BMaC
Adventurer
Sort of like milestone leveling without the milestones?
D&D 5E Where is the content?
We are about 6.5 years into the release of 5e D&D. With the talk recently about the lack of content for this edition, I thought it might be a good idea to compare where we were in a similar point in the lifecycle of 3.x edition.
Basically, 3.x existed for eight years (three years as 3.0 and five as 3.5). This post will combine all as a single iteration of the game.
By six years in, these were the official publications from Wizards of the Coast to support their D&D line:
8 Core Rule Books (or sequels) (PHBs, DMGs, MMs)
50 other supplements (race guides, class guides, equipment guides, environment series)
24 officially printed adventures
That’s 82 books in around 6 years. I’m sure I’ve missed a few (including campaign settings).
I’m counting 31 books printed for 5e. This includes reprints, boxed sets, everything.
Basically, 3.x existed for eight years (three years as 3.0 and five as 3.5). This post will combine all as a single iteration of the game.
By six years in, these were the official publications from Wizards of the Coast to support their D&D line:
8 Core Rule Books (or sequels) (PHBs, DMGs, MMs)
50 other supplements (race guides, class guides, equipment guides, environment series)
24 officially printed adventures
That’s 82 books in around 6 years. I’m sure I’ve missed a few (including campaign settings).
I’m counting 31 books printed for 5e. This includes reprints, boxed sets, everything.
Xenonnonex
Hero
Frankly the content is in your head.My group is about to finish Descent into Avernus, we have played every hard back released so far, the Extra Life stuff, Goodman Games Keep on the Borderlands reprint and some of our number have played all of the Adventurers League content released so far so what's next? We have run out of content!
I am a True Believer Kool Aid Drinker and own every 5th edition book released so far in at least two formats (Hard copy, Beyond and Special Eds) and I like the slow release schedule so this is not the rant of a naysayer but I think the release schedule this year is out of kilter. The two new setting books are fine but what we really need is adventures!
We play once a fortnight for 6/7 hours and I guess we are pretty quick but surely not unreasonably so. We convert old adventures (I am running Night Below next) and we liberally use 3rd party stuff but finding decent 3rd party APs is tricky and converting can be laborious. We don't really homebrew because we find it can vary in quality to put it mildly and we are also full adults with jobs and commitments and stuff, we want to pick up a book, do standard prep and run it.
TLR We need more Adventures!
Use your imagination
The Big BZ
Explorer
Have you read through this thread? Or even the OP?
This is an amazing thread.
My current campaign will have its third anniversary in May. We play 25+ times per year and sessions are about 4 hours long. The player characters are 12th level. We use XP. I probably should have leveled them slightly faster with XP for non-combat encounters.
To the OP, I'd suggest Eyes of the Stone Thief from13th Age. The conversion will take a fair amount of effort, but the campaign is strong enough to be worth it.
My current campaign will have its third anniversary in May. We play 25+ times per year and sessions are about 4 hours long. The player characters are 12th level. We use XP. I probably should have leveled them slightly faster with XP for non-combat encounters.
To the OP, I'd suggest Eyes of the Stone Thief from13th Age. The conversion will take a fair amount of effort, but the campaign is strong enough to be worth it.
ccs
41st lv DM
Sure.
As I said, the game runs most weeks. You know, the usual handful of missed sessions due to vacations, GenCon, Holidays, illness etc. And this Feb was almost completely shot due to a death in my family. So on average I'd say about 40-45 sessions/year.
Average session:
- 6-6:30 - people arriving. BSing. As more people arrive, more BSing.
- 6:30 average - get started. Recap what was going on for anyone who needs it. Hand out any xp from previous session, lv up if nec. Play a bit.
*B Play a bit more.
*A Game veers off into random discussion of _____
*B Some more play.
*A Game veers off into random discussion of _____
* Repeat this A/B cycle until about 9:50 when we clean up.
Same time, same place, same pattern next week....
We're not on some sort of clock where we have to complete x amount of stuff/session. And much of the action/direction is player determined. So things often just meander along at whatever pace the players are happy with. I just have to write stuff a week or two ahead of them. For example, they just spent the past 6 or so sessions (so mostly Jan & some of Dec as Feb was blown to hell) on a self appointed quest to visit a conclave of Druids. They could've done this a bit faster, but they were having fun farting about.
The story that's forming is actually more important than the XP gained.
Istbor
Dances with Gnolls
Sure.
As I said, the game runs most weeks. You know, the usual handful of missed sessions due to vacations, GenCon, Holidays, illness etc. And this Feb was almost completely shot due to a death in my family. So on average I'd say about 40-45 sessions/year.
Average session:
*A Game veers off into random discussion of _____
- 6-6:30 - people arriving. BSing. As more people arrive, more BSing.
- 6:30 average - get started. Recap what was going on for anyone who needs it. Hand out any xp from previous session, lv up if nec. Play a bit.
*B Play a bit more.
*A Game veers off into random discussion of _____
*B Some more play.
*A Game veers off into random discussion of _____
* Repeat this A/B cycle until about 9:50 when we clean up.
Same time, same place, same pattern next week....
We're not on some sort of clock where we have to complete x amount of stuff/session. And much of the action/direction is player determined. So things often just meander along at whatever pace the players are happy with. I just have to write stuff a week or two ahead of them. For example, they just spent the past 6 or so sessions (so mostly Jan & some of Dec as Feb was blown to hell) on a self appointed quest to visit a conclave of Druids. They could've done this a bit faster, but they were having fun farting about.
The story that's forming is actually more important than the XP gained.
That is pretty close to my experience. But consider there is one less hour, and I would insert some time for eating pizza.
Again though, homebrew, and mostly player driven locations and content.
My players also really like to discuss their plans and then follow none of them so.. that eats up time.
I do intervene if I sense things are getting out of hand. Like the discussion about whether or not to lug a pack with 20 pounds of salted fish into a battlefield. Sigh... that took way to much time.
I can see how some groups just want to get down to business, and I would be fine with that too, but if everyone at the table is having a good time during our game nights, who am I to judge?
ccs
41st lv DM
Doing math like this is pointless because xp does not accrue on an hourly rate.
1st, we can (& will) waste a bunch of time. It's not only part of our game, but a welcome part. How much time varies wildly per session. But digressing off to talk about The Mandolorian for 15 minutes isn't xp worthy....
2nd, the players will, in character, digress off into non-xp worthy discussions/actions. Amusing to play. Adds to the story/world. But not really worthy of much (if any) XP.
3rd, about 1/2 the groups xp to date has come from non-combat encounters - RP & exploration.
Think of it more as Milestone leveling.
Overall the party has had the equivalent of 4 "adventures". Total time elapsed in-game: 22 days.
dave2008
Legend
I guess so!
dave2008
Legend
S they are making way to many books for 5e! Good to know I wasn't crazy that there has been to much content. I all I ever needed or used in 1e was 5 books over 20 yrs, so 1 book every 5 years is about right for me
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