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The 5E DM Crisis and My Modest Solution (extended) (Patreon)

Published:
2022-12-11 16:16:44
Imported:
2026-06
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Videos

Content

PDM reacts to last week's Questing Beast video and offers a modest solution that will end edition wars and rules lawyers once and for all.

If you have trouble viewing this content, try a different device or OS.

--PDM

Files

Previews only

DM Shortage?!.mp4

Comments

Mara

Yes! My Saturday group refuses to play rules-light games, because then they don't get to rules-lawyer, basically. They love Pathfinder and 5e, like those are basically the only shows in town, and homebrew is not allowed. As though the people who designed the game can not and should not be questioned, ever. Frankly, I think they enjoy the complexity of the rules because it makes it easier for them to get away with cheating. While at the same time, arguing with the DM and with other players about the letter of the law. It's infuriating, and I should frankly not put up with it. ... This was very cathartic, thank you. :)

MrGunn

Interesting video, the pre-announcement had a lot of great debate and commentary.

Brandon

Right on the money with this one. 5e is too rule dense, there’s too much minutiae.

BrianV

Hey PDM, some additional ideas for videos that I think would be good for newer DMs is a small series maybe 4-6 on how you blend the background of your players ( or also their respective classes) into the campaigns you run. Also another video idea could be how you take a few different genre movies and blend it into building a campaign. Examples like Die Hard, Predator, and or Inglorious Bastards. In your pat videos you have mentioned this, but the new videos it will provide ways to tie it into a new medieval fantasy Deathbringer environment. Just my 2 cents, I look forward to your new content. Thank you again for all you do!

Brandon
>>97353804

Wow - I don’t even know where to begin. I’d hope that if your players abuse the rules and you, that you would find some more likeminded and kinder players

Lee Caddick

I don't see the situation changing that much as long as players are willing to buy the rulebooks and supplements and whatnot. From what I can see (and I personally detest this trend) people get excited about playing talking animals and robots - if there was a dnd sourcebook on playing talking squirrel/elephant hybrids I know someone in my group would buy it and demand to play as one (the answer would be no - I like my parties to be epically fantastic rather than epically plushie).

Garnett
>>97357025

I don't know if many players even want to *play* D&D. They like creating these wildly powerful anime-mutants, but can't stand anything unfortunate happening to them.

MrGunn
>>97357025

Gahhh, must not be angry rant triggered by mention of stupid D&D player furries... Assimov control circuits overheating.... Do not press AZ-5 button... <8oD ;D

Mara
>>97357025

It all comes back to the artwork, imo. It gets people overexcited, about both the character and the world that type of character lives in. D&D's artwork is great, but it also sets some expectations about the nature of the world which the GM may not be willing or able to realize in the game. I think there are examples of animal-hybrid races that are actually fun to play and have in a group. They just have to be consistent with the other characters and players, with societal expectations and limitations. Part of the appeal of an animal character is that fantasy of living outside of society's expectations, I think. Everyone comes into a campaign with slightly different hopes and expectations, and it takes time to learn to adapt yours with those of the rest of the group. It might just also be down to gender differences. People get a chance to return to their childhood fantasies in an RPG, and there's been a big difference between girls' and boys' media for a long time. The girls' media just involved more cute animal hybrids doing heroic things, while the boys' media had manly men doing manly things.

Lee Caddick
>>97357025

That's a fair point, gender has an influence - so does anime and Pokémon - I'm just slightly too old to have been snared by that stuff. My players, however, are all younger than me and even in their thirties are finding this stuff irresistible.

Todd Sharp

Spot on, PDM. I think that part of the frustration for DM's regardless of game system/version is the 'mastery' phase that players go through. It's that time right after the initial wonderment of playing a new game that people go through when they want to gain system mastery. For a lot of players that means pouring over rulebooks, trying to figure every way to 'game the system' to give themselves an advantage or to prove themselves smart and capable at the table. (I think teenage boys are the worst about this.) 5E benefitted from the Covid lockdowns and created a flush of new players in a short period of time. If, as a game master, you're dealing with a group of players who are in the 'mastery' phase of their D&D careers; it is exhausting. Like raising kids, you just have to deal with it until they are past the phase. (Hopefully, they do eventually get past it!)

Daniel Defazio
>>97353804

I am a good listener. You are welcome. You sound like a cool DM. You need to find some new, cool players!

Graham Kane

Excellent commentary. I fully believe that you'll never see any rulebook stating that the DM's decisions supersede the rules as clearly as you suggest. I think WOTC would think it somehow "delegitimizes" the rules and would affect sales of further rulebooks. As far as I'm concerned it should be printed in large bold type on the first page of every rules release and module. Bye the way PDM, do you intend to comment on the recent webinar comments from Cynthia Williams that D&D is "really under monetised"?

MrGunn
>>97357025

Mara we invented Gamma World for folks who wanted to play talking animals. Long live the Animal Liberation Front! LOL 🤣🤣🤣😋

MrGunn
>>97366314

Good video idea Graham, Tenkar did a short spot on the Cynthia William's webinar, would love to hear PDM's thoughts.

Chuck Thorin
>>97366314

Agree on the view of some players that rules need the corporate seal of approval. Good point.

Andrew
>>97356525

I would love to see one on role playing---coming from character background vs. letting the events and decisions made in game define the character personality. I personally think way too much emphasis is paid to character backgrounds, and not enough emphasis is paid to how the events of the game can actually shape an individual character or an adventuring group as a whole. From my perspective, the most memorable role playing moments that have occurred in my past games have all drawn on experiences the party has shared together. I'd love to hear what you think of this.

The Tabletop Engineer

If people are leaving D&D (5e) after COVID and returning to their normal hobbies and other interests, then it needs to be at a ratio of 6 players leaving and one GM leaving or there will definitely be a shortage. I suspect that GMs leave at a higher rate than players (burnout, lack/loss of interest, feeling inadequate as a GM, etc.) and that's yet another reason players will outnumber GMs for a while until things settle out.

Ben Chance

Having run both OSR and 5E, OSR is easier. 5E you have to balance around superheroes, not making it too easy or combat focused players get bored, nor too hard or their super-important characters die... and if you as the DM prepped adventures around a backstory good luck. OSR the characters are expected to face difficulty and that's the point. No superheroes, more excitement with the chance of death.

Steven Roman

This. EXACTLY this: "No, no--it's just the opposite. If you have fewer rules, it's easier to run. Fewer rules mean fewer things to argue about, means a faster game. I just don't know how people don't get that!"

Richard Maddalon

There's this one guy in my 5e game that is also a 5e DM although I've never played in any of his games. I can almost see the smoke rolling out of his ears when I homebrew a rule or monster. Makes me smile. I was using a homebrew initiative where we roll off and highest goes first then around the table clockwise. If you rolled a nat 20 you got a limited inspiration to use during the encounter. For every nat 1 rolled the DM gets an inspiration to be used in the encounter. It was so easy to keep track of initiative no apps no cards no accidentally skipping anyone and it was like a mini game where you could get or incur advantage. Used it twice and he showed up almost begging me to use initiative cards. Crybaby. We play at his house so as not to cause problems I caved and let him use his stupid cards and slow down combat. Now everyone rolls and then they spend 5 minutes fumbling with these dumb ass cards. I refuse to keep track, I just ask, "Who's next?" Probably drives him nuts.

Andrew
>>97357025

Mara, I hear you. My girlfriend's daughter plays a three foot tall hedgehog from the fey wilde. I have no idea what a hedgehog's priorities are or why one would want to go adventuring. Can't wrap my head around that one. Neither can my girlfriend. We just say, "hum..." On doing a little research into hedgehogs, and yes I actually did this because I could not imagine playing one or what it's priorities might be, I did discover that it was commonly believed that hedgehogs were thought to possess properties that could treat arthritis. Then I just started imagining wise women and apothecaries putting a bounty on this three foot hedgehog, because it's a magic hedgehog. It might not alleviate arthritis--it might actually cure it.

Jay
>>97357025

Lee, great post. I agree quite a bit. The only caveat being the buying of rules and supplements. What I mean is don't let sales numbers fool you. There are a significant number of gamers who buy rules and supplements for inspiration, ideas for homebrewing, and collectors as well. I happen to buy most such products for all of these reasons. My games however are more homebrew amalgamations mixed with elements of low fantasy and mainly human player characters. No plushies for my group.

Jay

PDM, great content in this video. Still like OSR best but with the 5E AC rather than THACO.

Moot Dundle

I DM between 5 to 10 times a month for 3 groups. One game is 2e and two games are 5e. Teaching 5e's front load character rules is difficult for new players. Some players get frustrated. The amount of things a character can do at low levels is to much. I believe WotC does this to make characters cool (here's your trophy for just showing up) so players don't walk away from the game. There needs to be a balance that WotC has not found yet.

Staffaramus

I agree who hardheartedly PDM! Players have TOO much access to Monster Stats and they are the ones who buy all the supplements so then I have to as the DM to keep up.

Brad F

At 14:08: Wowza, those are some harsh comments!

Craig McKenzie

I always tell a new DM to run a PHB-only campaign for their first try, cuts down on the craziness. Especially if you cut out multiclassing.

Ghetto Gepetto
>>97356516

5e is actually pretty rules light compared to 3/3.5 and even 2e (from what I remember). I actually find it easier to be creative and spontaneous if I already have a framework to work from.

Brandon
>>97356516

I’ve heard this point come up a lot, regardless what 5e can be compared to, I think it doesn’t suit the openness my game requires