I'm strongly leaning towards using 5e for our library teen roleplaying program next year.
Is this something you've done before with PF or 3.5 or some other game or edition of D&D? Or has the release of 5e inspired you to start this program for the first time?
But before I do, I have a few questions I really need answered.
1) Combat I've heard is faster than 3e and 4e, but not as fast as O/AD&D.
Sorta. The encounter guidelines are tuned to lower challenges and hps are lower relative to DPR (not just damage, but the likelihood of hitting), so individual combats last fewer rounds. But, you need more combats per 'day' to challenge PCs via resource attrition, and also to keep the classes reasonably 'balanced' if you're not going to be able to count on having the same players around the table for a full adventuring 'day' the system may end up working against you. . That is, indeed, a bit like AD&D. At low level, especially 1st, those fast combats can easily start with PCs dropping and end in character deaths or TPKs. That's also a bit like AD&D, though the tougher characters in AD&D tended to be tougher because of higher AC, often very hard for equally low-level monsters to hit, which is harder to achieve in 5e (instead, 5e PCs will tend to have the advantage in terms of DPR, spellcasting, and outnumbering the monsters).
BTW, you really want to avoid outnumbering the PCs in any 1st-level encounters you design for new players. They can be slow out the gate at obvious/taken-for-granted tactics like focus fire and resource management, and can easily be overwhelmed numerically. At higher levels hps and generous death's-door rules provide enough of a buffer, but at 1st, there's little margin for error.
Is this just because of hit point inflation?
5e's approach to hps - giving a HD and full CON bonus every level - gives PCs fewer hps at 1st level (particularly relative to 4e), but a lot more at much higher levels (particularly relative to AD&D). Adjusting combat speed by giving PCs more/fewer hps only affects the length of combats that end it TPKs.
Where does combat bottleneck and is there any way to make it more efficient?
Combat can bottleneck over rules confusion and particularly around spellcasting, but the DM is Empowered to make on-the-spot rulings to move things along, and should do so without hesitation. With any luck, the confusing rule/spell/whatever will be forgotten by the time the combat's over.
2) Does anyone have any tricks for speeding up character creation?
When introducing new players to the game, having a complete part already pre-generated is a good idea. You spend not time at all on character creation.
but I really like giving the kids the freedom to make their own characters. Character advancement shouldn't be too bad, but the initial process is a bit time consuming, especially with limited numbers of rulebooks. So anything that can help speed things up would be EXTREMELY helpful.
You can use arrays instead of rolling for stats, and go through the character sheet 'line by line' with the whole group, filling in stats, proficiency, backgrounds, and the like. Then explain neo-Vancian (prep & slot) casting to the characters that have it (Clerics, Wizards, Druids, &c), then any other class abilities shared by multiple characters, then go around the table explaining remaining class abilities (including Sorc & Warlock casting). Still won't be fast, but you should get all the basics down before attention starts to wander...
