As I somewhat touched on in this post itch.io is basically full of $2 garbage minimalist games shat out over a weekend and therefore both have no value and no worth in any way. This has not changed. This will not change. Minimalist games outside of FKR are shit and inside of FKR are only not shit based on the GM in question as FKRing isn't RPGing. RPGs have to have two things:
A somewhat complex, identifiable system that distinguishes them from the next game. Idiots out there think AD&D +30 pages of houserules is AD&D. It is not. It is a shitbrew. Identity is important in mechanics and distinguishes play and pronounces certain aspects of play. A shitbrew is fine, but should never be considered the original game. If you say "LFG for Holmes D&D" and what you're actually bringing to the table including your houserules looks something like AD&D1E's retarded step-brother named Cletus, you are falsely advertising that game. That is because mechanical identity in games is important.
Recently some ass tried to tell me the best D&D was shitbrew D&D. This is entirely inaccurate. Because it entirely depends on how the house rules are designed, per this post. This person is a moron and designed what amounts to a shitbrew on itch. His anonymity will be maintained merely to facilitate my own anonymity. Now there are good quality shitbrews out there, which got published into games with their own name, and distinct mechanical... identity.
The best D&D is archetypal D&D which is set by AD&D1E. The OSR early on created a better version of AD&D1E with less bullshit and toned up mechanics called OSRIC. OSRIC is therefore more AD&D than AD&D. I explain this in more depth in this post. So the best D&D game by D&D's measure is OSRIC full stop.
Another way to prove my point: If I took AD&D1E and removed everything that differs from Dragon Warriors, then filled any design gaps with Dragon Warriors, what game am I playing in the end? The answer is Dragon Warriors. Anyone who says AD&D1E is a moron who doesn't understand games' mechanical identity.
The dissolution of understanding the quality of mechanical identity I blame on minimalist trash coming out. Some of it is good. Chris MacDowell seems to be a decent fellow though he produces games that could only spuriously be called games. He's good at layout. Most of these minimalist games aim for layout over actual words/rules/etc. This is a mistake. Aesthetics are for the gym. RPGs should be made with nerds in mind. Brainy, mathy motherfuckers.
Take ShadowDark. I know, you don't remember this game because it came out 6 months ago and was identical in all respects to Five Torches Deep and half a dozen other 5E-OSR shitbrews nobody plays or cares about, but that is just my point. It has no mechanical identity. 40 people made games identical to Knave or Maze Rats after Ben Milton got his idiot audience to fork over dollars for pdfs he shat out over a short weekend. Professor Dungeonmaster did the same thing to his audience of imbeciles with Deathbringer. The only Mork Borg game with any mechanical identity (including the core) is Pirate Borg and Wightchester, and the second one isn't even a full game by itself. All these games are so murky their practically interchangeable. And none of them are D&D. They aren't even OSR.
