D&D 5E Are you RETURNING to D&D

[Daneric]

I'm returning after a long period of not gaming (a decade, more or less). I always enjoyed D&D and tabletop gaming but I never did find many friends after high school who played. After college, it was much easier to get into other hobbies (softball, video games, Netflix) than gaming. Gaming requires so much to be successful...you need good players who like each other, you have to physically meet up somewhere, etc. Not to mention the fact that as a working adult it's hard to get together frequently enough to keep a campaign going.

I saw 5E as a great opportunity to get back into gaming. I started seeing very positive reviews here and there and I thought this would be a good way to pick up an old hobby while meeting new people. I'm especially glad of the game's more streamlined rules; I'm too old and busy now to spend time obsessively memorizing a thousand different modifiers. Advantage/Disadvantage for president!

It's still early (just had my first session - Hoard of the Dragon Queen - this weekend) but I'm finding hard to find games near me in D.C. This represents another challenge I didn't have in high school - adult players are scattered all over the place, and many live far away in the suburbs (I don't have a car). So I'm hoping to keep things going but this represents a very real challenge.

Most importantly, however, I had a good time and it felt great to game again. I know 5E was kind of designed with the game's legacy in mind, and this consideration definitely helped to bring me back.

 

[Zardnaar]

I suppose I am a returnee after playing Pathfinder, ACKs and Castles and Crusades.

 

[Redthistle]

I had a 12-year break in gaming (1988-2000) but have been playing regularly since then, sometimes as often as 2-3 times a week. It was all D&D before the break, and during the break I played a variety of RPG's on the rare occasions I was able to attend a Con. In 2000, the newest edition of Shadowrun brought me together with a group of younger adult gamers (me being well into middle age by then).

From Shadowrun we moved to D&D 3e and 3.5e, other d20 OGLs, and the Star Wars Saga edition, usually just short-lived adventures.

The roll-out of D&D 4e intrigued us, and after getting over how significant the changes were from previous editions, we ended up with two different campaigns (allowing each DM to play in the other's game). One of those groups survived into 2013, when moves and work changes made it too difficult to continue meeting. In late 2012, I had joined yet another 4e gaming group which just wrapped up this month, suffering the same obstacles as the other groups.

5e showed up right on time to start out anew. We're still having some problems arranging for transportation (not everyone drives) and the players are scattered to all points on the compass, so this group may fizzle out for logistical reasons, but if the enthusiasm everyone is feeling for 5e can overcome those problems we expect to have fun with this.

 

[DaveMage]

I'm not returning in that I'm *playing* 5E, but I am *reading* 5E after skipping 4E completely.

I'm still not sure about it (I'm liking some things, not liking other things). I intend to wait until I've read the DMG to make up my mind how I feel about the edition as a whole.

 

[Kabluey]

I did answer that I'm back after playing other games, but that's not strictly accurate. I started a long time ago with 1E, but swore off D&D after 3E and didn't play again for about 10 years, during which I ran games with various other rules like Heros, GURPS, and Fate. But the first public playtest of Next brought me back. My group and I loved the rules, but we didn't want to play a campaign where the rules were constantly changing, so we started playing various D&D clones (ACKS, LL, C&C) until the release of the Starter Set when we've switched to 5E as our regular system. So even though 5E didn't technically bring me back, I think it still deserves the credit.

 

[VorpalBunny]

I'm back after sitting out 4e entirely. I pretty much spent 2008 until 5e was released playing some 3.5, Castles and Crusades, Pathfinder, and some Shadowrun 5e.

 

[diaglo]

i only chose based on the poll answers. now that i've read the thread. ummm... strike my answer. :doh: edit: i just love taking polls.

 

[TrippyHippy]

To be honest, neither Pathfinder or D&D4 were for me. D&D5 appeals to my sensibilities more, but for a specific type of easy-going fantasy. I still like other fantasy games, and rpgs of other genres too.

My main difficulty, however, is just getting a group together currently - and the release of 5th edition is very helpful in this regard: you are more likely to find D&D players, and game groups, than fans of any other type of game. If I actually like and feel comfortable with the mode of play of the most popular game - which I do! - I am more likely to get to game in the first place!

 

[Ezequielramone]

I'm playing 5th ed. I have fate in the dmg. so assuming dmg will complete a great game I'll playing this ed for long. but pathfinder is still my core game. I have two groups playing pathfinder and one paying 5th ed. does this count as I'm coming back for your purposes? I played a few games of 4th ed and immediately went to path.

 

[Ogre Mage]

I played 3E extensively from 2000-2006. Dabbled with both 4E and Pathfinder but didn't stick with either for more than a year. In 2013 I took another try with 4E via the D&D Encounters Games at my FLGS. That's what I was doing when 5E came out. Since the switchover to 5E I have been attending the Encounters games more regularly.