I don't have the time for 5E anymore. The pages-long character sheets are a complete waste of time, and printing them out would be a massive waste of paper. If I "get on board" with 5E, Pathfinder 2, or any of these other games where the character sheet resembles a small novel, I end up not playing.
I can't support them anymore.
I like them; the rules were well put together, and there are interesting combinations - but it is way, way, way too much. I am a fan of Tales of the Valiant because I value my principles and don't want to support Wizards and their walled garden. However, I struggle to justify supporting the 5E ecosystem, given the monthly fees and digital books required for character designers. My collection of 5E books on Roll20 is a nightmare of options to sort through, and it really gives me nothing more than other, easier games.
It is all too much.
I can't do this anymore.
GURPS does not require monthly fees or double-buying physical and then digital books for VTT support. It is just as complex a game, but the game is far easier to support and manage. Supporting 5E requires you to go all-in on the platform, meaning you can't play anything else.
If I want to "play adventures" with the "5E math," frankly, Nimble 5e is the better choice. This all works, the game is small, it stays out of the way, the character sheets are easy, and the game plays much faster than a complete 5E set of rules, where a variety of "action types" become "distraction types" during play and take a 2-minute turn and stretch out a player's decision making to 30 minutes or longer as players flip through character sheets and books. Nimble is 5E compatible and provides conversion notes for all 5E adventures, monsters, and content.
That is, if I need the 5E math.
And that 5E math is inferior to B/X math, where characters keep power far longer, the hit points do not get out of control, and the damages scale much better. In 5E, you consistently do half the damage you do in B/X, relative to monster hit points. A fighter's 1d8 +1 magic longsword will "keep its power" all the way to 20th level and beyond, and still be able to do good damage to adult red dragons. In 5E, a 1d8+1 logsword is a joke compared to anything past 8th level. And B/X maintains character power without multiple attacks, action surge, or all the tricks you need to do with a fighter to preserve your damage curve in 5E.
Nimble 5e is the best implementation of 5E math.
It is just that 5E math sucks.
B/X math is linear and predictable.
GURPS? Mythras? Traveller? Free League games? Linear math.
5E math is on a scaled formula that increases each level like a video game. This is why it is impossible to balance anything in the game. They take away predictable linear damage progression, and now they have to give you CR systems and other balancing tools for their artificially scaled numbers.
Old School Essentials gives me the rock-solid, tested, and sane B/X math. With the Carcass Crawler Zines, I get all the best options of 4E and 5E, including Tieflings and Dragonborn, along with fighting styles for martial characters. With the On Downtimes and Demesnes book, I have access to additional training options. Most of the character options in 5E are included in this set of core books, and adding a few more key options to this library can provide even greater variety than 5E, such as the Into the Wild Omnibus revised character classes, which are very nice.
Do not let the simplicity of B/X fool you; you run an "open character sheet," and anything can be added to a character. The preservation of character power at high levels is there. The game doesn't scale to ridiculous numbers and takes hours to finish a combat.
I still love Dungeon Crawl Classics, but it is taking a back seat to OSE right now. OSE has far better customization, whereas DCC is a heavier game with an extensive and bloated library. I am dealing with library bloat on the DCC (and Shadowdark) side of my gaming shelves, and I need to fix that for the games to be playable again. OSE is tight and contained, similar to Nimble 5e.
But I can create a character sheet on a post-it note or journal page for OSE and play. I don't need to write down much. Everything is straightforward and simple. I have the time and energy to play this, but not 5E.
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