D&D General Concerns with returning to D&D in 2026

[abazaba]

no one cares about the Pinkertons, have not seen any form of discussion about that in a while. The OGL on the other hand flares up every once in a while

But, but, but... We Must Never Forgive ! Never Forget !

 

[AlViking]

no one cares about the Pinkertons, have not seen any form of discussion about that in a while. The OGL on the other hand flares up every once in a while

Some apparently do.

So the OGL scandal , the Pinkertons, etc didn't bother you?

 

[Scribe]

But, but, but... We Must Never Forgive ! Never Forget !

Unironically, yeah.

 

[AlViking]

Anyway, enough about this. A separate thread.

 

[abazaba]

Anyway, enough about this. A separate thread.

Agreed.

 

[mamba]

Some apparently do.

it gets referenced every once in a while, but I don’t think I have seen it turn into a discussion the way the OGL does

 

[MichaelSomething]

If you're not picky and/or don't seek a very particular play experience, than any version of 5E will work for you.

 

[Stormonu]

On this note, some time before discovering this community and creating the thread, I went back to read the Holmes version and I'm perusing through B1 In Search of the Unknown as well, because I figured (right or wrong) that these earlier versions were less encumbered by a focus on narratives/storyline/theater of mind, and use more straight-to-the-point wording to introduce the player to the game - it is, after all, less than 50 pages. For example, while I've come across the term keying a dungeon, I was not aware that this term has existed in these earlier editions and that the maps were carefully made with a legend. A part of me wishes I played this instead of 3e frankly because it would have been significantly easier for everyone to get into the game, and get out alive. We didn't have the 3e Starter Sets/Basic Game/etc to play through otherwise that would have probably made a big difference. The B1 module in particular is very tempting and the backstory/plot isn't over or underwhelming.

Oh, heck yeah - I've been flipping through my B/X books myself and have been eying running B4 - The Lost City using either Old School Essential rules (a cleaned-up version of the B/X rules) or Nimble 5E with the OAR version of the adventure. (Some on here might suggest using Shadowdark; I'm just not familiar with it myself to any extent but my understanding it is a B/X - 5E hybrid).

Don't get me wrong; I really like 5E, but sometimes I want something that's a bit lighter/less crunchy than it can get - especially if I'm the one DMing.

 

[Staffan]

Thank you for this - I was actually looking into Princes of the Apocalypse / ToEE remake by Goodman Games. I did early on get Hoard of the Dragon Queen as well - it seems to be a decent learning module? I'll have to look more carefully. At any rate I'll stick with 5E / 5.5E and there are more than enough WoTC modules to use. As mentioned, its been decades since I played so whatever is out there is more than likely just fine even if it has warts. Plus, our group was super green and we probably did it all wrong anyway; can't expect much of 8th graders without a seasoned DM.

I've played Princes of the Apocalypse almost all the way through (it got put on hiatus as we started to play online when Covid hit, and by the time we started playing in person again we had moved on to other games), and I can't recommend it. The early part when you explore the Dessarin Valley trying to find some missing dignitaries was pretty fun, but once you go underground to hit the actual Temples, it quickly loses its charm and turns into a large, rather boring dungeon.

There are elements of it that could be fun, but I think it would probably be easier to extract those details and build something better out of them.

 

[Umbran]

I'm not discussing it...

Mod Note:
Well, not any more you aren't.
Maybe you thought passive-aggressive approaches were going to fly.
They do not.
Out of the thread, and warning point for you.