I wrote about OSR play and the negative space of rules in a game. https://save.vs.totalpartykill.ca/blog/negative-space/
@presgas I mean any FKR game would be an example, by definition I suppose. We often play test Brendan's current iteration of his game, and no one knows the rules except him, mostly. Our friend Steve who plays with us never knows what we're playing or how it works before we play.
@Sandra @lumpley @Sandra @lumpley I love the Blorb principles! That's an interesting view on things as well. Originally I was thinking about this in terms of how players engage with a game—two groups can play B/X very differently depending on whether they are kicking down doors and fighting monsters, or doing something more stereotypically OSR—and then sort of pivoted to how people go about designing games. It's true that there is much more to the structure of play than HP and Saving Throws.
I would also lump in 1e and 2e with your b/x assessment. Especially spells, for example.
I think some players knowing those rules can be a double edged sword. The other edge being munchkin-ism.