Whatever you play: D&D 2014, D&D 2024, Level Up Advanced 5E, or Tales of the Valiant, just enjoy the game. It is long overdue to call for peace and understanding between the 5E communities and just enjoy the game. Any version of 5E is the same game, just slightly different flavors. At this point, if you play 5E, it is just the choice of which Raisin Bran cereal you like. They are all raisin bran, so who really cares?
I play Tales of the Valiant for a few reasons. One, I am starting to see the "platform lock-in" of Wizards and D&D's current direction as being too close to Microsoft and its intrusiveness, and the game's surrender to AI tools and systems. I don't want that future, so I vote with my wallet and the blog I write.
I like to own my PDFs.
I choose to support a company with an open license and publishing model.
Midgard, Deep Magic, the Kobold Press monster books, the adventures, and all the great stuff Kobold Press publishes are strong supports, and I enjoy them all. So it is not just political, I found a vendor that puts out great work, and I support them. They make great stuff, and just focusing on ToV and the KP books is a fantastic experience.
The Black Flag open license supports my right to create for their system and publish wherever I want. I am not limited to a dying D&D Beyond with its overload of AI-slop content. If that marketplace dies, so does most third-party D&D 2024 support (outside of the Creative Commons).
Kobold Press respects old-school players and doesn't censor the monster list out of overblown political correctness. Orcs are in tales of the Valiant, Level Up A5E, Shadowdark, and every previous edition of D&D, and we are all fine. Nobody's been hurt. People know the difference. Please stop trying to protect us. We are adults and can distinguish between fantasy and reality.
I put in a few positive reasons because it is crucial to explain why you like a version of the game, not just be negative about one side. If Tales of the Valiant did not exist, I would be playing Level Up. If that didn't exist, I would still be with 2014 D&D. I have written off 2024 D&D, but if you like it, great. It is not all that much different than what I am playing. A person with a New York accent can still speak to someone with a Texas accent, and that is the difference between us.
We should not be down on our choice of game, the flavor we like to play, or even 5E itself. If you trash 5E as a "garbage system" and are only talking about D&D, then you are doing a disservice to everyone who plays a 5E clone or variant.
That said, I do have some huge problems with 5E and its lethality and too-easy healing. I have made this well known, and it riles some. Someone could get repeatedly stabbed by a sword and sleep it all off, and be fine the next day. That doesn't happen in real life. But this isn't real life! I know. This is the "but this is fantasy" argument that assumes fantasy is a single thing rather than many things in many flavors.
This is a preference for higher stakes and healing that is not so easy. I should not have to abandon 5E if this is how I feel. I can houserule the game or use a 3rd-party hardcore mode book. I can mod and tune my game. This is just like Skyrim, and I can make changes and get this game playing exactly how I like it.
What is the difference between an OSR game and a modded 5E with OSR features? Let's put them on equal lethality and limit healing. 5E would have slightly more in-depth characters, while the OSR would have a better hit point scale. Once I tweak 5E to play in hardcore mode, there isn't much difference between what I can build and what I can play in any OSR game.
Modded 5E: Character builds, advantage and disadvantage, and luck.
OSR: Flat hit point scale, easier characters, and classic gameplay.
Am I saying "you don't need OSR games?" Not really. If you like how they play and the simplicity of a straightforward OSR game, dive right in. Nothing beats the beer-and-pretzels, 3d6 down-the-line, simple BX and 1E gameplay. This is classic fantasy gaming at its best.
If you like the "5E system" and the "advanced character builds," then try modding the game with one of the hardcore play options and see if you like it. 5E does the modern-style MMO character builds very well, and if that is how you want your deeper characters, be happy, play the game you like, and mod the game for an OSR challenge level.
If you don't like Wizards, don't play D&D. Play Level Up Advanced 5E or Tales of the Valiant. If you haven't, give them a try. You will have a great 5E experience with zero drama and great support. Level Up has great character builds and pillars of play, but it heavily modifies the base game.
Tales of the Valiant has near-perfect 2014 D&D compatibility, so if you have lots of legacy books, this may work better for you.
But don't walk away from 5E because you are angry at Wizards. You have options. You can stay positive and still play the games you own. If others still like and play D&D, they are playing the same game as you. You just choose a different set of books to play with.
Play the games you love. Modify them and make them your own. Embrace positivity and community. Also, don't let negativity make you feel "that you wasted good money on a trash game." Internet comments can put you in that mindset. Change to A5E or ToV, and keep the game going. Remain positive. Have adventures. Play your game for fun.
But overall, it is time to reduce the negativity in the hobby, among those outside it in the OSR, and among those playing whatever version of 5E they like, and just play together.
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