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This is really the sticking point. If you accept this premise, which I don't, then you are correct. However, damage is still necessary to deal with the vast majority of enemies, even with the use of control spells to assist. While you're correct that it's "situational," that situation is going...

Wouldn't necessarily have to be parody, as I've had a player that was "out to get me." He considered his job as a player to ruin the DM's plans for the campaign. Ruining the story was his fun, regardless of how it impacted others. Thankfully I no longer have to game with $^^@#$% like that...

I play online, because I have players across the US. I have nothing against playing IRL, but it's harder to get people together IME.

I am known as a killer DM, because I have absolutely no qualms about killing PCs. I don't hold back, and I don't build using "encounter design." I make a somewhat realistic world, and the players have to adjust to it.

Probably should have been a poll so we could easily see results. I track everything: rations, ammunition, torches/oil, material components, etc. If the book says you need it, then you need it; ignoring it means you're cheating IMO. It's not like it takes that much effort to track things...

I've re-ran numerous AD&D and BECMI adventures for a host of campaigns. I think I've used Keep on the Borderlands as the start of about a dozen or so campaigns. I've also used Village of Hommlet/Temple of Elemental Evil as the start twice (once in 1E in once in 5E). Against the Giants has been...

Rather than use mob rules, I generally use them as swarms. It makes tracking so much easier, although we don't have monster creation rules yet for 2024...

Other: DM wasn't prepped. Sometimes life gets in the way.

Obviously it depends on level and caster type. In general, I feel about a dozen or two times per adventuring day is about right. We tend towards more encounters per day, however, averaging about 6 combats and 3 exploration encounters per adventuring day (social encounters vary too much to give...

I do this to an extent in my Greyhawk campaign. My campaign document includes all languages and what's related to what. If you understand a related language, you can get the general gist of what's said.

The issue is one that D&D specifically suffers from: it doesn't have a default setting. Unlike Pathfinder and other RPGs, D&D has mostly been designed to be "generic" enough to be used for numerous settings rather than a single one. This means that it doesn't really fit any specific theme or...

I think a huge problem is the slow assumption of Common as the everyday language. In some settings like Greyhawk, it makes sense because a monolithic empire set it as the standard language. Most of the other early settings assumed Common was a trade tongue that was only used when communicating...

I personally prefer the old bell curve modifiers to the modern linear method. Unfortunately it doesn't jell with player's desire for ASI, so unless you remove those from the game (not a terrible idea IMO), the 5E engine doesn't work so well with it.

I didn't need Phandelver, but I picked it up anyway so I could teach the game. If you ever plan on introducing players to 5E 2024, it's probably a good purchase.

I've got no issues with Rope Trick or Magnificent Mansion. Rope Trick is a fine spell to guarantee a Short Rest while letting the enemy's alert die down a bit, which seems good for a level 2 spell slot. Magnificent Mansion does the same for a long rest, but is much higher level (as it should...

I think it was left open so the players can come up with their own plan. I assumed the players would try to talk their way past, since we have a Rogue with Reliable Talent and deception expertise, but they decided to use Dimension Door, Scrying, and Arcane Gate instead. My biggest issue was...

I think there might be a few setting specific feats, but I don't expect them to be particularly common. Things that tie to setting specific situations might be limited, like the Red Wizards or Spellfire, but I think most things will be fairly open. Personally I agree with this concept, because...

It depends on the adventure and pacing. We often get 1-2 hour long short rests per adventuring day, sometimes more, sometimes less. I don't like the 4E style short rests, because we do 6-8 encounters per long rest. Using 5 minute short rests would results in 6-8 short rests per long rest...

If you look into Monsters of the Multiverse, you'll see several monsters have Legendary Reactions, rather than Legendary Actions. It works the same way, having a set number per round that recharge, but you can only use one per round. You could simply have your homebrew monster just have the one...

If the players are discouraged, I'd remind them of times that the dice were on their side, making some encounters super easy for them. The dice giveth and the dice taketh away. You could start rolling behind the screen, allowing you the opportunity to fudge the dice towards the middle to create...