Search results

Sure, I'll play along. If I had been in charge of the 2024 D&D Starter Set (Heroes of the Borderlands), I would have taken a different (and controversial?) approach. A “starter set” implies two things: first, that it’s a stripped-down, temporary version of the “real” game, and second, that it...

That’s a good point about 2024 being “new” in its own right. I agree there’s definitely some unknowns there, though I think the degree of newness is very different compared to Daggerheart. Even with the tweaks and revisions, the backbone of D&D 2024 is still 5e, and the DM (and players) can lean...

In the interview, Matt and Travis were very clear about why the next campaign is using D&D—and it’s worth repeating, since there’s already been still some speculation that overlooks what they actually said. The decision was made long before Daggerheart’s release, and their reasons came down to...

@loverdrive Funny enough, this actually connects to another thread here recently about what exactly constitutes a “hit” in RPG combat. On the surface it looked like a different question, but I think it ties directly into what you’re describing here. My response there was that you can’t really...

I have a bad feeling about this.

I can relate to this a lot. I turn 55 next month, and I’ve noticed the same thing happening to me. I own both Kingmaker and Wrath of the Righteous, and I’ve sunk over a hundred hours into each—but I’ve never even made it halfway through either game. Same with Baldur’s Gate 3: multiple...

Not trying to change your mind, but I think this video offers a different and more useful perspective than an "actual play".

For me, a “hit” depends entirely on how the system defines what happens after the roll. I don’t think there’s one single answer that applies everywhere. The “to hit” roll itself is just a binary check: did the attack overcome the target’s defense? If yes, you move on to damage. The margin of...

@earthsea_wizard Fair enough, I get that you wanted to leave the question open for people to bring their own definitions. But even then, how you frame the question matters. When you set up categories like “long campaigns” and “kitchen sink vs. narrow settings” without definitions, you’re not...

I think the premise here is a little too thin to support the question being asked. A few problems jump out: 1. Defining a “long campaign.” You set the bar at 2–10+ years, but years are a poor metric. Some groups meet weekly, others monthly. Some run marathon sessions, others barely squeeze in...

@jian The issue with your suggestion isn’t that it couldn’t work, but that it assumes hit points have a fixed meaning that can be cleanly extended. The truth is, HP in D&D (and most systems that borrowed them) are deliberately undefined beyond “are you still alive?”. That abstraction only holds...

I first came to EN World (under a different account) over twenty years ago, when the site was new. I was deeply engaged with D&D during the transition to 3rd edition, having played since the days of B/X and AD&D. At that time, it was primarily a source of news and updates, a way to track the...

I don’t think we can really know what the designers’ intent was at the outset. All we can do is look back at the rules as they were written and evaluate them through decades of design evolution and changing philosophies. What might have felt innovative or essential in 1974 hasn’t necessarily...

That’s a fair point—domain play and “name level” benefits absolutely existed, and they gave players a direction beyond the dungeon. I’m not denying their presence in the rules. The distinction, though, is between possibility and priority. The support for strongholds, hirelings, and domain play...

I’ve always loved the Dark Sun setting, but ironically, I don’t think D&D’s rules are the right fit for it. Athas is a world where survival extends far beyond combat. In fact, combat should usually be the worst possible option—something characters resort to only out of desperation or when forced...

I think the “GP outweighed kills in XP” point gets repeated as if it’s a silver bullet, but I don’t think it proves what people often think it does. Gold was never the goal in itself—it was the token that converted into XP, and XP was always what players actually cared about. What does XP buy...

Edit

I think part of what’s going on here is less a design failure and more a reflection of what D&D has always been about at its core. The game loop is pretty simple: kick down doors, beat up monsters, take their stuff, and level up so you can do it again at a bigger scale. That’s the engine that...

@Pamphylian I think you’ve put your finger on a real throughline in D&D design, not just a quirk of 5e. From the very beginning, the game has included subsystems that look like they should create scarcity or tension, but then immediately introduces ways to trivialize them. Darkness is...

So my understanding is that there’s no prescribed context for this rating system—it’s left to each voter to define their own standards. That works fine for me. I don’t look for truth or validation through public consensus, nor do I feel the need to align with a selective audience whose opinions...