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.

 

[Parmandur]

After their first survey, they said they got more responses than the entire playtest; if I am not mistaken, that means six figures? Probably fairly representative of broad trends.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Oh god no. If a halfling's longsword in two hands does the same damage as a greatsword wielded by a human, that's mechanically identical to giving them a bonus to damage with versatile longswords which goes against the way the rest of the game is designed.

They used to have axes and hammers do more damage when held by dwarves, but they removed it. Although now that kind of racial weapon bonus is still there, but hidden in the half-orc racial because greataxes gain the most benefit from an extra die on a crit. But that's not quite the same thing, is it.

I'm very happy 5th edition was released and you can't swing a huge heavy sword with your charisma or wisdom or dexterity, while having an 8 strength. For the same reason that I like different weapons doing different damage based on their size, type, and number of hands.

If they release a feat to make halflings be able to use great weapon master I'm do over buying any more books like that.

Wizards, please feel free to ignore feedback from the public when the public is simply dead wrong. Halflings and gnomes are not weak races, they are just small, and smallness in 5th edition as in real life, is a penalty in some cases.

Imagine Tyrion trying to wield The Mountain's greatsword. Then tell me, since he can't, why should he wield a lighter one handed sword and deal the same damage as The Mountain's greatsword. It's just a give away. If you want to play a huge weapon wielding character, they should be of an appropriate size to do so.

Small is not it.

FWIW, I agree with you completely. I wonder how much of it is a result of the FF generation, where size of weapons doesn't matter and gonzo is appealing

 

[halfling rogue]

I can't see the results article yet...

I could be wrong, but I don't recall there being an option for 'sandbox' vs...what, railroad? Did they gather the opinion that sandboxy games are desired because of a multiple choice answer or because it was a write in response? I don't recall. Either way I'm happy they came away with that result, that more are desired. In every box that allowed me to write I kept beating the drum that more module type adventures like Lost Mine are highly desirable. Did they indicate that 'sandboxy' equals '32 or 64 page adventure'?

Also, I don't participate in AL but it seems (from the points above) that the smaller adventures did better than the AP? Unless they mean something different...What do they mean by "specifically designed adventures"?

 

[marroon69]

hmmm not my thoughts. Our Halfling Ranger is a killing machine.

 

[Zaran]

I can't see the results article yet...

I could be wrong, but I don't recall there being an option for 'sandbox' vs...what, railroad? Did they gather the opinion that sandboxy games are desired because of a multiple choice answer or because it was a write in response? I don't recall. Either way I'm happy they came away with that result, that more are desired. In every box that allowed me to write I kept beating the drum that more module type adventures like Lost Mine are highly desirable. Did they indicate that 'sandboxy' equals '32 or 64 page adventure'?

Also, I don't participate in AL but it seems (from the points above) that the smaller adventures did better than the AP? Unless they mean something different...What do they mean by "specifically designed adventures"?

I almost think they had so many requests in the Comments field that they gathered it's an issue.

 

[justinj3x3]

After their first survey, they said they got more responses than the entire playtest; if I am not mistaken, that means six figures? Probably fairly representative of broad trends.

Thanks for that info. That's what I was wondering. It's nice when people respond to you in a conversational way, rather than only to disagree or correct you (Note: I'm not referring to Morrus, who responded to me in this thread. I just mean in general). Or better yet, get completely ignored.

 

[Sacrosanct]

hmmm not my thoughts. Our Halfling Ranger is a killing machine.

I have a halfling battlemaster that is much the same.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Also, I don't participate in AL but it seems (from the points above) that the smaller adventures did better than the AP? Unless they mean something different...What do they mean by "specifically designed adventures"?

I believe they mean the Expedition adventures written to be used at conventions and such. The AL has three sets of adventures they use... the Encounters program on Wednesday nights at game stores uses the opening sections of the AP books (Tyranny and Princes)... the Expeditions program run as 1-to-4 hour blocks at conventions use specially written modules specifically for those events... and the Epics program is the adventures written to be used at one or two of the massive cons per AL season that involve the massive amounts of tables all playing the adventure simultaneously.

So it's the short adventures used for Expeditions that seem to be more popular than the bits and bobs of the APs used at Encounters. And if I had to guess... would be the adventures most likely to be released for sale to the public (either individually on dndclassics.com or bound together in one large book) at some point in the future. Maybe once the third AP season starts will they release the Expeditions and Epic modules from the first AP so that there's enough of a gap to make going to the conventions (and most especially running the modules at conventions) more enticing?

 

[TwoSix]

FWIW, I agree with you completely. I wonder how much of it is a result of the FF generation, where size of weapons doesn't matter and gonzo is appealing

Finally, a picture of a real D&D character.

 

[Staffan]

hmmm not my thoughts. Our Halfling Ranger is a killing machine.

Belkar would be proud.