D&D General What do you actually like about D&D?

[Warpiglet-7]

In some recent threads I began to suspect some people don’t like D&D. As in people who play it but almost only find fault or compare it to something else they simply like better.

This made we wonder: what is the attraction? For me, the genre itself is appealing in a way the Wild West, wuxia or sci fi is not (in an RPG).

I am sure my interest is also driven by my very long fandom of it as well.

I like the game’s focus on combat and its wargame roots.

Just curious what attracts others to D&D…especially since most online discussion are so focused on what is not liked.

 

[mamba]

That it is Fantasy, that is my preferred genre. The wide support and large player base. The fact that it is not too crunchy. Are there things I would want differently? Sure, that is true for other games as well. Haven't found the perfect game (for me) yet. Chances are it does not exist.

 

[Cadence]

The genre, the comfort, the ease of playing and running.

For running, it isn't a sci-fi or modern game that focuses on tech. For playing it lets me put things about backstory into between sessions.

It has Clerics and the class is easy to customize.

It feels like there is something between 5e, Pathfinder 1e, and e6 that would be my sweet spot.

 

[iserith]

The silliness. D&D is inherently silly, and I like that.

 

[Scribe]

The sacred cows. The Forgotten Realms. Planescape.

 

[ninjayeti]

As a player, I like the wealth of character options. The game stays fresh as it feels like there are always new options to try out that are going to feel mechanically distinct from the characters I have run before.

As a DM the complexity feels about right. It is complex enough that I can throw mechanically interesting stuff at the players, but simple enough that the rules don't get in the way.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The tool box nature of it.

Gnomes, halflings, bugbears, Firbolgs, Goliaths, all the creature races like tabaxi and such, genasi…

The weird messiness. (D&D is best (for me) when it is not clean and logical and symmetrical)

6 or more ways to build any broad concept, like arcane warrior or Hunter of the wilds, with each playing differently.

 

[Reynard]

Nostalgia and a large player base, mostly.

I think 5e is the best modern version of D&D but that is still damning with faint praise a bit.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

Nostalgia from playing as a kid.

A fun escape from the daily grind with friends new and old.

Plentiful character (as player) and monster (as DM) options.

The unpredictability of player interactions with my DM plans.

The dice.

Thanks for posting this thread @Warpiglet-7 - there has been too much of the opposite around these parts lately, IMO.

 

[bedir than]

I like that it starts, usually, with the familiar Western fantasy tropes but after a session or two that entry point is gone and you're meeting landsharks inspired by weird Japanese action figures or someone's nightmare beast that became real or other elements that have grown, twisted through time to be so much more than King Arthur to Tolkien.