D&D General What are your D&D gaming practices?

[Kobold Stew]

This is pulse-check to get a sense of how people play D&D these days. Select the best answer or answers from what follows. Complaints, cavils, and cheers in the comments.

 

[jdrakeh]

Mainly online because our regular game master moved out of state at the end of last year. The rest of us still live locally, but we decided to move everything to Discord and D&D Beyond so we could play from the comfort of our own homes.

 

[VashVet]

I guess it’s a little more complicated than what the poll allows but when I play D&D, I like D&D Beyond but I always have the books with me too, and I often use both. But I haven’t played D&D in awhile because our group is playing other games at the moment, and I let my D&DBeyond subscription go. If I get back into D&D, I’ll probably resubscribe.

 

[John Lloyd1]

I listen to podcasts (Sly Flourish and CitRole) rather than youtube.

 

[Kobold Stew]

I listen to podcasts (Sly Flourish and CitRole) rather than youtube.

Podcast option added!

 

[Sword of Spirit]

I prefer to play in person, but my group is now geographically scattered so we use Foundry. If I weren't as negatively inclined towards 2024 and picky about who I played with I might join up as a player at a game store; but I am so I don't.

I don't subscribe to D&D Beyond but I bought their mega-bundle thing a few years ago. I bought the core 2024 books because I'm enough of an role-playing enthusiast that I like to be educated about the details even though I already knew I wasn't interested. I've also purchased a few 3pp 5e pdfs over the year. So I technically have more digital books than physical, but I like to have the physical books, and wish I could afford to have more than I do. I'd love to have a whole wall of books rather than a single bookcase (yeah, it would make moving a real pain, but just having it there would make me happy).

In a perfect world all my gaming would be in-person, digitally assisted, with a physical library of books in the same room.

 

[MarkB]

Heh. Eleven votes in the "please tick this one first so we know you exist" box, and 15 for "ENworld".

I play online only, currently in one weekly game. For D&D related stuff on YouTube I watch mostly Dungeon Dudes and Pack Tactics, and mostly listen to Actual Play shows as podcasts rather than watching them.

 

[John Lloyd1]

Heh. Eleven votes in the "please tick this one first so we know you exist" box, and 15 for "ENworld".

And only 88% hang out at ENworld.

 

[Blue]

Before anything else, option A to see total number is a brilliant addition to a poll. People aren't necessarily using it correctly but I really appreciate the thought.

I liked this poll, both directly but also because answering specifically about D&D opened my eyes to how my playing of D&D and playing of other RPGs differs.

For completeness sake, I stretched "other boards" to include the fact that I'm in both multiple D&D discords and FB groups. I don't need to see those separated out, I think they qualify under the concept, but it's here in case you want to know. (The only two actual boards I go on currently aren't for D&D so wouldn't apply.)

Also not applicable for D&D for me but maybe for others who purchased 3pp D&D material. How would you classify online pay tools where they came included with a kickstarter? For example, I have a Demiplane account with all the Avatar: Legends material in addition to the physical books and PDFs. Is that "free" or "pay" tools?

 

[delericho]

I'm currently (perhaps permanently) out of gaming, so take with a pinch of salt.

But my preferences when I was playing (and my preferences if/when I come back) will be mostly at-table play using mostly physical books. I will use electronic materials for preparation, but won't use them at the table (and, frankly, would rather not see them being used at the table). I don't, and won't, subscribe to D&D Beyond.

EN World is currently my only tether to gaming. Though I'm not here much these days.