Many tabletop RPGs did not become bloated by accident. Bloat is a business outcome.
When a game answers to investors, growth often means more books to sell. New rules. New feats. New subsystems. Revisions that quietly make older material feel outdated. Players are asked to relearn the game and pay another $50 just to keep up.
Over time, play slows down. Tables stop trusting their instincts and start checking references. Simple moments turn into rule lookups. The game becomes harder to teach, harder to run, and harder to enjoy - especially for parents, new players, and busy people.
Open Dungeons goes the opposite direction.
There are no investors demanding constant expansion. No pressure to inflate the rules to justify another hardcover. The goal is not endless growth - it is a game that stays playable.
The core rules are short, stable, and complete. You do not need stacks of books to run a great session. You do not need to rebuy the game every few years.
That freedom matters.
When the rules stop expanding, play opens up. The Dungeon Narrator can make calls without fighting the system. Players can act without scanning character sheets for the perfect option. The table spends more time imagining and less time calculating.
Less bloat means less friction. Less friction means more play.
That is the point.