Review: Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition
April 03, 2016
D&D, My Favorite Fantasy Roleplaying Game
I began romping through fantastical worlds created in the Dungeons & Dragons universe before many of you actually existed in this one. I still have some of the original war-torn TSR (Tactical Studies Rules, Inc.) D&D books we used in the late 70s and early 80s. I have been a devout participant in the evolution of Gary Gygax’s original design through multiple versions and multiple publishers over the years. There was a brief fling with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game related to the release of D&D 4.0 but D&D 5E has won me back for good!
I began romping through fantastical worlds created in the Dungeons & Dragons universe before many of you actually existed in this one.
Why D&D 5th Edition?
In 2012, after about a year of less than rewarding roleplaying in the D&D 4.0 universe, my gaming groups began playing Paizo’s Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. D&D 5th Edition was released during the second half of 2014 but we stuck with Pathfinder, still gun-shy from our 4.0 experience. The popularity of D&D 5E in 2015 however, caused me to consider looking at it more closely. Finally in early 2016 I purchased the books and began reading them. I found that the system was basically what my endless list of house-rules had turned Pathfinder into. Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition is the closest any system has come to answering my desires and needs for a fantasy based roleplaying game. We love it!
A Truly Balanced Roleplaying Game
I prefer immersive story-telling fantasy roleplay to heavy rule-based dice rolling roleplay. With decades of roleplaying a multitudinous sea of roleplaying systems, I can confidently state that D&D 5E has, for me; a perfect balance of straightforward rules, minimal dice rolling, and open opportunity for creative roleplay. I find that D&D 5E has just enough rule structure to keep the game moving forward without the constant need to rule check that you find in many other systems.
Play Something!
I highly recommend trying RPG games if you haven't. It is an experience no other tabletop game can provide. If D & D doesn't do it for you, then try several others until one clicks. However, with D & D, you start with a smooth easy to teach rule system and:
- Incredibly high quality production value
- A great and affordable introductory starter set (finally!)
- One of the largest pools of players
- Great brick-and-mortar store support
offering a great system that I highly recommend!
Dungeons & Dragons
- Categories: Role Playing Game
- Company: Wizards of the Coast
- Year Released: 1974
- BGG Link: n/a
- # Players: 2 - ∞ (3-7 optimal)
- Playing Time: n/a