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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Malmuria" data-source="post: 8497906" data-attributes="member: 7030755">Weak and hero/superhero are relative, but I think the point of comparison would be, say, 5e characters vs b/x characters.  A 5e warlock with eldritch blast certainly feels more reliable than a b/x magic user with one spell.  And I think the b/x character is supposed to be roughly similar to the average population.  Is that true of a 1st level 5e character?  If so then that suggests a world, that, if not high magic, one where magic is pervasive.The usual example is xp for gold instead of xp for combat.  Though I feel that rpg designers in general overestimate the effect that xp has on actual gameplay, there is something to be said for using xp as motivation for the player and maybe also the character.  5e characters still explore the world.  The idea is that xp-for-gold produces a different style of gameplay, one where the rewards of venturing further or lingering in the dungeon are weighed against the risks.  Whereas in 5e, a random encounter is the reward in the sense that it is more xp (though not the reward in the sense that it's not related to the 'story').Of course, all of these things have to do with the feel of the game, and there are many variables in play, not least being the particular dynamics of a given group.  But in my experience playing 5e it produces a different feel than playing osr games.</blockquote>