I was able to see additional art inside the book. I really enjoyed it. I have generally moved away from “disposable” characters…but this has a lot of appeal for me for some odd reason.
I just got barrowmaze for 5e and have been enjoying it…and so started looking at his other products.
May end up purchasing…may wait…but the art for clerics and monks and paladins struck a chord with me.
I know you can use any reference art you want but was happy with erol otus cover for barrowmaze and to see Holloway here and there too. Dragonslayer looks to have even more classic artists…tempting…
But it may be too funnel-y for me. I can accept character death when it happens, but I like a little continuity…I like strategy, tactical withdrawals and planning…this is on my list anyway.
There are so many great OSR games to play at the moment! I honestly haven't found "the perfect one" yet, so kind of just rotate them to match whatever system the module I'm running is based on. For games that I actually write my own adventures for, that would be Shadowdark for simple crawls and Without Number games for actually world building.
I mostly picked this up for the great artwork, but was pleasantly surprised how much I like the rules too. To maybe address some of your concerns:
Lethality - Not as bad as B/X based clones. This is thanks to using AD&D HD (like d10 for Fighter, not d8), starting at max HP, not dying at 0, and additional Class Features (like Cleave for Fighter) . There is also a Bind Wounds action that can be done after fights that heals 1d3 hp. Finally, if a PC does die, if they are ritualistically cremated the next character you roll up gets bonus XP (and honestly, I'd steal the ACKS version of this since it's more generous).
Strategy/Tactics - Very strong in this game and what the system is built around. For instance, maneuvering to get advantages (like flanking and/or high ground) is a must since the "To-Hit" chances are lower in this game. "Combat as war" is very much a consideration and even encouraged throughout the text.
Overall though, it is meant to be a tough game for tough players. The Appendices offer some really solid advice on how to survive though (like making use of retainers as "meatshields").
For instance, regarding combat:
If you choose to engage in direct melee combat with monsters, remember this: it’s the Maze Controller’s job to kill you. Don’t give him or her that chance. If you want to survive, keep combat dice out of the Maze Controller’s hands.
And XP:
If you want to succeed, gold, gold, and more gold. Lie, cheat, spy, connive, and/or sneak your way past monsters and steal their loot. Loot everything. Gut their bellies open. Skin monster hides. Loot the bodies of monstrous humanoids. Pull out their gold teeth.
Consider other possibilities: Does a local wizard need zombie skin as a rare spell component? Can we sell those hobgoblin weapons? Buy a mule and carrying everything back to town.
Both statements seem to back up what you have in mind.
