I looked at reviews and discussions of Level Up Advance 5E (LUA5E, or Level Up), and some players took the claim of compatibility as a challenge. Could they recreate their favorite build, even the broken ones, in the game?
If so, the game was good.
If not, the game was trash.
This was where I was screaming at the monitor and rubbing my face in pain. By that logic, even One D&D is trash when that comes out because I know, like Magic the Gathering, Wizards will make adjustments to classes, powers, exploits, one-level dips, and other cheese used to break the game. If they are going through the trouble of replacing the core books, you can bet they will fix many problems - and yes, even copying some of the fixes made in LUA5E.
Me? I am happy that 5E is living outside of Wizards in the OGL. We have our Pathfinder 1e finally.
Not FUD, but Reality
Why is that important? Hasbro owns Wizards, and is listed on the stock market. They are a billion-dollar company. When you get that big, your company can be bought out, sold, and broken apart. Hasbro sees itself as a media company. Look at media companies today (Warner Brothers) and how much pressure they are under to deliver not just profits but an "expected" level of profits - and often, this is ever-increasing and unrealistic.
And our beloved games are under attack. "It can't happen to our game," is what players of Madden, Diablo, and so many other games thought before microtransactions, loot boxes, and forced monetization took over their entire hobbies.
To protect D&D, players need to be able to walk away and have options.
This is not because I dislike 5E or even One D&D; it is because the game is so popular right now I know the vultures from big tech and the games industry are circling. Look at the outrage around Diablo and how Diablo Immortal made 100 million dollars or profits quickly, despite the massive and near-total levels of outrage. Madden makes 1.5 billion yearly.
I hope and pray that I am wrong. I want nothing more than to be completely wrong about this.
But everyone knows the games industry too well to trust them.
Options Keep the Game Healthy
Me? I support the options that allow people to walk away. The OSR, primarily. And for those who love 5E and can't get enough, the first major 5E clone on the market, the largest, and also one of the best put together and complete. LUA5E. No, all your builds will not work here. A lot was fixed, and some of the parts of your builds were built on a block of cheese. You will need to relearn how things work here. Like moving to a new city, you will need to learn to find your way around.
But give it time; sooner or later, you may find you like it better over here.
The community may be smaller, but taking a part in it will make you stand out from the crowd much easier.
I am lucky enough to be starting my 5E journey with LUA5E. I look forward to learning this game and not having the version of Wizards' version of 5E be my game. I have freedom. At this point, those who invented D&D are long gone, and Wizards is not the same company as the old TSR. Wizards did not invent D&D; they just created the modern version. It is a great version, but times move on.
Welcome to the OSR, 5E
5E is now being freed and given to the community through the clone games. And these games will live on forever and be a part of the community.
May you have hundreds of games tailored to every play style and community. May small creators in their basements and garages become the next big thing, and those creators be able to live their dreams. May indie artists be able to illustrate these beautiful games and share their visions with the world.
And really, how much I love the OSR; I hope thousands of 5E players join us as the One D&D game moves on, and players who really love how the game was back in this place and time create their own games, build their own communities, and celebrate a version of the game they love.
And this is not an "us vs. them" thing. People will still love and play One D&D.
Supporting a legacy style of 5E supports diversity in the market and players' preferences. Supporting alternatives, 5E-likes games, or the OSR, keeps the entire hobby vibrant and healthy with options for all.
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