What is the biggest appeal in playing D&D?

[Aeric]

In D&D, as opposed to most other games/systems, there is so much "stuff" to play with. Five books with nothing but monsters, and that's only counting WotC-published material! All of the Complete books, the "Races of..." books, a book for arctic adventures, a book for oceanic adventures, etc.

D&D is the best-supported RPG on the market, meaning more options as a player and less work to come up with my own stuff as a DM. Not that coming up with my own stuff is a chore, mind you--after all, that's what playing an RPG is all about. But it's nice knowing that rules exist for almost anything I can think of, and if they don't, something similar enough does so that I can use it as reference.

For someone who isn't the most rules-savvy when it comes to inventing my own monsters, races, classes, etc., it makes for a nice safety net.

 

[Harmon]

Originally, I was dragged into 3e kicking and squirming- "no, I like GURPs!" but one of our Players had, had enough of the system. I will admit that I was wrong, I like the new D&D over the version I learned twenty five ish years ago.

As far as why? Pre made monsters, magic items that don't take a lot of work, slug fest, just to name a few.

What do I miss about the other systems- more poof that is what it is, and this is how it works, gun play (God, I miss a good old fashion shoot out), tactical movements that arn't just related to "flank him" and "stay out of the <insert magical area attack spell> area" just to name a few.

Yeah but come on, you know you'd rather play D&D than GURPS anyway!

Right now I am looking forward to going back to GURPs because of the realism to the game over D&D.

 

[Nightfall]

I want that t-shirt!!

"Mearls beat me up!!"

Yeah now that I'd wear with pride!

Bah. Realism is over-rated.

 

[Darkwolf445]

For me, it's for the creative outlet it provides. Whether running a game or a character (but more the former), D&D provides me with options for constantly exercising my brain like nothing else I know. The fact that it does so with a subject matter (fantasy and esp. its analogues to world mythology) that is a favorite of mine, and also lets me explore things as diverse as tactical thinking and the moral underpinnings of the human condition is icing on the cake.

QFT

Without this outlet my brain would explode.

 

[Nightfall]

Yeah mine might too, but I find sleeping a good bit helps. Like 18 hours a day.

 

[Xyanthon]

Two reasons why I'm a gamer:

1. Creativity. As others have mentioned, this is a big part of D&D. RPGs require you to create stuff. When you look at the world, creativity is pushed more and more into a box as something that other people do for you. So much of western civilization is driven by consumption - buy the latest gaming console, watch the latest movie, pre-order book 13 of an 18 part fantasy series - but D&D is driven by creation.

2. Ownership. This is a weird one, but I like the feel that the game I play, the story I tell, the stuff that happens in our games, we own that. The cool stuff we make is unique to our game. Nobody has the same exact thing happen in their campaigns. No two DMs run a module the same way. I'm sure that the 3e update of Against the Giants I'm running right now looks different from an update done by a different DM, and that the actions taken by the players are different from other groups. D&D does what you want it to do. Genres with less interaction work the opposite way. You have to shape your desires and actions to fit the game. D&D does what you want it to do; you own it utterly.

I agree 100%. I love the fantasy genre. D&D not only allows me to create my own adventures and play though them, but it does give me a sense of ownership. I create my own world and add my own touches. I could always write stories and share them with my friends or sit around telling stories with my friends, however it is just not the same. The game gives me context and a framework to build my world and share it with others. It then becomes "our" world. There is a sense of ownership that is quite unlike anything else.

 

[replicant2]

The biggest appeal for me is the chance to hang out with a group of like-minded individuals, and, in conjunction with playing a fun game, talk about things that interest me intensely. The game itself is of course important too, but good food, conversation, and friendships keep drawing me back to D&D. The social piece is why computer games will never replace face-to-face roleplaying.

 

[molonel]

Killing things and looting the bodies.

 

[seans23]

celebrating the glory of Fharlanghn.

 

[Kmart Kommando]

Because of every time I'm watching a movie and they do something stupid and I think, naturally, "Well, that was stupid. I can do better."