I've carefully curated my collection of OSR games, and C&C stands out as my top choice. It's the one that remains on my shelf while I've boxed up ACKS, Swords & Wizardry, Dragonslayer, Old School Essentials, Labyrinth Lord, the Rules Cyclopedia, and others. I am not selling them, only storing them.
5E and Pathfinder 2 have found their way into my sell boxes. The mythical game with the mythical 5E or PF2 group ain't happening. I swear sometimes I buy things out of hope and it never works out.
I have Dungeon Crawl Classics on a secondary shelf, but that is in the gonzo fantasy genre, unlike C&C or OSR. GURPS and Dungeon Fantasy are on my current shelves (with Pathfinder 1e as the campaign resource). GURPS is an excellent solo game. That will stay out regardless, even for the "realistic fantasy" genre, which does better than any game.
My only other fantasy games are entirely different systems, and Runequest is included in that. Some of the d100 sister systems, such as Mythras Imperative, Open Quest, and Basic Roleplaying, are alongside that. There is something elegant about a game that gives you advancements in the skills you use during play, which means if you want to get better at something you are terrible at, such as a dodge skill, well, start dodging things that could hurt you.
No magical XP can automatically grant abilities you have never practiced, had to rely upon, or even used. That level 20 thief picks up a bow he has never used for the previous 19 levels and suddenly is a master archer with many deadly archery feats? It's dumb.
And I know the above applies to games like C&C, too. But I am sick of games that hand you freebies and gimmes. These designers sit here like some self-conscious Twitter user begging players to like them better, and oh, here is another free power: please play my game! More powers coming! Buy the power-creep splat-books, please! Power, abilities, power!
Modern level-based games have become pandering swamps of player coddling where you don't earn a thing, everything is given to you, fights are fair, and they exist in an unrealistic and childish AAA video-game mindset. Please move along and see the content! Others are waiting behind you!
C&C is better in this regard compared to 5E and Pathfinder 2E. Of all the level-based games, it stays quiet and out of the way the most. All my classic adventures, OSR, B/X, and Advanced, are on the shelf. I have them out for the memories and not to play.
I just have the best games on my shelves. The other OSR games were distracting me. You can have so many rules on a shelf that nothing gets played. These are minor differences between X, Y, and Z numbers, rules, or mechanics. None of that matters. Stick with the best. For me, C&C does away with messy skills and saving throw systems. The ability scores do all the heavy lifting.
One of the things I love about OSR-style games is their simplicity and accessibility. A prime example is the 4x6 index card, your character sheet. It's a testament to the streamlined nature of these games, where you can get a complete gaming experience from such a compact tool. C&C is the best of the lot and stays out of the way for the most part. There are few charts to reference and none to flip through during play.
Other than that, my dreams and fantasies are in games like GURPS and Runequest.
The one level-based game I have left is one that mostly stays out of the way of the fun and doesn't try to interject itself into my game every turn with a page reference and chart lookup. Simple is better.
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