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You conveniently left out the spy, priest, and my etc. The etc. is goblin guards, cult members, names NPCs in adventures, common guards in adventures such as the goliath guards in Rime, the common drow (and don't even get me started on the stats of the other listed drow), the common orc (and...

To be truthful, I am not sure if it was in the PHB. I do recall very specifically people citing Crawford saying the PCs are more remarkable than their common brethren. These were during racial (species) debates. So, I am probably pulling from that. But I will go look to be sure.

Before I jump into the array. I had a 2e fighter whose highest attribute was a 13. We played that campaign for over a year.

Sorry Tetrasodium, but I am so confused. I literally replied they should read the Introduction of the PHB. It does not mean recite. It means read. If you are asking me to recall from memory without opening the book (which no session zero would ever do), then maybe the second page. The part where...

It doesn't rely on that at all. There are many random NPCs and regular folk that have ability scores in the 14-18 range. A lot.

How does one stat block represent the general population? Look in the back of the MM. Noble = 14 wisdom, 16 charisma Spy = 15 dex, 14 wisdom, 16 charisma Priest = 16 wisdom Knight = 16 strength, 14 con, 15 charisma etc... You are confusing ability scores with racial and class abilities. In...

Sure they do. Check the NPC stats of every module. The town guard has a 16 strength. The village in the middle of nowhere has a priest with a 16 wisdom. The merchant who hired you has a 17 charisma. Normal people absolutely have 14s, 15s, 16s, 17s, and 18s.

No one is asking a player to study the PHB. That is not what I said. All they need to do is read the four-page introduction, and they will clearly understand the DM and player roles. And, again, session zero (whether the player has read the PHB or not) also eliminates all the problematic...

I guess we will just have to agree to disagree. They should read the entire PHB. If they don't or can't, The DM should simply say, read the introduction. It's four pages. That right there will set the tone. If they won't or can't do that, then I would ask why they are playing a game with a 300+...

I see what you are saying. However, the problem (like a lot of problems in D&D) come from not reading the book. But instead piecemealing it. I can't stand food analogies, but I am going to use one here: You are stating there is a problem with the meal because it is too savory and needs something...

I know. I was reiterating it because I thought it was an important caveat for my actual answer. Yeah, maybe I subdivided when I didn't need to. If there is commitment to the table, it probably implies their character and world.

How are these not cleared up at session zero or right before the game. We are talking about a campaign, right? I assume (and maybe this is where I am wrong) that if someone is going to play six months or a year with a group, the DM has a chance to review the character prior to the game starting.

I would like to add to this conversation by stating "bad" might be table chemistry too. I think we are all experienced enough to have seen a player who is terrible at one table become a good player at a different table. But if I had to state a trait that makes players or DMs bad, the...

I actually don't have any. If I had to choose something, it would be high level combat. Each player's turn and the DM's turn can be excessively long. But even then, sometimes there cool moments.

Could you give an example of this turbocharging? I really don't see it. Backgrounds, and their features, are an easy tool for players. I mean, the very first page of backgrounds in the PHB discusses customization and "suggested characteristics." Combine that with a session zero or, at the very...

I think it all boils down to trust. Trust in the DM and table. I ran a twelve-session sandbox campaign over the summer. I requested that the players only use the 2014 PHB. No multiclassing, but we did use feats. This was to help them keep track of everything, especially since they were levelling...

I don't see why they need to. I mean it's all supposed to be backwards compatible, right? So technically, if someone wants to play a stout halfling, they can just use the 2014 PHB. I think these will be better suited to culture, like Eberron. There are already over 100 species. (Backwards...

Sorry. I should probably restate my claim so it is clearer. There are no background features in a campaign (even a published one like Ravenloft) that are useless. The DM can easily allow that background feature to shine at least once, but probably several times over the course of a campaign. I...

Yeah, I understand. But background features are, at worst, still so open ended that they could be used at some point during a long campaign. A one shot, definitely not. Not even a little four-parter. But an entire campaign, levels 1-10, you mean to tell me as a DM you can't figure out how to...

Your bold is an example of what I am talking about. I am not so sure we disagree. I think you might be drawing a straight line while I draw a curvy one.