D&D 5E How crunchy is D&D 5E
Argyle King
Legend
I went with 4.
I think it's "medium" overall, but there are areas of the game which are a bit on the shallow side.
On occasions when I've found it confusing, it's usually because something is worded in an odd way or a particular rule seems un-intuitive. For example, parsing the differences between attacks; melee attacks; unarmed strikes; natural weapons; and natural attacks matter to the rules in a way that's not always logical.
5E books also tend toward have rather poor indices. So, while the information may not be difficult to understand, funding what you need to know isn't always easy.
On the DM-side of things, I might rate the complexity higher. The encounter-building guidelines are somewhat convoluted.
I think it's "medium" overall, but there are areas of the game which are a bit on the shallow side.
On occasions when I've found it confusing, it's usually because something is worded in an odd way or a particular rule seems un-intuitive. For example, parsing the differences between attacks; melee attacks; unarmed strikes; natural weapons; and natural attacks matter to the rules in a way that's not always logical.
5E books also tend toward have rather poor indices. So, while the information may not be difficult to understand, funding what you need to know isn't always easy.
On the DM-side of things, I might rate the complexity higher. The encounter-building guidelines are somewhat convoluted.
el-remmen
Moderator Emeritus
Ha! I didn't even consider stuff like that because I see it as optional and ignore it! But part of why I ignore it is because I trust my gut when it comes to running D&D more than I do any crunchy system, which may be a flaw - but it has worked for me so far.
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Neonchameleon
Legend
5e is IMO right at the light end of rules heavy. It's very hard for a game with three core 320 page rulebooks not to qualify as rules heavy, but 5e is one of the lighter versions.
Argyle King
Legend
There are a lot of games in which I just go with whatever I feel makes sense given the situation.
When it comes to D&D 5E, I'm not as confident. Some part of that is because it's the edition of D&D I've DMed the least.
Heh... this is why we have games like Twilight Imperium or Terraforming Mars to play. All the crunch without that dreaded "character-work" to deal with.
Neonchameleon
Legend
Can I introduce you to Campaign For North Africa?Heh... this is why we have games like Twilight Imperium or Terraforming Mars to play. All the crunch without that dreaded "character-work" to deal with.
Vince_Snetterton
Explorer
Actually, that is why we have games like Dungeon World. All character work without all that dreaded crunch of D&D.Heh... this is why we have games like Twilight Imperium or Terraforming Mars to play. All the crunch without that dreaded "character-work" to deal with.
I don't mind the crunch of D&D. I just don't consider it the end-all-be-all of the game.
No thank you. I heard about it. I don't think we'd get along that well.
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