{"id":5141,"date":"2019-06-27T09:18:57","date_gmt":"2019-06-27T16:18:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themook.net\/gamegeekery\/?p=5141"},"modified":"2019-06-27T09:26:53","modified_gmt":"2019-06-27T16:26:53","slug":"dnd-5e-an-old-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themook.net\/gamegeekery\/dnd-5e-an-old-friend\/","title":{"rendered":"D&D 5E – Checking In With An Old Friend"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve been getting back in touch with an old gaming friend, one I imagine most of you know: D&D<\/strong><\/a>. It’s our hobby’s alpha (with no omega in sight), the common Eve from which all tabletop RPGs descend. It was the first RPG I ever played, and it remained a steadfast constant of my gaming table for many years, many stories, and many friends.<\/p>\n

Eventually, the unlimited flexibility and versatility of GURPS<\/strong><\/a> ensorcelled me, and for 25 years I’ve trifled with nothing else. (Nice try, Fate<\/strong><\/a>! Almost got me! More on GURPS in a bit.)<\/p>\n

This year, though, I’ve become increasingly interested in D&D Fifth Edition, culminating in finally reading the core books and even DMing a quick start to a small campaign.<\/p>\n

D&D 5E<\/h3>\n

I feel like my arrival at 5E is the polar opposite to that of most gamers. The majority of us start with D&D, of whatever edition happens to be in print when we start, and either set up shop there permanently or at some point branch into other games. That is, most GURPS players I meet have come from D&D at some point in their past, where as I’m coming (back) to D&D after nearly 30 years of GURPSin’. Second edition\/2E (AD&D) is my favorite, and the last edition I DMed regularly, so I imagine that will color large swaths of this post.<\/p>\n

After poking around for awhile on various online communities and browsing the free Basic Rules<\/a>, I took the plunge and got the core D&D 5E books: Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual. As usual, the MM is a gorgeous, full-color cornucopia of critters to ravage your PCs with. Likewise, the DMG remains bursting with advice on creating and DMing your own adventures (and monsters, and spells, and magic items), with even less required book swapping than 3E (an edition I read for nostalgia but don’t recall playing).<\/p>\n

But the real gem is the PHB. After reading through, I came away very impressed with the system. It’s solid, well-presented, and inviting to new and old players alike (I realize this is all obvious and common sense — D&D is presumably the driving force of the hobby for a reason — but I still didn’t think I would find it as much fun as I did). It very much reminds me of 2E, though contained in a single volume, streamlined, and with a much more modern design. It was a great read, and I look forward to doing it again!<\/p>\n

Some random thoughts:<\/p>\n