D&D General 5.5 and making the game easier for players and harder for DMs

[DEFCON 1]

“Tell me how awesome you are as you win” is the only rule you need.

Well, if that just means the game becomes one long improv scene with all six players and the DM narrating a story about all their characters working together to solve some issue and go on some adventure--and not needing to roll any dice because the give-and-take between the DM and the players creates all the drama that everyone needs-- I'm perfectly good with that.

I mean, to me that's what all roleplaying games are. Characters doing things-- sometimes successfully, and sometimes not, and then the drama of that moves the story forward. And whether that determination between possible success and potential failure is rolling a bunch of dice to see what happens or merely one the players choosing which one they want and the rest of the players 'Yes, And'ing it... the results are the same. Something works or doesn't work and the game continues.

 

[bloodtide]

Well, all the combat rules really don't matter much as the game is, as most will say, all about creating stories and plots and drama. Right?

All the "easy combat" won't do anything for a story plot. The characters can kill six dragons in a row...but they can't solve the mystery and save the day. Though some do have a hardness of DC11....

But, even with "easy combat", a DM can just use all that to make NPCs and monsters and foes. So....

 

[Krachek]

Surprise round nerf! it is a nerf for the PCs not the monsters!
In 5ed it is the PCs that hunt the monster, it is the PCs with high skill bonus that are the predators.
So the nerf to surprise is a nerf to the PCs.

 

[Shiroiken]

I'm holding off my DM concerns until we see the DMG. They're supposed to be reworking the CR system to actually work, and with the PC improvements, this is a necessity. I don't expect the lethality to actually be high, since modern gaming doesn't employ a lot of character death, but I don't expect it to be that much less common than now.

 

[overgeeked]

Well, if that just means the game becomes one long improv scene with all six players and the DM narrating a story about all their characters working together to solve some issue and go on some adventure--and not needing to roll any dice because the give-and-take between the DM and the players creates all the drama that everyone needs-- I'm perfectly good with that.

I mean, to me that's what all roleplaying games are. Characters doing things-- sometimes successfully, and sometimes not, and then the drama of that moves the story forward. And whether that determination between possible success and potential failure is rolling a bunch of dice to see what happens or merely one the players choosing which one they want and the rest of the players 'Yes, And'ing it... the results are the same. Something works or doesn't work and the game continues.

Except the complete lack of challenge, randomness, surprise, conflict, and drama sure. “Yay, I win again” lacks everything meaningful from both games and stories.

 

[cbwjm]

I'm not sure which surprise rule I prefer, 5e or 5.5. The bonus action potion rule has been a staple houserule for a lot of tables for a while now and I feel like healing has needed a boost since 5e first came out.

 

[Remathilis]

I wonder why it's anything more detailed than "Describe To Me How Awesome You Are As You Win" the RPG.

A fresh relief from "this is the first character in the last 37 that actually lived to third level, I guess I should probably think of a name for them now..."

 

[overgeeked]

A fresh relief from "this is the first character in the last 37 that actually lived to third level, I guess I should probably think of a name for them now..."

Eh. Far better to play through a harsh backstory than to have to read yet another Mary Sue fanfic "background" that's dozens of pages long for a 1st-level character with 0 XP.

 

[Remathilis]

Except the complete lack of challenge, randomness, surprise, conflict, and drama sure. “Yay, I win again” lacks everything meaningful from both games and stories.

I mean, if you're not going through a ream of character sheets, are you even really playing D&D? It's kinda like riding a mechanical bull; you're going to lose eventually but the goal is to hold on for as long as you can.

 

[Remathilis]

Eh. Far better to play through a harsh backstory than to have to read yet another Mary Sue fanfic "background" that's dozens of pages long for a 1st-level character with 0 XP.

Everyone knows PCs are born tied up in the next room of the dungeon after your last PC was shanked by a kobold.