April's D&D Feedback Survey Results

WotC has revealed the results of its latest monthly feedback survey. Last month's survey dealt with game scheduling habits, character races, and Adventurer's League content. Additionally, a new survey has been posted covering problem spells, the DRAGON+ mobile app, and the Waterborne Adventures UA column.

The new survey is here. April's survey results are here, but below is a quick list of the take-home points.

• It turns out that that 1st-6th level games are still the most common a year after D&D 5E's launch.
• The most likely end point of a campaign is 10th-12th level.
• There is a preference for more open, sandboxy adventures.
• Smaller races are seen as weaker options.
• Adventurer's League content is reasonably well received, with specifically designed adventures more popular than Tyranny of Dragons adaptions for AL.

 

[delericho]

Giving darkvision to half elves and elves is a solution in search of a problem that never existed. I don't remember ever reading or even hearing that non-drow elves should have darkvision.

It's just a reversion to the state pre-3e. In 1st and 2nd Ed both elves and half-elves had infravision. In 3e, that was split into darkvision (dwarves) and low-light vision (elves). 5e has now recombined the two, so elves are back to the 'new' darkvision.

 

[delericho]

All those adventures are great for the segment of DMs who wish to come up with their own stories and can then plug this adventure full of encounters into it. I unfortunately fall into the opposite group that wishes for modules that gives cool stories and plots, and I can then drop in monsters/encounters to populate them as needed.

I don't think it's an either/or necessarily, in that you can have the best of both worlds - an adventure that has both some good adventure locations and a good story (and hooks for more). I like to call it "Lost Mine of Phandelver".

 

[spinozajack]

It's just a reversion to the state pre-3e. In 1st and 2nd Ed both elves and half-elves had infravision. In 3e, that was split into darkvision (dwarves) and low-light vision (elves). 5e has now recombined the two, so elves are back to the 'new' darkvision.

Good point, I forgot about infravision.

Not that I liked PC races having Predator vision. But I understand it now.

Still, I don't think half-elves should have any kind of special vision. Let them keep the super hearing instead (+ to listen checks).

 

[delericho]

Good point, I forgot about infravision.

Not that I liked PC races having Predator vision. But I understand it now.

Still, I don't think half-elves should have any kind of special vision. Let them keep the super hearing instead (+ to listen checks).

Indeed. My preference would be for dwarves and half-orcs to have low-light vision, elves to have advantage on perception checks, and the rest to have normal senses. But that is just one guy's opinion - WotC clearly feel differently, and it's not exactly a deal-breaker.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I don't think it's an either/or necessarily, in that you can have the best of both worlds - an adventure that has both some good adventure locations and a good story (and hooks for more). I like to call it "Lost Mine of Phandelver".

Oh, absolutely... most more modern adventures are able to include both and which is why I tend to prefer them. And indeed, some of the late 70s / early 80s modules also have it to an extent-- which is why Ravenloft and Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh have maintained popularity and are the two modules I've tended to go back to most frequently.

But despite being given the hardcover reprint of the four A series modules that WotC did a couple years ago (for example)... I keep trying to read it to get something out of it and just find there's really nothing there for me. Despite the supposed connecting tissue of dealing with all these slavers, there's really not much story I've been able to find or use. It really just feels like four dungeon crawls at the end of the day, which is nothing I'd not be able to put together myself.

I'm sure other people find the Slave Lord series to be fantastic... unfortunately I'm just not one of them.