Should You Switch from 5e to OSR? A GM's Honest Take

I started with 5e. Lost Mine of Phandelver, running before I’d even played as a player. I loved it. But then I discovered the OSR and everything changed.

This isn’t about one being better than the other. It’s about fit. And honestly, OSR fits my brain better.

Why 5e Wasn’t Working For Me

Look, 5e is a fantastic game. Old Swords Reign is based on it. But certain things didn’t fit my play style:

Too many rules. I was constantly trying to find the right rule for every situation. Players often knew the lore better than me. Prep took forever compared to running old school games.

I didn’t feel like a player. I was always steering people back on track with published modules. Following a linear story. Knowing what was coming.

No surprises. I love being surprised at my own table. With 5e modules, that rarely happened.

What OSR Actually Means

Here’s the core concept: rulings over rules.

Minimal skills. Minimal feats. That doesn’t mean minimal options - it actually opens up MORE things players can do. They stop looking at their character sheet to decide what to do next. They start looking at the situation.

This changes everything.

When you’re making rulings based on “is this reasonable?” and asking your players the same question, something shifts. It stops feeling like GM versus players. You become the world. They interact with it.

The Prep Revolution

This is the big one for time-poor GMs.

With 5e, I prepped stories. With OSR, I prep situations, motivations, and locations. That’s it. I don’t prep what NPCs will do. I don’t create solutions to problems. I just set up the world and let players crash into it.

Players are more intelligent than you. Maybe you’re smarter than one player, but you’re definitely not smarter than four or five combined. They’ll come up with solutions you’d never think of. So stop trying to predict them.

At the end of each session, ask: “Where do you want to go next?” Then only prep that bit. Done.

The Tools That Make It Work

Random encounters - Roll them before the game if you’re nervous. Have them on cards ready to throw in.

Reaction rolls - When players encounter something, it doesn’t automatically hate them. It has its own stuff going on. Combined with squishier characters, the default action stops being “hit it with a sword.”

Resources matter - HP, spell slots, torches, food, time. These create tension. Tension creates hard decisions. Hard decisions make games memorable.

Rolling dice in the open - Players see everything. I don’t fudge. Poor decisions kill characters, not me.

The Character Investment Shift

5e character creation is a game by itself. Players invest hours building backstories and optimising builds. The problem? That makes losing the character devastating.

In OSR games, characters develop through play. Their stories emerge from what happens at the table. Players start investing in the world and the story, not just their character sheet.

I’ve had players create entire towns and villages during play. “My character came from here.” That’s world-building happening organically. And it means losing a character hurts, but it’s part of the story, not the end of it.

Being Fair (Not Soft)

Telegraph lethality. I don’t like “you didn’t check the door correctly, roll poison save or die.” That’s not a choice. Give players information so their decisions matter.

Don’t hide information. You’re their senses. Your job is giving them what they need to make choices, then letting those choices have consequences.

Running away is always an option. In 5e with balanced encounters, players know they can probably win. In OSR, sometimes the smart play is to run. Fight another day.

You Don’t Have To Go All-In

This isn’t all or nothing. There are games in the middle - Old Swords Reign, plenty of others - that use 5e mechanics but embrace the OSR attitude.

Take the bits that appeal to you:

• Less prep? Great.
• Emergent story? Try it.
• Rolling dice in the open? See what happens.

Start Here

Two resources changed how I GM:

Maze Rats - A few pages of GM rules at the back inspired everything. I’ve done a full video on it.

Principia Apocrypha - Free PDF. Even if you never leave 5e, there’s stuff in here that will make your table better.

Bottom Line

OSR is an attitude more than a ruleset. Less prep. More story unfolding at the table. Changed relationship with players where I genuinely don’t know what’s going to happen next session.

For me, that’s more fun. Your mileage may vary. But at least now you know what you’re missing.