Sometimes it’s hard to not sound like a grumpy old person. “Games used to be different back in my day”. OK, sure grandma/pa, sure they were. And they were. And it was fine. But they’re different now and that’s OK too.
Older games were frequently tougher. Your characters died frequently. Maybe that was a hangover from back when people had to have a dozen children just so they could have one or two make it to the ripe old age of 30 before succumbing to old age.
OK, so in-game perma-death is less frequent. What’s the big deal? What? Now the minis are too detailed? They’re spindle and breakable too? That’s a hill I might take my last stand on… But, the good news is that old minis are still largely available on the secondhand market, as well as old games. And, if you’re so inclined, there are some (not a lot, mind you) of 3D sculptors out there that still design 80s/90s style minis.
So play your games how you like. House-rules were a thing in the ancient past too. In fact, lots (I hesitate to say most, but maybe most) of games recommended right in the rulebooks to make up your own rules. Make the game your own. You aren’t restricted like you are with a video game. Your only limit is your imagination and the pliability of your gaming companions.
If your gaming crew doesn’t like perma-death, go ahead and tone it down a bit. If they can have fun with a rouge-like character destroyer, that’s OK too. Just don’t overdo it and make sure everyone is having fun.
I’m sure there are plenty of hardheaded gamers out there that still love to gate-keep and be curmudgeonish. But I haven’t seen as much of it online lately, nor in person. I think we’re starting to get out of the leaded-gasoline era of human brains and maybe we’ll come out better on the other side.
