MNblockhead
A Title Much Cooler Than Anything on the Old Site
I'm one of the apparently large number of "lapsed gamers" that 5e brought back into the fold.
I gamed heavily throughout the 80s until college. 90 or 91 was that last time I played a TTRPG until I bought the 5e Players Handbook in 2014.
There have been plenty of discussions about what it is about 5e that brought many of us back. I'd sum it up as a mix of capturing the flavor 1st & 2nd, incorporating the lessons learned of later editions to provide a more streamlined and easier to pick up rule set, excellent production values, and timing (large demographic of people who played during the 80s boom who now have established careers and families, a bit more time to play, and a lot more disposable income).
I'm more interested, however, in discussing where those of us who returned are after nearly five years of playing 5e. Does 5e still hold that magic for you? Are you still into TTRPG? Have you moved on to other games? Here are my experiences and observations.
I'm still playing 5e almost exclusively and don't foresee that changing for years to come
This is a little surprising considering that in the 80s I played a lot of different game systems. My friends and I had pretty much stopped playing D&D by our junior year of high school and were playing other systems.
While I have played and ran games in other systems since I got back into the hobby, it has only been for one shots and they are few and far between. I simply don't have the time to play in, much less run, multiple campaigns.
Also, 5e still scratches my fantasy TTRPG itch. When I do play another system it is for a different genre. Folks complain about the "stingy" release schedule of 5e but I don't foresee running half the stuff they already have and I enjoy many third-party products. I currently have years worth of 5e adventure material on my shelves and in Evernote. I don't expect I'll ever use it all at the table.
If I'm still playing 5e when I die, I wouldn't be surprised.
I like D&D as a spectator
There are some trends that I don't personally understand the appeal of, even after making an effort. Twitter and the incessant attention-deficit generator that is social media is one that only confirms my negative opinion the more I use it. Live-game streaming is something that many of my generation and older shake their head at but which I've come to really enjoy.
Some D&D game-play podcasts like Gods Fall or Critical Role are as enjoyable as any entertainment. I don't consume them by watching video though, I use YouTube Red or a podcast app and listen when doing yard work or on a long car/plane ride. I do, however, enjoy the Acquisition Incorporated's live, on-stage, PAX games and have even attended one in a movie theater with Fathom Events.
If you would have asked me 5 years ago if I would have enjoyed this, I would have thought it the dumbest idea ever. But this old dog can still learn to enjoy new entertainment.
It is still an in-person game for me
While I enjoy watching / listening to streamed games, I don't enjoy the remote-play, VTT experience. TTRPGs are still about getting together in person with old and new friends and throwing physical dice. I use digital battlemaps, D&D Beyond, and other technology, but it is still a fundamentally physical game for me. There has been a lot of discussion recently about the importance of building "social capital" in other threads about gaming and "adulting." I think the debate over video games is more of "what's old is new." But I think there is something about needing to meet with groups of people in person, repeatedly to build social capital. I think sitting around a table for 4-8 hours playing a TTRPG or a board game is as good of a way as building social capital as participating in a bowling league or playing golf.
My kids are not into it
When I got back into the hobby, I introduced my kids to gaming with Hero Kids, No Thank You, Evil!, and then 5e. For a short while they were into it and immediately wanted to start running games themselves. But they lost interest and now have no interest. Kids are going to be into what their friends are into and, for my kids and their friends, that isn't TTRPGs.
I do wish that they would have remained interested in the hobby and were less interested in computer games, but I'm not going to dictate what hobbies they have to enjoy.
The stigma remains...but things are so much better for newer generations
This is more about gaming in general, but really, more than any other game or geeky hobby, the words "D&D" retain some social stigma. I still keep my gaming life separate from my work and much of my social life. Unless I know someone is into gaming, I don't talk about it. This is in large part due to living through the 80s and the satanic panic and a period when "nerd" and "geek" were insults that still had bite. I'm also still of a generation where you were expected to grow up and leave things like this behind.
I find that many professionals in their 20s and early 30s are much more open about gaming habits. It is normal to hear younger professionals discuss getting together for game nights. For professionals in their 40s and above, that would sound weird, unless you are talking about poker night or watching sports.
I had a meeting with an attorney, who I think was in his late 20s, a couple weeks ago who casually mentioned going to gaming meetups with his partner. It was very gratifying to me that, in the midst of a fairly formal business-networking discussion, he would be comfortable casually mentioning his same-sex partner and his gaming hobby. Not to make a point, but just small talk, like discussing the weather or your kids. Huzzah for the millennials!
How about you? Did 5e bring you or anyone in your gaming groups back to gaming? Where are you/they nearly 5 years in?
I gamed heavily throughout the 80s until college. 90 or 91 was that last time I played a TTRPG until I bought the 5e Players Handbook in 2014.
There have been plenty of discussions about what it is about 5e that brought many of us back. I'd sum it up as a mix of capturing the flavor 1st & 2nd, incorporating the lessons learned of later editions to provide a more streamlined and easier to pick up rule set, excellent production values, and timing (large demographic of people who played during the 80s boom who now have established careers and families, a bit more time to play, and a lot more disposable income).
I'm more interested, however, in discussing where those of us who returned are after nearly five years of playing 5e. Does 5e still hold that magic for you? Are you still into TTRPG? Have you moved on to other games? Here are my experiences and observations.
I'm still playing 5e almost exclusively and don't foresee that changing for years to come
This is a little surprising considering that in the 80s I played a lot of different game systems. My friends and I had pretty much stopped playing D&D by our junior year of high school and were playing other systems.
While I have played and ran games in other systems since I got back into the hobby, it has only been for one shots and they are few and far between. I simply don't have the time to play in, much less run, multiple campaigns.
Also, 5e still scratches my fantasy TTRPG itch. When I do play another system it is for a different genre. Folks complain about the "stingy" release schedule of 5e but I don't foresee running half the stuff they already have and I enjoy many third-party products. I currently have years worth of 5e adventure material on my shelves and in Evernote. I don't expect I'll ever use it all at the table.
If I'm still playing 5e when I die, I wouldn't be surprised.
I like D&D as a spectator
There are some trends that I don't personally understand the appeal of, even after making an effort. Twitter and the incessant attention-deficit generator that is social media is one that only confirms my negative opinion the more I use it. Live-game streaming is something that many of my generation and older shake their head at but which I've come to really enjoy.
Some D&D game-play podcasts like Gods Fall or Critical Role are as enjoyable as any entertainment. I don't consume them by watching video though, I use YouTube Red or a podcast app and listen when doing yard work or on a long car/plane ride. I do, however, enjoy the Acquisition Incorporated's live, on-stage, PAX games and have even attended one in a movie theater with Fathom Events.
If you would have asked me 5 years ago if I would have enjoyed this, I would have thought it the dumbest idea ever. But this old dog can still learn to enjoy new entertainment.
It is still an in-person game for me
While I enjoy watching / listening to streamed games, I don't enjoy the remote-play, VTT experience. TTRPGs are still about getting together in person with old and new friends and throwing physical dice. I use digital battlemaps, D&D Beyond, and other technology, but it is still a fundamentally physical game for me. There has been a lot of discussion recently about the importance of building "social capital" in other threads about gaming and "adulting." I think the debate over video games is more of "what's old is new." But I think there is something about needing to meet with groups of people in person, repeatedly to build social capital. I think sitting around a table for 4-8 hours playing a TTRPG or a board game is as good of a way as building social capital as participating in a bowling league or playing golf.
My kids are not into it
When I got back into the hobby, I introduced my kids to gaming with Hero Kids, No Thank You, Evil!, and then 5e. For a short while they were into it and immediately wanted to start running games themselves. But they lost interest and now have no interest. Kids are going to be into what their friends are into and, for my kids and their friends, that isn't TTRPGs.
I do wish that they would have remained interested in the hobby and were less interested in computer games, but I'm not going to dictate what hobbies they have to enjoy.
The stigma remains...but things are so much better for newer generations
This is more about gaming in general, but really, more than any other game or geeky hobby, the words "D&D" retain some social stigma. I still keep my gaming life separate from my work and much of my social life. Unless I know someone is into gaming, I don't talk about it. This is in large part due to living through the 80s and the satanic panic and a period when "nerd" and "geek" were insults that still had bite. I'm also still of a generation where you were expected to grow up and leave things like this behind.
I find that many professionals in their 20s and early 30s are much more open about gaming habits. It is normal to hear younger professionals discuss getting together for game nights. For professionals in their 40s and above, that would sound weird, unless you are talking about poker night or watching sports.
I had a meeting with an attorney, who I think was in his late 20s, a couple weeks ago who casually mentioned going to gaming meetups with his partner. It was very gratifying to me that, in the midst of a fairly formal business-networking discussion, he would be comfortable casually mentioning his same-sex partner and his gaming hobby. Not to make a point, but just small talk, like discussing the weather or your kids. Huzzah for the millennials!
How about you? Did 5e bring you or anyone in your gaming groups back to gaming? Where are you/they nearly 5 years in?
