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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Daztur" data-source="post: 9486078" data-attributes="member: 55680">Well the thing is with D&D is that there have been so many versions of it that it can be hard to separate out how much of the current version of D&D is popular because of good design or because of inertia. Just about ANYTHING could've been a bestseller (by RPG industry standards) if it was labelled "D&D" in 2024 due to the brand power that D&D has developed.That said there was a HUGE surge of popularity with 5e compared to 4e and not all of that can be chalked up to Critical Role or Stranger things, for all of the messiness and cludge of 5e it actually really nailed being a compromise in a lot of ways.Although there was a lot of grumbling from all parties, 5e was a decent enough of a compromise that OSR fans preferred it over 3.*e and 4e, 4e fans preferred it over OSR games and 3.*e, and 3.*e fans preferred it over OSR games and 4e. And while it was most veterans' second choice, being a second choice for a wide range of people was pretty good.Similarly with new players it was a good compromise in that it let kids nerd out about character options without feeling overwhelmed. My teen-aged son LOVES thinking up lots of different character options and OSR games don't work for him (too simple) and 3.* and 4e character options just overwhelm him. 5e hit a great sweet spot for him and I think that accounts for a lot. Also it helps a lot that unless you're actively TRYING to make a weak character you can make up a pretty goofy character build and it'll hold up OK in a lot of campaigns.I think the only clear-cut naughty word-up of 5e (as opposed to taste issues) is how the game both assumes that you'll do a lot of fights per long rest and makes fights take a long time. Having an adventuring day that takes so damn long is a big headache in a lot of ways so the game would've been a lot better served with either shorter fights or fewer PC resources (like how the 5e playtest rules gave casters fewer spell slots than the published game) so that they get attritioned down faster. 5e monster design is also not its strong suit.I'm just not convinced that the people in charge of 5e these days understand that they're walking a fairly narrow line with this compromise so I'm willing to bet that D&D popularity will start to recede in the coming decade.</blockquote>

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