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

[Blackbrrd]

Speaking of different campaign styles: The current player culture in 5e is definetly more "story-focused" and less dungeon-crawling, open-exploring. That means more games have less combats and thus better rested parties and thus the internet complains about the game being too easy. But thats just the overall culture, if you find a group that wants more of exploring and crawling, you definitely can do it in 5e. And if not you can adjust the difficulty with the tips above.

Until last year, I only DMed D&D games. It's a real issue when combat feels either very easy or very dangerous and eats all the resources of the party and the insist on taking a rest. My biggest issue with 3e and later versions of D&D is that it got really complicated at higher levels. Combat took a lot of time, lasting a lot of rounds.

I recently started running Dragonbane which has quick combat with nerve in them. It also flattens the power curve quite a lot. For one thing, HP doesn't "level up" like the skills does. It's basically static. You can use the equivalent of feats to increase it, but you typically only get one or two of them per adventure.

The foes in Dragonbane also have a more flattened power curve, so even starting characters can fight a Troll. The same troll is still a relevant foe 20 sessions in.

For me, Dragonbane sort of stays in the feel of D&D between level 3 and 7 without it really being the same at all.

 

[Morrus]

Apologies if this is the wrong forum for these questions. I do not intend to start a flame war over this, either.

This question is spurred by some of the things that have been happening for the last little while with regards to Hasbro moving D&D more towards digital/subscription models, both of which to be candid I am not really a fan. I would prefer to be able to play with minimal tech. Last time I played, 3E had just come out and the gorgeous cover art work of Henry Higginbotham on the three core books captivated me.

Is it a good idea to pick up 5.5E at this point? I did end up reading too much of The Alexandrian/Grognardia and other blogs and maybe it overly negatively colored my perception of the general D&D trends. I don't have a hard-line opinion either way and I have not really been keeping up with the culture around D&D for many, many years. I am flipping now through the earlier editions just to get an idea for them (looking into OSE/OSR).

I had a great playing that with a small group of friends, though I would not call myself a proficient player by any stretch of imagination. (I also had a blast playing the AD&D computer games but that's an aside). Unfortunately, its been decades and the free time schedules are not what they used to be.

Just don't use the digital stuff. Buy the books, grab some dice, and go! Your playstyle is fully supported.

 

[Koloth]

I suggest coming at this from a different viewpoint. Unless you are hard set on D&D, find a gaming group first then decide which game you all want to buy in on. Might suck if you buy a couple hundred dollars worth of fresh shiny D&D books only to discover that your new gaming folks are really wanting to try Shadowdark/GURPS/Traveller/Pathfinder/Other. Find a good group first. You can suggest D&D later if that isn't the group's first choice.

 

[AlViking]

I happen to enjoy 5.5e quite a bit and I do use DDB. I have a master level subscription because I DM and so I can share all my books with my players. I find it makes life a lot easier for prep both for when creating a PC and getting ready for my games. The books are also a bit cheaper and the subscription is less than $5 per month.

But when I sit down to play? It's paper, dice and minis for me. If I'm running a caster I look up spell details now and then but that's about it. In no way does anyone need to use the online tools and I'm not saying you should, I'm just explaining why I do and why it's a popular choice.

As far as PCs go there's been a problem with 5 minute work days for a long time, it's nothing new. If PCs can easily get a rest whenever they want the DM will need to up the difficulty significantly. I like most of the changes 5.5e made but of course nothing is perfect and no game is for everyone. Luckily you can get a free copy of the rules and check it out for yourself. Good luck and good gaming!

 

[bsss]

I suggest coming at this from a different viewpoint. Unless you are hard set on D&D, find a gaming group first then decide which game you all want to buy in on. Might suck if you buy a couple hundred dollars worth of fresh shiny D&D books only to discover that your new gaming folks are really wanting to try Shadowdark/GURPS/Traveller/Pathfinder/Other. Find a good group first. You can suggest D&D later if that isn't the group's first choice.

Thank you! This is a far better way to explain what I was trying to say.

OP, there's a vast ocean of games that are not D&D 5e, and they do different things in different ways, ways that may jibe with your group better. Drum up interest with some open-ended discussion on games and explore, now is the best time for that, before you're potentially "locked in". There's a lot of games with free versions of the rules and/or books available to get a sampler.

It sounds like some parts of 5e may not be to your and/or your group's taste, so take a moment on that as your crew starts forming.

 

[VashVet]

I did in fact purchase LMoP/PH/MM/DMG back in 2014 as soon as they were released.

If you still have them, I suggest still starting here rather than buying 5.5. The changes between 5e and 5.5 are relatively small.

 

[Remathilis]

I know I must be in EnWorld's Dungeons & Dragons forum; the response from some people to if the OP should play Dungeons & Dragons is to tell them to consider other games.

To the OP: I currently do not use D&D Beyond. I run a purely paper and book game, though I do use other digital elements (such as a laptop for my notes, maps, and statblocks) but that's mostly to save paper.
If you liked 3e, you will probably like 5e. They share a lot more D&D than with TSR era D&D. The thing 5e tried to do was clamp down on number inflation and flatten the zero to hero curve. 1st level PCs are a little more resilient, but they don't climb as high on their numbers. Instead they grow wide. Get more and more abilities. A 10th level fighters might not have a 30 AC and +26 to hit, but he will be able to self-heal, gain extra actions, shrug off a bad save, and his extra attacks will hit more often.

You have everything you need to try it out. The 2014 PHB is still great, and Lost Mine of Phandelver is the gold-standard for low-level modules. Give it a whirl. It plays great out of the box. If you get to the end and are still having fun, get an AP that sounds good or make up your own quests.

5.5 is a little crunchier. They gave some extra abilities to martial classes to bring them up, toned down a few OP corner cases, and net ended up with PCs again more resilient and with more to do. If playing 5e feels a little weak or lacking, look at the 5.5 SRD to see if that's a little more up your alley.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy 5e.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I know I must be in EnWorld's Dungeons & Dragons forum; the response from some people to if the OP should play Dungeons & Dragons is to tell them to consider other games

It doesn’t have to be bought at Starbucks to be coffee!

 

[bsss]

To be fair to people responding in this way (including myself, I guess), the OP seems totally open to not-D&D (and not-5e especially) and left the door mostly ajar for other opinions, other than the act, which is certainly not binding anyway, of putting their question in the D&D forum. If they pick 5e, or pick something that isn't 5e, whatever, it's their choice. It sounds to me like they're open to exploring that choice.

---

A lot of what people are saying about 5e is true. It does certain things well and other things poorly (like any game), and it helps that it has broad support and that you, OP, have a few books already. It wouldn't be a "bad idea" to pick it, but there's no harm in exploring some of the things that seem off to you about it, either. Your curiosity about OSE or OSR in general might be what sings to you more. I think the only bad idea is getting 5.5e solely because it's the latest and in the zeitgeist --- you should get it because you like what you see.

Edit: oh yeah, I know the 7e comment was a joke, but also, just in case, don't get distracted with fretting about "what if 6e is amazing!?" --- there's nothing you can do about that right now, so just focus on finding the game that's best for your group right now.

 

[mamba]

did in fact purchase LMoP/PH/MM/DMG back in 2014 as soon as they were released.

in that case, start with 5e and if you enjoy that maybe move to 5.5.

As others have said, the 5.5 monsters are tougher, so if you ‘insist’ on buying something first, get the new MM (alternatively look at the SRD monsters) and use it with the 5e classes.