thedungeondelver;469592It's funny; when I clicked on this thread I mentally readied my "Okay you do two columns of 3.5" width with .5" space between and .5" margins on each side and header and footer, you want left and right justified and either Century Gothic or Futura font then just click 'print as .PDF' in whatever office app you're already in..."

This is exactly what I was thinking clicking on the title of this thread.