D&D 5E Name a technique or design choice that your group enjoys, but that is generally unpopular.

[Fauchard1520]

If you've dwelt long in the gaming forums strewn across the web, you've no doubt heard phrases like these: “There’s no wrong way to game,” or, “If you’re having fun, you’re doing it right.” That can get a bit reductive, but I do think it's a generally useful reminder. Every group is unique, and what works at one table won’t necessarily work at another. For my money, that’s a healthy thing to keep in mind.

When you move beyond your familiar home table, whether it’s at a gaming con, with a new group, or in a forum, it’s important to put your own preconceptions on hold. Before you offer up advice to your fellow gamers, remember that every one of them comes paired with a unique set of preferences. That means that checking your own personal version of “the right way to game” at the door is Step 1 in talking shop with your fellow dungeon delvers.

So in the spirit of cultural exchange, what do you say we compare our differences? Name a technique or design choice that your group enjoys, but that is generally unpopular. Do you love no-holds-barred PVP? Perhaps you think an adversarial GM can be a fun challenge. Maybe you enjoy alignment-mismatched parties, tracking encumbrance, or implementing crit fails. Let's hear all about your best loved (but least popular) elements!

(Comic for illustrative purposes.)

 

[Neonchameleon]

4e

Which in my experience is a lot more popular than it is on internet forums, where hating it is a meme.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Action-based initiative (called Cinematic Initiative by myself), where turns are micro-managed into separate actions.
Tracking encumbrance and supplies
Critical fumbles/failures
Rolling 2d10 instead of d20 for all rolls except initiative
Very restricted races
Nerfed casting
Lower HPs
Higher ACs
and on and on and on...
(and alignment )

I don't know how much those are unpopular or not, but most probably are.

 

[GreyLord]

Creating our own classes and sometimes creating our own races.

The most it was ever codified was in 2e. 3e had some general ideas but never really got into how to do it.

4e had nothing on it, but it was rather easy to adjust and do.

5e actually starts giving some guidelines (not that anyone would see it as such) with the racial adjustments in Tasha's.

However, I find very few actually go all out and create their own races or classes on their own.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Hunters, berserker barbarians, warlocks w/o eldritch blast, land druids, monks, sorcerers...

 

[Lyxen]

Really not caring about the RAW except as guidelines, and not creating any house rules, just local rulings...

 

[Li Shenron]

Nothing in the multiverse will prevent a druid from wearing a metal armor*

*except if said armor is already worn by someone else

 

[Bill Zebub]

Nothing in the multiverse will prevent a druid from wearing a metal armor*

*except if said armor is already worn by someone else

That's where the "kill them and take their stuff" pillar of gameplay comes in.

 

[jmartkdr2]

So many "game breaking" custom magic items, and yet the whole thing holds together quite well.

 

[Thunder Brother]

I don't know if it's necessarily unpopular or not, but I've been using Side Initiative for my current campaign. After 13 sessions I haven't noticed any major downsides and combat feels like it moves a faster.