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10 Games LIKE D&D But BETTER (extended) (Patreon)

Published:
2023-04-09 11:41:45
Imported:
2026-06
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Videos

Content

PDM reviews his favorite D&D-inspired games. If you have trouble viewing this content, try a different OS or device. Enjoy!

Kicktarter Link fro Blood & Doom:  kickstarter.com/projects/dicetalegames/blood-and-doom

Files

Previews only

Top 10 Games .mp4

Comments

Bagel-Man

Excited to watch, keep up the great work PDM. Happy Easter

Brian Leet

Great video. I particularly appreciate how you can make clear delineation between these games which all feature such similar engines under the hood. I totally agree with you on what makes a game feel like DnD.

Gregory Helding

Excellent advice. I may use this as a shopping list to fill out my RPG bookshelf.

Mark Hanson

Cool to see C n C get a shoutout. One thing you didn't mention is CnC's skilless Siege Engine system which uses a character's stats (broken up into primary and secondary) in lieu of skill lists. But I realize you only have so much time and this wasn't intended as a review or deep dive into the system, which is my current favorite.

David Hightower

Great review! I, too, own and love OSE, C&C and Deathbringer! I've played them with friends and we loved the whole feel of them.

Chad Wilkerson

Happy Easter, PDM! Thanks for the holiday viewing material. This is something I'm excited to share with my middle school students. ❤️

David Hightower

I joined the Kickstarter for Shadowdark and I'm excited to get the book!! Castles and Crusades is probably the closest to what I want to play. It takes me back to AD and D 1st Edition. It's so easy for me to slip into that game. That darn D and D Beyond app is like a golden anchor. It's is so good, so intuitive, I love the App and so do my players. C and C creators, Troll Lord Games, are developing their own app, and I can't wait for the final product.

Cee-Jay

Reading OSE, I felt a) nostalgia for my D&D roots, b) relief for all the unnecessary rules, classes and stuff that's not present and c) exhilaration about the freedom and creativity possible in that extra space. And all of the Necrotic Gnome stuff is made with so much heart, creativity, skill and care. That said... DCC is so dang fun! At first glance it is crunchier than I would like, but dang the crunchiness is mostly in the right ways. I never thought I'd be interested in RPGs outside of classic medieval fantasy, but DCC has drawn me into MCC and Weird Frontiers because the quality of the modules and the feel of these games is so perfect... dark, strange, hilarious... and both mundane and epic at the very same time (and you have to have that back and forth... because something that is always epic quickly becomes always mundane... which is one of the downfalls of 5e in my view). I feel like Goodman Games are the ones who have taught me what D&D is really about. DCC is where I'm at these days, for sure. Any yet, I kickstarted Shadow Dark and I can definitely see that core rule set becoming my go to. One of the best things about OSR revival in my view, is that all of that stuff can be mixed and matched so easily. DCC's a little different (more like 3.5 I guess?), but still the adventures very easily convert to an OSR ruleset. There is already a lifetime's worth of great content in that larger ecosystem... as long as I have players, I'll be good to go. Thanks for another great video, PDM. PS: What you said at the end as part of your bonus content... that's why you are the only content creator I'm a Patron for. 5e is fine, but the fun and excitement is really with the independent games.

Daniel Defazio
>>105983347

Thanks for your support and letting me know why you support me. I need feedback so I know what fans want (this is why I-unlike WOTC--go to cons).

David Lake

I think you’ve zeroed in on the perfect purpose and mission of the channel—to highlight and showcase the “microbrew games.” I think you’ve nailed it and we’re all here for it. Also—can’t wait for our Shadowdark gear to arrive!

Jay

Happy Easter Everyone! PDM, I thoroughly enjoyed this review and I’m pleasantly surprised by the games you mentioned in addition to the fact you clearly stated you are tired of 5E. Those are my sentiments exactly!! I’m all in on supporting independent creators as well. Blood and Doom – I found the preview for this on DriveThru RPG a month ago and immediately backed it upon launch on Kickstarter. I’m SHOCKED you found interest in this game because this is in part a dice pool game. I actually prefer those over D20 type games for reasons of varying degrees of success and failure as well as a statistical level of competency rather than a random slot machine mechanic based mostly on luck. This is a Grim dark game with easy-to-understand rules too. 10 – Knave – Ben made a great game here and my favorite part of it is not pigeonholing characters into a Class. I see people as more complicated than a trope with talents and skills that may extend far beyond the scope of any job or profession. Hence characters should not be stuck to any particular predefined roles. Conan was a Barbarian but also a Pirate and Thief. These were skill sets rather than cookie cutter classes. For those who like classes, that’s fine. I play those games too but prefer more skill-based games. Great game! Will likely be backing Knave 2nd ED on Kickstarter. 9 – Deathbringer! Of course, it’s a fun grim dark game with simple rules and can get the game moving quickly. The spell tattooing is truly unique. It seems to give the caser almost at will spell casting like a superpower yet can be risky without being overpowered. This is an original idea and I think it’s cool. It’s been fun watching this game evolve on your channel. A Great game! 8 – The Black Hack. Looks cool and might read it sometime. Just not sure if my players will like this type of game. Its roll under game mechanic might seem a bit counterintuitive to them. Interesting review. 7 – Index Card RPG! This game is great for all the reasons you mentioned. With all the clear rules that cover multiple genres, with sensible game mechanics, and printable miniatures. This was one of the most innovative games I have seen since it came out. This game is brilliant! This game is still one of my favorites. 6 – Astonishing Swordmen and Sorcerers of Hyperboria – Looks cool based on the Conan style theme of the game and art but also seems like it might be just another AD&D clone. I will check this one out if there is a free preview or quick start version. 5 – Lamentations of the Flame Princess – A grim dark RPG for mature gamers. My group enjoys this type of game. This is a one-of-a-kind game with a great theme in my opinion and still refer back to the books for ideas. 4 – Dungeon Crawl Classics – A brutal RPG system that I find entertaining. Just important to always have a backup character on standby. However, in my opinion, the spell casting system is a bit too dangerous. It hinges on the unpredictable and swingy nature of a D20. Thus, a bit of bad luck and a series of bad rolls can make even a high-level caster seem incompetent or even destroy themselves or the group. This doesn’t seem heroic or capable to me. It seems more like RPG comedy in the style of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Aside from the spell casting system the rest is great. Just my two cents. 3 – Castles and Crusades – Haven’t read it yet. Seems cool and may get around to checking it out. Interesting review. 2 – Old School Essentials – Have it and read it. Just haven’t played it yet. It is a good iteration of the old BX system though. An easy read for those who want to play OSR. 1 – Shadowdark – You nailed it. This one is a bit of 5E mixed with OSR. The text is easy to read and understand. The rules are not overly complicated and maintain a grim dark theme my group and I enjoy. Look forward to receiving my pledge from Kickstarter when it arrives. However, I like many GMs, will be homebrewing this game as I do with all my games. I don’t use random anything. Those charts will be used but there will be choice based on what makes sense at the time. Honorable Mention – Five Torches Deep – Great game as well. Disclaimer - This is all just an opinion and doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things for anyone who might disagree. Happy gaming everyone.

Jay
>>105989759

FYI, Scotty just released EZD6 Book of Quests on DriveThru RPG if anyone is interested.

Agile Monk

Great Approach PDM. From that guy who had the chance to play with Gygax and Arneson on separate occasions back on the original days, you plan here is going to be fantastic, and what a lot of us are looking for. All the best. Happy Easter. He has Risen - He has Risen indeed. God Bless ❤️ John

SJBehindtheScreen
>>105989555

Great point. These games are where the old school feeling is, but at the same time where the innovation in our hobby is happening. All 10 of these games (I've played over half) are simply excellent ways to have fun with your friends. So glad to see the channel focus on them.

Randall Case

You missed one great Dungeons and Dragons game: Beyond the Wall and other Adventures. I think you'd love its take on character generation. It has ton of character classes, or archtypes, where players start with basic stats and players roll on a group of tables that build the character's stats, skills, and backstory with other characters. It also gives the DM information about the player's starting village/county and helps them build a game that revolves around the characters. Players have input on places and NPCs and the opening adventure incorporates that. I think you'd like these aspects of the game along with its simple mechanics.

The Rev

Great video as usual, Prof. Always excited to hear you talk about dnd alternatives. I did notice a couple mistakes in your rule summaries though: Kave ability scores are determined on 3d6 not 2d6 And LotFP is not death at 0hp, it's mortally wounded at -3 and instant death at -4. Not that these are big things, mind. Just pointing them out

NØKKEN_WAITS

A few of these I didn’t know about! This is great. Always love learning about cool new and alternative indie games. I appreciate your take and opinion on the ones you cover.

John

Castles and Crusades is one I have seen but have not had a chance to check out. Based on this review, I probably will now. Thanks. I am also curious if you have ever taken a look at The Dark Eye? I also think that saying you "rarely" pitch Kickstarters is getting to be a stretch. Some plug seems to be on most of the posts these days. Not that it is bad, I tend to check out the things you recommend to see what's going on, but the "I don't really do this" disclaimer doesn't mean what it did pre-OGL debacle.

Chuck Thorin

I have all those. Do I have a gaming problem? :) There's things I love about each and things that bug me.

Patrick Mastrobuono

I tried Castles n Crusades as an alternative to Pathfinder when they came out. I appreciated how it let me run 2 different combat encounters in 1/2 an hour, while in PF anr DnD that migh thave been just 1 round. Though I see it less a version of ADnD and more a streamlined version of 3rd edition. As that was what was out at the time. Similar to how you described Shadowdark as a combo of OSR and 5E. I also like the different tone it set. As you highlight the more grimdark offerings, CnC lore tapped into the more mythic mind set. Like Beowulf mixed with Legend, and yes Tolkien :)

MrGunn
>>106108352

@John. I had the same thought about PDM & Kickstarter, this is his third recent recommendation. No complaints for sure but me thinks the Professor doth protest a bit much. 😆 I am doing Shadowdark, HarnWorld, Swords and Wizardry, and Mothership. I plan to do Knave.

MrGunn
>>106030945

I think I have Beyond the Wall PDF from DTRPG, gonna have to reread. Thanks!

MrGunn

Thanks PDM for the recommendations. Low Fantasy RPG is an interesting roll under game. I would like to see some videos on games with different and or innovative game mechanics.

James C

Thank you PDM for covering more smaller independent companies. I can never attend some of the great popular conventions due to time and distance, so learning about games through your site really helps me see more different types of games. As always, I thoroughly enjoy all your content.

Bill Griggs

I would have liked to see Swords and Wizardry. It's kind of generic, but that's what I like about it. It's easy to just do stuff, you know?

John

I've picked up Lamentations of the Flame Princess now based on this and am REALLY impressed. I'd likely try to run a game except for one little problem...ONLY THE PLAYER'S CORE BOOK IS AVAILABLE. The new Referee's Core Book that goes with this one is apparently still in development. There was an earlier version of the game and there are still a few copies of that versions Referee's book available, but it is out of print and becoming extremely hard to find and expensive. There are also references in the Player's Book to dealing with things like large numbers of retainers, warfare and property which are pretty baked into things as part of what the system is for, but you need the other book. I REALLY like how this looks and will be on the lookout for the new book when it is available, the Character Design alone is about the best Old School that I have seen, but people should be aware that there are a lot of gaps they will have to home brew if they try to use it as is at the moment.