I’ve been running 5E since its release and to be honest it has never really scratched the D&D itch for me. I’ve tried to explain why on several occasions but every attempt has devolved into a rant. It’s easy to rant but rules nitpicks aren’t the core issue. The core issue is play style which in turn is directly informed by rules.

It can be argued that any style of game can be played in 5E (or perhaps any rule set) but the truth is the rules inform a style of play. 5E centers around balanced set-piece encounters which turns it into a series of war-games acted out between the DM and players. I say “acted out” because “balance” is a code word for winnable.

This is an important point because the idea that one can run an old school open world (or sandbox) game in 5E is not incorrect but it is somewhat more onerous. Preparing battle maps and planning balanced set piece encounters and knowing how to play fairly complex monsters optimally is a simple matter when you know where the players will be next. When you have no idea where the players will go next or what level they’ll be when they get there preparing set piece encounters is much more difficult.

Then there is the matter of engagement. 5E has fantastic character creation, advancement and customization options. The cost of that system is the player engages more with the character sheet than with the game the DM is running. Picking feats, placing ASIs choosing new paths and abilities are all greater than facing the challenges in the game. It is in fact rare to see a party face a challenge that can’t be solved by rolling some skill or worse just kicking in every door and attacking every monster.

In the end 5E like 4E plays like a a pencil and paper video game. Sure 4E was a complete departure from how D&D worked in the past but 5E is in the final analysis a veneer of classic tropes over a video game like system. That doesn’t necessarily make it a bad game. But it does make it a game that grows tedious over time.

What I yearn for, and what I suspect many others yearn for even if 5E was their first RPG is fewer rules and more imagination. When I read a room description I want to hear the players describe how they search instead of hearing the clatter of investigation roles. When there is scouting to be done I want the palpable risk of sending one or two party members ahead instead of group stealth. I want players who ask, “What does the party need,” instead of just describing their awesome build.

For certain there is nothing new or unique in this. “Murder hobo” was coined long ago. 2E was rife with splat books full of questionable kits. Monty Hall games haunted DMs leading to over the top adventures like “Tomb of Horrors.” Every system is in some way an arms race between the players and the DM.

But I yearn for simplicity. Small monster stat blocks. Random encounter tables. Rulings over rules. 32 page modules. Pulp fantasy.

Therein is the largest failure of modern games for me. At some point the notion that all fantasy must be epic fantasy took root. This is of course another legacy of older games. 2E saw the advent of the “campaign” style game. The campaign style game by its nature requires the players to board the plot train. It’s a style of play I’ve seen some embrace but by and large my players have always rebelled.

What players seem to really want is to bow before no one. To assert their will by force of arms and personality over the world. To reject the offer of a kingdom and instead carve one out by their own hand. In short Conan is greater than Frodo. OSR games deliver that experience and others and not inconsequentially offer them DM a default style of play that I love and in my experience players respond to.

What’s Next

Over the past few years I’ve been collecting RPGs. Upon review I must reluctantly admit the lion’s share of my collection is merely older versions of D&D and their derivatives. There are however some unique games in my collection and a few others I’d add to if the opportunity to play them presented itself. So the next chapter in my DMing career is about creating those opportunities.

As in the past I will present a campaign synopsis to my players. Knowledge of systems and ownership of game materials will be optional in all cases.

Unlike past games I’m intending, at least for a time, to leave the multi-year campaign behind in favor of more and shorter games. I want to keep adventures short with clear plots, create opportunities to try more games and hopefully allow more people who’ve expressed an interest in joining my games the opportunity to do so.

I know some of you may have concerns. A few of you prefer to stick with a single system. Some of you may wish to opt out of certain games in favor of others. That is of course okay. Part of the goal of running more and shorter games is to allow my players to opt in to what sounds fun and not have to wait several years before the next game begins if they choose to opt out.

In conclusion there will be a lot more games. A lot more fun. And hopefully a few more people to enjoy it all with.