My heart is with Swords & Wizardry and the new Kickstarter. This is arguably the more important game to the OSR since it takes the version of the SRD rules released to the Creative Commons and rebuilds the entire game from that unassailable base. The project may use the ORC license and seeks to create a solid foundational game for 3rd-party support.
What I want in an OSR game post-OGL 2023 is something third-party publishers can build upon and support. Swords & Wizardry has always been that "OSR DNA" sort of game that many other games could be created from.
As for 5E-style modernized OSR games? I am lukewarm to them. 5E is such a behemoth at this point; playing anything like it - or with similar mechanics - feels like a diversion away from the elephant in the room. Whenever I played the 5E-like games, that feeling in the back of my head would never go away, "When are we going back to 5E again?"
I felt it with Low Fantasy Gaming, Advanced 5E, and anything else. I would feel it even with Shadowdark, but I congratulate them on their success and applaud them for their presentation and hard work. But to me, 5E will always be in the room.
And the OSR does not need 5E mechanics. I don't like the 5E advantage/disadvantage system, which has become overused and a bit too expected - and gamed - by players. The 5E mechanics don't work well in an old-school experience. There is a finality to beating an AC 13 on a to-hit roll and knowing you will miss that more than you will hit. I don't want players arguing for advantage. It is what it is.
It is good to see Swords & Wizardry back, and after the 2023 disaster, we are back to square one. The OSR has a superb new entry into the hobby - a fantastic little game called Swords & Wizardry.
And this game is out there for us to build a new future.
Using the things we know.
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