Jester David
Hero
The CR system doesn't seem to be that different from the level system of 4e. Replace "CR" with "level" and it's comparable.
The big difference is that in 5e the CR system is averaged, so you can have a higher defensive CR paired with a lower offensive CR, opposed to both numbers being mandated to be the same (or varied by role). This means there's more flexibility but also some wobble. A high CR monster because it's offensively high might be taken out quickly because of its low defences. Or a low offensive CR creature will be shut down by good tanking. So if the party is built right, they can be overly effective against certain foes.
The CR system also doesn't account more monster building and roles. Having a couple goblin archers backing up melee hobgoblins will potentially make an encounter more deadly than just adding an extra hobgoblin. But, again, that's standard practice as you could use effective combinations and good tactics to turn weak fights into deadly ones in any edition.
So I think a lot of people's problems come down to the learning curve. They're uncertain how to really make the most of monsters, not sure how to best accommodate their individual party's power level, and still learning what makes a monster tough or weak in 5e.
Honestly, also I think a lot of the complaints come down to naming. CR was broken in 3e. As were the encounter building rules. 5e uses the same terminology, so it's easy to see the flaws.
The big difference is that in 5e the CR system is averaged, so you can have a higher defensive CR paired with a lower offensive CR, opposed to both numbers being mandated to be the same (or varied by role). This means there's more flexibility but also some wobble. A high CR monster because it's offensively high might be taken out quickly because of its low defences. Or a low offensive CR creature will be shut down by good tanking. So if the party is built right, they can be overly effective against certain foes.
The CR system also doesn't account more monster building and roles. Having a couple goblin archers backing up melee hobgoblins will potentially make an encounter more deadly than just adding an extra hobgoblin. But, again, that's standard practice as you could use effective combinations and good tactics to turn weak fights into deadly ones in any edition.
So I think a lot of people's problems come down to the learning curve. They're uncertain how to really make the most of monsters, not sure how to best accommodate their individual party's power level, and still learning what makes a monster tough or weak in 5e.
Honestly, also I think a lot of the complaints come down to naming. CR was broken in 3e. As were the encounter building rules. 5e uses the same terminology, so it's easy to see the flaws.