As time passes, i am losing more and more faith in this. Every time i have a look at forums and communities (such as the huge OSR community located at G+) i can't help but notice that everyone is getting excited at the new release of that shiny and brilliant tome with that cool and up-to-date graphic content that just catches the eye and looks gorgeous.
Aesthetic matters a lot; it guides the choices of many in buying a new OSR product. As i said, a shiny and cool "2016" look of an old game's clone is an important aspect.
There is nothing wrong with this, even the AD&D premium reprints have a different and somewhat "more modern" covers, if i am not wrong, but nonetheless this made me think.
Would old and dusty boxed sets have the same allure today for the -literally thousands- of users who daily browse the OSR communities?
Would they get so excited in dealing with antiquity as they are when they hold in their hands that hardback new D&D clone which smells of fresh paper that just came out of the printer?
I have always been of the opinion that the entire OSR phenomenon has just been a revamping of our affection for D&D and all its clones and simulacrums, and nowadays i hold this view more strongly than before.
Hoary, boxed set precursors of our hobby are dismissed when compared to new renditions of old texts.
