D&D 5E What are the "True Issues" with 5e?

[Stalker0]

One thing that I think is a flaw in all versions of dnd, at least from a game design standpoint, is the early level difficulty problem.

Generally in games you want to start players off on easy mode, adn then scale up the difficulty as they get used to the game. But in dnd, the first couple of levels are actually "brutal" in difficulty compared to later ones, its very easy to die when your a first level character, much harder when your 5th level.

It makes sense narratives, a newby character IS more likely to die than a veteran, but it an oddity in game design terms.

 

[cbwjm]

Exactly! Spells by level is superior!

I think an alphabetical arrangement of spells is best, especially if it is coupled with 3e style spell lists which are arranged by level with a sentence explaining the spell. There have been many times in 2e where I've remembered the name of a spell but can't remember the level leading me to search through spell lists until I find them.

 

[cbwjm]

I mean, people do, and the genius of the game is that it can be engaged with, or not.

I'm not saying there aren't people out there doing the resource management game, I'm saying that there's been a general shift away from it so that now, I'd say that the people playing the resource management game are likely in the minority.

 

[kigmatzomat]

So if-when a spell is different level for different classes, then what?

Well, there's the problem, you aren't playing 5e. (See, 5e doesn't have different spell levels per class. Every spell is the same level for everyone who can cast it)

 

[Micah Sweet]

One thing that I think is a flaw in all versions of dnd, at least from a game design standpoint, is the early level difficulty problem.

Generally in games you want to start players off on easy mode, adn then scale up the difficulty as they get used to the game. But in dnd, the first couple of levels are actually "brutal" in difficulty compared to later ones, its very easy to die when your a first level character, much harder when your 5th level.

It makes sense narratives, a newby character IS more likely to die than a veteran, but it an oddity in game design terms.

I always appreciated that in that way D&D fell on the realistic over newbie-friendly side of the fence.

 

[jasper]

Light Lore in the Wotc 5E published books, and that lore being changed.

 

[jasper]

Bigby's Invisible Hand.

Which is why Bigby is doing five to ten in the federal penitentiary. No touching means No touching.

 

[Parmandur]

I'm not saying there aren't people out there doing the resource management game, I'm saying that there's been a general shift away from it so that now, I'd say that the people playing the resource management game are likely in the minority.

I don't know that I would say that there has been, but it's probavly hard to generalize about millions of tables.

 

[Fifth Element]

I'm against weakening what spells are capable of in general. That compromises world building in so far as what magic can do.

Since magic is make-believe, deciding what magic can and cannot do will always be completely arbitrary. It's only a compromise if you have a predetermined notion of what magic should be able to do, in which case that's not the game's problem but yours.

 

[Minigiant]

I'm not saying there aren't people out there doing the resource management game, I'm saying that there's been a general shift away from it so that now, I'd say that the people playing the resource management game are likely in the minority.

Even more reasons why 5e should have been published with more playstyle variant rules.

The assumptions of who would be playing 5th edition and what they'd have and be be into is the source of 90% of 5e's valid issues.

The 5e designers never expected 5e to blow up with new fans. They designed it for old lapsed fans.