D&D 5E So Why is 5E So Popular?

[Volund]

I this the OP explains it pretty well. Like I have said before 5e is the game I wanted to play when I played back in the 80s, I just didn’t know it.

Exactly my feeling. I played Holmes basic and AD&D and then didn't play for 30+ years. I talk to many, many players who did the same thing I did, jumping from 1e to 5e and loving the game.When I first read the 5e rules I was immediately struck by several things being better.

1) They got rid of "cast it and forget it" magic. I want to be able to cast magic missile twice? I had to memorize it twice. The first time I cast it I forget I knew it, but somehow also remember how to cast it again. In the books I read, using magic makes you tired. Resting lets you cast more magic. 5e gets it right.

2) Leveling up unlocks new abilities. Video games work this way. A lot of people like video games. A lot of people like 5e.

3) Fighters don't suck anymore and aren't boring. Getting 7-8 ASI's/feat creates a lot of interesting fighter variations.

4) The PHB actually tells you the rules for playing the game instead of hiding them away in the DMG.

5) The mechanic of adding a proficiency bonus to d20 rolls for things that your character is good at doing is so simple. Once you get the hang of how proficiency and ability score modifiers work you know about 75% of what you need to play the game. No more tables and charts known only to the DM.

5e has benefited from a perfect storm of factors that have intersected at the right time. First, the rules are good, and appeal to nostalgic, aging Gen-X folks like me as well as younger people who grew up with video games. Add social media that makes it easy to find people to game with. There is a critical mass of gamers of all types that want to meet and play and this has led to the growth of game cafes that provide a convenient public place for ongoing campaigns and AL games. All of this activity has reached mainstream media that now regularly reports on the growth of D&D in a way not seen since the D&D panic of the mid 1980's. Relatively popular books about D&D like Of Dice and Men and Empire of the Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons were published proximate to the release of the 5e rules. And dammit, it's just fun to sit down with real people and talk and laugh and pretend to be a warlock or whatever.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I think the true reason begins and ends with the proliferation of streaming and YouTube.

It's not just "social media" in general, we had social media during 4E too and it didn't bring D&D to new heights. So it's not enough that there are ways to alert people to the fact that D&D exists... I believe it's all due to how streaming and YouTube can now SHOW people not only that it exists but also how it's played, how it's run, and how it presents its creative aspects. Twitch and YouTube are "television" to the young people of today, and Dungeons & Dragons has become a popular and important "show" for fans to now watch on their tablets, phones, and tvs.

Yes, the game being a bit easier to pick up helps once the players are at the table... but in my opinion it's the large amount of streaming and videos to watch that then inspire the players to actually move to the table after they discover exactly what D&D does, allows for, and can open up for them.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

It is far more accessible than any other edition to date. Simple, solid, streamlined rules with a very light and focused production schedule allowing for easy entry into the community at any given time. Open exposure and endorsement over social media outlets, along with online streaming and support. 5e has everything going the right way for new players, and old players who may have felt left out by the departure of classic designs during 4th edition's brief tenure. How could it possibly fail?

Don't get me wrong, though. I am not a fan of the game. To me, they played it too safe, and that is boring and uninteresting to me. I am no longer in the target demographic. I have played the system for many years since the early 80s when it was never as popular. My best experiences happened during that brief period of dangerous innovation in 4e.

Now I have discovered more sophisticated and satisfying games better suited for my personal style of gaming and narrative. And I cannot help but look at this good, solid, accessible, and popular edition and think "It's so... basic!" It doesn't innovate. Everything they do has been done before. And it's the same treadmill I have seen with 4 previous editions and various clones.

These aren't terrible things as evident by it's great success, but I only speak for myself. And for me, it is the end of a decades-long relationship. So while I applaud the achievements of this edition, I do not celebrate nor partake in it. But I do have my fun with it. And I am much happier now having mastering a system that I feel is far superior in many ways, and enjoying the heck out of it!

 

[OB1]

Because it is easy enough for parents who played it in the 70s/80s to play it with their kids.

 

[Ancalagon]

There is certainly a return to roots angle to it that appeals.

There is a moment I remember when I was reading the magical items in the DMG and I saw the belt of giant strenght... and I was *astonished* to see that the belt of giant strength gave you, well, GIANT STRENGTH, not +4 or +6 to strength. Is this a good idea... I don't know, but it tickled me pink. I got some good nostalgic feel from 2nd ed, but combined with a solid, modern system.

 

[sydbar]

Ask non gamers about any other RPG, and they will look at you with confusion. Ask non gamers about D&D and many will know what you are talking about. D&D is proof that ANY publicity is good publicity, older people know that D&D is played by satanists, while younger people know that it is that weird thing that appears on many popular shows and is played by "Nerdy Arse Voice Actors"!

 

[Parmandur]

I think a lot of the posts here get at good specific factors, but to my mind one of the most important factors in the perfect storm is the broader process which WotC has implemented for gathering data and acting on it. With 5E, they put serious work into finding out what kind of rules folks actually wanted, and what fluff worked for people. The results of this careful study hit at this particularly sweet juncture of live streaming emerging, but if the rules in place were 3.x or 4E, I seriously doubt we would see the same reaction. WotC did their homework, and produced what people actually wanted.

 

[guachi]

Points 3, 4, and 5 are valuable points currently.

But points 1 and 2 are why it was popular in 2014 when the Basic Rules came out and until the end of the year when the DMG was released.

5e allows a large number of people to play the type of D&D they want to play. In my case, it's a game influenced by BECMI, 1e, and 2e. Whether that's nostalgia or because those games have a more enjoyable play style, I don't know.

5e it flexible enough to do that and the rule system is better, for the most part.

 

[MNblockhead]

I think that there’s also a good balance of the amount of product available. Many D&D stalwarts who were used to the avalanche of books in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions (and that continues with Pathfinder) have expressed either concern or exasperation at the slow release schedule. However, that makes 5th Edition far easier for new players to pick up and not feel that they’re behind on (or for players to join a group and not be competing with far fewer materials). It’s one of those lovely ironies of the supply-demand curve that having fewer products available to a new customer can often boost sales because it creates the image of being able to afford to buy the whole set in short order.

This is a good point.

When I got the itch to play again after almost two and half decades, I looked at Pathfinder and said "nope." I also didn't like what I heard about DnD 4e. I delayed getting anything and then heard that 5e was coming out and fell in love with it the moment I started flipping through the PHB.

I don't think that that amount of adventure material is the problems--actually that was one draw of Pathfinder, the large amount of adventure material and some excellent APs. But the crunch overload turned me off.

While WoTC is slowly adding more crunch and character options, I've think they've done an excellent job with emphasizing that all you need to play an entire campaign is the PHB.

 

[Shiroiken]

I think the reason it's so popular varies based on the diverse groups that it has brought in. The playtest did an excellent job in finding the aspects of the game that would appeal to the broadest number of players. Add in the fact that the base chassis of the game is intentionally easily modified with house rules, homebrew, and 3PP, really does make it the "D&D for all* players."

*not really all, but that was the design goal. You can't please everyone, and trying to do so will please no one.

New Players - mostly the abundance of social media. Podcasts have been a massive boon for not just D&D, but tabletop games in general. Another, slightly less important reason, is the geek culture has become more mainstream, giving the game less of a stigma for new players.

4E players - 5E managed to keep several good ideas from 4E, such as non-magical healing (full overnight healing, spending HD, Second Wind), that 5E was an acceptable change. I'm sure most die hard players would rather have continued 4E, but AFAIK there really isn't any other game as similar to 4E to jump to instead.

3E/Pathfinder players - this is a split group, because it depends on what the player liked about the game. 5E has mostly taken the core mechanics from 3E, which is a big plus for 3E players. It took out most the complicated mechanics, which some 3E player really liked. Those players probably stuck with Pathfinder, or will jump back with Pathfinder 2E.

Grognard - the game is more modern than AD&D and BECMI, but it has retained the style. The DM has far more leeway in making rules and running the game than the mechanic heavy 3E & 4E. The fact that feats and multi-classing are only optional rules, rather than baked in is a big plus.