Play Matt: Old School Essentials Review

Matt Thrower wrote:

Michael Barnes wrote: I also think this is why 5E had had such a huge uptake with young folks and especially in the LGBT+ community. This notion of creating an idealized self and giving it life and space is a powerful notion, and it’s one that does not always mesh with the grognardary of B/X play where your in game ego is ultimately disposable and replaceable.

There's an entire feature in this alone. It's also the reason WotC gets so much flack for its lack of representation despite being no worse than many other RPG publishers.

I'd be interested in an article-length treatment on this (the self-idealization, not the lack of representation), if only because that is so irrelevant to everything I want out of an RPG, and is a huge turnoff to me in 5e, that I'd like to learn more about people who really dig that approach in the hobby.

I don't want to create an idealized self; I want to create a desperately flawed and imperfect character, throw them into crazy situations, and see how they grow and change as a result.

I also find most of the choices in 5e to be superficial. Yet (it seems) people are very proud and attached to them, which feels to me like being proud of the fact that you went to your local Chinese joint and ordered one from column A and one from column B.

Matt Thrower wrote:

Michael Barnes wrote: I also think this is why 5E had had such a huge uptake with young folks and especially in the LGBT+ community. This notion of creating an idealized self and giving it life and space is a powerful notion, and it’s one that does not always mesh with the grognardary of B/X play where your in game ego is ultimately disposable and replaceable.

There's an entire feature in this alone. It's also the reason WotC gets so much flack for its lack of representation despite being no worse than many other RPG publishers.

Might have something to do with the level of exposure that 5e has compared to literally every other RPG product. Even other big games like Call of Cthulhu have way less exposure and I'm guessing a player base that runs much less diverse and much older. Race-as-class, like it's done in OSE, seems like something that would start something on places like /r/dndnext.

Matt Thrower wrote:

Michael Barnes wrote: I also think this is why 5E had had such a huge uptake with young folks and especially in the LGBT+ community. This notion of creating an idealized self and giving it life and space is a powerful notion, and it’s one that does not always mesh with the grognardary of B/X play where your in game ego is ultimately disposable and replaceable.

There's an entire feature in this alone. It's also the reason WotC gets so much flack for its lack of representation despite being no worse than many other RPG publishers.

I generally instruct new players to not create an idealized self as a character as it creates complications during play. Creating someone that lets you walk in another’s shoes is fun, and there’s much less anguish should they croak or be disfigured. If you want to create a character in the community that’s fine, just don’t make it yourself, idealized or otherwise.

dysjunct wrote: I'd be interested in an article-length treatment on this (the self-idealization, not the lack of representation), if only because that is so irrelevant to everything I want out of an RPG, and is a huge turnoff to me in 5e, that I'd like to learn more about people who really dig that approach in the hobby.

I don't want to create an idealized self; I want to create a desperately flawed and imperfect character, throw them into crazy situations, and see how they grow and change as a result.

Yeah, this is an odd one for me as well. I get a straight mega-power trip character (though I find them dull to play) and I get a walking bundle of contradictions that is a challenge to play, but its the podcast favorite improv quirky ones that just sound bizarre and annoying to play with (I heard one podcaster describe a mermaid character that slid around in a giant bubble of water, just seems like a huge PITA for the DM and other players and a gimmick that would get old real fast).

I think there are a lot of "DnD as therapy" ideas kicking around and playing a version of yourself to work through issues seems to be a way to do that. Not my cuppa tea but whatever floats your boat. I don't really care for the official WOTC stuff that caters to this though, I hope there are still some grognards at the company that can get their own product with a more old school feel.

I makes more sense to me that younger people would be more interested in exploring parts of themselves through RPGs. Many of us are soooooo old.

Amber Diceless tends to attract players who want to play an idealized version of themselves. The system encourages significant player agency and combat largely turns on GM fiat, so it's probably a good fit unless some player vs player conflict erupts.