Before any debates erupt regarding the definition of “Old School” allow me to state that for the purposes of this article I am using the Quick Primer for Old School Gaming by Matthew Finch. As some folks have declared 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons to be “New Old School”, I have decided to compare it to the Zen Moments outlined in Mr. Finch’s work to see where, and how, it stands.
Disclaimer: Of course, “Old School” is really more of a style of play and a philosophy and can be applied to any game system. That is not in dispute. I’m simply looking to see how well 4th edition supports Old School-style play out-of-the-box, without serious DM hacks. I’m not advocating Old School play as superior to the 4e style of play, or vice versa. I’m just looking for synergy between the two.
First Zen Moment: Rulings, not Rules
I think Skill Challenges are the bomb, one of the best things about 4e. I think the way Skills work, as a simple Attribute check with a +5 modifier if the character is trained, is a step back toward OD&D and AD&D when there were no skills (unless you were a thief) and DM fiat was king. However, it is a well-fleshed-out and clearly defined system that relies on rules, rather than rulings.
Assessment: Feels like Old School, but not Old School
Second Zen Moment: Player Skill, not Character Abilities
This can work in the hands of a crafty Dungeon Master. Do everything through discussion and description, logic and deduction, and no one ever needs to roll dice. Someone asked me how older version of D&D encouraged roleplaying, and this was it. Don’t look at your character sheet and tell me what ability you’re going to roll, tell me what you’re actually doing and I’ll ask you for a roll. Of course, the way the Dungeon Master’s Guide tells you how to structure encounters goes against this philosophy (see above, Ruling, not Rules).
Assessment: Nothing stopping you from running it Old School, but not the default style of play
Third Zen Moment: Heroic, not Superhero
Two words: Laser. Cleric. Much has been written about how powerful 1st level characters are, and about the power creep in the game. Not that it’s a bad thing. But to me, in my opinion, 1st level characters already feel like epic heroes rather than schlubs trying to survive and advance into epic heroes. They start off badass, and grow up to be even more ridiculously badass.
Assessment: Not the same league, not even the same sport as Old School
Fourth Zen Moment: Forget “Game Balance”
The Old School Primer promotes “sandbox” style play where characters can meet things they’re just not able to handle. Sandbox-style play also doesn’t guarantee that every character will have something to do in every scene. 4th edition goes so far to give everyone something to do that the party is effectively crippled if it’s missing a character to fulfill a particular Role.
Assessment: 4th edition bends over backward to provide game balance. Not Old School
Summary
As I stated in the beginning, Old School is a philosophy and style of play that can be applied to any game system. The question is whether out-of-the-box 4th edition could be considered Old School based on the style of play it supports and encourages. Based on the criteria of the Old School primer, the answer is a resounding “no”. However, it is certainly easier to fudge and house-rule into an Old School-style game than 3rd edition was, by simply ignoring Skill Challenge rules and the Encounter structure promoted in the DMG. Some sort of broader multi-classing system would need to be implemented, to allow characters to take abilities from missing Roles. Doable? Yes. As written? No.
Discussion
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