D&D 5E Why do you play 5e? What game did you come from?

[Sacrosanct]

I played B/X and 1e (with 2e elements) pretty much from 1981 to 2014. Now it's been replaced by 5e. Why? Because I have the feel and style of TSR era D&D that I like with a ruleset that offers more customization (but not too much) and much more streamlined rules.

For example, I can play my AD&D F/T as just a fighter with a criminal background in 5e. Super easy. I'm also a fan of advantage mechanic.

 

[JackOfAllTirades]

I've played pretty much every edition of D&D going back to the 70's. Prior to the release of 5E my local gaming group was playing Pathfinder because we live in a "Pathfinder town" so to speak; that's what everyone plays around here. My GF and were getting burned out on PF, actually -- it's over designed and too complicated! So 5E is really a breath of fresh air for us and we've got a new gaming group. Our old group is still playing PF but they don't get together too often. (And I still kinda like my Inquisitor character; one of the things PF got right, IMHO.)

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

AD&D/BECMI. My gaming tastes remain fundamentally 80s (big fan of Dragon Warriors, Paranoia, also Golden Heroes - hoping to start that one up again soon).

Feels like AD&D but with the simple economies of BECMI - I like the free form ability of it. It's fun so far, though FR leaves me a little cold (I don't buy into the lore and am skedaddling into a hybrid combo made up setting).

Thumbs up for me.

 

[Dausuul]

What do you mean by "come from?" I started out playing BECMI and quickly migrated to 2E. I stayed with D&D through the editions: 3E, 3.5E, 4E, and now 5E. Does that mean I came from 4E (the last edition I played before 5E), BECMI (the edition I started with), or 2E (the first edition I played heavily)?

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Dausuul]

For purposes of the question, it would be 4e.

Thanks. I didn't think you were trying to ask a trick question, I was just unclear on precisely what the question was. Poll answered (4E).

 

[Woodchuck]

Like so many others in this thread, I've been gaming since the 80s. But, the time that I have to completely write a campaign from the ground up has shrunk considerably. This means that if I want to run a game, I require one that has good campaign length adventure support, and has game mechanics that lead to fun at the table. Simply put, 5e fits the bill.

 

[Cristian Andreu]

I started playing at age 10, in 1995 with AD&D 2e (though I had prior encounters with stuff like Dragon Strike before. Some classmates and me would also often create games inspired by stuff like Zelda and the D&D cartoon before we formally knew what roleplaying was, so we were primed to become victims of this stuff from the very beginning).

Stuck with AD&D 2e until 2003, when some friends at university convinced me to DM 3.5. Then it was 3.5 until 2009, followed by a brief spell of 4e, and then Pathfinder until 5e came out (I'm still running a Pathfinder game, though we've decided to completely transition to 5e).

So while 5e is my favourite edition, AD&D 2e occupies a special place for me (plus it's the edition I most compulsively collect).

Beyond D&D, my top favourite RPGs are 7th Sea (minus all the weird reptilian stuff), Ars Magica 5e, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2e, and Space 1889. Played/DM a lot of other stuff as well (scheduled to start running a Dresden Files game next week, actually), but those are my favourites.

As for the reason I play 5e, I guess it embodies the best version of the RPG that best embodies my preferred flavour of gaming. I can be a perfectly happy man playing the most barebones D&D adventure. I enjoy other games, sure, but nothing makes me happier than Dungeons & Dragons. Just saying the name out loud inspires me, and seeing those books on my shelves makes it feel like home. So many good memories attached to it.

 

[77IM]

I put "Other game system" because I've played too many to keep count. Most recently: Apocalypse World, Savage Worlds, Mutants & Masterminds 3e, and GURPS. Of course, I've also played BECMI, AD&D 2E, 3E and 4E.

I know some people here in town who only ever play D&D and have zero interest in other games, and it has always struck me as really weird. Not "bad" weird, just "I could never imagine myself doing that" weird.

At the other end of the spectrum, I know people who turn up their noses at D&D and would never be caught dead playing it. ...One of them is now a 6th-level cleric in my Princes of the Apocalypse campaign.