D&D 5E Least Favorite WotC 5E Book?

[MockingBird]

I don't HATE it as it has some good stuff in it, but Tasha's. I held out on it for a while before I finally bought it and it was the completionist in me that bought it. To me it marked a big change in 5e that I wasn't really ready for. Can't put my finger on it but it just felt that way.

I can't speak for books I don't have. I rather enjoy all the books I have bought.

The books I didn't buy below.

Acquisition Inc - the art style turned me off and I didn't want corporations in my game

Strixhaven - just didn't like the idea or world.

Ravnica - same as the above

Eberron - I think it has cool ideas but the steam punkyness and magitech turned me off. I may still pick up for world building study material.

Journeys - just didn't grab me

Keys - Got to admit, the magical train turned me off from the whole book...I know.

The few books I want but haven't bought yet for one reason or another.

Theros - I like the setting, loved the cards in MTG. Just haven't bought it yet

Princes of the Apocalypse - missed it when first released. I want it but I continue to see people say how poor it is.

 

[cbwjm]

Except its an international market and theres a long history of British and Eurooean style Magic Academies in literature which should have guided the designers

Maybe there are plenty of European style magic academies in literature, but I still don't think it should be surprising for the design to coloured by the designers own cultural experience.

 

[cbwjm]

A lot of people don't like the AcInq art style, and I get that if you're wanting a serious source book. However, if you want to see the art in something that you might find more suitable, one of the artists, Aviv Or, does a webcomic called up to 4 players which is a fun web comic about a group of friends playing savage worlds.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Mine would be Dungeon of the Mad Mage. I like the Yawning Portal stuff, but I've never been a fan of giant dungeons (I'm more of an oubliette fan). I just can't understand what everyone is even DOING down there.

 

[MockingBird]

Mine would be Dungeon of the Mad Mage. I like the Yawning Portal stuff, but I've never been a fan of giant dungeons (I'm more of an oubliette fan). I just can't understand what everyone is even DOING down there.

I like the idea of a massive mega dungeon spanning several floors. I just don't think I'd have the energy to play a huge dungeon crawl like that. I definitely know my group would get tired of it quickly.

 

[Kobold Stew]

This is the big one -->Tasha's Cauldron of Everything - Most of the content felt like power creep and scraping the bottom of the barrel. I absolutely hate and refuse to use the "build a race rules" from it.

Everyone's tastes are different. I suspect I go to Tasha's more often than any book other than the PHB.

EDIT: and re: power creep, I'd point to Xanathar's with Hexblade, Gloom Stalker, College of Glamour, and Elven Accuracy. Not saying it's absent from Tasha's but it's hardly unique, and there is so much that gets fixed for players, plus DM-sided things such as the amazing Sidekick rules and the Summon spells.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I like the idea of a massive mega dungeon spanning several floors. I just don't think I'd have the energy to play a huge dungeon crawl like that. I definitely know my group would get tired of it quickly.

I think that's it - it always SOUNDS like it's going to be fun to play and to run, but it never seems to work out that way. I've been involved either as DM or as a player in several attempts over the years to play a Megadungeon, and it's never lasted. Meanwhile, I've run many a plot-based game that has run to fruition. I guess it's just not for everyone.

I think one of the intentions of the book is that you'll "steal" a level for a homebrew dungeon, but if I'm going to do that, I'll probably just make the whole thing up myself.

 

[Parmandur]

Mine would be Dungeon of the Mad Mage. I like the Yawning Portal stuff, but I've never been a fan of giant dungeons (I'm more of an oubliette fan). I just can't understand what everyone is even DOING down there.

My hypothesis is that originally, the Manshoon part of Dragon Heist was going to be the more focused 1-5 of a storyline more focused on going directly after Halastar to stop a specific plan of his (which there are still hooks for in what we got).

 

[pukunui]

As an adventure, Dragon Heist is by far the worst. Yes, Hoard is linear, but my group had a lot of fun with it, whereas Dragon Heist is tonally incoherent and railroady in the worst ways (look at the advice re: what to do if the PCs get the macguffin before they're supposed to).

I actually really liked Storm King’s Thunder, both as a player and a DM. I made some changes to it, though, and I had players who enjoy open world games like Skyrim, which may have helped.

Acquisitions Incorporated. Only hardcover for 5E I haven't bought, but I guess I have it on Beyond because they gave it away for free at some point, and I have the free Beyond account largely to get free stuff.

Just not my cup of tea: art style doesn't do it for me, the "office comedy" just isn't what I want in D&D.

If you ignore all the Acq Inc trade dress, underneath there’s actually a solidly decent set of rules for running a business as part of a D&D game.

The included adventure’s not half bad either.

 

[Parmandur]

Princes of the Apocalypse - missed it when first released. I want it but I continue to see people say how poor it is.

It's not the best Adventure in 5E, but it's pretty good: it certainly set the mold WotC ended up mostly using to good effect, transitioning from the railroad of Tyranny of Dragons to a sandbox region. If you like the idea, I'd say it's worthwhile.