3 Reasons DCC RPG is More Fun (& 3 It's More Flawed) Than DnD 5e

How does the OSR RPG Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC) compare to DnD 5e? I'm diving into the gonzo action and chaotic magic that make DCC RPG insanely fun, from the character funnel to the threat of constant doom. But I also look at DCC's flaws, like complex rules, lack of character customization, and slow progression.

If you love the DIY, deadly, anything-goes feel of OSR games and don't mind rules complexity, DCC's gonzo old school renaissance charm may be right for you. But if you prefer 5e's streamlined gameplay and deep character building, its flaws could outweigh the chaotic fun. Watch this head-to-head battle between an OSR RPG and a modern classic to see if Goodman Games' beloved Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG is the fantasy heartbreaker you've been craving or overhyped nostalgia.

With its memorable adventures and emphasis on luck over planning, DCC stands out in the OSR scene for better and worse. If you enjoy impromptu storytelling and managing chaos, Dungeon Crawl Classics' magic might be worth the madness.

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00:00 Intro
00:40 Character Funnel
02:18 Crazy Action
03:30 Chaotic Magic
05:17 Complex Rules
06:38 Character Customization
08:10 Slow Progression
09:25 The Final Verdict

#osr #dnd5e #review #dnd #ttrpg #DCCrpg #osrgaming #dungeoncrawlclassics #goodmangames #fantasy #roleplaying #tabletopgaming #dungeonsanddragons #dndcommunity #shortreststudios

[shortreststudios]

Why Every DnD Gamer Must Try Dungeon Crawl Classics Now! 🎲💕⚔️

[MichaelSpredemann]

I agree with everything except the complexity of DCC. It's different but not more complex than D&D. I'd argue that it is actually less complex in terms of rules to remember and math.

[frankb]

Any game that isn't giving money to Hasbro/Wizards is good imo.

[NKKENWAITS]

I have to disagree on the "complexity" note. DCC isn't necessarily more complicated, it's not like you need to memorise tables and tables of stuff, you just roll on them when appropriate. Because ofthat I've found it's actually easier, and theres less crap to always be remembering and less pouring over the character sheet. (But hey I'm more of a rules lite guy anyways so what do I know)

[matthewconstantine]

DCC is such a blast. I've never been a D&D fan, but DCC does for me what I always felt D&D promised and never delivered. It's one of the only level-based game that I enjoy.

[johnsmith]

I have been running a DCC campaign for 2 years now. Absolutely the best game on the market. As far as character “customization” you’re limited by your imagination. Goodman Games figures right that there doesn’t have to be a rule for every little detail of the game and just let players have fun. Accordingly, if you want to play a specific type of character, there are many ways to make that happen.

[JudgeShadowfoot]

I switched to DCC about a year ago and never looked back. My favorite element is the Luck skill. It is so versatile. Is there an open window to sneak in? Roll me a luck check. Falling over a cliff? Roll a luck check to catch the edge. I have used it so much to react to something random my players have asked.

[Gaalification]

7:24 that picture brings to me sweet memories. Found it when scavenging in my older brother room, I was like 7 or 8. Found the Red Box, and since then, this image stood in my mind, together with the one of the evil wizard casting magic missile (poor cleric).

[GrandNagusEli]

Good video. I do believe you overstate DCC's complexity while underselling 5e's complexity but I like the video

[Dracomut]

Thanks for a great video that fairly compares the two systems. DCC is something I love greatly and encourage everyone to play, yet I also won't lie I have lost track of the amount of times I've been legit disgusted by its rules (I would rather die than make class and race the same thing)

[Madjllyfish]

I think there is something really nuanced about the way DCC works. A level 1 DCC character is more complex to run than a 5e level 1, but that's where it stays. Level 4+ 5e characters start getting way more complex really fast.

[tbruce]

I've only played in one DCC one-off session where we ran a character funnel. It was a blast and I would definitely play again if given a chance.

[tychay]

I'd have kept the complexity in terms of the funky dice and the sheer volume of rules/tables, but it's definitely simpler than 5e. 5e is only simpler/streamlined compared to 4e and Pathfinder.

In addition, I'd say a related flaw of DCC is a byproduct to the "rulings over rules" aspect of OSR. There's an inherent advantage to newer players on knowing there is a (likely play tested) rule for nearly anything that can come up in a 5e table, but that isn't in effect. This would make 5e more fun to them (as well as D&D has a lot of pop culture understanding, but you really have to go down a rabbit hole to get to where DCC starts unless you started playing in the late 1970's or early 1980's).

I'd combine all this "funky dice", "volume of rules/tables", and the "rulings over rules" to reword the flaw as being: DCC shouldn't be your first RPG and that goes up by 10x if you are the DM/Judge (game master).

[GlennWilson-cu]

Played first D&D in 1974, own DCC rules/books, owned/played many FRPGs (and SFRPGs since Star Guard) and find it is simpler to play home brew than be slaved to ANY set/edition of rules. Made two worlds from scratch and starting a third with 2014 base with toned down spell casters. The jump from 3E to 5E spells over corrected spell casters. Not sure what happened with 4E… in so many ways.

[michaelmullenfiddler]

I am an old school player. In my brief contact with 5e, what I noticed was they stay pretty faithful to the basic central mechanic (roll to match a target number, and when in doubt the game master can assign advantage/disadvantage. Elegantly simple) but there are a bazillion feats, each which might be it's own little exception to the rules, and sometimes kinda complicated. And to me all the options in character progression add to complexity: sometimes I just want simplicity in character development. DCC has the simplest character development, and DCC has a few fiddlie subsystems (luck, deeds, etc) but they aren't complicated. In fact, the Mighty Deeds thing (as an example) encapsulates many of the feats that make 5e such a headache to run (so I hear...). That one little--extremely simple, easy to grasp--Deeds mechanic is so smooth and easy to use. It is a delight, and ultra simple. That's just one example. I think the only mechanic in DCC that is, itself, truly complicated, is spell duels. But I don't care: I can hardly wait to witness one of THOSE. Lol

[Utube]

5e is for people who want to Roll/Play. DCC is for people who want to Roleplay.

[stillmattwest]

Great video and comparison of the two systems!

I'm running a DCC campaign right now, plus a shorter adventure in DCC Horror, and it is a lot of wild fun. DCC delivers thrills instead of deep mechanics.
But, I have to say, my favorite thing about DCC isn't the system itself, its the adventures. Goodman Games has some of the best writers in the business, like Brandon LaSalle and the legendary Harley Stroh.

One could easily run the DCC games in any OSR system and they would be just as fun. A few of their modules have even been converted to 5E, and I recommend them across the board. Their latest module (a boxed set, actually) is called The Music of the Spheres is Chaos, and it features a dungeon map with multiple spinning parts that can move independently of each other. Even better, they do this based on the manipulation of an in-game magic item that the players control. Oh, and by the way, that device also alters the nature of reality inside the dungeon. I've never seen anything like it.

Bottom line, while DCC isn't to everyone's taste, it delivers on the gonzo, edge-of-your-seat fun in every adventure. You can't play it expecting it to be 5E because its a totally different kind of game, but its a fun way to run a campaign and I'd recommend people open up their minds and give it a try.

[jamesrickel]

I recently built out a combat ranger character in 5th edition. In playing I realized my numbers and dice were the same as all the other maxed out players. I started seeing 5th edition as 4th edition and thought screw this. Yesterday I played my first DCC game, it was awesome fun.

[Skulliver-tq]

Totally adore DCC .The dull, slow "murder math" of 5e had me really burned out. I'd seen all the optimized build gimics and parties were seldom in any danger. An important thing about DCC is that you don't really have a "build". Random stats, random spells...you just kinda gotta go with it. Dwarves all Dwarf Dwarflingly. Elves Elf, Halflings Halfling (and get used as a luck battery). We ended up with some great characters and had wild adventures. Halflings dual wielding in a mad panic are amazing. DCC starting PCS are quite weak but at higher levels they can punch at a 5e Characters level of whupass.

Winning feels like wining in DCC because you beat the odds without having flawless control of how you entered into the situation. There is risk. Your PCS can die, or be maimed, or killed when their own wizard goes nova on a failed spell check.

Mighty deeds of arms make fighters and Dwarves potentially the most amazing they can be. Getting to roll on a chart or make essentially a custom feat just right for the moment is so far from "I attack".

5e is THE AVENGERS AT REN FAIRE.

DCC is utterly bonkers 70's fantasy van art and OG heavy metal fantasy. Part of the way they make that alive is with the weird dice. rather than getting numerical bonuses, you shift up and down the dice chain. In the early days of RPGs that DCC is attempting to capture all the dice were weird. the hobby was new, fresh and a dangerous and bizarre landscape of inspirational weirdness.

Goodman games is also really generous with their publishing deals for aspiring authors, they are generous with demos and swag and really want to help the community of players thrive.

[marcraygun]

I am always impressed that lamentations of flame princess rpg has a first level spell ( summon demon) that can go so wrong it destroys the world