D&D 5E What's the rush? Has the "here and now" been replaced by the "next level" attitude?

[ForeverSlayer]

I wasn't really sure how to phrase the title so I apologize if it doesn't make sense. What I mean by it is I have noticed that now a days, people are less inclined to enjoy the "here and now" of games, and are now more focused on that next level. I remember back in 1st and 2nd edition our group, and other groups we played with, were more focused on enjoying the present adventure whether it was published or homemade and less worried about what our characters were going to get next level. I say it started around 3rd edition with the introduction of Prestige Classes because you were essentially granted a new ability at every level, and got really bad around 4th edition because of all the many powers and power combos. In my own experience, I have seen a lot of people see adventures as just a "grind" and they just want to hurry up, kill everything, and collect the XP so they can level up. It's like these people just can't wait to get to that sweet spot. What happened to enjoying the moment in the adventure instead of just looking forward to that next level? I have even seen mechanics and game design that tries it's best to try and speed things up. It's like the game wants you to hurry up, get through your current character and move on to the next one. I understand that some people only meet for a certain number of hours but not everyone has to worry about this. The game has even lowered the numbers for experience needed to gain levels.

All I ask is what's the rush?

 

[Blackbrrd]

For me, it's the build. At level 9 I finally get Whirlwind attack, at level 15 I can cast quickened Divine Power, and so on.

At the same time, I do enjoy the "now" of adventures, but more so as a DM than a player. Maybe because I am so focused on the "next" level as a player?

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Yes, it pretty much comes down to 3E and its myriad of decision points, leading to standardized or speculative builds. If you want people to focus more on what they are and less on what they will be, it helps to remove as many decision points as possible. Fortunately for Next, feats remain entirely optional.

Even then, though, the mere fact that most classes gain something new at each level can still be an issue. Of course, there are also people who insist that they require a decision point at every level, so there's no way to please everyone.

 

[Fanaelialae]

I think it has to do with the fact that classes in D&D typically follow the Luke Skywalker pattern of development (start weak, end godly). A lot of players would rather play the powerful Jedi from Return of the Jedi than the farmboy from A New Hope. When they create the farmboy, they do it because they envision playing the Jedi.

In games where the Han Solo pattern of progression was followed (start strong, end stronger), I tended to see this far less.

Still, while the system can certainly encourage or discourage this type of behavior, I think it lies heavily with the individual player. I've known players who (even back in 2nd ed) could never really see beyond gaining that next level and amassing more power. And I've known players who'd enjoy the experience of playing a farmboy, regardless of the system and whether or not they were destined to become a Jedi.

 

[pemerton]

If players aren't enjoying the adventures they're participating in, that might suggest bad adventure design and/or adjudication.

As far as wanting to gain levels is concerned, that has been inherent in D&D from its beginnings. Particularly for magic-users, who (i) have always gained a new ability every level, and (ii) were desgined for many editions as requiring a significant amount of level gains in order to be fully viable characters.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Personally, I've been playing D&D since 1977, and I cannot remember a time when I didn't simultaneously enjoy both the present status of my PCs while yearning to advance them to the next level of ability. And that is my universal perspective across all RPGs.

So I would say it depends upon the outlook of the particular player, not so much the system.

The differences to your perceptions over time may be because more players with that "looking to the future" mentality may be being drawn to the game right now.

 

[ForeverSlayer]

I think the inclusion of "passive" mechanics is one thing that promotes this.

 

[Hussar]

DnD has generally forced players to wait before they get to play the character they envision during chargen. If you want to be Conan you have to wait for several levels before you can really claim to be Conan.

Couple this with the huge number of games which fade and die long before player goals are realized, it's not surprising that players have a hurry up mentality.

 

[Derren]

1. The game offers more stuff at levelup than in 1E/2E so people look forward to it
2. The time to level up has decreased so the next level is always a few more XP around
3. Todays gamers are expecting more instant gratification. I blame video games for that one.

 

[frogimus]

<snip>
3. Todays gamers are expecting more instant gratification. I blame video games for that one.

May I suggest:
4. Everyone wants to be the superhero. Even though people cheer for the underdog, they hate being one.

I've always loved low levels because you played a normal Joe that had a few skills that set him/her apart from the crowd. After level 10 or so, I could never relate to the PC.