Tabletop GamingDungeons and DragonsLooking back at D&D 2014 and Fifth Edition so far: Nat20s and critical failsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Tabletop GamingDungeons and DragonsLooking back at D&D 2014 and Fifth Edition so far: Nat20s and critical failsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Benjamin Abbott)
Rulings, not rules
(Image credit: Benjamin Abbott)
None of this, of course, is unique to D&D, but the interactions between these stories and the ruleset is where 5e stands apart from its predecessors and its contemporary competitors. Originally, 5e seemed to take a lighter approach to rules, allowing the DM more freedom: “Rulings, not rules” was the toted phrase. In many ways, this has been a great strength of the game in the last decade, and has certainly not hindered its rise to popularity, since much of what is needed in the core gameplay loop can be boiled down to makexskill check (rolling a d20 and adding/subtracting a modifier), potentially with advantage or disadvantage. This is really easy for new players to grasp; making an athletics check to jump a chasm feels intuitive, and doesn’t require a grasp of the rules beyond looking at their sheet to see which number to add to the dice.
A fresh start(Image credit: Rollin Bishop)D&D’s three core rulebooks (the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual) are all being updated as of 2024, and even though the mechanics remain similar, there are enough changes to invalidate the 2014 rules. However, the game’s creative director saysD&D “didn’t burn the game down” for the new rulebooks: it’s still the RPG you love.
A fresh start
(Image credit: Rollin Bishop)D&D’s three core rulebooks (the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual) are all being updated as of 2024, and even though the mechanics remain similar, there are enough changes to invalidate the 2014 rules. However, the game’s creative director saysD&D “didn’t burn the game down” for the new rulebooks: it’s still the RPG you love.
(Image credit: Rollin Bishop)
D&D’s three core rulebooks (the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual) are all being updated as of 2024, and even though the mechanics remain similar, there are enough changes to invalidate the 2014 rules. However, the game’s creative director saysD&D “didn’t burn the game down” for the new rulebooks: it’s still the RPG you love.
But as adventures and adventurers grow beyond Phandelver’s lost mines (thatoriginal 5e starter setsurely, now, the most played tabletop RPG quest in the world), those lightweight rules became strained. D&D 5e 2014 wasn’t quite simple enough to be rules-lite, yet wasn’t crunchy enough to fully support an industrious DM or enterprising players.
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Fame and foibles
(Image credit: Benjamin Abbott)
Still, 5e has had some updates and quality-of-life changes in the form of books likeTasha’s Cauldron of Everythingover the course of its release. These unfurled new player options, as well as optional rules, clarifications to original rulings, and additional subsystems that were not game-changing but did bring something fresh to that original Player’s Handbook/the free Core Rules.
Arguably, and with some confusion, the newest edition of the game debuting in 2024 (formally known as ‘One D&D,’ and now a continuation of 5e) will be more a facelift in the vein of Tasha’s than as dramatic a shift as Fourth Edition to Fifth, but it might still represent a great opportunity to ‘onboard’ more people into role-playing games. Certainly in the current edition there have been some questionable decisions made, both in writing and in lore, that have not sat well with the community, and the new edition will hopefully excise those parts.
A new look(Image credit: Benjamin Abbott)While the new rulebooks bring sweeping changes with them, the most significant deviation from the 2014 equivalent may be more superficial.Forget classes, my favorite thing about the D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook is its art.
A new look
(Image credit: Benjamin Abbott)While the new rulebooks bring sweeping changes with them, the most significant deviation from the 2014 equivalent may be more superficial.Forget classes, my favorite thing about the D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook is its art.
(Image credit: Benjamin Abbott)
While the new rulebooks bring sweeping changes with them, the most significant deviation from the 2014 equivalent may be more superficial.Forget classes, my favorite thing about the D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook is its art.
In other words, the game is not without its foibles despite the fame. Yes, D&D has became as eponymous with dice-rolling, high-fantasy RPGs asGoogleis to search engines partially thanks tothisedition. But for all its fame, it was not without its foibles.
Basically, D&D 5e was good enough at presenting what many people think TTRPGs are, but I usually recommend exploring other options if it whets your appetite or leaves you dissatisfied. You wouldn’t regret playing Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition, but you would regret not moving on once you find what else is out there either.
Looking for something else to play? Be sure to check out thebest board games, or thebest card games.
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Round up of today’s best dealsDungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Dragons$19.99$15.69ViewSee all pricesRunehammer Index Card RPG Master Edition$44ViewSee all pricesStarfinder Beginner Box$39.99$33.80ViewSee all pricesEvil Hat Productions Blades in the dark$30ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
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3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”