General Musings on 5e D&D

So, now that I've had some time to fiddle with it, I thought I'd share some of my thoughts on the newest edition of Dungeons and Dragons.

And, thanks to being forced to be a DMPC for two sessions now, I can give you both a DM and a player's perspective! Isn't that just nifty?

Remember kids: this is all my opinion and your mileage may vary. Play nicely, but feel free to comment and share your thoughts/experiences as well!

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Thoughts as a DM:

• pros
• encounters are way more balanced than in previous editions
• the game is actually fun to run (which for me hasn't been the case in a really long time)
• handing out dis/advantage and/or inspiration instead of tracking dozens of modifiers? just grand :D
• treasure troves are not only easier to manage, but actually kind of fun to build with the random tables they provide for "personalizing" magic items
• everything is way more free-form and off the cuff. I'm finally able to enjoy DMing and not worry as much about breaking iron-clad, psuedo-legalize like earlier editions have had
• GOODBYE BATTLE GRID
• cons
• encounters are still kind of a pain to build. Not immensely so, but they did add in a few steps (the upshot of which is better combat balancing)
• switching from one edition to another always takes some adjusting, but if you do this with your group, here's some advice: FORCE THEM TO READ THE BASIC RULES. Here's a link so you can get a head start on that: linky (and, seriously, they provide the most basic version of the game completely free. Good on you, WotC :D)
• goodbye battle grid? It actually was kind of helpful from time to time...

Thoughts as a player:

• pros
• spellcasting is SO. MUCH. SIMPLER. I know folks will argue with me on this one, but this "neo-Vancian" system is a HUGE improvement in my opinion
• action economy is SO. MUCH. SIMPLER. No more troubles with memory or abusing the bejeebus out of things like the haste spell
• everyone is actually kind of good in and out of combat. The proficiency and background rules are a true blessing
• the simplicity of the system actually allows me to play a DMPC along my players. I don't know about everyone else, but having one more stat block to focus on used to be the worst thing ever if the party needed a filler member. In this edition, things are just so... nice
• character creation. I remember having to spend roughly 2 hours with a new player to help them set up a character in earlier editions. Here? Maybe half an hour. The only member of the party that has taken more time than that is the paladin, but he had some decision paralysis lol
• thanks to the newly revamped character creation rules, I can now see what it would be like to play a noble half-orc rogue
• -and thanks to the change in how ability scores work, that character concept is actually viable
• short and long rests are a nice mechanic. Not much else to say on that.
• I actually feel like I can try anything instead of having the mechanics crap out on me halfway to the finish line
• cons
• while character creation is much simpler, the lack of options at 1st level is kind of off-putting for someone who has been playing D&D for... almost two decades... well, now I feel old :/
• short and long rests are a very thinly veiled hold-over from 4e. Not the worst thing, as I actually like them, but still...
• some combat techniques (such as disarming) are purely in the purview of the DM to adjudicate. Mind, this still isn't a huge downer for me

So, in case folks couldn't tell, I am HUGELY impressed by the current iteration of the game. Pretty much nothing but good things to say about it. Mind, we're still only level 1, so we'll see how that goes...

And, BTW: this blog is going to be about more than just 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons. It just so happens that that's what I'm writing about currently lol

Hopefully I will have a good pre-playtesting version of my homebrew document ready by Wednesday at the latest.

Until next we meet, may the dice fall in your favor :)