D&D 5E Basic 5e, Anyone Actually Play It?

[Sacrosanct]

Several of the comments are echoing my feelings on this. Thinking out loud, if I were to do a true basic version of 5e in the spirit of Moldvay/Holmes, it would be to strip it down to the most basic rules:

• Get rid of ability scores and go strictly with the bonuses instead. Especially since odd ability scores have no function in 5e
• Simplify races and classes to "core" races and big 3 (fighters, casters, and rogues)
• Git rid of bonus actions altogether, making things either part of an action, or a free action.
• Remove concentration mechanic
• Remove attunement mechanic (magic items are rare in 5e anyway)
• Customization options at chargen, and not at level up, to speed up play of game (and to be true to a basic version)
• Simplify weapons and weapon damage

 

[Sacrosanct]

The more I think about it, the more I think I should start a new project

 

[bmfrosty]

My favorite D&D right now is B/X in the form of OSE as well as Dungeon Crawl Classics.

 

[Orius]

I think the 5e Basic rules are fine for what they are with one major exception: I can find no guidelines for the DM for handing out treasure. There's a handful of basic traditional magic items, but no rules on money, gems, or choosing what items to give to the party. Pretty much everything in the Basic rules seems to be ported directly from the PHB with some extra stuff for the DM from the DMG and I guess the MM. I suppose the treasure tables from the DMG might have been too complex to simply copypaste and there's not enough magic items to use the item tables in the DMG, but that's no excuse. I could probably wing it if I wanted to run the rules, but a new DM isn't going to know how to give out treasure properly.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I think the 5e Basic rules are fine for what they are with one major exception: I can find no guidelines for the DM for handing out treasure. There's a handful of basic traditional magic items, but no rules on money, gems, or choosing what items to give to the party. Pretty much everything in the Basic rules seems to be ported directly from the PHB with some extra stuff for the DM from the DMG and I guess the MM. I suppose the treasure tables from the DMG might have been too complex to simply copypaste and there's not enough magic items to use the item tables in the DMG, but that's no excuse. I could probably wing it if I wanted to run the rules, but a new DM isn't going to know how to give out treasure properly.

Funny enough, I literally just started a thread with my take at Basic 5e. Which does offer guidelines (albeit, ...um..basic) for treasure

 

[Plaguescarred]

I ran a 5E campaign using Basic rules where the player characters were from the 4 race/class/subclass with no feat. As a DM i did end up using monster and magic items from other sources like the MM or DMG, including homebrew. It was faily new player with little experience with RPG so having more limited options was good.

I also ran Dragon of Icespire Peak for another party with the presented races and classes options from Essential Kit, that included the bard.

 

[Burnside]

At massive live events where I've had to help with character creation and run tables for dozens of first time players in one day, I have found it helpful to user the Basic 5E rulebooks rather than the full PHB for character creation in order to streamline the process and not overwhelm first-time players.

My first 5E campaign was Lost Mine of Phandelver with me as the DM and 4 players who used only the free Basic 5E rules; I think it was a great move. However, by the time we finished the campaign (with characters approaching level 5), some players were definitely ready for more choices.

 

[Burnside]

The first time I ran Phandelver, I did so with just the basic rules. I don't think that the 5e basic sets really compare with B/X though. B/X is a full game that can be used over and over, while the 5e set is basically a one-shot (at least for a given group). There are no rules or suggestions for creating new adventures and there are no rules for creating characters.

I think you're confusing the Starter Set rulebook with the free Basic Rules (a downloadable PDF) which does indeed contain character creation rules.

 

[Iosue]

When 5e first came out, my group (which came up on B/X and BECMI) exclusively played the Basic Rules, because it provided the B/X experience we were looking for: quick character generation, and streamlined but complete rules, with a sufficient selection of magic items and monsters. We didn't need all the extra classes, subclasses, and races of the PHB, all the extra monsters in the MM, or any of the extra stuff provided in the DMG. I understand the Basic Rules have been somewhat expanded, but in the version we used (ver. 0.3), it was 177 pages, comparing favorably with B/X's 126 considering the justified increase in player-side complexity.

 

[Nikosandros]

I think you're confusing the Starter Set rulebook with the free Basic Rules (a downloadable PDF) which does indeed contain character creation rules.

Yes, you're right.