D&D 5E Advanced D&D or "what to minimally fix in 5E?"

[TwoSix]

Now that's an interesting question: does 5e in fact retain a lot of its players, or is WotC simply very good at drawing in new players to replace those who are cycling out?

I'd say that one of the side benefits of 5e's relative light mechanical release schedule is that it takes minimal to no investment to stay "in" 5e.

I'm actively pushing a few non-5e games for a few of my tables, but I'm still plenty involved with 5e, even if I haven't made a lot of purchases lately.

 

[Lanefan]

Yea, it is often used to describe D&D. As well as a lot of non D&D stuff.

D&D is used to describe D&D.

D&D is a subset of 5E if you drew a Venn diagram. A big subset, sure, but not all 5E is D&D, but all (current) D&D is 5E.

Depends on perspective.

To me, on that same Venn diagram 5e is a subset of D&D; because D&D encompasses all its iterations, not just the current one.

 

[overgeeked]

Now that's an interesting question: does 5e in fact retain a lot of its players, or is WotC simply very good at drawing in new players to replace those who are cycling out?

In the early 80s lots of people played 1e for a while and then cycled out; and the mid-80s dropoff showed that TSR at the time wasn't all that good at bringing in new players to replace those who had left. WotC seem to have found the magic sauce here, though whether by good luck or good work who can tell.

I think it’s mostly out of their hands. It’s not the awesomeness of the game itself, it’s the pop culture fad moment D&D is having. WotC had almost nothing to do with its wider success. 5E was always going to take back the #1 RPG spot. Of course it was. But the wider pop culture fad moment D&D is having has more to do with Stranger Things and Critical Role.

 

[Blue]

The addition of a magic-item price list does not necessarily mean or imply that said items will be or become "commonly purchasable". 3e and 4e had them commonly purchasable, sure; but 1e did not and yet still had a fairly comprehensive (for its time) price guide in the DMG....which, by the way, is exactly where said price guide should be kept: it should not be player-side accessible.

The primary benefit of item pricing for me as both player and DM is that it allows for party treasury division to be made more fair and equitable between the characters.

I'm not sure about who you played 1e with, but we bought and sold magic items all the time. The proliferation of +1 brick-a-brack was strong, and the treasure tables gave out a lot of low-level magic. 2e was the same - no thanks, I don't need a Bill-Guisarme +1, +2 vs. aquatic creatures.

But even if your point wasn't flawed, gamer culture has shifted. You're using a game published in 1977 and trying to say that current gamer culture is closer to that than to editions published since 2000.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I'm not sure about who you played 1e with, but we bought and sold magic items all the time. The proliferation of +1 brick-a-brack was strong, and the treasure tables gave out a lot of low-level magic. 2e was the same - no thanks, I don't need a Bill-Guisarme +1, +2 vs. aquatic creatures.

But even if your point wasn't flawed, gamer culture has shifted. You're using a game published in 1977 and trying to say that current gamer culture is closer to that than to editions published since 2000.

Gamer culture has expanded. The old ways are still out there and viable, they've just been joined by other ways.

 

[Blue]

Gamer culture has expanded. The old ways are still out there and viable, they've just been joined by other ways.

Agreed. Which is why my point was that the more recent editions, where the culture has expanded already, are more indicative of what would happen with that rule in place than an edition from 1977.

 

[DEFCON 1]

IMO the question doesn't even matter. D&D is a completely different experience using the same rules but different DM. I have had radically different experiences, from political thrillers to meat grinders to dungeon crawling, all using base 5E and all using no rules modifications. I honestly think a very vocal part of the playerbase is obsessed with this "IT doesn't feel like D&D!" argument and it reeks of them trying to enforce their will on others.

I agree, although I tend to be a little less charitable of their reasoning. (Even less charitable that you are with saying they are trying to enforce their will onto others, LOL!)

 

[BoneMan]

Advantage/Disadvantage is a TERRIBLE mechanic. It distills EVERYThing to the same borked mechanic. It gives no reason for the party to work together to find multiple synergies.

 

[Eric V]

Advantage/Disadvantage is a TERRIBLE mechanic. It distills EVERYThing to the same borked mechanic. It gives no reason for the party to work together to find multiple synergies.

I would say the bolded part is true. Many think this is a boon, not a bane. I happen to agree with you, but tastes vary. If I was running a game for my nephew, I wouldn't think the mechanic is borked.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I would say the bolded part is true. Many think this is a boon, not a bane. I happen to agree with you, but tastes vary. If I was running a game for my nephew, I wouldn't think the mechanic is borked.

How old is your nephew? Does 5e say it's intended for children?