D&D 5E (2014) How to avoid edition wars and irritation at the game table

[Sacrosanct]

This is primarily for AL or pick up games where you're playing with new players outside of your normal group. One things I've noticed for a while, and it happens extremely frequently, is that players will compare 5e to their favorite edition while playing. That's not a big thing really, because most everyone does it at some point. But if you want to avoid edition warring and plain ol frustration with other players who don't share you preferences, keep it to a minimum. For example, in my AL game, there are two players who CONSTANTLY refer to how things were done "better" in PF (You can do soo much more tactically! You could stack all these effects!", etc). After a while it gets really old. I don't care how it was done, we aren't playing PF. I've seen time and time again how that starts to lead to edition warring between players as it is the first seeds to an argument.

So if you're playing in AL or pick up game, try to catch yourself if you start comparing about how a previous edition you like better did it better. Not everyone at the table shares your preferences. Regardless if your favorite edition is OD&D, B/X, AD&D, 3e, 4e, or 5e, focus on the edition that you're playing at the table.

Thanks.

 

[Rhenny]

Yup. During the playtest it was also hard to avoid comparisons and just focus on the game at hand. When I finally was able to stop comparing I enjoyed myself much more and I found that I could provide more valuable criticism too.

If players like to count up bonuses and stack benefits and generally enjoy the perpetual arms race, 5e isn't for them. To really enjoy 5e, players have to embrace simplicity of mechanics and immerse themselves in narrative storytelling (and above all stop comparing 5e to other versions).

 

[transtemporal]

This is primarily for AL or pick up games where you're playing with new players outside of your normal group. One things I've noticed for a while, and it happens extremely frequently, is that players will compare 5e to their favorite edition while playing. That's not a big thing really, because most everyone does it at some point. But if you want to avoid edition warring and plain ol frustration with other players who don't share you preferences, keep it to a minimum. For example, in my AL game, there are two players who CONSTANTLY refer to how things were done "better" in PF (You can do soo much more tactically! You could stack all these effects!", etc). After a while it gets really old. I don't care how it was done, we aren't playing PF. I've seen time and time again how that starts to lead to edition warring between players as it is the first seeds to an argument.

This is just a natural thing for people to do. If you don't want it as part of the game, ask the players to agree not to do it during the game. The rules for that particular game are what they are. There's no point in debating it during the game because they ain't changing!

But after the session? Go nuts! Hell, you could set aside some time to do it after the session is finished, just not during the game.

 

[Sacrosanct]

This is just a natural thing for people to do. If you don't want it as part of the game, ask the players to agree not to do it during the game. The rules for that particular game are what they are. There's no point in debating it during the game because they ain't changing!

But after the session? Go nuts! Hell, you could set aside some time to do it after the session is finished, just not during the game.

As I mentioned in my OP, yes, it is a natural thing. But 5e has been out for a while, and I was more referencing to the people who do it all session long, every session. You're not playing AD&D, or PF, or 4e. You're playing 5e. And chances are during something like an AL game or a pick up game, not everyone at the table shares your same enthusiasm for your favorite game, and they get tired of hearing about it.

 

[iserith]

I've run lots of pick-up groups (and played in a lot, but not as many as I've ran) and I've never encountered this. Normally I hear "Wow, I heard [game] sucked, but that was awesome!"

Make your game metal as flumph and people probably won't even think about other systems.

 

[Sunseeker]

I've run lots of pick-up groups (and played in a lot, but not as many as I've ran) and I've never encountered this. Normally I hear "Wow, I heard [game] sucked, but that was awesome!"

Make your game metal as flumph and people probably won't even think about other systems.

Of the players I currently have, the two that don't like my preferred edition (4E) is because when I get right down to it they had bad games run with them. So yeah, make your game awesome and people will typically not care what the edition is.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I also had some comparisons with pathfinder...
stacking effects was one thing. 5 ft step the other.
At a point I was annoyed about the ccomparisons and asked my players to stop. No problems since then.

 

[Psikerlord#]

I think it's good to hear discussions of game mechanics, and what people like and dont like about an edition. You can then talk about if you want to houserule something to make it a better fit for your table.

Everyone wins.

 

[Jester David]

Establishing a "say something good" rule can works. Every time you say something negative about a game system, you have to say something positive about it.

I make comparisons a lot, because you can't always look at how a game system works without comparing it to what worked and didn't work in the past. That's not edition warring, that's just making a review. Every edition had its strengths and weaknesses. But when you only focus on the bad it becomes a problem.

 

[Henry]

Simplest thing is to have what the Happy Jack's Podcast calls an Adult Conversation and just bring it up - "(Ladies and)Gents, just to keep the game from getting bogged down, I know the subject of rules discussions and comparisons to different mechanics can be cool, but let's save such for the tail end of the session, that way everybody can focus on the action of the game and anyone not as interested in mechanics table talk doesn't feel left out. Everybody good?"

I wouldn't even give them the choice by saying "any objections?", just "Everybody Good?" And that way it's couched in terms of not wanting to be rude to anyone not interested in mechanics shop talk.

Most people inherently don't want to be jerks, but if someone doesn't take the hint during play, just politely say, " no offense, but let's save rules discussions for end of session." And make sure to leave 10 minutes of so at the end for people to bring it back up.