5 out of 5 rating for D&D 5th Edition Basic Rules
WotC has done something brilliant with this free PDF release: they've literally made the bar for entry to D&D as low as possible. The outright cost for the game is the cost of an Internet connection. The only thing missing is a set of dice. And considering that anyone playing needs others to play with (as table top games are inherently a group experience), chances are someone else in the group already has a set a new player can borrow. As for the system itself, well, it's just the right balance of robust and streamlined. Easy to pick up, but with enough depth to cater to a multitude of play styles. It doesn't really tread new ground in the world of TTRPGs, but it doesn't need to. D&D as a whole began the hobby as we know it, and the 5e system just needed to be a version that captured the essence of the game as it has developed over the four decades it's been around. It does. As someone who has played every version of the game, this feels like D&D, while not getting bogged down in excess minutia that more often act as barriers to entry for new players than really enhance the play experience. This, combined with the literally zero cost of these rules, have made the game the most accessible it has been in decades, maybe ever. WotC got it right!
