Dungeons & Dragons is a massive and wildly popular tabletop role-playing game enjoyed all over the world by millions of fans. Players love creating characters using the game’s many options for race, playable classes, subclasses, and other customization perks that the game offers. There’s a lot of flexibility for anyone and everyone to enjoy the game and the stories they build together.
Being so accessible and popular, there are many ways to play Dungeons & Dragons. That can lead to differences of opinion on how the games should be run, played, or both, either for Game Masters or players. On the DND subreddit, players share some of their unpopular opinions about aspects of the game.
10 It Doesn’t Have To Start Epic
Often, DND game stories are of epic proportions. It’s not just a town that needs saving, it’s the entire world. A lot of players enjoy the thrill of high stakes, so there’s no questioning why. It makes players feel like true heroes, powerful and history-altering.
However, this user on Reddit suggests that too often, the world-ending plots are brought up too early in the game. There is nothing wrong with them, but they should be delayed until the party is a higher level and they’ve progressively worked their way up to fighting bigger threats.
9 Being Serious Is No Fun
When players create their DND characters, they also build the characters’ personalities, mannerisms and quirks. Some characters are more easygoing than others, while others are edgier and sometimes just more serious.
This Reddit user thinks that having a character who is far too serious can hurt the game. It’s fine to have characters who are serious when the moment calls for it, or even edgy characters, but characters who are stone faced without any other real personality traits. DND is a game and having some lighthearted characteristics keeps it feeling that way.
8 Rangers Are Good
It’s a common opinion in DND groups and communities that if one class sticks out like a sore thumb, it’s the Ranger. Characters of this class are built around the concept of being solitary explorers that excel in hunting monsters. They’re built for survival.
The problem is that sometimes, in DND games, the survival mechanisms aren’t used. This Redditor suggests that this is why Ranger isn’t fun, and that the class is actually good when the mechanics of the Ranger are considered and brought into play.
7 Attacking Downed Players Isn’t A Bad Thing
When running a DND game, the Dungeon Master often runs combat scenarios where they control the enemy characters and the players fight them. The DM is able to target specific players and attack them. Some DMs may worry that players will take targeted attacks personally.
However, this Reddit user explains that it’s okay to attack the same character again and again. It’s not the DM attacking the players, but rather, the enemies attacking them. Targeting certain characters is how realistic combat would flow, and there’s nothing unfair about that.
6 Alignment Can Lend Itself Well To The Story
There’s a lot of different opinions on the subject of alignments in DND. Some players feel restricted when they attempt to label their characters are Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic. Others argue that Good and Evil aren’t as grey as the alignment chart may suggest.
This Reddit user argues in favor of the alignment system. Specifically, the system may prove useful for forming relationships and conflict between NPCs and player characters, as well as enemies. It provides a handy framework for DMs to build stories with.
5 Rolling For Stats Is Better
When building characters, players have a few options for how they want to decide their character’s stats. The Standard Array method means that players are given a set of predetermined numbers to place into their stats however they like. The Point Buy method allows for more optimization, letting players pick which stats will be greater and which will be lesser.
The third method is the most random, in which players roll for their stats. This is usually called rolling for stats. This Redditor suggests that the third method is best because it involves true chance. Even if the stats are bad in terms of numbers, it allows for more character flavor.
4 Railroading Is Okay
In DND, the concept of “railroading” refers to when the adventure seems to be on rails for the players. The Dungeon Master leads the players from one scene to the next. Specifically, this is about when the players aren’t able to make decisive choices about the campaign story.
This Redditor suggests that sometimes, railroading can be okay. In their campaign, combat is the primary focus, so the goal is already laid out, and players don’t mind going from point A to point B with the goal in mind.
3 Stereotypes Can Be Fine
Some players and DMs argue that falling into stereotypes when making characters, such as the drunken dwarf and uptight elf, can lead to lazy character creation. While this is generally true and a reasonable point, this Reddit user argues otherwise.
They suggest that stereotypes can be beneficial when they help the player characters fit better into the campaign world and story. Clichés come naturally, which makes them easier to play and more fun for the player, too. It helps the players know what actions their character would take and adds life to the game.
2 Enemies Don’t Need To Fight To The Death
Often in DND combat, the player characters and enemies engage in combat where they continue fighting until the enemy characters all reach zero HP. This makes sense in the way that it reflects combat in video games, where enemies have their HP depleted to zero in order for the player to win the battle.
This Redditor suggests that in DND, this is often not necessary. Intelligent creatures, such as enemies, would realistically flee when the fight looks to be going badly and before they’re killed. It allows for more possible actions from the players too: do they hunt down the enemies, or do they let them go?
1 When It Comes To Settings, Less Is More
Everyone loves a beefy, lore filled game world, all their own to explore, or at least, in theory. It seems enticing to build a world where there’s complex politics and a large network of conflict brewing, but is that really the best experience?
This Reddit user suggests that less is more when building a campaign. It can help streamline the world and the conflict, which keeps things from getting confusing. A tightly knit world makes it easier for players to build their characters into and doesn’t detract from the fun.
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