I say go with a narrow-wide chainring. They're available in a wide variety of tooth counts and BCD's, and aren't all that expensive in the big picture when you are building up a drivetrain as it sounds like you're doing. Especially with the clutch-type RD you mention, you will eliminate chain drop as a concern. Not all that many years ago, chain retention devices were common and necessary on many 1x setups. With narrow-wide chainrings, those days are gone for the most part.