Dogma
Theoryposting is inherently shitlord behaviour so i will limit myself to 600ish words, starting now.
Thinking deeply about TTRPGs, I quickly found the Old School Reformation. A dogmatic approach to gaming attracted me. Now I tire of it. Furthermore I realise that the fault may have been mine all along.
A single question -- is 5e the best iteration of DnD? -- unleashed a flood of questions that threatened to wash away my understanding of fun and games entirely. In particular I wondered what is the gaming experience I actually want to cultivate? I was thusly pleased by the plentiful definitions, manifestos, principles, and listicles provided by the blogosphere of the Old School Restitution.
All troubling questions had been answered. Via the OSR dogma, so tried and true a path by others of the movement, I could be assured that the games I was playing and making were meaningful, intentional, and fun. With it came a sense of kinship, even superiority.
I quickly grew a fondness and respect for authors in the scene who produced work according to their unflinching vision of what games should be. And by playing and making games in emulation of them, I felt that I was on a righteous and justified path. I have exercised my creativity in ways I could never have imagined, met wonderful people and had experiences that I am incredibly grateful for.
The dogma was also troubling. When thought leaders posted new and exciting definitions, manifestos, listicles and guidance, I was struck simultaneously by inspiration and dread. Adventures were scrapped mid-draft for suddenly having too many gerunds or adverbs. Others were guillotined just a few touches away from publishing because I realised they did not do enough 'legwork', or the tables were not useful enough. The absolute worst result of this was that I became ashamed of my ongoing 5e campaign. This was a campaign of 2 years that I had painstakingly worldbuilt from the ground up. My players were all strangers when we started, and we had evolved into a genuine, real life friendship. We did secret santas! And for the longest time all I could think about was how glad I'd be to finally end it so I could run Wolves upon the Coast on discord or some shit.
Dogma is useful and comforting, but it can also build walls.
Crucially, nobody demanded that I behave this way. I fully blame myself for cleaving to dogma. Yes, people in this particular hobby seem to love writing lists. But they also have a great fondness for twisting or breaking those rules in a thoughtful manner (and I really can't overstate the usefulness of the advice in some of those listicles!). For me, the second part was easy to forget. I suspect it's the same for others.
I now consider dogma not as a prescription of how to be, but a tool for deepening and interrogating the intentions behind my choices.
For example, Practical Typography was an incredibly formative read for me even though I have all but forgotten the 20 'key rules' it puts forth. That is because I now understand the hidden machinery at work that guides the eye between letters and spaces on the page. When I stop thinking dogmatically, principles and rules allow me to be more thoughtful in their breaking.
Now then, for my call to action: If you are thinking of dropping a project to the floor because it's not OSR enough, or it doesn't fit some other imaginary criteria; don't. Finish the damn thing and put it out there. By all means, once you're done, make the next one 'better' or 'more fitting' to a doctrine of thought. But first, see this one through. In the process, you may realise that nobody really cares if it's OSR and nobody knows what an Old School Reddeadredemption is anyways.
In conclusion, dogma balls.