The Four “Zen Moments” of Old School Gaming
These tenets are generally considered an effective summary of the overall playstyle of the OSR and are as follows:
Rulings Not Rules: Gameplay decisions should be based entirely on the DMs interpretation of the rules, rather than focusing on the rules themselves.
Player Skill, Not Character Abilities: The decisions that players make – rather than their ability scores, proficiencies, weapons and magic items – are the primary focus on combat and exploration.
Heroic, Not Superheroic: Characters are not overpowered and can be easily killed if they roll poorly or make the wrong choices.
Forget “Game Balance”: There is no impetus to keep the game balanced or fair. The players won’t always defeat the monsters, get the treasure and save the day. Play is determined based on the decisions and dice rolls made by both players and Dungeon Masters.
(M. Finch)
As Brad Hamilton so aptly put decades ago:
"Right.. Learn it. Know it. Live it."