21st Century Tabletop
Dungeons and Dragons has recently entered its fifth edition in a history spanning 40 years. Each edition built upon the foundation of the one before it, and served as a sort of rubric for almost every RPG after it. Indeed, it’s hard to find one game (tabletop or videogame, Western or Eastern) that isn't somehow based upon D&D in some way. Dungeons and Dragons laid a framework for every RPG to come after it, being a sort of blueprint to engage members in basic role-playing. But, with this recent Fifth Edition release, D&D may have outstripped both its forbears and its successors.
For those of you that don’t know what I’m talking about, let me explain. Dungeons and Dragons is a Roleplaying Game, traditionally played on a table like a board game. The players created their characters (Player Characters, as they are so creatively named), along with those characters’ abilities, profession, and background. Then the host of the game, the Dungeon Master, puts these characters through an adventure either of a pre-generated or original design. Originating in 1974, D&D has been going strong to this day, and as I mentioned before, spawned numerous RPGs on the tabletop (Like Shadowrun, for example), and videogames (way too many of these to count, but the Elder Scrolls is a good example of what I’m talking about).
However, this recent edition does something relatively unique for any RPG at all. Like I mentioned before, background is a part of character creation. Indeed, it’s an essential part for games like Dragon Age, Shadowrun, and Pathfinder. But, in D&D 5th Edition, these essential choices, including your character’s personality, even have an impact how the actual rules of the game play out. For example, someone choosing to come from a military background grants a bonus to understanding the chain of command and tactics, while a character from a peasant upbringing relates better to the lower classes, and can even be hidden by them if the need ever arises.
Many of the changes in D&D 5th Edition have been met with complaint from veterans of the game; ones that were rolling up characters before I was even born. Some of their criticisms include a move to simplicity, and while 5th edition is more complex than the panned 4th edition, its content is still far below 3rd, which is almost universally regarded as a classic of the genre as a whole. And this is true, there are less feats, simpler combat, and even less weapons. Magic now has less spells, relying on a few core spells that can get augmented as you level up. But this isn’t necessarily a weakness, as tabletop games suffered a major blow in the 2000s as videogame RPGs emerged. These classics were fading from view because in comparison creating a character can take upwards of an hour, while playing a videogame merely required you popping a disk in a tray. But with simpler rules and concepts, as well as enhanced character generation, 5th Edition gets a player into the action faster, with an even deeper connection to the person they’re playing. And a videogame just can’t make that connection in the same way.
Some of the other changes to D&D are a shift away from the previously mentioned universally hated 4th Edition, which, in an attempt to regain audience, shifted to a much more videogame-like approach. The classes (professions of characters) were less important than the role the character played in the party. This may seem unimportant, but it actually completely shifts how the game works. It changes your character from being a person to just a set of stats and how they interact in combat. This went directly against what everyone loved about D&D, and it was immediately rectified by Wizards of the Coast (the company that now own D&D) for 5th Edition. With the recent changes, the classic classes are in place, but there is even more room for customization without sacrificing that all important role-play factor. For example, two Rangers could play completely different builds of characters, both feel like Rangers, and still have very distinct personalities. This is incredibly important, as mentioned before, as it’s the main appeal of the game.
With all these recent tune-ups to the material, D&D is all set to progress into the 21st century, in no small part due to its new edition. Despite the blow it was dealt in the 2000s, it would appear to be recovering, as tabletop RPGs are becoming more and more popular again, especially among the college crowd. If you ask me, it’s because of that very personal aspect it has. Playing a videogame alone in the dark can still be fun, but it’s very lonely. But playing a game around a table with your friends and creating stories of adventure and intrigue, with characters that you, yourself, created. Well there’s nothing quite like it.
Dungeons and Dragons has recently entered its fifth edition in a history spanning 40 years. Each edition built upon the foundation of the one before it, and served as a sort of rubric for almost every RPG after it. Indeed, it’s hard to find one game (tabletop or videogame, Western or Eastern) that isn't somehow based upon D&D in some way. Dungeons and Dragons laid a framework for every RPG to come after it, being a sort of blueprint to engage members in basic role-playing. But, with this recent Fifth Edition release, D&D may have outstripped both its forbears and its successors.
For those of you that don’t know what I’m talking about, let me explain. Dungeons and Dragons is a Roleplaying Game, traditionally played on a table like a board game. The players created their characters (Player Characters, as they are so creatively named), along with those characters’ abilities, profession, and background. Then the host of the game, the Dungeon Master, puts these characters through an adventure either of a pre-generated or original design. Originating in 1974, D&D has been going strong to this day, and as I mentioned before, spawned numerous RPGs on the tabletop (Like Shadowrun, for example), and videogames (way too many of these to count, but the Elder Scrolls is a good example of what I’m talking about).
However, this recent edition does something relatively unique for any RPG at all. Like I mentioned before, background is a part of character creation. Indeed, it’s an essential part for games like Dragon Age, Shadowrun, and Pathfinder. But, in D&D 5th Edition, these essential choices, including your character’s personality, even have an impact how the actual rules of the game play out. For example, someone choosing to come from a military background grants a bonus to understanding the chain of command and tactics, while a character from a peasant upbringing relates better to the lower classes, and can even be hidden by them if the need ever arises.
Many of the changes in D&D 5th Edition have been met with complaint from veterans of the game; ones that were rolling up characters before I was even born. Some of their criticisms include a move to simplicity, and while 5th edition is more complex than the panned 4th edition, its content is still far below 3rd, which is almost universally regarded as a classic of the genre as a whole. And this is true, there are less feats, simpler combat, and even less weapons. Magic now has less spells, relying on a few core spells that can get augmented as you level up. But this isn’t necessarily a weakness, as tabletop games suffered a major blow in the 2000s as videogame RPGs emerged. These classics were fading from view because in comparison creating a character can take upwards of an hour, while playing a videogame merely required you popping a disk in a tray. But with simpler rules and concepts, as well as enhanced character generation, 5th Edition gets a player into the action faster, with an even deeper connection to the person they’re playing. And a videogame just can’t make that connection in the same way.
Some of the other changes to D&D are a shift away from the previously mentioned universally hated 4th Edition, which, in an attempt to regain audience, shifted to a much more videogame-like approach. The classes (professions of characters) were less important than the role the character played in the party. This may seem unimportant, but it actually completely shifts how the game works. It changes your character from being a person to just a set of stats and how they interact in combat. This went directly against what everyone loved about D&D, and it was immediately rectified by Wizards of the Coast (the company that now own D&D) for 5th Edition. With the recent changes, the classic classes are in place, but there is even more room for customization without sacrificing that all important role-play factor. For example, two Rangers could play completely different builds of characters, both feel like Rangers, and still have very distinct personalities. This is incredibly important, as mentioned before, as it’s the main appeal of the game.
With all these recent tune-ups to the material, D&D is all set to progress into the 21st century, in no small part due to its new edition. Despite the blow it was dealt in the 2000s, it would appear to be recovering, as tabletop RPGs are becoming more and more popular again, especially among the college crowd. If you ask me, it’s because of that very personal aspect it has. Playing a videogame alone in the dark can still be fun, but it’s very lonely. But playing a game around a table with your friends and creating stories of adventure and intrigue, with characters that you, yourself, created. Well there’s nothing quite like it.