Much like the word “immersion,” the term “trad RPG” is one that I’ve lately seen confusing conversations more than illuminating them.

The key thing to understand is that “trad RPG” comes from at least three different places, all of them using it to mean different things.

First, storytelling games use it to mean roleplaying games. This arose because STGs – games primarily focused on narrative control mechanics instead of character-associated mechanics – referred to themselves as RPGs, but also knew that they were something different, and wanted (or needed) a term to describe all of the existing RPGs.

Then the Old School Renaissance used “trad RPG” to mean old school play — i.e., the traditional form of play which existed before various “new schools” of play. (With the OSR generally defining the first of these “new schools” as the linear-narrative play that came to domination RPG adventure design post-Dragonlance.)

Most recently, an essay called the Six Cultures of Play defined “trad RPG” as the linear-narrative play championed by Tracy and Laura Hickman in, among other things, Dragonlance. This article was notable for looking at the RPG hobby in terms of cultural behavior rather than mechanical or adventure design. It was filled with severe historical inaccuracies, but, unfortunately, this has not prevented it from being quite popular in online discussions.

And now you can probably spot the problem: You’ve got one group using “trad RPG” to mean pre-Dragonlance play and another group using it to mean post-Dragonlance play. So now “trad RPG” means literally the opposite of itself.

But it gets even more confusing! In response to the use of trad RPG to mean “Dragonlance-style gaming” some segments of the OSR now use it to mean “not the OSR,” which means they also include STGs in “trad” play.

Which means trad RPG now means:

• old school, pre-Dragonlance styles of play
• post-Dragonlance linear-narrative styles of play
• storytelling games
• not storytelling games

So, ultimately, what does “trad RPG” or “traditional RPG” mean?

Nothing.

It’s a term that I’ve used in the past, but one that I generally try to avoid using now. It’s unfortunate because it was a useful term and I haven’t found a reliable replacement, but the reality is that using the term now — no matter how you choose to use it — means that a pretty good chunk of people will end up thinking you meant the exact opposite of whatever you meant. The result, of course, is confusion and needless arguments.

Although, to be fair, what could be more traditional about RPG discussions than that?