Reconsiderations: Old School

Believe it or not, at the very dawn of what came to be called the Old School Renaissance , there was a lot of handwringing, both within its ranks and outside them, over just what was meant by the term "old school." Now, I don't recall when I first heard the term applied either to Dungeons & Dragons specifically or to roleplaying games more generally, nor can I pinpoint its precise origin. I have a…