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I ran a 4e game back in the day, but I was not enamored of it, and the disconnect between player and character bothered my players, some of whom I still game with. They especially didn’t like the per-encounter and per-day martial powers: “I get the gamist reason, but I don’t get the in-world...

OP here. A Fey Warlock can Misty Step without spending a spell slot 4 or 5x/day at 3rd-level. I thought I heard Crawford say the Goliath’s growth power got bumped back from 5th-level to 3rd. If not, I take it back about growing to giant size at early levels, but the Warlock thing is 100%...

Late Antiquity works great. There’s not as much heavy armor, but it generally fits the vibe. Most D&D settings are a hodgepodge of Medieval, Iron and Bronze Age cultures. Looking at other technology, I once fell deeply down the rabbit hole that the lateen sail and a full keel hull both existed...

True, but it can (does?) still affect the fantasy. If guns exist, and have been invented recently, what use do I have for a magic sword lying in some musty old crypt? That changes the genre. If the game is about exploration, the world can still be fun (as Eberron is), but now we probably need...

Because if you know anything about science, it’s hard to justify why guns don’t lead inexorably (and quickly!) to the Age of Enlightenment and thence to the modern era. Just over 400 years passed from the arquebus to the Colt Peacemaker. The Blackpowder era passed in an eye-blink of history...

It's in the name. ;) More seriously, after reading all 14 pages of posts, I actually want to answer the question the OP asked, which is why I prefer a "medieval milieu" for my D&D. Firstly, I want to start by quoting from the Mentzer Red Box (emphasis mine): "Imagine: it is another place...

Pondering more directly my plans, I have downloaded all the suggestions y'all gave that I could find free pdf's of (OSE, Low-Fantasy Gaming, Dragonbane, Hyperborea, and several others). When I have some more dough, I'll make sure to send my cash to the ones I end up using the most, as I do like...

And admonishments against "Monty Haul" style gaming were literally everywhere. A lot of DMs and groups ignored them, obviously, and come 3e, Cook and Tweet institutionalized high-magic settings in the ruleset. And the designers seem to have never really considered walking that back. Wahoo...

Yeah, it probably would, but I'm old enough that I don't want to have to learn to GM a dozen new game systems. Over the years, other than the D&D and d20 variants (too many to list), I've run or played long(ish) campaigns of Top Secret, S.I., d6 Star Wars (extensively), Shadowrun, Cyberpunk...

Re-check that. In 1e, Bard was an optional prestige class. Yes, Magic-Users, Clerics and Druids had spells, but Druid shapeshifting? That was a 7th-level ability. As for the others, yes, Paladins had some magical powers early. They got Lay on Hands, Detect Evil, Protection from Evil...

Oops! That is probably right - I got them mixed up.

I have heard things about the author of Dragonbane that lead me not to want to send him money, but I'll give it a look if I can find a free download somewhere. ;)

I just want to say that I appreciate the conversation, even where people don't agree. Just knowing that it's "not just me" is helpful. :) I'll ponder some of the ideas and suggestions and may eventually share my heavily kit-bashed Homebrew rules as I hammer them out. Just in case anyone would...

That was the intention of my post, yes. I can (and do) make rulings when I need to, but I don't enjoy feeling so much like I'm winging it all the time.

I guess what I want is that lower-magic old-school vibe without the killer dungeons, quirky subsystems, and having to rely so much on DM fiat. And I say that as the guy who usually ends up as the DM. It'd be nice if I didn't feel like I was having to make up new rules every session. ;)

Honestly, money permitting, I'll probably buy the 2024 books for completeness and to mine for ideas: the only edition of the game I don't own is the Rules Cyclopedia (and the Mentzer ECMI Boxed sets, but that's a side issue). But I rather like that I have a complete set of D&D Editions. ;)

I like a lot of what I see with DCC (I love roll to cast and "Mighty Deeds of Arms"), but I have three big issues with it: 1) The Zocchi dice: I'm not buying a whole bunch of new dice to play a new game system. Just not happening. I generally think Advantage is more elegant. 2) I can't stand...

My issue is in part that I love the d20 resolution mechanic. I find it elegant as hell. It's just swingy enough that the story changes based on the outcomes of the die rolls, which is my issue with the more narrative-focused RPG systems: I like the game to surprise me. Applying the same "d20...

Funny, maybe I was half-remembering one of those old articles. I think I still have those issues laying about. Perhaps I should go check. :unsure:

So, this may feel like a strange thread, but I hope people will bear with me. I have been playing and DM'ing "Dungeons & Dragons" since the early-80s, and I am feeling more and more like there is no place in the hobby where I truly "fit" anymore. I grew up with the mechanical simplicity of B/X...