I keep coming back to this version of 5E again and again. One side of me says it is far easier to use straight 5E! The other says there is much more to A5E than meets the eye. Even with Tales of the Valiant out there and taking the spotlight, this is a very well-put-together version of 5E that deserves attention.
The three pillars of OSR play are all supported by rules. I am not so sure that Tales of the Valiant will have as robust of a travel, survival, exploration, and hex-crawling experience as this game supports - and the classes are built to play this game, especially the irreplaceable ranger. The fact travel, survival, and exploration are written into the rules makes me an instant fan.
The combats include environmental hazards that are a part of the initiative track, and it feels like a love letter to 4E's tactical combat. There is a marshal class, which fits the 4E warlord class perfectly. I love the idea of a battle-leader class that supports the party and can fight on the frontline. A5E is as if the ideas of 4E were brought forward into 5E, which is fantastic.
The balance feels much better than 5E, and it has this "dry" OSR balance feeling, making party teamwork and tactics more critical than spamming abilities and damage dice.
The 7-level fatigue system controls pop-up healing nicely. Where you rest and have supplies matters! Your character will begin to lose abilities and suffer when higher fatigue levels are reached, and death could happen. There is a 7-level sanity system as well, which works similarly. If you wanted to hack a 7-level corruption system into the game, it would work along those systems perfectly.
Tales of the Valiant will be fantastic. No doubt about it.
But A5E is a blend of 5E, 4E, and the OSR that deserves to be played independently and enjoyed for the exciting blend of games and ideas it brings. I loved 4E when it started, and I have always loved the OSR. This seems like a natural game for me.
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