In the grim darkness of the 1980s, there is only the British Old-School
Apologies for the radio silence! I’ve been on holiday in Tokyo and have only just returned. My goodness, Japan is amaze-balls [If you ever write “amaze-balls” again, you’re fired – Ed.]. If you haven’t been, I very, very much recommend a trip.
I last visited Japan in 2005 and it feels like a lot has changed in those 14 years. Tokyo feels like a much more international city than it was when I first wandered its neon-washed streets over a decade ago.
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There’s a really wonderful discussion taking place on the RPG PUB forum about my earlier post. Lots of great input, with people sharing memories of gaming in Britain (and Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere) back in the day.
There was some gentle pushback against the term “B-OSR”. It was never really intended seriously, so I’m not overly attached to it. I chose it, with tongue in cheek, because it implies Britain is in some sense in second place (the “B-OSR” to America’s “A-OSR”) and, despite the current trend towards jingoistic boosterism, people in the UK have a long tradition of thinking their country is a bit shit. Still, if you prefer, “British old-school” works just as well (and it can be considered a vibe or aesthetic rather than a revival).
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