OSR Principles: Player Goals and Guidelines
In Old School Revival (OSR) games, players are active participants, responsible for driving the narrative through their character’s actions and decisions within a dangerous, responsive world. These principles outline what players should aim to do and how to best engage with the game.
Player Goals: What You Should Be Doing
Your primary role as an OSR player is to actively engage with the game world and contribute to the emerging story.
- Describe Your Character’s Behavior: Don’t just state mechanical actions. Relay your character’s actions, speech, and feelings to the other players and the GM. This brings your character to life and clarifies your intentions.
- Example: Instead of “I attack the goblin,” say “My fighter, grimacing at its stench, raises his shield and lunges at the nearest goblin, yelling a challenge!”
- Explore the Game World: Actively ask questions and interact with the environment. The world is a sandbox, and discovery is key.
- Example: “What does the door look like? Are there any strange smells in this room? Does the merchant seem trustworthy?”
- Take Risks and Make Choices: Embrace the inherent danger. Be prepared to take calculated risks, complete challenging goals, and critically choose your battles. Knowing when to fight or flee is paramount for survival.
- Example: Deciding whether to push deeper into a dark, monster-infested dungeon for more treasure or retreat with what you’ve found and live to fight another day.
- Seek Opportunities: Actively look for ways to spark adventure. Pursue anything that seems interesting, lucrative, or important in the game world. This includes seeking treasure, power, and glory.
- Example: Hearing rumors of a hidden ruin, investigating a strange local cult, or tracking down the source of a valuable artifact.
- Ask for Suggestions: If you’re unsure what your character should do next, don’t hesitate to ask for suggestions from the GM or other players. This can help you find new avenues for action.
- Encourage Other Players: When another player’s character is in the spotlight, be supportive and engaged. Encourage their decisions and contributions.
- Develop Your Character: Work to advance your character over time. This means making them more powerful through gained experience and treasure, fostering deeper connections to their world through their actions, and ultimately making them more fun to play as their story unfolds.
Player Guidelines: How to Engage Effectively
These best practices will help you achieve your player goals and contribute to a fantastic OSR experience for everyone.
- Imagine with a Medieval Fantasy Lens: When considering your character’s actions and understanding the world, default to a medieval fantasy perspective. This helps maintain consistency with the genre’s typical setting and technological level.
- Portray Capable, Daring, but Believable Characters: Your character should be capable and daring within the fiction, ready to face challenges. However, stay believable within the game’s context. PCs aren’t typically starting as superheroes with boundless power; special abilities are usually earned and hard-won.
- Example: Your character might bravely charge into a group of weaker enemies, but wouldn’t effortlessly leap over a massive chasm without a magical item or significant planning.
- Focus on “The Fiction”: Prioritize what’s going on in the game world and what the characters are doing within that imagined reality. The rules and dice exist to support and resolve the fiction, not to dictate it.
- Example: Instead of thinking, “What skill do I roll?”, think, “What would my character do in this situation?” The roll comes after the fictional action.
- Support and Contribute: Be actively involved. Support the contributions of other players by building on their ideas, and don’t be shy in offering your own. Work together to solve problems and create interesting scenarios.
- Cooperate with Fellow Players (Not Necessarily PCs): It’s essential to cooperate as players to keep the game fun and moving, even if your characters (PCs) are squabbling or have internal conflicts. Keep out-of-character interactions civil and positive.
- Example: Your character might argue with another PC about who gets a share of the treasure, but as players, you’re both working to resolve the situation in a way that contributes to the game.
- Share the Spotlight: Enjoy your time when your character is the focus of attention, but also be mindful of others. Let the spotlight move around the table, giving everyone a chance to shine.
- Hold Lightly to Your Characters: This is a crucial mindset. OSR games are deadly, so understand that your characters are mortal. Be prepared for them to die or suffer severe setbacks. This acceptance allows for bolder risks and makes survival feel more meaningful.
- Respect the Game: Show respect for the shared experience. Pay attention and stay engaged when others are speaking or when the GM is describing the world. Set aside distractions like phones or other activities. This creates a better atmosphere for everyone at the table.
Asking Questions and Exploring the Game World
Think of the GM as your character’s senses. To explore the game world, you need to actively ask questions that probe its details and reveal opportunities. Don’t wait for the GM to tell you everything; ask to learn more.
- Sensory Input: Engage all your character’s senses to gather information.
- “Can I see anything unusual down the corridor? Are there any lights or shadows?”
- “What do I hear if I put my ear to the door? Are there muffled voices, scraping, or silence?”
- “What does it smell like in here? Is there damp earth, stale air, or something acrid?”
- “What does that strange liquid taste like?” (Though be prepared for consequences!)
- Leveraging Knowledge: Determine what your character already knows or can deduce.
- “Does my character, being a seasoned dungeon delver, know anything about these markings on the wall?”
- “How can I learn more about this ancient ruin? Are there any libraries in town, or wise hermits?”
- Investigating Details: Focus on specific elements and potential dangers.
- “Can I identify how these arcane runes were made? Do they seem recent or ancient? Can I read them or understand their purpose?”
- “Can I search for traps around this chest, or on the floor ahead?”
- “Based on the dust and cobwebs, can I infer if there has been recent activity in this area?”
- Engaging with Creatures: When encountering life, try to understand or interact with it.
- “Do I recognize this creature from any of the bestiaries I’ve studied?”
- “Can I try to communicate with it, perhaps through gestures or a known language?”
Portraying Your PC: Bringing Your Character to Life
After the GM describes a situation, it’s your turn to imagine yourself in your character’s shoes and decide how they react. This active portrayal drives the narrative forward.
- Dialogue and Intent: Decide if your character speaks, and if so, what they say. Speak on behalf of your character, making their intentions clear.
- “I’ll step forward and loudly demand, ‘Who goes there?!’”
- “I’ll try to discreetly whisper to the rogue, ‘Stay alert, this feels like a trap.’”
- Actions and Movement: Describe what your character does. This includes physical actions, manipulating objects, or using items. Be specific about your intentions.
- “I’ll cautiously move to the right side of the corridor, keeping my shield raised.”
- “I’ll use my crowbar to try and pry open the jammed portcullis.”
- “I’ll draw my torch and light it, holding it high to illuminate the cavern.”
- Internal Monologue and Feelings: Consider your character’s thoughts and feelings. While not always spoken aloud, these internal elements inform your character’s decisions and add depth.
- “My character is thinking this is a fool’s errand, but the promise of gold outweighs his fear.”
- “Despite the danger, a surge of excitement runs through him; this is what he lives for.”
- Relationships and Beliefs: Reflect on your character’s relationships with other PCs and their core beliefs.
- “How does my character feel about the wizard, who always seems to rush into danger?”
- “What questions do I have about my character’s personal code, or what they might do if faced with a moral dilemma in the future?”
- “Is there something about my character’s background or personality I can share with the group or the GM to enrich the scene?”
By actively asking questions and vividly portraying your character’s actions and internal state, you become a vital force in shaping the emergent story of your OSR campaign.