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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sacrosanct" data-source="post: 7161241" data-attributes="member: 15700">This is sort of inspired by the numerous threads we seem to always have about how the game does or doesn't meet your expectations of your preferred style.  The purpose of this thread is to help other people and share best practices, not argue the merits or drawbacks of how your style is the best and everyone else is badwrong, or how the game sucks, or the designers are lazy, etc, etc, etc.  This is also a thread about 5e, so please refrain from constant comparisons about how previous edition X did it so much better.  Because my first response to that is, "Then why aren't you playing that edition and talking on those forums instead of this one?"  Better just to avoid that altogether.  Comparisons are fine, especially if you're explaining how you ported over something from a previous edition, but bringing it up just to disparage or complain about 5e, the designers, or the players is not cool.We need to start with a basic agreement of two things:1. D&D 5e working out of the box exactly how someone likes and prefers is more of an exception than the norm, therefore...2. Most people will tweak rules, or add things into their game to help get where they want.I hope we all can agree on those two things.  So based off of that, what is your preferred style, and what things have you tweaked to help get to your style.  For others that share the same style, hopefully this thread will help offer suggestions to improve their gaming experience.OK, to set an example:Preferred playstyle: Pretty old school.  Rulings over rules, fast paced, the adventure (which is all 3 pillars pretty evenly) over the mechanics.  I.e., don't let a rule get in the way of your group having fun.  Prefer niche protection.Tweaks to 5e: * rests:  how often the group can rest is heavily dependent on the game world and their surroundings.  Monsters don't go on pause, and will actively look for the PCs if they know they are in the area.  This results in slightly less rests than in the guidelines, and gives the game more of a gritty feeling where resource management and tactical planning are important rather than just rush into each battle knowing you'll probably win* spell components:  Completely ignored unless it's something major or really valuable.  Just not something I worry about managing * encumbrance: ignored unless it gets outrageous or crazy* ad hoc actions: these are the "swing from the chandelier" type things.  Players are encouraged to try anything, even if they are not proficient or if there's not a rule for it.  No reasonable request should ever be unreasonably denied.  Often it's as simple as assigning a DC and ability to go with it, or an attack roll if in combat.  Examples include maneuvers like disarming, tripping, throwing sand to blind, leaping over an overturned table to attack, dropping from a balcony, jumping from table to table, etc.  5e does a great job having most of these fall under existing skill checks (athletics, acrobatics, etc).* morale:  If the battle is going really badly for the monsters, and they are not mindless, morale may come into effect and they may flee.  Every situation is different, with factors coming into play (is the monster just hungry, does it have a vendetta, etc?  All things that might make it flee sooner, or not at all).* Initiative: Everyone rolls like normal, I have one roll for all monsters (but they may go differently depending on their individual DEX mod).  Say my monsters go on 13.  I call out "Everyone above 13 may go."  then the monsters go, then I call out, "Everyone else can go."  Makes the game go much faster, and allows the players to hold actions much more to my tastes than in the rules.</blockquote>

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