Fight On! and the Old School Renaissance

[James Maliszewski]

Maybe I'm filled with delusions of grandeur, but I can't help but think, given the good press Fight On! is getting, that the 'zine could wind up being far more than just an outlet for participants on these boards to publish their ideas about OD&D. Seems to me that we have a remarkable opportunity here to spread the good news about old school gaming in general and OD&D in particular. Since last summer and especially since the announcement of 4e, there seems to have been a groundswell of interest in these topics.

I suppose that isn't surprising; new editions always make people re-evaluate what they liked about older editions and why the prospect of a new one makes them uncomfortable. But this time it just feels different to me. People aren't just saying, "This far and no farther." Instead, a lot of them are going even beyond that and looking back to the roots of the game they love and the hobby it inspired. People are looking back and seeing that, for all its faults, maybe the old days weren't so benighted after all -- maybe the key to fun isn't bigger and more complex rules for every situation or slickly produced books with top notch art. Maybe we've lost something along the way, something very important.

I don't know. I could be crazy, I suppose. I just feel something. There's a sea change in the hobby and I think Fight On! is leading the charge. Not sure what this means, ultimately. I guess, mostly, what I want to say is that I hope the 'zine can reach a very wide audience and help those people looking for what's been missing from this hobby to find it. This is an amazing time to be an old school gamer and I want to see Fight On! seize the opportunity this time presents with gusto.

[Zulgyan]

Hey, I do second that! The challange is set.

In order to Fight On! we must be faithful to the spirit that started the zine and keep the focus on the ways of early old-school. We must not let the zine lose it's indentity and personality, we must not corrupt it to get more sales. We must be authentic. We must me original.

If we hold to this kind of principels I see great future for the zine.

The most impacting message of the zine for me is: "Hey, you can do things yourself!". That's the kind of inspiration we must provide to our readers.

[calithena]

I have that feeling too, of being at the start of something. It's really cool.

[busman]

I've been getting that feeling as well, James. But, I'm never sure if that's just because I'm involved in something or if there really is a groundswell of interest in whatever I happen to be interested in.

[Deleted]

Ahhhhhhhhh! The smell of Old School Renaissance is in the air!