One Dungeons and Dragons: the 2024 version (edition 5.5)

I guess it was inevitable. A new “version” (the word “edition” seems to be verboten at Wizards of the Coast these days) of Dungeons and Dragons is coming in 2024. It’s currently being called “One D&D,” I suppose to emphasize the compatibility of the 2024 version with the 2014 5^th edition rules.

 

WotC is at pains to stress that everything that has been published for fifth edition will be usable/compatible with the 2024 rules. Of course, this doesn’t prevent it from being a new “edition” in any sense—1^st edition AD&D modules can be used easily with 2^nd edition and vice versa. But given the ways that the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th editions were all incompatible with each other (and with earlier editions)—they were essentially different games altogether—and the divisions that these shifts caused among players, I can understand why WotC would want to do what they can to highlight that no equally dramatic change is coming up in two years.

 

Anyhow, I think that 5^th edition is … fine. I enjoyed using the Adventures in Middle-earth version of the rules for my Mirkwood campaign, and I am enjoying using the core rules for my current Greyhawk campaign. As I’ve mentioned before here, I'm using Gygax's version of the setting (1983 box set) as my base, modifying a few things, and filling in some details here and there. I’m only permitting character options that make sense for the setting (so no tieflings, dragonborn, warlocks, etc.). I don't use the “inspiration” rules or “feats.” Does it feel exactly like 1e AD&D? No, certainly not. But it's not that far off in terms of the actual player experience, I think. We’re having fun with it in any case.

 

After taking a quick look at the current play test document for One D&D, I already have a couple of concerns. 

 

I don't like feats at all and (as I just mentioned) I don't use them in my campaign. Making them optional was one of the best things about 5^th edition. So I'm disappointed that they now seem to be no longer optional in the play test document. Likewise, I don't like inspiration and don't use it in my game. Not using inspiration keeps the game a bit more “gritty” and dangerous. But inspiration now seems to be required (for humans at least).

My current take is this: I use some modest tweaks to maintain a somewhat “old school” feel to my 5e game. This has been easy to do, and I'm a little concerned that this may be harder to do in 5.5e. But perhaps my worries will prove unfounded. Or perhaps I’ll just stick with “my version” of 5^th edition (I certainly will do so for my current campaign). And after I finish the Greyhawk campaign—which very well may not be for a couple of years—I expect I’ll be in the mood to run something different in any case. (Perhaps Against the Darkmaster or Lyonesse...)