South Jersey OSR and Old School Gaming Meetup

Welcome to the South Jersey OSR and Old School Gaming Meetup!

What's this group about?
Founded circa 2022 and now on its second owner, the purpose of this group is to foster the play and appreciation of old school and OSR tabletop roleplaying games. While the group's focus was initially South Jersey (particularly the Collingswood area), its scope has expanded and anyone within the general Philly area is welcome! Likewise, while the group is mainly oriented towards in person play and social meetups, folks who primairly game online through VTTs (Virtual Table Tops), play by post/email, or other methods are also welcome.

No prior experience with these games is needed to be a member of the group, so whether you have been rolling dice since the 70s or you just stumbled across the hobby last week it's all good. Likewise, this is an inclusive group - no matter who you are or how you identify, you have a place at the table. Standard rules of the road apply - be kind, be courteous, and no bullying or other bad behavior will be tolerated; the group owner and event organizers reserve the right to remove anyone who in their judgement violates these informal rules.

Ok, so what's "old school gaming" and "the OSR"?
Check the internet and you will find dozens of interpretations (and no small number of, ahem, "lively discussions"). For the purposes of this group, an "old school game" is one released in or prior to 1990; this includes AD&D 2e and older editions of Dungeons and Dragons, but also older editions of Traveller, Runequest, Champions, and Call of Cthulhu; as well as games like Gamma World, Star Frontiers, Top Secret, Rolemaster, Spacemaster, Villains & Vigilantes, and other games of the era.

The OSR is a broader subject. The shortest version is "games published since circa 2000 that clone, use mechanics from, or are inspired by old school games (primarily but not exclusively D&D)". Various called the Old School Revival, Old School Renaissance, or other things the OSR was a reaction in the early 2000s to game designs and play styles that had become prevalent - primarily D&D 3e (the first wholesale redesign of the game since the 70s), but also narrative and other games that were perceived to have departed from older systems and play styles that still had value. That's not to say old school or OSR games are The One True Way to game (they are not, though some might argue it); but they are fun and have a lot of charm. OSR games tend to feature play styles which favor player agency and GM rulings as opposed to extremely comprehensive rules; sandbox play; and a rules light approach.

In its early years - the 2000s - the OSR was something of an upstart movement. With the release and mass popularity of D&D 3e in 2000 (the first edition not easily compatible with previous ones) and the deaths of D&D co-designers Gary Gygax (2008) and Dave Arneson (2009), gamers who started playing in the 70s and 80s looked back to the early years of the hobby; at the same time, the OGL gave designers a tool kit to replicate older editions of D&D. High speed internet, the blog era of circa 2005-2015, and online file sharing meant fans of older editions and play styles could find one another and share ideas, and several small conventions arose. Social media and online play created further options for people to discover OSR systems and approaches, as well as to find options for playing these games.

What are some examples of OSR games?
There are a wide variety of OSR systems, mostly created by small press publishers and individual designers. OSR systems include "retro clones" which replicate older D&D rules sets (for example Swords & Wizardry which replicates original D&D; OSRIC which replicates AD&D 1e; and Labyrinth Lord which replicates Basic/Expert D&D of the early 1980s). They also include systems that start from older editions of D&D but branch out - popular current examples include OSE / Old School Essentials and Shadowdark. There are also systems that start with older editions of D&D (or another OSR rules set) and go off in new directions - these are systems like DCC (Dungeon Crawl Classics), Mork Borg, White Star, Mark Hunt's BX version of Gangbusters, and many more.

Ok, so back to this group? What's it here for?
This Meetup will serve as a venue for fans (old and new) of old school and OSR gaming to find DMs, find players, and get together to talk gaming. Most Meetups will be in the South Jersey area, but Philly / Delco / KOP and the western suburbs / Lower Bucks are not entirely out of scope. Likewise, online games run by folks in this area are also encouraged (especially since not everyone can make a physical game due to work, family or other factors). Lastly, besides one shots and campaigns, we'll hopefully host some things at area gaming conventions which highly old school/OSR play (PAGE out in KOP; MEPACON in Allentown; and others). We're always looking for event organizers, GMs, and ideas for Meetups so if you have ideas contact Andy, the group organizer!

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Do you want to learn more? Here are some handy links:
- Wikipedia entry for the OSR: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_School_Renaissance
- (blog) Historical look at the OSR: http://osrsimulacrum.blogspot.com/2021/02/a-historical-look-at-osr-part-i.html
- (blog) Defining the OSR (one take): https://www.tenkarstavern.com/2017/04/defining-osr-by-identifying-what-it-is.html
- (article) What OSR play and games are (another take): https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/feature/what-is-osr-old-school-rpg-classic-dnd
- the "Old School Primer" on what makes OSR/old school gaming distinctive: https://dn721800.ca.archive.org/0/items/old-school-primer/Old%20School%20Primer.pdf
- (blog) OSR play styles: https://blog.worldanvil.com/dm-tips-advice/osr-rpg-guide-to-old-school-renaissance/
- (blog) Twenty OSR systems reviewed: https://unsoundmethodsblog.wordpress.com/2023/03/12/twenty-osr-systems-reviewed/
- (one convention's take) Old school vs OSR vs NSR games: https://www.ucon-gaming.org/2023/08/u-cons-osr-nsr-track/