D&D 5E Is 5E Special

[LuisCarlos17f]

We may agree there is a combo of several factors. 5 Ed has been designed for the people who are starting, and rules easy to be learnt.

Not only the society is used to the speculative fiction, but there is a part of the fandom who doesn't like too much any things from the current entertaiment industry, and now they are interested into to create their own amateur or fanart stories. The TTRPGs are the perfect tabletop game for the fandom who now they want to writte their own stories.

 

[Alby87]

Spoken like someone who hasn't been offered and orange coke before.

I'm not a native speaker, so something can be lost in translation XD

This isn't true, btw.

A lot of people came across TT RPG streamers before they knew what a TT RPG was. That's the whole thing with streaming and podcasts and so on. People who know little/nothing about the subject matter often discover them.

I admit that I heard Critical Role because I follow D&D, not viceversa, but I'm also not in USA. You're probably right. To be honest, following that stream in one's native tongue would make a lot easier to people to tell other to follow "just for the story", even if they don't know D&D.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

The sneeringest nerd I know is a Millennial who hates everything, so I guess there's no accounting for anecdotes. It's almost as if we can't effectively paint entire generations with self aggrandizing brushes.

Sure, but I think there's a real difference between the average level of sneer even if there are "exceptional individuals" lol (X-men we could almost say!), and Star Wars is a great illustration of it. The age divide in the fandom is pretty obvious there, and the accusations of "not being a real fan" or "not understanding Star Wars" or the like tend get a lot more common with the older crowd (as does "go woke go broke" and other tediousness).

 

[payn]

Sure, but I think there's a real difference between the average level of sneer even if there are "exceptional individuals" lol (X-men we could almost say!), and Star Wars is a great illustration of it. The age divide in the fandom is pretty obvious there, and the accusations of "not being a real fan" or "not understanding Star Wars" or the like tend get a lot more common with the older crowd (as does "go woke go broke" and other tediousness).

Being resistant to cultural change certainly tends towards the older generation, though I have never heard somebody over 40 say "go woke, go broke"

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I have never heard somebody over 40 say "go woke, go broke"

I wish I hadn't! Woke is an interesting one because the most likely person to be using it pejoratively now is absolutely Gen-X or Boomer, but they definitely got it off Millennials (even though it dates back in the original usage to what, the '60s?).

 

[LordEntrails]

OD&D and AD&D would not have had the success of 5E. Sure they would have done better in 2014 than they did in their age, but maybe only 10-20% towards 5E's success. Mostly because the sensibilities of those editions fit poorly with today's cultural desires for a game/social activity.

2E and 3.X... These would have done a bit better, maybe 25-35% of the way, but not leaps and bounds. They are simple too crunchy for the currently diverse player set and were not formulated to be accessible to new players. Bloat would have kept them down after a few years.

4E I don't really know. The tactical/video game vibe of this edition would have done well in 2014. But since I didn't play through the Essentials change-up, not sure. Accessibility and always needing more options/products would have hampered things.

In short, 5E is/was the right product/edition at the right time, but, without 30+ years of D&D history, 5E wouldn't be where it is either.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

In other words: is there something special about 5E that created this moment, or does it "just happen to be" that 5E is the current edition?

Yes... but NO, but kinda, but kinda not.

I know that answer sucks but that is the TLDR... but for more indepth

I think the idea of D&D is something that has and most likely will always have a major potential to spread through out the young adult segment. If one day in 1995 everything that 5e had going 2e would have gotten a big boost... but, and this is a big but
If everything that went right for 5e went right the same time but we still had 2e mechanics I don't think it would have taken off as well (I do still think that it would have been a boom... just not a lasting one as powerful as we have now.
My theory is that any WotC edition would do better then any TSR edition but (and I am biased) I think 4e would have been better yet, and best would be if the basic ideas and frame work of 4e was brought forward and made into a new better math better modern ideas 5e. But what we have now a GREAT edition and I think it is still a great help...

I think of it like having a friend get you a blind date, or a job interview... the friend can put in a good word but you still need to make a good first impression, and once you get past that you still need to work to keep things going.

Stranger things, Big Bang, Critical Role (and other things) was a friend putting in a good word for you and setting up a meeting... but the game itself still needs to keep selling itself, and so 5e DID and IS doing a part of that.

 

[John R Davis]

Fundamentally the game works well. Good for both the old farts and the new ones.
Plus internet.
Plus TV.
All the stars aligned.

 

[Reynard]

Sure, but I think there's a real difference between the average level of sneer even if there are "exceptional individuals" lol (X-men we could almost say!), and Star Wars is a great illustration of it. The age divide in the fandom is pretty obvious there, and the accusations of "not being a real fan" or "not understanding Star Wars" or the like tend get a lot more common with the older crowd (as does "go woke go broke" and other tediousness).

I suppose I wasn't clear because I was trying to be clever: this is a terrible line of discussion and it should probably stop before it gets insulting and acrimonious.

 

[Reynard]

2E [snip] simple too crunchy for the currently diverse player set

That is probably the first time I have ever seen 2E described as "too crunchy."