D&D General Why do you play Dungeons & Dragons?

[PsyzhranV2]

That's a bit unfair. D&D (especially if you're the DM, with another book to read) is work, sure. I can't imagine that learning Morrus's Simply 6 is work though, along with oodles of other rules-light games out there.

Yeah, D&D skews towards the "rules heavy" side of the spectrum of current offerings, even if we're just taking the core 3 books into account. I've observed that D&D being the first introduction to TTRPGs for a lot of people gives them the misleading impression that the medium as a whole is a lot more text and rules-heavy than it actually is. There's good work being done in reducing page count and streamlining rules to get people playing new systems faster. It also helps if the entire system can be contained in one book.

 

[nevin]

I've tried a lot of different systems but this is the only one I reliably can get groups together to play so I stick with it.
I'm sure a whole lot of Acera's list is the reason. The other big thing is people who play D&D in general seem to be more willing to throw in a newb and just have fun. In some of the other systems I've tried they are so busy being uber and perfect they can't let a new player learn how to play.

 

[ShinHakkaider]

I've played every edition of Dungeons and Dragons except for 5E. I only played 4E enough to judge that I didn't care for it. My primary system for Fantasy is Pathfinder (1st and 2nd edition). I like the world and there are enough resources that I have at my disposal to support it.

Forgotten Realms is not my favorite setting so that was another thing that made me not as invested in recent edition.

But when I DID play D&D, and I played ALOT OF IT from basic right on through to 3.5 it was the default TTRPG. IT was shorthand and everyone kinda knew what it was. There were plenty of available resources ESPECIALLY during the 3.5 era both first and 3rd party. My golden age of D&D wasn't when I first started playing in the 80's it was during the "glut" of 3.5. There was a period where the wheat needed to be separated from the chaff but once the reliable publishers made themselves apparent (Green Ronin, Necromancer Games/Frog God, Malhavoc) it was fantastic. and all of It could be used with D&D.

So why did I play D&D? Because when it was good it was GOOD.

 

[Vael]

Because DnD is the best system to play DnD. I do find, after all this time, Dungeons and Dragons is a genre unto itself. Plus, Eberron is a sweet setting.

 

[HawaiiSteveO]

I really like reading other systems, but always end up explaining to players how it is similar to / different from D&D...

 

[der_kluge]

There's a word or phrase to describe this idea, but essentially - I play D&D because everyone else plays D&D. I also really enjoy it. It's true of social phenomenon. Everyone is on Facebook is a reason to use Facebook. Everyone is on Twitter is why people use Twitter. If I were to use a dating app, Tinder is the most popular, so it seems like the logical choice.

Having said that, I wouldn't be interested in playing any edition other than 5th, though I could probably play 3.5 happily (or Pathfinder, even though I own none of those books).

And generally, also, I'm a big fan of the fantasy genre. I've played Star Wars, Cyberpunk/Shadowrun, and other games over the years, but I don't enjoy them quite as much as D&D. I don't really know why.

 

[Morrus]

There's a word or phrase to describe this idea, but essentially - I play D&D because everyone else plays D&D. I also really enjoy it. It's true of social phenomenon. Everyone is on Facebook is a reason to use Facebook. Everyone is on Twitter is why people use Twitter. If I were to use a dating app, Tinder is the most popular, so it seems like the logical choice.

"Network Externality" is the term you're looking for. It's the term Ryan Dancey used when developing the OGL, and it's the term which describes why people use Facebook. You adopt something because it's popular, and that makes it popular.

(Only old people like us are on Facebook though! It has a growing demographic problem.)

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I don't know that it stands above the rest of the field. It's more that it is very widespread and, despite the current "traditionalist" trend, actually has covered a fair number of bases over the years thematically. Plus, unlike some, I actually LIKE the class-based system--I find purely point-buy systems daunting, as I feel I "have" to know EVERYTHING before I can make good choices and that's just too much.

Of course, it helps that I include some "D&D adjacent" things that others exclude, like Dungeon World (a spiritual but not mechanical D&D) and 13th Age (a mechanical descendant of 3e and 4e but with a distinctly different spirit in some ways).

 

[The Glen]

Because it has less of a social stigma than strip dodgeball.

 

[Puddles]

Lots of reasons!

I love the iconic monsters like beholders, gnolls and gelatinous cubes.
I love how much of a sandbox it is, how much variety there is in monsters and playable races.
For me the rules hit the sweet spot of options and choices without being overwhelming
I love the core gameplay loops of combat, xp, loot, puzzles and roleplaying.
I love how easy the D20 system is to use in 5e and how adaptable it is with the skill list.
I love bounded accuracy and natural language.
For me it has the right amount of “simulation” and doesn’t have too much stuff that feels “gamey”.
I love being able to build my own world, but it have enough common ground that the players immediately know what to expect.