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Six OSR Alternatives to DnD 5e
🕑 Added 2023-01-23 17:49:43 +0000 UTCA guide for 5e refugees!
Get the abridged, free PDF of Worlds Without Number: https://bit.ly/WWNFree
Get the complete edition in PDF or Print: https://bit.ly/WWNComplete
Get the deluxe, offset edition of Worlds Without Number: https://bit.ly/WWNOffset
Dungeon Crawl Classics in PDF: https://bit.ly/DCCPDF
DCC in print: https://amzn.to/2KWGHmA
Old School Essentials in PDF: https://bit.ly/OSEPDFs
OSE in print: https://bit.ly/OSEPrint
Into the Odd in PDF: https://bit.ly/ITORemasteredPDF
Into the Odd in Print: https://amzn.to/3WxMkg7
Maze Rats (worldbuilding toolkit): https://bit.ly/MazeRats
Knave (classless OAR-compatible rules): https://bit.ly/KnaveRPG
Comments
There is a lot of combat in DCC and characters get better at it as they progress. I see where you are coming from for OSE, I have certainly seen my share of conflict avoidance almost to a comical level while playing it. I will say that as characters get higher level they do become more survivable so players are more willing to just use combat as a means to solve the problem in front of them. The real crux to what your describing in OSE is the motivation for advancement. In OSE you just get XP for treasure so killing the monsters means nothing and getting the treasure without ever having to fight anything is the best possibly outcome for the group so that is usually what they are going to do. In something like DCC you get XP from encounters or even milestone, so conflict avoidance is far less beneficial. You still have to know when to avoid it as it can be very deadly compared to something like 5e. Hope that helps!
Weird, comment edits aren’t going through… I don’t think OSE is for me. I tried watching streams of it, but it seems like combat rarely happens and when given the chance, people avoid it so much that there probably shouldn’t be rules for it. You either need to setup Rube Goldberg scenarios to deal with the BBEG, or just avoid the BBEG and their story entirely. Does one of the systems mentioned allow or encourage players to engage with combat?
Elvis Ramone
Gonna say Five Torches Deep should be on this list, it is an excellent gateway to the OSR. A shout out to Basic Fantasy as well. But your offerings are a healthy and balanced diet of gaming.
