D&D General Explain 5(.5)e to me

[GothmogIV]

This is not a troll post. I am asking legitimately out of curiosity, and maybe a bit of wistfulness: why is 5e (and the newest iteration, 2024...5.5e) fun?
Background: the other day I looked on D&D Beyond and saw their new(ish) map feature. Since I play online with my friends pretty much exclusively, I was impressed to see how workable the VTT is. The map. The tokens. The turn order. The encounter builder. It's all just done for the GM and players. So freaking cool.
But: my crew and I, a bunch of grogs in our 50s, played 5e a few times and didn't find it to our liking. Characters were too powerful too quickly, the action economy is... let's say busy (readied action, action, bonus action, reaction), and the character options just an endless parade of race, subrace, class, subclass, with an inexhaustible list of mechanical stuff PCs could do just by rolling a die (vs. role playing, or having to think about what they wanted to do). It all felt like a video game to us.
But, people love it. Just love it. So my question is...why? What is it about this particular rule set and edition that makes it so fun? Is it because this is the only edition many people have played, and don't know any of the old ways? Or is it because so many people play video games, and 5e is sort of analogous?
I love Dungeons&Dragons as a concept, and I have since I was 11 years old (a very long time ago!) I feel like I am missing out on something because I am either too set in my ways, or missing some critical concept(s) in 5e. Help a brother out, friends.
And to reiterate: NOT looking to fight, or explain to anyone "why I am right." Just help me see it through the eyes of those who love it.
Because I want to love it, too.

 

[Sulicius]

This is not a troll post. I am asking legitimately out of curiosity, and maybe a bit of wistfulness: why is 5e (and the newest iteration, 2024...5.5e) fun?
Background: the other day I looked on D&D Beyond and saw their new(ish) map feature. Since I play online with my friends pretty much exclusively, I was impressed to see how workable the VTT is. The map. The tokens. The turn order. The encounter builder. It's all just done for the GM and players. So freaking cool.
But: my crew and I, a bunch of grogs in our 50s, played 5e a few times and didn't find it to our liking. Characters were too powerful too quickly, the action economy is... let's say busy (readied action, action, bonus action, reaction), and the character options just an endless parade of race, subrace, class, subclass, with an inexhaustible list of mechanical stuff PCs could do just by rolling a die (vs. role playing, or having to think about what they wanted to do). It all felt like a video game to us.
But, people love it. Just love it. So my question is...why? What is it about this particular rule set and edition that makes it so fun? Is it because this is the only edition many people have played, and don't know any of the old ways? Or is it because so many people play video games, and 5e is sort of analogous?
I love Dungeons&Dragons as a concept, and I have since I was 11 years old (a very long time ago!) I feel like I am missing out on something because I am either too set in my ways, or missing some critical concept(s) in 5e. Help a brother out, friends.
And to reiterate: NOT looking to fight, or explain to anyone "why I am right." Just help me see it through the eyes of those who love it.
Because I want to love it, too.

Just play it like you play your old games. You’ll have fun.

I don’t think you will understand until you do.

You seem to have some mechanical preferences that might not allow you to enjoy it, which is a shame! It is a popular game and easy to find people to play with.

 

[THEMNGMNT]

What do you play?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

D&D in the WotC era (and arguably in the late 2E era) has moved away from "boy, I hope I can survive sneaking into this sewer and stealing a few coppers from under the nose of the wererat beggar king," and rolling up a new character in a matter of seconds when it doesn't work out.

Modern D&D -- and fantasy more generally -- has shifted toward a more character-centric view, where players and audience members can generally rely on a character they're introduced to eventually becoming incredibly powerful and a master of their world (or plane). The challenges they face are generally not ones that threaten their lives, but their values or other goals. 5E helped create and now follows this trend. It also means that more cozy game play (popular in fantasy fiction and media nowadays) is also more doable than it was in the old school era, when PCs didn't really expect to live long enough to open a bookstore, or whatever.

5E also appeals to the more mechanically inclined folks who were onboarded with 3E and 4E (although a bunch of them also branched off to Pathfinder), who like the more detailed tactical and especially character-building options.

I think both old school and 5E-style games have their place, but they're each better at different things.

If I want a gritty dungeon crawler or horror game, I'll go with an OSR system, where characters are almost certainly weaker than all their foes, have fewer tools in their toolbox than their 5E counterparts and running away is always a good idea.

If I want to tell a story about characters solving problems, especially heroically, and growing as people over time, I don't want to use an OSR system where they're likely to be cut down, midway through their arc, but instead prefer a system like 5E. (Daggerheart also seems like it's aimed at this audience.)

The problem is that the Dungeons & Dragons brand has, at various times, embraced/originated both styles, so there's a mismatch of expectations. A 1E D&D adventure just works differently under the 5E ruleset and vice-versa, although people can and do make it work to their satisfaction.

Neither style of play is wrong -- I run multiple 5E campaigns as well as an ongoing Shadowdark campaign -- but they're serving different audiences looking for different things.

 

[Morrus]

A theory I heard a while back is that your teens to mid-20s are the formative time when things ‘imprint’ on you, and that sets your preferences for the rest of your life. It’s why your dad hates your music and you hate your kids’ music. Your grandad hated your dad’s music. Your kid will hate your grandchild’s music. It’s just the order of life.

The music, the movies, the TV shows, the games, the lifestyle, the chocolate bars, the shops… the world was at its best when you were 14-24ish. Because that is what imprinted on you.

Sometimes people overcome this conditioning and their tastes change as an adult. Most times they don’t. But it’s got very little to do with the actual game (or music or whatever) itself.

That’s the answer to your question.

The only bizarre bit is that people don’t seem to be self aware enough to see the obvious—that they, like every other human being in existence, have become their parents and are just saying the same things their parents said, ad indinitum. There’s no mystery here.

 

[Alas]

What is it about this particular rule set and edition that makes it so fun?

I've been playing D&D since the Basic red box and AD&D. I've migrated with every edition change, and enjoyed them all. I enjoy this particular edition of D&D (5e 2024) because the rules presentation is user-friendly (I love the glossary in the PHB), they included a really excellent primer on the Greyhawk setting in the DMG, and the monsters in the MM are easy for me to run. Also, they remapped goliaths to the classic hill/stone/fire/frost/cloud/storm giants, unseating tieflings as my favorite after 30 years.

Also, my kids dig it.

(Edited to add: The current edition uses a bigger font than 2014! That's a serious value add for me. )

 

[DragonLancer]

I've played D&D since 1st edition, although we skipped 4th for Pathfinder 1st. I've moved back to D&D with the 2024 edition because I've grown tired of heavy mechanical systems. 5th has the mechanical options to keep players interested but isn't so intensive or overpowered that I can't run without a PHD in encounter building. 5th feels so much more balanced that previous editions that I have played. I can say for my players, that we're having so much more fun with 2024 than we've had with previous systems.

My recommendation is just play it as it comes. Don't try to emulate previous editions or play styles. Don't overthink it. Just play and you'll probably see why so many of us like it. Good luck.

 

[DrJawaPhD]

But, people love it. Just love it. So my question is...why? What is it about this particular rule set and edition that makes it so fun?

You had a great description of why so many people love 5th edition, except from your perspective the key attractions were phrased as being downsides. Characters gain power quickly rather than being stuck as boring nobodies. Action economy isn't particularly great but it's a decent balance between providing tactical crunch for those who prefer it and simplicity for those who don't. Huge array of character creation options provides endless opportunities for interesting character builds.

As you said, it "feels like a video game", and obviously video games are super super popular. So yeah, you already know why it is so popular because you described the reasons why

 

[GothmogIV]

What do you play?

Currently DCC and Castles&Crusades, both of which I like. But I feel like I am missing out on something with WotC D&D.

 

[GothmogIV]

A theory I heard a while back is that your teens to mid-20s are the formative time when things ‘imprint’ on you, and that sets your preferences for the rest of your life. It’s why your dad hates your music and you hate your kids’ music. Your grandad hated your dad’s music. Your kid will hate your grandchild’s music. It’s just the order of life.

The music, the movies, the TV shows, the games, the lifestyle, the chocolate bars, the shops… the world was at its best when you were 14-24ish. Because that is what imprinted on you.

Sometimes people overcome this conditioning and their tastes change as an adult. Most times they don’t. But it’s got very little to do with the actual game (or music or whatever) itself.

That’s the answer to your question. There’s no ‘explaining’ 5E or Taylor Swift or Love Island that’s gonna make you like it, because it’s not what imprinted on you in your formative years.

The only bizarre bit is that people don’t seem to be self aware enough to see the obvious—that they, like every other human being in existence, have become their parents and are just saying the same things their parents said, ad indinitum. There’s no mystery here.

Might be something to that analysis, Russ.