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Thanks!

Thanks, friend! It was a memorable moment for sure. I should have added: in the game there is a mechanic called "shadow points," which lead characters into bad directions if they accumulate too many. Little Mr. Man had a bunch, and was on 'the path of despair,' which means he struggled with acts...

While playing the 5e version of LotR, my character--a halfling scholar--made it very clear to his party that he did not want to go into Moria. It was decided, naturally, that we were going to Moria. While in Moria, he made it clear that he wanted to get out as soon as possible, and when the...

I think that's a good point, oh wise one. We played a DCC Hyboria game set in Conan's world, and the system was perfect: I skinned the Lankhmar rules and it worked out great! Weird and trippy and bloody. I ran some of The Old Margreve (Kobold Press) using Dragonbane, and that worked out well...

I wonder too if breaking out of WotC's orbit isn't a way to approach thinking about 5e. As I said...somewhere in this long (and very helpful!) conversation, I love Dungeons&Dragons as an concept, but the current stewards are not to my liking; nor are the materials they are publishing. But Kobold...

That's what I did last time I ran it. Slow level progression, gritty realism for healing, removed some spells that made it too easy. It went much better. I was just reviewing how much 5e stuff I have (PDFs, Roll20, etc.). A lot. I sold most of my books, but I still have a vast trove of...

That's all very well said, thank you. I am realizing it's a mindset issue, not a quality issue. If I do run 5e again, I have to think about what its ethos is vs. the ethos of older editions: high fantasy, high powered gaming vs. hack and slash survival. I realize I'm generalizing there, but...

I am leaning toward giving 5e another whirl (2014 edition...I'm not ready for 2024). This has all been helpful to me in re-framing what this game now is, and why people enjoy it so much. It is an issue of mindset vs. quality of game, I think. I have felt like I have been 'fighting the long...

It seems like--and perhaps I am reading into what people have written--character longevity and development is much more of a focus now, vs. the fungibility of characters in the original/older game, i.e. "if I die, I'll just roll up a new guy". So that's a new way to look at things for me. I can...

I had not thought of that! Next time...

I get that. Lots of choices.

It's all good. Different doesn't mean worse, or bad. It's just... different.

I am actually finding much to consider in the thoughts of those who love this version of the game. So, I guess it's just regular insights, not hidden ones.

In my "What I would do differently" doc. from the last 5e campaign I ran (like two years ago), I have "players must narrate bonus actions" as a (future) house rule.

That's interesting. I used that analogy because--in my observation--you just press a button (or some combination of buttons) in a modern video game and you get an effect of some kind for your character. With some of the class bonus actions I've seen--rage, second wind, for example--there is no...

This is all really helpful, friends. Thank you for helping me think it through.

Deep thoughts from Medford. Well said, Umbran.

We did play the Free League Lord of the Rings game, which is very stripped down 5e, and had a lot of fun. I also ran a 5e campaign with some modifications on my end (gritty realism, slow level progression, banned a few spells, etc.) and we had a good experience, so it hasn't been all bad by any...

I work with 12 year olds, and advise the D&D Club at my school (40+ kids!) They love this game. I've written grants to get them lots of books and dice. It's a blast to watch them play.

Very good observations. Thank you.