So, a few months into a renewed interest in D&D, with all three new rulebooks in hand, and with three playing sessions under our belt, where do I (and we) stand with D&D?
First and foremost, D&D is about story. That hasn't changed. The creative part is the same in terms of the imagination. The tools are light-years better, with computers, the internet, software, color printers, and all the other trappings of the modern age (things which either didn't exist at all or were in their infancy when we were kids). How I think about approaching creating a world and an adventure is pretty much the same as it was all those years ago, but the ability to execute on those thoughts and imaginings is so much better with the tools at my disposal now. And a few decades of life experience, education, reading, and all that do help to provide a better foundation to build from as well.
As for playing, I think we have had a lot of fun, and the feedback from the players on their experience to date has been gratifying. It seems like we will be continuing, sporadically, as time allows. I hope so.
Regarding the new 5th edition of the game (product-wise), overall I would have to say I am very pleased. Physically, the three books are of absolute top-notch quality and production values, with fantastic artwork and a wealth of good material. One complaint I have read in several places in reviews elsewhere is that the rules are written in such a way that it assumes you already have a fairly good idea of how to play. I can see this point of view, as there have been a few things I have tried to figure out, been unable to find in the rules with any clarity, and have been left wondering whether I am missing something or whether I am being bogged down by pre-conceived notions carried over from the 1980's and 1990's with several editions in between that I never played. On the bright side, there is a very active and helpful forum community on the company website.
By way of example of the above, after/during our next session, all of the characters in the party will be leveling up from level 1 to level 2. The Player's Handbook (PH) has the requisite wealth of detail on experience points needed to advance levels and the multitude of skills and abilities to be gained on reaching new levels, spell slots, "career path" choices etc. Nowhere in the book does it say how you actually advance from level to level in the PH. The preconceived notion (or burden of past knowledge) is that back in the day (1st ed.) once you gained enough experience to advance a level, you needed to find someone to train you on the necessary skills and abilities to actually gain the benefits. I assumed there would be something similar, or at least some guidance on how the process occurred (i.e. do you just wake up one morning with more hit points, more spells, and just feel "better" than when you went to sleep?). I figured since there was no mention of any of this in the PH, it would be in the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG) when that was released last week. It wasn't. No guidance at all. In a single paragraph in a section on "Downtime Activities", it mentions as an optional rule that the DM can require characters to undergo some sort of training as a part of level advancement. So I guess that means that the default is that you just gain benefits of new levels automatically. This was confirmed by asking the question on the forum and getting a few people to respond that "yes, you just get them, although if you want to do it differently, go ahead." OK.
I could also interject here that the books could be indexed a little better.
As for the rules mechanics themselves, and how the game plays, it will take a little getting used to. I don't mean that in a bad way, but it is different. The best simple summarization would be to say that everybody is better at everything. Players have more and better abilities right from day one, magic is much more powerful (and widespread), and the proliferation of more and more skills and abilities even in the lower-middle levels seems...imposing. There are big die roll bonuses and special abilities everywhere, even for all the monsters. The biggest thing with this for me will be to get a better feel for what will be a challenge to the party, as there is a balancing act to be performed there that I don't think I have really achieved in our first few sessions. But I am learning.
Overall, it has been a very enjoyable experience that I hope will continue.
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