The DCC Malaise

I sense a certain malaise in the OSR community regarding Dungeon Crawl Classics. I still like the game, and it is an excellent, emergent gameplay old-school alternative. Many old-school YouTubers have put the game aside or reduced their collections to a book or two. The game is now mainstream and thus uncool.

So the merry-go-round spins of "what is popular" in the OSR. This never really stops, and I remember the days when Labyrinth Lord was cool. I still remember loving LL when someone told me OSE was so much better. They were right, and I moved on, by LL still serves as my DCC +1 game that I use to fill in treasure tables and other things the game needs.

DCC is a 5E offramp, just like Shadowdark, but it appeals to a different crowd. It was the third-most popular fantasy game at last GenCon, so the crew there has done a fantastic job. DCC today does feel mainstream, and Goodman is letting the game rest a little, as it is a mature system, and they are focusing on 5E and profits (and likely, player conversion).

A considerable part of the OSR is moving back to first edition, be it OSRIC, Swords & Wizardry (0e), Adventures Dark & Deep, or the original books. Myself? I have the original books, but I never use the PoDs, since the PoD reprints have errors. But the move is on, and more products are being released for dual 5E and First Edition versions. The good part about the First Edition is that it ensures compatibility all the way up from 0e (S&W and White Box), B/X (OSE), 1e (ADAD and OSRIC), 2.5E (C&C), and even DCC - mainly if you include dual descending and ascending AC values.

I would rather support games with communities and open licenses.

That is where I feel things are at: the OSR people have moved on a bit from DCC, as the novelty for them is wearing off. Many took a detour into Shadowdark (which still many support as a 5E alternative), and a sizable number returned to the First Edition.

For me, Adventures Dark and Deep or OSRIC are my First Edition standards. OSRIC 3 should be arriving here in a few months, and that is exciting.

I still have DCC on my display shelves, just for the high level of imagination and creativity. I still play and support this; there is nothing else like it. But, I get the feeling many are moving on. Because fantasy gaming is in a massive glut right now, and the moment feels like we are heading for a crash. If you look at all these games:

• D&D 2014
• D&D 2024
• Tales of the Valiant
• Level Up: A5E
• Pathfinder 2
• Shadowdark
• Daggerheart
• Draw Steel
• Nimble
• Cosmere
• Dragonbane
• ...and many more

And more are on the way, undoubtedly. I am probably missing a few, and none of the OSR games are on this list. There is no way the market can support them all. Something has got to give; if not, the entire fantasy gaming market will crash and burn. This is an Atari 2600 level of glut and oversaturation in fantasy gaming. There is no way the market can support all these games.

For many, returning to the first edition immunizes them from the coming storm, and I get why. There are too many choices out there, and most, if not all, will see hard times coming.

The first edition is a solid fall-back point. We will see where we go from here.