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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kenada" data-source="post: 8741358" data-attributes="member: 70468">OSR play favors not balancing challenges against the PCs’ capabilities, but I don’t think it eschews balance entirely as a matter of principle. Moldvay Basic (which is a common base for OSR games) is a pretty tightly designed game and stands up well to modern games if you ignore some changes in preferences (such as for unified resolution). Of course, there are differences of opinion on how to effect balance. Casters in particular are balanced in OSR games by systemic limitations rather than by effecting mathematical equivalence.With that said, I think the OP has a valid complaint. The systemic limitations don’t work when you want to do something other than what the system expects. If you are embracing domain play, that title gives fighters considerable resources they can bring to bear. It also gives you political connections and influence the magic-user is not likely to have. However, if you just want to do high level adventures (like going plane hopping or whatever), the domain stuff feels like background fluff compared to the magic-user who still gets to do cool stuff regardless.Most of my OSR experience is with systems like Old-School Essentials and Worlds Without Number. I was going to suggest possibly modifying OSE to add some of the things the OP wants. For example, replacing the skill mechanic is easy. I started with B/X as a base for my homebrew system* and have modified it significantly, but I can still use stuff like monsters and adventures with it. However, if you are sticking with OSE classes, then you’re going to eventually hit the point where what you want diverges from what the system does.Actually, while it is not my favorite system, [USER=7031770]@Ondath[/USER] have you looked at Worlds Without Number? It leans more modern than OSE does. It has a skill system and saving throw categories that mesh better with modern sensibilities. Warriors are also very capable killing machines while casters are greatly restrained in the spells they can cast, but WWN spells are much more powerful individually than D&D one are, so it’s not like casters are terrible. WWN also has some really good referee-side tools for generating setting and adventure material.[HR][/HR]* I almost suggested it to be cheeky, but aside from not being at all ready for public consumption, it wouldn’t meet the requirements. It’s not simulation-first. It’s more like OSR with a narrativist orientation.</blockquote>

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