I’ve been thinking about what appeals to me about the new school revolution. I thought it was worth a post because, unlike many other players, I came straight to the NSR from modern systems and have only played OSR games in limited amounts.
I’m sure I can’t be alone, but I think the typical online narrative around these games starts with the old school revolution/renaissance and then gradually leads toward the NSR. And, while I consider them part of the style of play, I have been thinking about why they justify a different classification and why they were so appealing to me, the TTRPG player who had spent 90% of his time playing the current version of D&D. But before I get into the why, let’s establish a shared definition of “NSR.”
My NSR logo variation, based on the popular design by Stuart Robertson.
What is the NSR?
According to the post by pandathiest most popularly credited with coining the term, NSR games generally follow this definition:
NSR games have: a GM, a weird setting, and a living world.
Are: rules light, and deadly.
And focus on: emergent narrative, external interaction, and exploration.
And generally, I think it’s a decent definition that holds up today, five years after it was coined. Yes, people have quibbles with it, some of which pandathiest has addressed in a follow-up, but it holds up and sets the stage for my reasoning.
What initially attracted me to the NSR
I’ve spent my career as a creative, and new/unique things have always caught my attention. D&D is great, but after some time, every traditional fantasy setting starts to look the same to me. I know there are differences in settings and mechanics, but honestly, I’m not the kind of person who gets all that excited by those things. But then I stumble upon images like these floating around Kickstarter, and I start getting excited:
As a designer, I’m a sucker for a great image, and just seeing these images profoundly inspires me. They have so much character, and honestly, it inspires me to play. Why would I want to play a wizard for the 100th time when I can be a mouse sneaking around a cat or a biker sword fighting with chainsaws?
This “weird” aspect of NSR games is just increasingly appealing in an era when D&D is turning to a more broadly palatable and generically marketable image for its mass-market audience. Long gone are the days of Dark Sun, Planescape, and Spelljammer (yes, I know the last two had modern releases, but I would hardly call them “supported” or thorough.
The benefits of NSR games
In no particular order, I see the benefits of the NSR as follows:
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Rules light: making it easy to get playing fast and more of a focus on creativity over mechanics.
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Quirky: as I mentioned above, the variety helps to shake up a stale table, especially after a lengthy campaign in long-established settings.
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Fun to collect: they typically utilize shorter-form formats like zines tend to be less expensive and easier to fit on a shelf.
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DIY Spirit: the community surrounding these games is charged by sharing their creations, giving you constant sources of inspiration. Many NSR games also feature open-source game systems that encourage people to jump in and share their creations.
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Low barriers to entry: many games have open-source systems that you can start playing for free, and characters can usually be made in minutes, making it easy to lure a player into a one-shot.
Depending on your preferences, some of these could be viewed as downsides, but I think it’s easy to see why people looking for a unique experience find these games enjoyable.
How NSR differs from OSR
Other than the obvious, being published relatively recently, the fundamental difference is the lack of baggage associated with these games. Most have abbreviated lore, and outside of a purchased module, you are left with a tone and blank slate to play inside of. Yes, they have maps and stories, but the details of those things are open to interpretation, hacking, and evolution. It fundamentally removes that voice in the back of your head bugging you about checking a detail on a city or faction about their history, and you just make it up on the fly in the best way that suits the story as it emerges. Some people dislike this, but I find it freeing.
Why I continue to play NSR games more than anything else
I forget about the rules and just play the game. It’s funny, but outside of turning to the rules sheet inside of combat, I rarely look at the books or GM screen until it comes time to roll on a random table. And when I’m not focusing on the mechanics, I spend my brain space shaping the world in the moment, picturing scenes and describing them to the player, developing unexpected responses to their actions, and finding fun ways to make the party fail forward.
And, as I have become more comfortable playing in the NSR style, I have been prepping way less and playing way more. Three hours of prep at the beginning of this campaign arc and 20 minutes before each session on the bus ride to the game has led me through a handful of sessions that have been more chaotic and creative than 80% of my experiences playing traditional games. It takes some time to get to this point, but the end result is that I am having more fun as a GM because of the spirit of these games. I think that’s what counts.
