Reviewed: Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition

Dungeons & Dragons just celebrated its 42nd birthday—an auspicious number, to be sure—some 16 months after the release of its 5th edition. Since D&D’s latest release in August of 2014, many players and Dungeon Masters have rolled their polyhedrals in approval, and publisher Wizards of the Coast has grown its support for the world’s most popular role-playing game in ways you might not have expected.

No matter your edition or specific RPG of choice, today D&D continues to be the measuring stick by which other pen-and-paper games are judged, be it on sales, popularity, or even complexity. For many gamers over the course of the game’s existence, D&D has been the entry point into role-playing which sparks a lifetime of storytelling and adventure.

So, with more than a year behind it, how does the newest edition of D&D hold up for newbies and hardcore fans alike?

The story thus far

D&D’s 5th edition (5E), which was first previewed under the moniker of “D&D Next” as part of a public playtest with 175,000 registered players, forges a new direction in order to differentiate itself from D&D 3/3.5 and 4th editions. The new edition eschews the complexity of 3/3.5 in favor of streamlining rules, and it removes cumbersome modifiers that slowed the game to a crawl. Where 4E created a highly-balanced but homogenized and codified set of powers for each class, 5E returns to more differentiated classes with their own sense of purpose and feel.

In some ways, the new edition returns to the concept of the Dungeon Master (DM) as active storyteller. Previous editions had moved D&D towards a tactical combat system that prized structure and complexity with “story” becoming the thing that simply happened in the moments between multi-hour combats.

Mechanically, the largest change here is the removal of the modifiers found in previous editions. They are now few and far between, distilled down into “advantage” and “disadvantage.” Attacking from above with the cover of darkness—but also from behind? Your character has advantage. Trying to track a hooked horror without a light source—and in the rain? Make a check with disadvantage. The DM, without having to consult a chart, can easily define the circumstances of an attack, skill test, or ad hoc maneuver from the player. Having advantage confers the ability to roll two d20s during your check and keeping the highest result; disadvantage requires keeping the lowest result. It’s a simple enough change on the surface that makes all the difference in the world during play.

Classes again feature unique components and, early in your career at 3rd level, you will start to fork in different directions as part of an archetype. No longer do you need to map out your character from 1st to 10th level to prepare for your paragon path out of fear of inadvertently gimping your character. (Although, perhaps alarmingly, the first hints at prestige classes returning to D&D have already been dropped.)

Tactical combat has been toned down considerably. The rigid structure of previous editions has given way to the abstraction of the original Advanced Dungeons & Dragons of yesteryear, making D&D once again a game that takes place in the theater of the mind. If you want to move miniatures on a map and stack condition tokens, you can. But the game no longer requires it.

Further, as a nod to those craving more mechanical rewards for role-playing, D&D now includes “inspiration,” which is the ability to gain advantage on any one ability check, saving throw, or attack roll via role-playing to a character’s background. It’s a small thing and there’s no worry of confusing D&D with a game of Fate, but it’s a welcome nod from a game that historically has focused on killing creatures and taking their stuff.

Credit: Wizards of the Coast

Created by Wizards, told by you

Alongside the release of the three 5th edition core books came the first D&D campaign storyline, Tyranny of Dragons. A two-book adventure spanning Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat, players were embroiled in a story that stretched from the start of their adventuring careers all the way through the 15th level. At the culmination of the story, Wizards then introduced its next epic plot, “Elemental Evil” (yes, The Temple of Elemental Evil returns!) with Princes of the Apocalypse in April 2015. Again, this self-contained campaign spanned an entire character’s career.

The approach has marked a shift in how Wizards of the Coast and its D&D Team design stories and play aides. Instead of making adventure modules meant to squeeze into your home campaign, Wizards now provides the entire campaign in one book filled with great set pieces, plot hooks, and epic adventure.

The third and current storyline, “Rage of Demons,” was released in September in Out of the Abyss, following this same structure. Adventurers can start fresh or jump right in with a character from their weekly D&D Encounters session.

Encounters? Yes, Wizards of the Coast kept the D&D Adventurers League from years past and has expanded it even further. Now the D&D Adventurers League—found every Wednesday night at your friendly local gaming store (FLGS)—maps to the current D&D storyline. Swing by your FLGS with a new character and you’ll be playing alongside the Rage of Demons storyline with 2-6 other players. Meant to be digestible in two-hour increments, the League program is the vehicle that Wizards uses to make sure you always have a D&D group ready to go by shadowing the current story “season” with casual play. You can even bring your pre-generated character from the D&D Starter Set and continue the adventure, accruing experience points in League play.

In editions past, the thought of going from 1st to 15th level (or higher) might have seemed a pipe dream, but 5E moves story, combat, and character advancement along much more quickly. Those abilities and spells you longingly looked forward to but never saw? In 5E and campaign progressions, the D&D Team wants you to see those cool levels. Your character’s growth as an epic hero is also part of the story and why each storyline begins anew. The hero’s journey is a fundamental component of the latest edition.

A different philosophy of publishing

Beyond the years of playtesting what would become the latest edition, Wizards of the Coast released the Basic Rules for D&D online for free. These contain everything you need to play from levels 1 to 20 with the core classes of cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard, along with a smattering of races and spells. These Basic Rules are enough to play any of the storylines or even design a character for play in an Adventurers League game.

Since publication of the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual, Wizards has released a total of two player-centric books, Player’s Companion for the Elemental Evil storyline and the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide. The total product catalog of books beyond the core stand at six. Yes, six books in 16 months. Compare that to 3/3.5 and 4th editions where you were drowning in books at any given moment, and it’s a dramatic shift in the way Wizards approaches D&D.

Best of all, it’s working. While Wizards does not share sales figures, sales of 5E have been characterized as “staggering” and the company has gone through multiple reprints of the core rules.

In the past, the R&D Team at Wizards of the Coast was sizable and crossed into various digital and print mediums. To validate that investment in wages, a lot of product was produced. Fast forward to today and the D&D Team is a leaner and more focused group, headed by designer Mike Mearls. Instead of endless books of classes, feats (oh, the feats!), and items, D&D publishing is focused on providing compelling storylines for adventurers at your gaming table.

A telling sign is that many of these D&D releases are written by teams in collaboration with Wizards of the Coast. The Tyranny of Dragons books were designed by Kobold Press, Princes of the Apocalypse by Sasquatch Game Studios, and Out of the Abyss and Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide by Green Ronin Publishing.

That collaboration has continued with the partnership with SmiteWorks and the release of Fantasy Grounds Virtual Table support for 5E. A standalone application, Fantasy Grounds incorporates modules for a true online D&D tabletop experience. All of the three storylines plus the starter campaign from the Starter Set are available for purchase, and the entire campaign contents are pre-loaded. The Virtual Table supports custom characters, drag-and-drop play, a combat tracker, maps with fog of war, and much more. It’s a robust tool that tries to help overcome that challenge of finding a D&D group to play with in your local area.

D&D properties that were retired in 2013 at the end of 4E have returned, this time in a new, all-digital format: Dragon+. Previously hidden behind the paywall of D&D Insider, Dragon’s successor is now a free webzine/app delivered directly to your phone or tablet. Now D&D players have ready access to articles, Q&As, previews, and even free adventure downloads. It’s also an easy way to keep up on the current D&D storyline and tie-ins across various products, such as novels, the Neverwinter Nights MMORPG, and board game releases.

The continuing shift of focus can be further seen in the decision to shut down the Wizards’ official forum presence on October 29, affecting both D&D and Magic: The Gathering. In one fell swoop, the company yielded ownership of the social conversation to the masses, rather than trying to manage it themselves. There have always been third party support sites for D&D, such as ENWorld, but Wizards has again narrowed its focus on the truly important—managing the brand through tight, quality releases—rather than trying to be everything to everyone. In a hobby where your customers, by necessity, are creative, Wizards’ attempts to wrap its corporate arms around everything was a losing proposition.

But all of this was only a precursor to a much bigger move—shifting D&D’s stewardship into the hands of its players.

Credit: Wizards of the Coast

D&D as written by you

The launch of the 3rd edition of D&D in 2000 was a watershed moment in RPG gaming. The Open Gaming License (OGL) allowed anyone to use the core components of d20—the underlying system of D&D—for their own use. In a matter of weeks, an entire cottage industry sprung up around making D&D-compatible products. That led to d20’s astronomical growth and to numerous spinoff products, one of which in the past few years has even challenged D&D’s dominance (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game by Pazio Publishing). But 4E never had an OGL and the thinking was that Wizards was loathe to open up that can of worms a second time, having been burnt the first time by the likes of The Book of Erotic Fantasy and piles of shovelware.

That changed earlier this month with the release of the Dungeon Master’s Guild, which combined a new OGL for 5E with a self-publication path through OneBookshelf. Write adventures or some rules and publish them online, splitting the proceeds with Wizards and OneBookshelf. Items produced through the DM’s Guild might even be curated by the D&D Team into other products. The Adventurers League also benefits, as the DM’s Guild is now the official path for anyone to download League adventures going forward. Not only does the DM’s Guild open up the D&D IP, but the initial launch also includes the ability to (officially) use the Forgotten Realms campaign setting in your materials.

For now, Wizards has stated that Forgotten Realms—the default setting for 5E—is the only one available to use, but other worlds may be coming soon. Just recently came the announcement of the return of the Ravenloft setting (via the Curse of Strahd adventure module). Returning, too, are the creators of the original 1983 Castle Ravenloft module, Tracy and Laura Hickman. (They also created a little work called Dragonlance…) Whether or not we will see a return of other classic settings, such as Dragonlance, Planescape, Spelljammer, Birthright, Eberron, or Dark Sun, remains to be seen.

Going forward, it looks fairly clear the direction that Wizards and the D&D Team are taking: continue to focus on annual storylines that are deeply tied into the Adventurer’s League events; work with third parties to shore up gaps in the product line but eschew system bloat; curate the best material found via the Dungeon Master’s Guild; and open up the Dungeon Master’s Guild to other settings as ad hoc or specialty releases (much as they did for 4E).

Roll for initiative?

Perhaps you’re a D&D fan who’s packed the dice away or jumped ship when the edition of your choice was put out to pasture. Is it worth returning?

The barrier to entry is much lower now, with players getting in for as little as free when downloading the Basic Rules. Or you can splurge and go really crazy for the Player’s Handbook. DMs have it a bit rougher with a three-book buy-in and/or a campaign book like Out of the Abyss. Alternately, DMs can also go it alone and feed off the Basic Rules and SRD releases.

If you’ve played an edition previous to 3E, you’ll probably appreciate the classic approach that benefits from streamlined rules and general quality of life changes in the past few decades with unified mechanics, digital tools, and updated support. The latest edition has done an admirable job of retaining that classic feel while toning down the math.

3E players have likely already migrated to Pathfinder as their game of choice and that’s understandable; Pazio has taken the mantle of gamers seemingly abandoned by 4E and carved out a healthy niche for itself. 5E may not have the overwhelming support and level of system mastery seen in 3/3.5, but in some ways that can be a good thing. If fundamentally you like the core of 3E but wish it was more streamlined, 5E could be in your wheelhouse. There is more that you will find familiar than not.